| dc.description.abstract | Language is the chief means by which human personality expresses itself and fulfills its social
interaction with other people. Good language usage, appreciation and development are important
for social interaction, functional literacy and in the work place. With the increasing population
and rapid development of science and technology, literature on various cultures and nationalities,
are the finding that the social environment affects Kiswahili performance. A predominant theme
indicates that social, cultural and economic factors influence this performance. Thus,
understanding the social environment in which the learners interact with is of critical importance.
This study examined the influence of the social environment on Kiswahili performance of
candidates in primary schools within Uriri district. Specifically, the study examined the trends of
performance of Kiswahili language; determined the influence of social and economic context
conditions on Kiswahili performance and examined structural factors that affect Kiswahili
performance in primary schools in Uriri district. This study was examined within the context of
Albert Bandura's social learning theory. The study was of a cross sectional survey design. The
study population was made up of head teachers, teachers and government officials. From a total
of 84 schools, the sample size was 52 determined by 30% of randomly selected cases within a
defined population. These included purposively sampled key informants including 1 education
officer,1 quality assurance officer,25 head teachers from performing schools and from nonperforming
schools, 25 Kiswahili teachers were also interviewed. Triangulation of qualitative
andquantitative methods of data collection were employed incorporating questionnaires for both
head teachers and teachers, in- depth interviews for the education officers and focus group
discussions for the teachers. By use of SPSS (Version 16.0), quantitative data was coded and
analyzed using descriptive statistics and presented in form of tables, and percentages. Qualitative
data was transcribed and categorized into emergent themes. Findings showed that more-than half
of the population acknowledged the discouraging trends experienced in Kiswahili performance.
Structural factors, socio-economic conditions and cultural aspects were identified to have a direct
link With language performance in primary schools. This study recommends a clear
understanding of the trends in performance to help improve performance. Community members
need to be sensitized on the social and economic issues that affect Kiswahili performance so that
they employ local strategies to improve on the candidates' performance in the subject. Findings
are expected to provide understanding of how the social environment affects the performance of
Kiswahili language. This will in turn help the government to develop policies and programs to
support and improve the performance ofKiswahili language in Kiswahili performance. | en_US |
