Analysis of the Influence of Mother Tongue on Students’ Performance in English in KCSE in Public Day Secondary Schools in Gatundu District, Kiambu County, Kenya

Abstract

This study sought to find out the influence of use of mother tongue on students’ performance of English in KCSE in Gatundu District, Kiambu County, Kenya. Literature from across the globe, regionally and locally was reviewed to provide various perspectives regarding the use of mother tongue in school and its influence on performance in English. The literature reviewed highlights how first language affects second language. It discusses both content in favour of use of mother tongue and content against the use of mother tongue among other issues. In this study, the target populations were students and English teachers from public day secondary schools in Gatundu. Five Schools were sampled using simple random sampling while 191 students were sampled using stratified sampling and systematic random sampling respectively. Eight Teachers were sampled using purposive sampling technique. The study used cross-sectional survey design. Questionnaires were used to collect data from students and teachers, while an interview guide was used to collect data from the teachers. Quantitative data was summarized using descriptive statistics and presented using tables and bar graphs while qualitative data was put under themes and presented in narratives. The study found out that use of mother tongue had a negative influence in performance of English in public day secondary schools of Gatundu. It emerged from the study that use of mother tongue influences the way students write and pronounce in English, hence negatively influencing the performance of English in KCSE. Among other recommendations, the study recommended that teachers should come up with teaching methods that are interactive in the English curriculum so as to ensure that students are given an opportunity to interact with each other in English. Finally, the study suggests that this research should be replicated in other districts where students do not perform well in English to corroborate findings on how mother tongue influences performance of English.