Effect of Regular Practice on Kiswahili Summary Writing in Secondary Schools in Kenya: A Case of Voi Sub-County.

Effect of Regular Practice on Kiswahili Summary Writing in Secondary Schools in Kenya: A Case of Voi Sub-County.

 *Consolata Ojwang¹ and Kisilu Kitainge, PhD²

¹PhD student, University of Eldoret, Kenya

²Senior Lecturer, University of Eldoret, Kenya.

*Corresponding Author

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2023.7011041

Received: 21 September 2023; Revised: 01 November 2023; Accepted: 04 November 2023; Published: 04 December 2023

ABSTRACT

The study investigated factors that affect performance in Kiswahili summary in Voi Sub-county of Taita-Taveta County. The need of the study was based on the fact that Kiswahili Summary is an area faced with challenges. The main purpose of the study was to investigate the teaching of Kiswahili Summary in secondary schools. The objectives of the study were; to assess the teaching of skimming and scanning skills in reading and writing, the attitudes of the learners and teachers in learning and teaching of Kiswahili Summary. The theoretical framework was based on Vygotsky’s Language and Thought theory and that of Chomsky’s theory of Approach to Language which was adopted by Luttrell which dealt with language development following certain rules. The study employed descriptive research design. The area of study was Voi Sub-County. The target population included teachers of Kiswahili, Heads of Department of Language and the students from all the four Provincial Mixed Schools. Stratified, purposive and sample random samplings were   used. There were 3741 students but the study used 263 students in Form 2 and 3 classes, 12 teachers of Kiswahili and Four heads of department. The study used both Primary and Secondary data. Data was gathered through questionnaires and documentation. The questionnaires were the main source of Primary data. Data from questionnaires were analyzed and recorded by use of frequency tables, figures and percentage using descriptive statistics. The study established that regular practice in summary writing enabled the learners to perform well. The study also recommended that teachers should engage learners in regular practice in summary writing.

INTRODUCTION TO THE CHAPTER.

This chapter examines the background within which the study is set. It also presents the research problem, its’ purpose as well as the research questions that will direct the course of this study. Also covered in this chapter are the assumptions of the study and theoretical framework. In addition, this chapter describes the significance of the study and outlines its scope and limitation as well as definition of key terms.

1.1 Background information

Kiswahili Summary which is the subject of study is a vital skill in communication and instruction. It is listed under writing skills in the Kenya Institute of Education syllabus (2002) and a compulsory section in a Kiswahili paper coded 102/2 by Kenya National Examinations Council (2006).

Summary skills enable a reader to make wise decisions in distinguishing vital issues. This can be done in meetings which are either held internationally, nationally and even in local settings.

Wamitila (2007:115) denotes that summary joins important ideas in a report or passage. This therefore enables the readers to clearly separate the crucial points from those that are less important. Minute writing relies heavily on summary skills. This is a situation where the main issues are noted as the rest are left out. It is essential, if it was not employed; minutes would come out as novels. Wamitila (2007) says that good minute writing requires skills of summary writing. The secretary does not note everything that is discussed in the meeting but just quotes only the important issues which can give a general view to a person that was not in the meeting. Wamitila therefore underscores the important role of summary writing skills.

Ipara and Waititu (2006) applaud Summary writing as an essential exercise of explaining information briefly. They emphasize that for one to summarize any information; she/he must read, internalize and understand it. They emphasize that the ability to read and summarize is an indication that the reader has understood the text. They observe that, summary writing is an important skill when writing minutes, reports of meetings and enlisting important ideas in a conversation and even in preaching. Summary is also important in writing a diary, keeping records and denoting the activities of a day. They say that summary writing is essential in editing news. The mastery of summary skills has far reaching significances.

At school level, summary writing skills are quite critical. Jamieson (1999) says, “The ability to write an effective summary might be the most important writing skill a student can possess. You need to be able to summarize before you can be successful at most of other kinds of writing that will be demanded of you in school, and it’s an important part of note taking too”. This view shows the wide role played by summary writing skills in other fields. For instance, the writing of an official letter calls for summary writing skills. The official letter is written in summary form avoiding wordy statements.

Besides the official letter, the writing of a composition as that which deals with an advertisement, the writer uses summary skills. The message has to be presented in the shortest and interesting form as possible, (Waititu, 2003). As noted by Jamieson (1999), summary skill is an important part of note making. In the language subjects, summary skills are used in the analysis of literature texts in both Kiswahili and English. The learners and teachers use this skill to take short notes on the text.

Greanery (2009) says: “Summary writing is part of a class discussion, so that the writing being circumscribed and brief, is closely linked to oral summaries which form the material for writing. The use of summary is part of the tradition of writing in teaching; there is need for summary notes which translates later into full notes.”

Revision for examinations is well done when learners use summary skills. Learners make short notes which contain the major aspects in their detailed notes, (Waititu, Ipara and Okaalo, 2003).

Jamieson (1999) says, “Politicians and corporations employ people to read every newspaper and newsmagazine and summarize relevant stories and articles. The more concise the summary, the better, yet if major details are left out, the purpose of the summary is lost”. This shows that the summaries are important to politicians and business people; their concision and accuracy are important too.

Jamieson also explains that a learner must understand the text that she /he is reading before he/she writes a summary of it. It’s after the writing of the key points that the writer can skim it again to make sure she / he did not omit anything. This use of summary makes one learn and helps to check what may have been learned.

Despite the importance attached to Kiswahili summary, its results country-wide in the national examination has not been appealing. The performance in the summary section affects the overall performance of Kiswahili. KNEC (2007:22) states:  there was a decline in the results of Kiswahili 102/2 in 2007 from 40.60 in 2006 to 32.22. These results are almost similar to those of 2005, whose mean score was 34.08. The questions on summary were a major challenge to the candidates. This therefore gives the effect of summary writing on performance in Kiswahili. See Table 2.1

The hue and cry about performance has not been left out in Voi district. The mean score in KCSE 2009 in Kiswahili stands at 4.63, thus a mean grade of C-. Hon. Dan Mwazo, the M.P. for Voi Constituency while presiding over an Education Day ceremony on 17^th of July 2010, decried the poor performance in Voi District. He noted with concern the limited number of students joining the University from the district. A mean score of 4.63 in Kiswahili affects the overall performance of the students. See Table 1.1.

Table 1.1 KCSE performance of Kiswahili in the Four Provincial Schools in Voi District

Due to this situation, it therefore calls for the necessity to investigate the probable factors that cause this decline.

1.2 Statement of the problem.

Kiswahili Summary is a section in Kiswahili paper coded 102/2. Despite the great rationale attached to it, the students’ performance is poor. The problem of poor performance has really become a major concern among the stakeholders, Ogutu (2005). The performance in Kiswahili Summary affects the performance in Kiswahili generally because of the integrated approach. KNEC report of 2007 on 2006 KCSE examinations shows that the section on Summary majorly contributed to the decline in the general performance of Kiswahili.

Ipara and Waititu (2006) have associated the problem of Kiswahili summary to a number of reasons: Learners hurry up to answer questions without proper preparations; Students do not read the passage carefully; they do not honour the indicated number of words, there is improper grammatical usage of words and spelling. All these mistakes make the summary to be incoherent. Burton and Humphries (1992) attribute poor summary writing to some mistakes; candidates do not organize the answers in a coherent and logical manner, there is lack of competence in sentence and paragraph construction and poor punctuation and poor possession of, and judgment to make use of large vocabulary to condense the passage while summarizing. All these mistakes make the summary to be incoherent.

The reasons that talk about poor performance in the subject have not been well conceptualized. Due to limited information concerning the poor performance in Kiswahili Summary, the researcher has taken the task to look into the problem.

The problem of poor performance in Kiswahili Summary in Voi district is a major issue of discussion among the stakeholders in the district. The District analysis from the DEO’s office of 4.63 mean score in Kiswahili in KCSE of 2009 is worrying.  The research therefore tries to highlight the factors which cause poor performance in Kiswahili summary.

1.3 Purpose of the study

The purpose of the study was to investigate the teaching of Kiswahili Summary in secondary schools. The research also found out ways of improving performance in Kiswahili Summary.

1.4 Objectives of the study

The study looked at the objectives on that affect the teaching of summary writing.

1.4.1 Major objective.

The major objective of the study was to examine the teaching of Kiswahili Summary and its performance.

1.4.2 Specific objectives.

The specific objective of this paper was to establish the role of regular practice on performance in Kiswahili Summary.

THE MEANING OF KISWAHILI SUMMARY.

Summary has been described and explained in different ways.

Waihiga and Wamitila (2003) state that summary involves the ability to identify important and main ideas in a passage and paraphrasing them while the meaning is retained.

Waititu, Ipara and Okaalo (2003) describe summary as a brief explanation. They observe that summary is a very important style of writing.Walibora and Wang’endo (2004) assert that summary writing is one of the most important skills in a language. Summary means writing in brief.Ndungo and Mugambi (2003) say that the noun summary is derived from a verb:to summarize. To summarize therefore means to shorten the length or to explain in few words, fewer than those in the original passage. It is assumed that as one summarizes the passage, the message in it is retained. Summary is therefore said to be a representation of a whole passage. King’ei (1990) says that that Summary writing is an essential skill in writing. Summary is a life skill as it is used in all spheres of human life.

From these definitions it is therefore evident that summary gives the message in a terse form. In summary, the message that is presented in it is a replica of the original message though in brief.

2.1 The importance of Summary writing.

The importance of summary writing is very wide. Summary skills can be used in different contexts. MOE (1987) says that, the significance of summary is to facilitate in communicating information from a lengthy passage into a brief one without distorting the message in it. Burton and Humphries (1992:137) say that summary involves all the skills required for general competence in the use of language. Far from being an artificial exercise designed by examiners as a test for candidates; it is an accurate measure of your ability to communicate.

Waititu, Ipara and Okaalo (2003) say that summary skills can be used in news bulletin, newspapers and even when answering exam questions. In such cases only the main ideas are outlined. Summary reduces boredom of reading lengthy passages. They observe that summary is an essential skill as it saves time and money especially when sending some messages. For example the popular Short Message Service (SMS) in a cell phone, the telegram, death announcements and business advertisements employ summary.

Walibora and Wang’endo (2004) observe that summary writing is essential in news gathering where a journalist selects the important ideas and discards the less weighty ones.

Olodo and Njogu (2005) assert that summary is important in writing as it enables one to select the main ideas and present them in few words. Efficiency of summary is characterized by the way one conveys the message in brief while adhering to correct grammar and punctuation.

KIE (2011) acknowledges the use of summary in the evaluation of the Supplementary Curriculum Support Materials. After the panelists of the subject at either Secondary or Primary level have read the submission, the strengths and weaknesses are captured in a summary report.

2.2 The learning and teaching of Kiswahili Summary.

Kiswahili Summary is listed under a writing skill in the KIE syllabus of 2002. It is taught across board from Form one up to Form Four. The section is also put in Kiswahili paper coded102/2 in the Exam by KNEC. KNEC (2006) places summary in the ordinary writing section. Summary skills are also taught in different sections of Kiswahili. In a Kiswahili paper coded 102/1, which outlines Kiswahili compositions employs summary skills. Ndungo and Mugambi (2003) say that there are instructions that should be followed while summarizing: to read the passage twice or thrice, to select important points and finally to write the main points in prose. This will enable the writer to have a coherent summary.

Ipara and Waititu (2006) observe that summary skills are crucial in the writing of compositions on recipes. They say that the procedure and weights of the food to be prepared is written in summary form. Besides that, summary skills are also used in the writing of functional compositions such as minutes and reports. It is therefore evident that summary skills are widely used in learning and teaching.

Arege, Mukhwana and Wamitila (2011) have also discussed the use of summary in poetry. In their discussion on the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation radio program ‘Lugha Yetu’, they have emphasized the use of ‘inksari’ in poetry as summary. The poet uses the short form of the words to relay some message. It is therefore worth noting that summary is a life skill.

Research Design

Kothari (2006:31) defines research design as the arrangement of conditions for collection and analysis of data in a way that aims to combine relevance to the research purpose with the economy in procedure. This research adopted a descriptive research design to establish the factors that affect performance in Kiswahili summary. Descriptive research is used to obtain information concerning the current status of the phenomena to describe ‘what exists’ with respect to variables or conditions in a situation (James 1997).

Gay (1981) defines descriptive research as a process of collecting data in order to test hypothesis or to answer questions concerning the current status or subjects in the study. A descriptive research determines and reports the way things are. This type of research attempts to describe such things as possible behavior, attitudes and values and characteristics. Mugenda and Mugenda (1999:160).Nsubuga (2000) infers that descriptive research has the capacity to describe the present status of a phenomenon, determining the nature of prevailing conditions, practices and attitudes and seeking accurate descriptions of activities.

Descriptive research is the most commonly used. The basic reason for carrying out descriptive research is to identify the cause of something that is happening. This study investigated the causes of poor performance in Kiswahili summary. This study collected both quantitative and qualitative data. The descriptive research design enabled the researcher divulge information into the factors that affect performance in Kiswahili summary.

STUDY AREA.

The study was carried out in Voi district. It is located in the Western part of Coast Province. The sites for the study were all secondary schools in Voi District where Kiswahili is taught and tested. There are fourteen secondary schools. The location of schools in Voi district largely corresponds to the pattern of settlement. There is a strong correlation between the location and religion missionary institution and the cluster of schools in the districts they are also located at the foot of the famous Taita hills.

See appendix 1.

Voi district has little and erratic rainfall, except areas around Sagalla hills. The whole of Voi district covers approximately 3290.9 km². The 2009 Population and Housing census estimates the population of the district at 93,119 people though the population may have risen. (Source: Kenya Bureau of Statistics- Voi District) The population density is 28 people per square kilometer. The population is expected to rise up to 99,346 by 2012. Voi district borders with other districts for example Kinango, to the East, Mwatate to the West and Makueni to the North.

3.1 The Study population.

Voi district has fourteen secondary schools; eleven public and three private. There are four provincial mixed day and boarding secondary schools. The target population was students in form two and three, the teachers of Kiswahili and Heads of Department of Languages.

3.2 Sampling procedure of the study.

Kenton (2018) defines sampling as a process used in statistical analysis in which a predetermined number of observations are taken from a larger population. This methodology used to sample from a larger population depends on the type of analyzing being performed but may include simple random sampling or systematic sampling. Lance and Hattori (2016) define sampling as the selection of a subset (a statistical sample) of individuals from within a statistical population to estimate characteristics of the whole population.

Kothari (2006:16) says stratified sampling is used if the population from which a sample is drawn does not constitute a homogeneous group. Stratified sampling technique is used to obtain a representative sample. Stratified sampling was used because of gender; all the schools in the district are mixed except three. The student population stands at 2181 boys and 1560 girls.

Simple random sampling was used after the stratified sampling. After sampling out the population in terms of gender, the sample picked numbers at random.

Purposive sampling technique was used. Purposive sample is a sampling technique that allows a researcher to use cases that have required information with respect to the objectives of his/her study, Orodho (2008:37). This was done when using the teachers of Kiswahili subject and heads of department of languages.

3.3 Sample size.

The study targeted all secondary schools in Voi district. According to the Ministry of Education data bank (Voi D.E.O.’s office). Voi has a total student population of 3741 and 153 teachers both in public and private secondary schools. The researcher therefore used samples from four provincial mixed secondary schools. There are 336 girls and 533 boys inform two and three in the four provincial schools. The research used 30% of the population in these classes in the four schools which translated into 263 students. The researcher used purposive sampling to select the samples from the four provincial mixed schools so as to ensure that there was homogeneity. The 30% sample was got from the population of the girls and boys in these schools. A total of 102 girls and 161 boys. All the twelve teachers of Kiswahili and four Heads of Department of Languages in those schools were included in those sample size. The total sample size used in this study was 279 respondents. Refer Tables 3.1 and .4.2

Table 3.1 Student enrolment and teacher establishment of Voi District 2010.

3.4 Study variables

Mugenda and Mugenda (1999) state: A variable is a measurable characteristic that assumes different values among the subjects. Independent variable is a variable that a researcher manipulates in order to determine its effect or influence on another variable.

A dependent variable attempts to indicate the total influence arising from the effect of independent variables.

Independent variables included the following: Scanning skills, Skimming skills, Attitudes of learners,   Attitudes of the teacher, Teacher preparation and Regular practice while the dependent variable was Performance.

3.7 Data collection techniques.

 This study collected primary data through the use of questionnaire schedules and secondary data from document analysis. The use of more than one research instrument has an advantage in that the instruments will compliment and supplement each other.

3.5 Research Instruments.

These are the tools the researcher employs in data collection. They included: the questionnaires and document analysis.

3.6 Questionnaire

(Young, 1987) defines a questionnaire as a method in which a set of questions is used for collecting data and carrying out research.

Mugenda and Mugenda (1999:71) say that questionnaires are commonly used to obtain important information about the population. Each item in the questionnaire is developed to address specific objective research question or hypothesis of the study.

The researcher used the questionnaire to seek information on the factors that affect performance in Kiswahili summary, the use of skimming and scanning, the attitude of learners and teachers, the effects of regular practice and punctuation on performance of Kiswahili summary. The questionnaire method is beneficial because of great reliability and validity of information collected through standardized questions, collection of the information according to the objectives set and uniformity from one measurement situation to another. The questionnaire has an advantage of gathering large amount of data from many subjects cheaply. However; the researcher cannot clarify the responses given by the respondents when employing questionnaires.

The questionnaires were used on all the respondents; the students in form two and form three classes, the teachers of Kiswahili and the heads of department of Languages in the secondary schools. The research used structured or close ended questions, since they were easier to analyze as they were in an immediate usable form, they were easier to administer and they were economical to use in terms of money and time.

The researcher also used matrix questions to test on the use of resources in Kiswahili summary. These are easier to complete and the respondent is unlikely to be put off. See appendices 2, 3 and 4.

3.7 Documents.

Review of the documents shows that the researcher is aware of the available function of research, identifies what the researcher takes to be the key issues, the crucial questions and the obvious gaps in the current state of knowledge and provide direction to the reader on where the research is coming from. Document analysis involves a critical examination of public and private recorded information related to the issues under investigations. The documents that were analyzed in this case  included school progress records and academic reports, analysis from the D.E.O’s office on K.C.S.E performance in Kiswahili, KNEC reports on K.C.S.E. performance, documents on school enrolment and teacher establishment. Other documents were from the Ministry of State for National Planning, Development and Vision 2030 to verify the population of Voi district and its distribution per square kilometer. Document hold vast amount of information and provide a cost effective method of obtaining data, particularly large scale. However, data appearing in print are not necessarily trust worthy

3.8 Reliability and Validity of the Research Instruments.

 For the instruments to give reliable information there is need to standardize the tools. Through reliability and validity instruments perform intended function.

3.9 Reliability of research tools.

To establish reliability of questionnaires, pre-testing through piloting was done in the neighboring Mwatate District. The reliability of the items was based on the estimates of the variability of students responding to the items.

Mugenda and Mugenda (1999:95) define reliability as a measure of the degree to which a research instrument yields consistent results or data after repeated trails. The aim of reliability is to ensure that later investigations arrive at the same findings and conclusions if they follow exactly the same procedures described by earlier researchers and conducting the same case study all over again. The purpose of reliability is to reduce the errors and biases in the study. In this study the instruments were tested for reliability using test- retest method. The instrument was piloted on ten students in Mwatate District. After three weeks, it was repeated on the same individuals and a Pearson Moment correlation coefficient (r) estimated. Pearson Moment Correlation Coefficient of 0.5 or more led to acceptance of the instrument. Cohen and Manion (1980) observe that Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient is one of the best-known measures of association.

3.10 Validity of research instrument.

Mugenda and Mugenda [1999:99] define validity as accuracy and meaningfulness of inferences which are based on research results. Validity is the degree to which results obtained from the analysis of data represent the phenomenon under study. Validity therefore has to do with how accurately the data obtained in the study represents the variables of the study. The purpose of validity is to have accurate and meaningful data as it is obtained from the variables. Content validity of the instrument was determined through piloting where the respondents of the subjects were checked against research objectives. This also gave a research content that had to be used. Kerlinger (1986) argues: For research instrument to be considered valid, the content selected and included in the questionnaire must be relevant to the variable being investigated. Pilot study was done to assess the clarity of the instrument items so that those which were found inadequate were revised or discarded.

In this study validity was also tested by the supervisors in the Faculty of Education by validating the questionnaires. Advice was given regarding the sets of questionnaires in certain aspects. Closed-ended questions were highly recommended.

3.11 Administration of the research tools

The researcher administered the research tools to the respondents in person. The questionnaires were administered to heads of department of Languages, teachers of Kiswahili and students on planned days as had earlier agreed on when seeking permission from the school. The researcher started by visiting the schools which were far from the researcher’s residence and finished with those nearer. The researcher had to take at least a week to visit the schools, however; this was not consecutively but with breaks in between. The researcher assumed that the questionnaires were filled in correctly and had reliable information. The Document analysis was both from the schools and the D.E.O’s office.

3.12 Data analysis

Data analysis means summarizing or putting some order into the collected information. This consists of examining, categorizing, tabulating or otherwise recombining the evidence to address the initial proposition for the study (Yin 1994). The analysis of case study is one of the least developed aspects of the case study methodology. Data in this study was analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. Data was checked for accuracy, completeness or recording, errors and omissions. Data was used to tabulate and analyze descriptive statistics. Descriptive statistics such as frequency distribution and percentages were used to summarize and describe data. This analysis used qualitative analysis where the researcher established the patterns, trends and relationship between performance in Kiswahili Summary and regular practice.

FINDINGS OF THE STUDY

In this study regular practice refers to how frequent the learners do their assignments and internal examination in Kiswahili summary.

This frequency of activities keeps the learners alert and expose them to questions in this section. Regular practice would make the learners aware of the finer details in Kiswahili summary. This regular practice makes the learners to master and internalize the rules of writing Kiswahili summary.

The researcher assessed the objective of regular practice from the different forms of formative assessment such as class exercises, timed tests, internal exams, group discussions and consultation of teachers. Asked to state how frequent the learners were engaged in regular practice, the students responded as presented in Table 4.8.1

Table 4.8.1 Students’ response on Regular Practice.

Regular practice is essential for it makes the learner to internalize the rules and perfect in the skills. Lack of regular practice denies the learners chances to perform well.

One hundred and sixteen (44.1 %) of the students agreed that they did class exercises in Kiswahili summary weekly. Timed tests are not administered on weekly basis Fifty (19.0%) of the students agreed that they had group discussions on summary writing on weekly basis while 61(23.2%) of the students consulted teachers on weekly basis. This therefore showed that students did not have regular practice to enable them to write good summary.

100 (38.4%) of the students said that class exercises on summary writing were done on monthly basis. Forty one (15.6%) agreed that timed tests were administered monthly. Eleven (4.2%) of the students said internal exams were done on monthly basis.

Fifty (19 %) said that students discussed in groups every month.

Sixty one (23.2%) of the students said that they consulted teachers on monthly basis.

Fifty (19%) agreed that class exercises on summary writing are only done once in a term. Another 25(9.5%) stated that group discussions were done once in a term, 51(19.4%) agreed that timed tests are administered once in a term. 26 (9.9%) of the students consulted a teacher within a term.

The findings on student’s response on regular practice showed that exercises were not done regularly. Most of the evaluation was confined to the end of the term. This scenario therefore implies that learners do not take this section with the seriousness it deserves. It is only through practice that the learners will establish their weakness hence rectify.

The teachers of Kiswahili also gave their views on how regular practice is administered in the classes they taught. Their responses were captured in Table 4.8.2

Table 4.8.2 Teachers response on regular practice

From the findings in table 4.8.2 it was apparent that 4 (33.3%) of the teachers agreed that class exercises on summary writing were administered weekly. Two (16.7%) of the teachers observed that learners had class exercise on termly basis. Only 2 (16.7%) of the teachers agreed that learners had class exercises on monthly basis. This scenario therefore implied that learners did not have enough practice in the summary section hence affecting their performance.

Four (33.3%) of the teachers said that learners did timed tests on weekly basis. Five (41.6%) of the teachers noted that that timed tests were only done once in a month.

Six (50%) agreed that student do internal exams on termly basis probably at the end of the term.

The teachers also noted that learners hold group discussions in Kiswahili summary. There were 2 (16.7%) of the teachers who said that learners have group discussions weekly. Two (16.7%) noted that learners have group discussions once in a month.The other element of regular practice was consultation of the subject teachers. Only 1(8.3%) of the teachers agreed that learners consulted teachers within a term.

The findings therefore showed that learners did not have regular practice which also meant that teachers did not have frequent assessments of their learners in Kiswahili summary. Most of the class tasks were done once in a month or on term basis. This therefore means that learners are not exposed to regular practice .The fact that learners get poor grades in Kiswahili is attributed to situations of learners not being given exercises frequently.

Heads of departments response on regular practice.

The heads of the department of languages also had some view on regular practice. Table 4.8.3 summarizes the views of the Heads of Departments.

Table 4.8.2 Heads of Departments responses on regular practice.

None of the heads of department agreed that there were internal exams on weekly basis being administered in Kiswahili summary. One (25%) of the heads of department agreed that learners held group discussions and consulted teachers.

Only 1 (25%) of the heads of department, agreed that learners did class exercises and timed tests on termly basis. One (25%) of the heads of departments agreed that the learners had group discussions and consulted teachers on monthly basis.

The findings therefore show that learners rarely practice the skills of writing Kiswahili. Wamitila (2007) argues that for one to perfect in a certain issue, then practice is essential. He observes that, the secret behind good summary is regular practice. From the findings on the objective on regular practice, it was evident that learners are not exposed to formative evaluation regularly.

The teachers of Kiswahili also said that learners do not take Kiswahili summary with the seriousness it deserves. For a long time students assume that Kiswahili is easy. This scenario makes the learners to be reluctant to do assignments. They always say that Kiswahili has its origin in Coast hence does not deserve any seriousness. It is this assumption that has cost the area of study poor performance in the subject. Voi District is expected to have exemplary results in Kiswahili yet it is not the case.

CONCLUSION

The sentiments on regular practice show that learners fail to achieve good results in Kiswahili because they rarely practice what has been taught. The observation by the Quality Assurance and Standards officers in their field visits showed that there was laxity in regular practice. This was noted from the way the progress records of learners performance was inadequate. Kiswahili summary needs to be tested regularly, fortnightly in order to make learners acquire the necessary skills for tackling examinations. The formative assessment is an important aspect of preparation for summative evaluation. It was established that teachers tested their learners on term basis.

RECOMMENDATION

It is apparent that practice makes perfect. Regular practice exposes learners to the questions and during the examinations, they find them familiar. The teachers should embrace practice of what they have taught.  Evaluation is an essential aspect of curriculum development process. The teachers can employ different modes of testing in summary writing.

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