The influence of instructional media use on pupils’ mastery of reading and writing in Kiswahili Language in Kinondoni District, Tanzania

Abstract

The study sought to establish the influence of instructional media use on pupils’ mastery of reading and writing in Kiswahili language in Kinondoni District in Tanzania using survey research approach whereby a sample of 292 pupils and teachers participated by filling the questionnaire. Validity of the questionnaire was ensured through expert judgment from a group of experienced researchers. Cronbach’s Alpha ranged between .634 and .795 meaning the questionnaire was reliable. The respondents strongly agreed that pupils are able to read and write accurately. They further agreed that teachers use hand-on activities in teaching reading and writing; they also use pictures, charts and diagrams. The results further indicates a negative yet weak correlation (-.220) between mastery of reading and writing and the use of instructional media. It was therefore concluded that pupils are able to read and write accurately, they can write simple words and complex sentences and they can write accurately vocabularies of their level. It is recommended that in order to increase learning efficiency, teachers should make use various media resources in the teaching and learning process and school administration should ensure availability of such media resources. There is need to train teachers on how to select appropriate media resources for enhancing reading and writing.

Keywords: Instructional media, mastery, reading, writing, Kiswahili Language, Kinondoni, Tanzania