Publication:

Effects of selected learning materials on the development of language skills among secondary school students of Kahuro sub-county, Murang’a county

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of learning materials on the understanding language skills of students. The objectives of the study were to analyze how auditory materials, kinesthetic materials and visual materials affect the learning materials on the understanding language skills of students. The target population was 271 and a sample size of 80 respondents was selected from Mugoiri Girls High school,Kiaguthu boys,Kahithe mixed high school,Kahuhia girls high school,Weithaga boys,Koimbi boys,Gitura mixed in Murang’a sub-county.The data was collected using semi-structured questionnaire that had both closed and open-ended questions.Data was analyzed using both qualitative and quantative techniques presented using tables,charts and graghs. The researcher adopted descriptive research design and stratified random sampling. The researcher used questionnaires as a method of data collection. Data was analyzed by use of Microsoft excel and presented using tables, graphs and charts. The researcher concludes that People who learn best through visual aids have a visual learning style. Visual aids include facial expressions and gesticulations of teachers, pictures, texts with illustrations, DVDs, etc. Visual learners think and learn in pictures. Kinesthetic learners prefer to learn by moving and doing. They prefer interactive learning, learning through practical challenges and hands-on experience and taking in information as they move from one place to another. The institution should enhance and improve the audio visual materials in the school so as to promote clearer understanding. Use of audiovisual materials will minimize time consumed hence decrease in consultation time. The researcher recommends that kinesthetic learners may benefit from being placed in classes with teachers who understand and value their style of learning. Such teachers will be supportive and view the kinesthetic student’s movement not as a disturbance but as a perfectly healthy expression of their nature and will be more likely to use kinesthetic learning strategies to tailor lessons to the ways that they can best learn. Some people prefer to learn by hearing what they want to learn. To learn, such people would prefer listening to discussions, talking matters over, reading out of texts or making use of e-courses containing audio recordings. Auditory materials can assimilate and retain information without having to see it in texts or pictures.