The Impact of English Language On Pupils’ Academic Performance in Primary Schools of Busia County, Funyula Division Samia District Kenya

ABSTRACT

The research on the impact English language as a mode of Instruction to the Academic performance in Funyula division, Samia District. The study focused on how English language influences the pupils’ performance in other subjects in primary schools, classifying the different mother tongues in relation to English language towards the performance and to investigate the prevalence of the problem of language barriers in relation to the academic performance. Using a cross-sectional survey research design, the samples employed in the study were got from the primary Schools. The researcher made use of the questionnaire technique with the aid of interviews to collect data. The data was categorized through the use of descriptive statistics with the aid of frequencies, percentages. The major findings of the study were; English was the language used for communication in class for instruction, this was found that students’ understood to a percentage of 61.7% effective but the pupils were not fluent with a percentage of 60%. The researcher also found out that there is a relationship of poor academic performance with the way pupils appreciate English Language both in class and outside class activities. These findings found out that if MT is not developed sufficiently for them to become fluent readers and writers, their understanding of the vocabulary and syntax of their own language will be limited. This gap in their understanding of the structure of their first language limits their ability to learn the second language (L2). A strong foundation in MT is required for learning L2, as: “The level of development of children’s mother tongue is a strong predictor of their second language development, Recommendations include; the researcher recommends that the teaching strategy should be devised in the lessons taught in these schools and be adopted, with suitable modification, for bilingual students who are acquiring English as a new language of instruction. Nevertheless, the researcher stresses that the issue of a sudden language switch needs a deeper and longitudinal study to assess the implications of sudden change of the language of instruction on student understanding and their achievement academically.