The Relevance of English Textbook Input on the Learners Acquisition of Cohesion in Grammar in Secondary Schools in Kenya

Abstract

The Kenya National Examination Council Report shows a fall in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) English examination performance over the four years 2001-2004. Establishing the course of this failure was important. The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MOEST) has recommended 6 textbooks for use in English language teaching in Kenyan Secondary schools. The study set to investigate the relevance of English textbook input on the leamer‘s acquisition of cohesion in grammar in Secondary schools in Kenya. The study borrowed and relied more on Krashen’s Monitor model and Frequency hypothesis as proposed by Hatch. The study combined both qualitative and quantitative research methods. The recommended form one English textbooks were put into an analysis alongside the English syllabus. Grammatical structures were tabulated to compare and contrast the content in the text as per the English syllabus requirement. A quantitative analysis of the data was made with tables drawn to quantify the data. The findings show that the guidelines in the syllabus are not adhered to by publishers with grammar structure presentation being flouted. The recommended textbooks had enough structures touching on cohesion but the teaching of cohesion is amorphous. The mode of testing is imbalanced and does not fully assist learners acquire cohesion as it does not give them enough practice. The findings were expected to assist the curriculum planners and publishers in the repackaging of the English textbooks. The study recommended that the textbooks in use should capture the content in all areas of grammar and more so cohesion structure to give learners more room for practice. Suggestion for further research was given with emphasis to the replication of this study to other areas of English.