Language Use amongst Multilingual Learners and their Teachers in a Pre-School Classroom in Nakuru County, Kenya

Abstract

The Kenyan linguistic context is highly multilingual with over forty mother tongues. Majority of Kenyans are multilingual. As such, children from multilingual settings such as Nakuru County join school when they are already multilingual and are introduced to English that is used as the medium of instruction. However, limited ability in the English language hinders the learners from effective participation in classroom discourse. This paper therefore investigates how pre-school school children manage to learn English as a language and also use it for learning other subjects at the same time. It is based on the hypothesis that learners with the help of their teachers utilize various communication strategies to overcome the problem. The theoretical framework for this work is based on Sinclair and Coulthard (1975) classroom discourse model of Initiation Response Feedback (IRF) and is supplemented by Gumperz’s 1982 Communication theory and Interlanguage theory by Selinker (1972). The study employed a cross-sectional research design and was conducted at the ACK nursery school in Nakuru Conuty in Kenya. Purposive and cluster sampling methods were used to select the school, which had an accessible population of 52 that included 49 learners, two teachers and a head teacher. Data was collected by use of naturalistic observation method which was supplemented by audio and video recording. An interview schedule and observation notes were also used to collect corroborative information. Data was eventually analyzed by the use of Discourse Analysis, supplemented by descriptive statistics, and then presented in form of tables, figures and excerpts of transcripts (as examples). Conclusions were thereafter drawn from the findings that indicated that code-switching served as a communication strategy, especially in areas where learners experienced difficulties while communicating in English.