Influence of Mother Tongue on Writing Errors Among Students in Public Day Secondary Schools: A Case of Nyamira North Sub-County
Abstract
This study aimed to examine the extent of mother tongue contribution to the type of errors found in students writing skills inpublic day secondary schools in Nyamira North sub-County.The specific objective was to identify the predominant effects of mother tongue interference on writing skills. The study was grounded in Krashen’s (1981) Second Language Acquisition Theory, which focuses on how individuals learn a second language, emphasizing cognitive and environmental factors that affect language proficiency. A convergent mixed methods research approach was used to combine both qualitative and quantitative data collection. The target population included 72 English teachers, 32 principals, and 1,381 Form III students from 32 public day secondary schools. A sample of 59 English teachers, 18 principals, and 302 students was selected using stratified and simple random sampling techniques, with automatic inclusion for school principals. Data collection instruments included questionnaires for teachers and students, and interview guides for principals. The instruments were validated and tested for reliability before use. Data analysis involved both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS to generate descriptive and inferential statistics, while qualitative data from interviews was analyzed using thematic content analysis. The study revealed that mother tongue significantly influencesstudents' writing by causing phonological, syntactic, and lexical errors due to first language transfer. To reduce these errors, targeted interventions and English-only practice are recommended. Mother tongue interference remains a key contributor to writing challenges, underscoring the need for enhanced English language support to boost students' accuracy and proficiency.
Keywords
Syntactic, Lexical errors, phonological,Mother Tongue, Second Language
Citation
Mabeya, M.T. (2024).Influence of mother tongue on writing errors among students in public day secondary schools: A Case of Nyamira North Sub-County.Journal of Africana Articles, 2(20), 1-22. DOI:https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14022170
