Reading–Writing Interdependence Among Kenyan Secondary School Learners: Evidence for Shared Linguistic Competence (Published)
The relationship between reading and writing has attracted considerable attention in Applied Linguistics because both skills are believed to rely on common linguistic and cognitive resources. However, empirical evidence from (ESL) contexts in Sub-Saharan Africa remains limited. This study examined reading–writing interdependence among Kenyan secondary school learners to determine whether the two skills reflect shared linguistic competence. A convergent parallel mixed methods design was employed involving 75 Form Three learners and 10 teachers of English drawn from five public secondary schools in Embu West Sub-County, Kenya. Quantitative data were collected using a reading comprehension test, a writing proficiency task while qualitative data were generated through semi-structured interviews with teachers. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Pearson’s Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient. Qualitative data were analysed thematically. The findings revealed a strong positive relationship between reading comprehension and writing proficiency. Teachers similarly reported that learners who demonstrated a deeper understanding of texts generally produced more coherent and better-developed written responses. The study contributes evidence from an underrepresented African ESL context and supports pedagogical approaches that integrate reading and writing instruction.
Keywords: English Second Language, Reading Comprehension, literacy development, reading–writing interdependence, shared linguistic competence, writing proficiency
The Comparative Effects of Using Synchronous and Asynchronous Social Networks in Teaching Vocabulary on Improving EFL Learners’ Reading Comprehension (Published)
This study aimed to examine the comparative effects of using synchronous and asynchronous social networks in teaching vocabulary on improving EFL learners’ reading comprehension. For the aim of this study, 61 EFL learners were chosen by employing convenience sampling method. The researcher randomly assigned the participants randomly into two groups; the experimental group one (EG1) (n=31) and the experimental group two (EG2) (n=30). The researcher as the teacher explained the procedure of the work to students of both groups. The strategies of teaching vocabulary were the same in both groups. The researcher employed WhatsApp for EG1 and Instagram for EG2. The participants of the EG1 had to be online at a specific time but the students of EG2 had two days to see the posts. After finishing the treatment, the researcher administered a reading test as a posttest. The results of independent samples t-test showed that there is a significant difference in reading comprehension measures for the experimental group one who experienced vocabulary instruction through “WhatsApp” application and the experimental group two who received vocabulary instruction through Instagram. It was shown that students in the asynchronous group had far more advances from the pretest to the posttest in comparison with that of their counterparts in the synchronous group. Through use of synchronous and asynchronous social networks, language learners have this chance to use online instructional materials that increase the rate of their learning.
Keywords: EFL Learners’, Reading Comprehension, Synchronous social networks, Vocabulary, asynchronous social networks
Differentiating the ESL Reading Comprehension Classroom for Inclusive Education (Published)
There is a growing need today for teachers to tailor their instructions to meet the different learner profile and learning styles in the classroom. The ESL teacher has greater challenges given that the English language has become a global language, and that most ESL classrooms include students with a wide variety of academic needs, cultural backgrounds, learning styles, and languages. Differentiated instruction is the panacea to cater for all these challenges faced by the ESL teacher in this globalized era. In a differentiated classroom, the teacher closely assesses and monitors skills, knowledge levels and interests to determine effective ways for all students to learn; thereby ensuring learner-centredness, equity and inclusive education. This paper explores how content, method, material and assessment can be differentiated in a Reading Comprehension English as a Second Language class. The issues in this paper are based on the social development theory as propounded by Vygotsky (1978)
Keywords: Differentiation, ESL, Inclusive Education, Reading Comprehension