Abstract:
Teaching process is a two – way communication between the teacher and pupils, and among the pupils themselves. Instructional media mediate and support such interactions. Utilization of instructional media in public primary school is crucial in teaching of Kiswahili. Therefore the study sought to investigate utilization of instructional media in teaching of Kiswahili in public primary schools of Nyandarua county, Kenya. The objectives were: To establish instructional media used in teaching of Kiswahili, to evaluate the level of utilization of instructional in teaching of Kiswahili in public primary school, to investigate the influence of instructional media in teaching of Kiswahili and to explore challenges encountered by teachers in utilization of instructional media. The study was guided by Media Richness Theory propounded by Daft and Lengel in 1986. The study adopted a descriptive design. The study targeted 331 public primary schools, 331 public school head teachers and 369 teachers teaching Kiswahili in class eight. Purposive sampling was used to select a sample of 46 schools and their head teachers. Simple random sampling was used to sample 55 teachers teaching Kiswahili in class eight. Collection of data was done through questionnaires. Data was analyzed through descriptive statistics which included tables, graph, and percentages. The study found out that instructional media has positive influence on teaching of Kiswahili, most schools have an acute shortage of instructional media in Kiswahili and teachers do not use instructional media while teaching Kiswahili. The study recommends the government and other stakeholders to oversee utilization of instructional media in Kiswahili through acquisition and distribution of instructional media and sensitizing teachers through seminars and workshops. It also recommends establishment of resource centers from grassroots to the national level. It is believed that the findings of the study will provide useful information to stakeholders in education on ways of improving teaching of Kiswahili through appropriate utilization of instructional media.
