ALIGNMENT BETWEEN TEACHING AND LEARNING STYLES IN KISWAHILI LANGUAGE CLASSROOMS IN KENYA

Abstract

Traditional teaching methods are predominant in many African classrooms. These methods are always teacher dominated ignoring the diversity of learners. Research indicates that when students are instructed in a way that closely matches their learning style, they become more successful academically. This notion therefore leads to the debate ‘what teachers for what learners?’ The current study sought to establish the alignment between teaching and learning styles in Kiswahili language. The study established a weak alignment χ 2 (1, N  383) = 3.60, p= .06 between teaching and learning styles which was non significant. Teaching styles therefore did not match students’ learning styles which could be the main cause of low academic achievement in Kiswahili language. The study recommends prior establishment of learning styles of students by teachers in order to tailor instruction to learners’ needs