EFFECTS OF TEACHER RE-TOOLING IN INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING ON GRADE EIGHT LEARNERS’ NARRATIVE PARAGRAPH WRITING SKILLS IN ENGLISH IN PUBLIC JUNIOR SCHOOLS IN BOMET CENTRAL SUB-COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

This article reports findings from the first objective of a study that examined the effects of teacher re-tooling in Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) on Grade Eight learners’ narrative paragraph writing skills in English in public Junior Schools in Bomet Central Sub-County, Kenya. The study was motivated by persistent weaknesses in English writing among learners entering Junior School and by the implementation of government-supported teacher re-tooling in IBL under Competency-Based Education. The objective was to determine the effects of teacher re-tooling in IBL on learners’ narrative paragraph writing skills in English. The study adopted a causal-comparative mixed-methods design. The wider study involved 365 Grade Eight learners and 10 English language teachers drawn from public Junior Schools in five educational zones. Data for the objective were generated through teacher questionnaires, classroom observation checklists, learners’ written tests and triangulation of the three sources. Quantitative data were summarized using means and changes in performance, while a paired-samples t-Test was used to establish whether the difference between performance before and after re-tooling was statistically significant at α = .05. The findings showed gradual improvement in narrative paragraph writing. Teacher ratings increased in introduction writing from 0.60 to 0.80 and body development from 0.60 to 0.70, while the overall teacher-rating mean increased from 0.56 to 0.60. Classroom observation showed an overall increase from 3.217 to 3.312, and written-test performance increased from 3.286 to 3.311. However, title writing remained largely stable, while conclusion writing and coherence continued to present challenges. The paired-samples t-test showed that the difference was not statistically significant, t (364) = -0.952, p = .342. The article concludes that teacher re-tooling in IBL was associated with positive descriptive changes in learners’ narrative paragraph writing, but sustained implementation, guided practice, formative feedback and continued teacher professional development are needed to produce statistically significant improvement.