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In Kenya, English is the medium of instruction in schools and the official language of the country, although the majority of the learners are first additional language speakers of English. The study on which this article is based aimed to assess grade 10 Kenyan learners’ proficiency in English by examining their performance in comprehension and vocabulary on the basis of three tests incorporating multiple choice and interpretative questions. The data were collected from 422 grade 10 learners representing 16 schools in four provinces of Kenya. Learners were assessed on three comprehension passages which were selected from different genres. The results revealed that a large percentage of Kenyan learners encountered challenges with comprehension and vocabulary which impacted on their English language proficiency. The implications of the study is that there is a need for a reading skills development programme incorporating word analysis, recognition of the purpose of the text and tone, and the enhancement of inferential as well as predictive and interpretive skills. Journal of NELTA, Vol. 17 No. 1-2, December 2012, Page 1-13 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/nelta.v17i1-2.8088

Proficiency in reading skills requires a multifaceted technique which incorporates all English language skills. Techniques such as readers theatre assimilates other language skills through adapting and performing scripts which engages learners actively in the reading process for fluency and comprehension. The study explored influence of integrating English language skills to enhance comprehension among learners in secondary schools through an intervention of readers theatre technique. The study adopted socio constructivism in a quasi-experimental pretest posttest design. 426 form three learners and 19 teachers in Kisumu county participated in the study conducted within eight weeks. Participants achievement in reading comprehension was measured using reading skills achievement test to ascertain effect of the intervention. The findings of the study, based on statistical analysis of t-test revealed participants in experimental groups performed better than those in control groups. The study revealed that engaging learners in adapting and performing scripts promoted active interaction with the text resulting in effective comprehension. The study concluded that incorporating language skills in the reading process creates a learner centered class and would be beneficial for enhancing reading comprehension.Corresponding author:Selina Alonya KuloDOI: doi.org/10.24071/llt.2020.230102

Reading has always been a challenging task especially for struggling learners of English as a second language (ESL). Readers' theatre has been used as a class instruction approach to enable learners to become innovative and active participants in the reading class. During class instruction, teachers use multiple strategies such as modeling reading accuracy, main idea instruction, group reading, adapting scripts, and discussion. Using a qualitative approach, this study aimed at investigating the perception of secondary school teachers on the impact of readers' theatre for improvement of reading comprehension of learners of ESL. Data was collected using interviews from eight teachers of English in secondary schools in Kisumu County, Kenya, and lessons were also observed. Purposive sampling was used to select the teachers. The findings were reported verbatim in accordance with the themes of the study. The findings revealed that readers' theatre class activities enabled learners to be involved actively in-class reading tasks which resulted in enhanced reading comprehension. Furthermore, learners built confidence in reading due to group reading. The findings of this study will assist teachers to plan appropriate class activities that scaffold reading comprehension and build confidence among learners. The study suggests further studies on implementing readers' theatre on writing skills.