Abstract:
Writing skills are important for effective communication. However, the
development of writing skills among learners depends on the methods used in teaching and learning. Recent survey of writing competence among students in schools shows that majority of them cannot write properly. This raises concern regarding methods used in teaching and learning. Low levels of writing skills in West Pokot have greatly affected overall mean scores in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations for the years 2009 to 2011 with mean scores dropping from 7.66 to 5.09. The purpose of the study was to determine the perceptions of teachers and students towards the methods used in teaching and learning of English writing skills in secondary schools in West Pokot County of Kenya. The objectives of the study were first, to establish teachers and students perception of methods used in teaching and learning of writing skills and second, to compare teachers and students perceptions of methods used in teaching and learning writing skills. The study population was 31 teachers of English and 2580 form four students. The sample size included 31 teachers of English and 334 form four students selected through simple random sampling technique. Data was collected through questionnaires and analyzed by use of mean and test. The study revealed that both teachers and students had negative perception towards methods used in teaching and learning of English writing skills and this was not statistically different(p-value=0.1594).
