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Item An Acoustic Analysis of the Short and Long Vowels in Ekegusii Language(Royallite Global, 2020-02-24) Peter Nyansera Otieno, Evans Mecha and Nilson OpandeThis paper analyzes the vowel lengths of Ekegusii, a Bantu language spoken in South-Western Lake Region of Kenya. Orthographically, the Ekegusii language reveals only five vowels as a, e, i, o, and u. However, pioneering researchers like Guthrie (1948) and Whiteley (1965) have shown that the language has a seven vowel system /a, e, ɛ, i, o, ɔ, u/. These researches and many later researches such as Osinde (1988), Bosire (1993), Cammenga (2002), Nurse and Gerard (2003), and Mecha (2006) among others relied upon impression to identify and describe the vowels. Of recent, however, it has become necessary to use modern scientific acoustic methods of speech analysis to confirm earlier claims about the vowels in the language. In this research, we used Praat Software (Boersma & Weenink 2010) to identify and analyze the vowel system of Ekegusii. Results indicate that vowel length is distinctive in the language. Since vowel duration is phonemic in the language, then the vowels are fourteen as each short vowel has a corresponding long vowel as revealed in the data of this research.Item Effect of Self-Evaluation Learning Strategy on Academic Performance in English Language among Students in Public Secondary Schools in Kenya(Science and Education Publishing, 2020) Justine Momanyi OmareThe rationale of the study was to find out the effect of self-evaluation learning strategy on academic performance in English language among students in public secondary schools. The study adopted a convergent mixed design which combined Solomon Four group experimental design and in-depth interviews. The study targeted 1397 form three students from 23 public secondary schools and 49 teachers of English language. The study sampled 283 form three students through stratified random sampling technique. The participants from the four groups were randomly assigned into experimental and control groups. Purposive sampling technique was used to obtain twelve (12) teachers of English. Triangulation was employed to collect data using pretest/posttest scores, Focus Group Discussion, in-depth interviews, and metacognitive learning strategy questionnaires. Multiple regression analysis findings revealed that self-evaluation learning strategy explains 6.4 per cent (R2 =.064) of the variance in academic performance in English language. The study found a statistically significant difference on self-evaluation learning strategy on academic performance in English language among students in public secondary schools. The study concluded that there exists a positively statistically significant effect of self-evaluation learning strategy on academic performance in English language. Therefore, the study recommended that self-evaluation learning strategies should be utilized and integrated by students in the learning process in order to foster their ability to learn and enhance the overall academic performance in English language.Item Self-Planning Learning as Predictor on Academic Performance of English Language among Students in Public Secondary Schools in Kenya(International Journal of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, 2019) Omare Justine Momanyi, Peter Jairo Aloka, Robert OchiengThe purpose of the study was to establish the effect of self-planning learning strategy on the academic performance of English language among students in public secondary schools. The study adopted Information Processing Model and metacognitive theory. The study employed a mixed concurrent method approach which combined Solomon Four group experimental design and open ended interviews. The study target population involved 1397 form three students from 23 public secondary schools, 27 teachers of guidance and counseling and 49 teachers of English language. Stratified random sampling technique was utilized to obtain four study groups that had a sample size of 283 students. The participants from the four groups were randomly assigned into experimental and control groups. Purposive sampling technique was used to select twelve (12) teachers of English and (8) teacher counselors. Cronbach Alpha was used to determine the reliability of the instruments of which a correlation coefficient of 0.80 was obtained. Face, content and construct validity was affirmed through experts’ judgment by the University supervisors. Triangulation method was used to measure the validity of the research instruments. Data was collected using pretest/posttest scores, metacognitive learning questionnaires and open-ended interviews. Pretest/posttests were administered provide data on students’ academic performance on English language. The self-planning learning strategy questionnaires were used students to gather data on the application of metacognitive learning strategy on English language. Quantitative data was analyzed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation and linear regression statistical techniques while qualitative data was analyzed using thematic analysis framework. Pearson Correlation results revealed that there is a positive and statistically significant (r = .149, n=270, p=.014) effect of self-planning learning strategy on academic performance on English language. It can be concluded that self-planning enhances academic achievement among students. Its recommended that teachers of English should adopt self-palling learning strategy should be infused in the teaching and learning process of English language among students in secondary schools.Item Self-Monitoring Learning Strategy as Predictor on Performance of English Language among Students in Public Secondary Schools in Kkenya(International Journal of Advanced and Multidisciplinary Social Science, 2019) Omare Justine Momanyi, Peter Jairo Aloka, Robert OchiengThe present study sought to investigate on self-monitoring learning strategy as predictors on academic performance of English language among students public secondary schools in Marani Sub County. The study adopted Information Processing Model and metacognitive theory. The study employed a mixed concurrent method approach which combined Solomon Four group experimental design and open ended interviews. The study target 23 public secondary schools with a population of 1397 form three students, 27 teachers of guidance and counseling and 49 teachers of English language. Stratified random sampling technique was utilized to obtain four study groups that had a sample size of 283 students. The participants from the four groups were randomly assigned into experimental and control groups. Purposive sampling technique was used to select twelve (12) teachers of English and (8) teacher counselors. Reliability of the tools was established through Cronbach Alpha and test retest which yielded a correlation coefficient of 0.80. Face, content and construct validity was ascertained by the University supervisors who provided expert judgment. Triangulation method was used to measure the validity of the research instruments. Data was collected using metacognitive learning questionnaires pretest/posttest scores and open ended interviews. Analysis of quantitative data was done through multiple regression, linear regression and Pearson Product Moment Correlation analysis. Concerning qualitative data, thematic analysis framework was used. The study established a positive and significant (r = .241, n=271, p<.01) of self-monitoring learning strategy on academic performance of English performance. Study concluded that self-monitoring learning strategy was efficient in improving the academic performance of English language among students in public secondary schools.Item Effect of metacognitive learning strategies on English language performance among students in Kenya(Copyright © 2022 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd., 2022) Justine Momanyi Omare, Peter J.O. Aloka, Robert Onyango OchiengAbstract: The study investigated the effect of metacognitive learning strategies on academic performance in English language among students in public secondary schools in Kenya. The study adopted Solomon four-group experimental design. The participants comprised 283 Grade 11 students from four public secondary schools. The study utilised a modified standardised metacognitive learning strategy questionnaire (MLSQ) to measure the use of metacognitive learning strategies by students in English language. Cronbach’s alpha (α) was computed to investigate the internal consistency of the questionnaire and the overall reliability coefficient of α = 0.827 was reported. The findings is that there is significant difference between experimental group posttest scores (Group-3) and control group posttest scores (Group-4), t(53) = –8.095 (p < .05). The conclusion is that metacognitive learning strategies are effective in enhancing student’s academic performance in English language. Teachers of English language should therefore utilise metacognitive learning strategy during instruction in schools.Item Ekegusii(© 2022 Minority-Minoritized Languages and Cultures Project. NEH Distinguished Professor. TXST University.2, 2022) Yasmine Beale-RivayaEkegusii is a Bantu language spoken by the Abagusii (translated as people of Gusii) who reside in Kisii and Nyamira counties (see e.g. Nash, 2011; Omoke 2012; Basweti et. al. 2015). According to the 2019 National Census, Ekegusii has an estimated number of native speakers totaling 2.7 million. The Abagusii are believed to have migrated from the Congo forest through Uganda entering Kenya through the Western part of the country. In Gusii folklore, their people’s origin is from a place called ‘Misiri,’ Egypt. The Abagusii community is bordered to the East by the Kipsigis, to the West by the Luo, and to the South by the Maasai, all of whom are Nilotic speakers. They do not neighbour any Bantu speakers. Guthrie, (1971) in his zonal classification of languages classifies Ekegusii as a central Bantu language part of the sub-family of the Kuria language labeled E. 42 (Maho, 2003). He relates it to other languages including Lulogooli, Ameru (Kenya) Kuria (Kenya and Tanzania) Ware, Ikizu, Ikoma, and Sanjo (Tanzania). Just like the majority of Bantu languages, Ekegusii is a tone language. The following map situates Kisii and Nyamira counties of Kenya, where Ekegusii is predomintly spoken.Item Acoustic Analysis of EkeGusii Vowel System(© 2019 The Learned Press, 2019) Peter Nyansera Otieno, Evans Gesura MechaThis study describes the vowel system of EkeGusii (“Bantu E.42”)(Guthrie, 1948) in an acoustic phonetics perspective using oral data got from purposively sampled subjects: four adult males, four adult females and four children (two boys and two girls all 8 years old) equally from the two dialects of EkeGusii (EkeMaate and EkeRogoro Dialects). In order to capture the distribution characteristics of the vowel acoustic concentration, the group frequency means are normalized using Lobanov’s (1971) algorithm. Two view- points are the subjects of analysis in EkeGusii vowels: (a) acoustic vowel space as projected by the intersection of F2 vs. F1 or quadrilateral, and (b) spatial features of high, low, front and back. These qualities are mainly influenced by the physiology of speakers and social variability as occasioned by gender, age and dialect. The results indicate that children have no gender difference in formants, and have the highest frequencies for all formants, followed by adult females and then adult males. Furthermore, acoustic vowel space and spatial features are affected by gender, age, and dialect. A vowel pattern, replicated by all informants, is realized in the dispersion of the vowels within the chart influenced by gender and age. This study found out that EkeGusii seems to adopt a seven-vowel system of /i e ɛ a ɔ o u/ with a length contrast.