Contextualized Learning Resources and Acquisition of Reading Skills Among Grade Three Pupils in Bungoma South, Bungoma County, Kenya

Contextualized learning resources played a crucial role in developing language skills, particularly in oral, listening, writing, and reading. These resources enhanced students’ understanding by linking lessons to their daily experiences and cultural contexts. However, learners in Bungoma County faced challenges in acquiring reading skills due to inadequate teaching materials. This study investigated the use of contextualized learning resources in enhancing reading skills among Grade Three pupils in Bungoma South Sub-County, Bungoma County, Kenya. The study objectives included identifying available contextualized learning resources, assessed their usage frequency, examined their influence on vocabulary, grammar, and comprehension, and explored factors affecting their utilization. The study was guided by Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory, which emphasized learning in a social and cultural context, and Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory, which supported hands-on learning. A descriptive survey design was used, targeting 8,296 Grade Three pupils and 1,244 teachers, totaling 9,540 respondents. The sample size was 10% of the target population, comprising 830 pupils and 124 teachers. Questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were used in the data gathering process to provide both qualitative and quantitative insights. The results showed that using contextualized learning materials was strongly positively correlated with gains in reading comprehension and vocabulary, in particular. Teachers said that by making learning more personal and meaningful, these resources greatly increased student engagement. In order to enhance literacy outcomes, the study made clear how urgently focused teacher training programs and more financing for resource development were needed. It underlined how crucial it was to incorporate culturally appropriate resources into instructional strategies in order to achieve the learning objectives of Kenya’s Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC). By providing empirical evidence on the effectiveness of contextualized learning resources, this research aimed to inform educational policy and practice, ultimately contributing to enhanced literacy rates among young learners in Bungoma South and similar contexts.