Use of Communicative Approach: Implications for Teaching and Learning Vocabulary in Composition Writing in Public Secondary Schools, Kitui County, Kenya

Various approaches have been employed to teach vocabulary to students in the context of English composition writing. Among these, the Communicative Approach has emerged as vital for enhancing both language learning and teaching efficiency. However, this approach has often been overlooked in composition writing instruction, adversely affecting students' performance, particularly in national exams like the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE). This oversight is concerning as it hampers students' ability to excel in English composition and discourages the use of creative vocabulary. The Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) has consistently highlighted this issue in KCSE results. This study investigated the Communicative Approach and its implications on the teaching of vocabulary in English composition writing in public schools in Kitui County, Kenya. Specific objectives were to: establish the Communicative Approaches used by teachers of English in teaching of vocabulary in composition writing, investigate the extent to which Communicative Approaches are used in teaching vocabulary in composition in English, establish the extent to which the learners can utilize the vocabulary learnt in composition writing in English, establish the challenges the teachers of English face while teaching vocabulary in writing composition using Communicative Approaches. A descriptive research design was adopted. In this study that targeted 33 public secondary schools, 4,770 Form Three students, and 90 English teachers in Kitui West Sub-County. A combination of stratified, simple, and purposive sampling techniques was used to select the sample population, which included four public secondary schools and 477 Form Three students (representing 10% of the target population), as well as nine randomly selected English teachers. Data collection methods used in the study included surveys, observation schedules, and structured interviews. A pilot study was conducted in one of the schools within Kitui West Sub-County prior to the main study. Both quantitative and qualitative data analysis methods were employed. Qualitative data from questionnaires were analyzed thematically and categorized, while quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including frequencies and percentages. The findings revealed that teachers predominantly used genre- based strategies, traditional methods, and the Communicative Approach, with a focus on language acquisition, fostering creativity in paragraph development, and guiding students in writing different types of compositions. Teachers occasionally utilized the Communicative Approach to teach vocabulary in composition writing. They employed this approach in various ways to encourage vocabulary use among students. However, the study found that there were insufficient resources available in classrooms to support the Communicative Approach during composition writing lessons. Other challenges included limited time and large class sizes, which hindered effective student management. Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Coefficients was applied in the testing of reliability of the research instruments used in the study and yielded 0.71 and 0.75 for the teacher’s questionnaire and students' questionnaires respectively A Pearson’s coefficient above 0.70 (70%)r reveals a strong internal consistency of a series of questions integrated to form a single scale measured by the coefficient. The study recommends that the Ministry of Education provide secondary schools with adequate resources to support teaching and learning strategies, including the Communicative Approach. Additionally, teachers should plan materials in advance to optimize time use, and school management should allocate more time for instruction using the Communicative Approach. Organizing workshops to equip teachers with skills in the Communicative Approach is also advised.