Challenges Facing Supervised Library Reading and their Effect on Academic Achievement in Creative Writing among Secondary School Students, Kenya

Abstract

This study investigated the challenges facing Supervised Library Reading and their effect on academic achievement in creative writing among secondary school students in Kenya. The study was guided by Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory and Chomsky’s Nativist Theory, which emphasize guided learning and innate language acquisition. Anchored in the pragmatic research paradigm, the study adopted an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design incorporating a true experimental pre-test–treatment–post-test approach conducted over one academic term. From a target population of 5,350 Form Two students across 211 secondary schools, a sample of 360 students was selected using Krejcie and Morgan’s formula. Stratified and simple random sampling techniques were used, and learners were randomly assigned to three groups: Supervised Library Reading (SLR), Non-Supervised Library Reading (NSLR), and No Reading (NR). Data were collected using standardized creative writing achievement tests aligned with the KNEC marking scheme, structured questionnaires (Cronbach’s α = 0.873), and semi-structured interviews with teachers, librarians, and education officers. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and ANOVA, while qualitative data were analyzed thematically. Findings revealed statistically significant differences in creative writing achievement across the groups. The SLR group improved significantly from a mean score of 6.38 in the pre-test to 10.14 in the post-test (F(1,238) = 58.23, p < .001), while NSLR showed no significant improvement and the NR group recorded the lowest outcomes. However, challenges such as inadequate storybooks, limited reading time, underutilization of newspapers, restricted digital access, and limited innovative supervision constrained the effectiveness of SLR. The study concludes that structured supervised reading significantly enhances creative writing achievement and recommends strengthening SLR programs, expanding library resources, and integrating digital reading opportunities in secondary schools.