Enrolment and Retention of Students in German Language Classes: Influencing School Based Factors in Meru and Tharaka-Nithi Counties, Kenya
German is a language spoken by more than 100 million people as a mother tongue in Europe. It is one of the foreign languages taught and examined in secondary schools in Kenya. German as an optional subject is characterized by low number of students at form four level. The purpose of this study was to investigate school based factors that influence enrolment and retention of students in German language classes in Meru and Tharaka-Nithi Counties in Kenya. The study adapted the descriptive survey research design. Both purposive and random sampling techniques were used to select the respondents. Questionnaires and interview schedule were used. Data was analyzed using frequencies and percentages. The study found out that students’ career orientation, teachers’ teaching methods, teachers’ handling of students’ learning difficulties, students’ performance in German in form one and two, learning resources and prospects of German language influence enrolment and retention of students in German language classes. The findings of this study will provide knowledge in regard to enrolment and retention of students in German language classes and provide a foundation for future studies. Key w ords : Enrolment, Retention, School based, factors.
Motivations and attitudes affecting high school students' choice of foreign language.
There are some foreign languages that enjoy great status in the United States, while other foreign languages are rarely represented at the high school level. The present study explored the following questions: Why do students choose to take a particular foreign language? Do students gravitate toward it because it is widely thought to be the easiest language to learn or because they perceive greater career opportunities with proficiency in this particular language, or is it simply because there are more classes offered? As long as foreign language study is elective in high schools and as long as a variety of languages are offered, the answers to these questions will remain important for foreign language educators, especially in schools where the various language programs compete with one another for student enrollments and the programs' ultimate survival.
Educational innovation in Musical Language Course: responses and the overcoming of limitations
This article presents an innovative methodological proposal for the development of auditory education in the course of the Language of Music. Based on this proposal, we analyze an educational community’s response to the innovations implemented, and we identify the limitations recognized throughout the learning and teaching process, as well as the strategies developed to overcome them. To this end, we applied a qualitative methodology with the classroom-based research method. The compilation of data was carried out through participant observation, captured in the journals of the professor and researcher, interviews and analysis of documents. The research results demonstrate that patience, responsibility and perseverance in their work on behalf of the professors have been key to overcoming the limitations identified and in promoting that students enjoy and learn their class contents in meaningful ways. Recibido 05/02/2018 Aceptado: 09/03/2018