Role Of Dyslexia On English Performance Among Standard Seven Learners In Selected Public Schools In Kasarani Sub County, Nairobi County.

Dyslexia contributes to poor performance and low participation of a learner in reading. Reading in English is an essential feature of Kenya’s education trajectory. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the role of dyslexia in learners’ performances in English, with specific references to standard seven learners in public primary schools the sub county of Kasarani. The decision to study performance in English and not any other language was deemed necessary for besides being a language of instruction in Kenyan schools; it is also a significant pillar of Education. The Dyslexia Functional theory guided this study. The objectives of this research were (i) to investigate the risk of dyslexia among class seven learners with persistently poor performances in English in Kasarani Sub County, (ii) to establish whether there is a significant relationship between the risk of dyslexia and performance in English among standard seven learners within Kasasrani Sub County, (ii) to assess whether there is a significant relationship between the frequency at which learners with dyslexia interact with reading materials and their performance in English, (iv) to determine whether there is a significant relationship between the frequency at which learners with dyslexia interact with initiators of reading and their performance in English, and (v) to establish whether the effectiveness of the methods that teachers apply to handle learners with dyslexia is significantly associated with learners’ performance in

English. The study sample comprised 20 class seven learners (10 boys and ten girls), 20 parents, five teachers of English, and five head teachers sampled from five public primary schools in the country. The study followed a mixed descriptive and correlational design to summarise and to analyse the possible relationships between dyslexia and performance. Non random sampling technique, was used to select the schools for the study. Purposive and subsequent random sampling were emloyed in sampling of  the respondents. Learners risk of dyslexia was assessed using a behavioural checklist and the Dyslexia Screening Test.