Deployment of Background Knowledge and Performance in Comprehension Passage Reading among Primary School Learners in Vihiga County, Kenya

Background. Primary school learners in Vihiga County have been recording a lower mean score in English language examinations than their counterparts in neighbouring counties, with the score being lower in comprehension passage than in grammar sections. Few previous studies conducted in Kenya have investigated the issue from the instructional dimension, thereby limiting stakeholders’ understanding of the issue and delaying appropriate interventions. Aim. To determine how the deployment of learners’ background knowledge influences performance in reading comprehension passages. Method. Solomon Four-Group Design guided the study. Data were sourced in mid-2017 from standard six learners and English language teachers. Regression analysis generated two models, one for the experimental and control groups, each. Results. In both models, deployment of background knowledge had a significant positive effect on the performance in reading comprehension passages, which prompted rejection of the null hypothesis. However, the effect was stronger in the experimental group than in the control group. The variation was attributed to training provided to the experimental group teachers, which improved their skills in activating learners’ background knowledge. Conclusions. Activating learners’ background knowledge is a vital antecedent to better performance in reading comprehension passages and the English language. Although prereading vocabulary is vital for the activation of learners’ background knowledge, overreliance on a single strategy to activate learners’ background knowledge undermines optimal deployment of background knowledge skills in reading, albeit with implications on performance.