The Impact of HIV/AIDS Message in Selected Kenyan Primary School Texts: A Linguistic Perspective

Abstract

In Kenya, HIV and AIDS education has been integrated into the school curriculum as an effort to curb transmission of HIV and AIDS. The current study identified the phrases with HIV and AIDS message in selected textbooks of English, Science and Social Sciences in primary schools which were classified according to Mills (1995). Standards of textuality in the phrases were then examined and their impact on the readers evaluated as per Beaugrande & Dresseler classification (1981). The target population were class seven pupils and their teachers, in five randomly selected primary schools in Nakuru Municipality Division, Kenya. Oral interviews and elicitation tests were used as data collecting tools. Evaluation of 39 phrases identified from 6 textbooks showed that none of the standard of textuality was upheld 100%. However, acceptability scored the highest (71.7%) while informativity scored the least (29.2%). Cohesion & Coherence, Intentionality, Situationality and Intertextuality had average scores ranging between 45 to 67.8%. It was concluded that the extent, to which each standard of textuality is upheld, correlates to a text’s appropriateness. Therefore, text book writers should design material that upholds all the standards of textuality to enhance effective communication. Such a move would ensure that the education system achieves its objectives.