Media Strategies and the Growth of Kiswahili among Journalism Students in Kenyan Universities

Purpose: This research traces the influence of strategies employed by the Kenyan media in their strive to realize the growth of Swahili language among the youth, specifically, university students studying journalism in Kenyan universities. The fundamental concerns that were on focus here were; debates, competitions and rewards, use of experts, number of programs, program frequency and program placement and the way they have been used to improve Swahili language. Methodology: The study used mixed method design to obtain qualitative and quantitative data. It targeted University students sampled from 4 public Universities in Nairobi County. A sample size of 327 students was used. Focus group discussions involving 32 FGDs participants were also involved. Four Swahili experts were interviewed to get expert opinion. Multi-stage sampling design was used to select the sample for the survey. This sampling technique was appropriate because the study sample was selected in stages using stratified random sampling and simple random sampling technique. Purposive sampling was used to collect qualitative data. The tools used to collect data were questionnaire for quantitative data, interview schedule for key informants and interview guide for focus group discussions. These were to help to assess the effect of the strategies employed by the media organizations in connection with airing Swahili programmes and if these strategies influence the growth of Kiswahili. The study triangulated quantitative and qualitative data to give results shared in this paper. Data was then analyzed using SPSS (version 20) statistical program and presented using inferential statistics, descriptive, correlation regression and ANOVA analysis. Findings: The study revealed that the strategies employed by the media indeed have significant effect on the growth of Kiswahili among the youth. For instance, majority of the respondents agreed that Swahili competition programs in media have made them develop positive attitude toward Kiswahili. Additionally, a majority of the respondents agreed that when experts are used in presenting Swahili programmes it makes them use correct grammar. The study also noted that respondents agreed that an increase in number of discussion programs in Swahili have improved their Swahili vocabulary. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Media as an agent of language growth is known to employ certain strategies that play a big role in changing the youths' attitude towards Kiswahili language. Social learning theory, Behaviorist Theory of Language Development and Cultivation theory informed this study. Evidence from media programmes indicated that much has been done by both television and radio in form of strategies that have played a big role in promoting the language. These strategies are linked to the debates, rewards a well as the challenges that face the language growth. The study thus revealed that the strategies employed by the media indeed have significant effect on the growth of Kiswahili among the youth.