USAWIRI WA DAWA ZA KULEVYA KATIKA MATINI TEULE ZA FASISHI YA WATOTO YA KISWAHILI

Abstract

This research sought to analyse three selected Kiswahili literary texts meant for children with an aim of showing how they portray drug abuse in children’s literature. The objectives of the research were to identify the imageries used by writers of the selected texts to portray drug abuse, to discuss the effects of drug abuse as portrayed in children’s Literature and to assess the children’s perception towards drug abuse. These objectives were achieved by analysing the selected texts: Vioja vya Musa (Mogambi, 2007), Atamlilia nani? (Mohamed, 2009) and Ah! Jizi (Nyambeka, 2015). These texts were selected because they contained substantial information on drug abuse, they were written by different authors and published in different years. These texts were analysed to identify the imageries used to potray drug abuse and discuss effects of drug abuse which are objectives one and two. In order to achieve objective three children’s perception on drug abuse, six different learners were sampled from each of the 3 schools. One from each location: Nkondi, Matakiri and Mwanyani in Nkondi Division, in Tharaka South Sub-County in Tharaka Nithi County. In selecting the texts and learners purposeful sampling was employed. The learners were expected to read the selected texts, answer a questionnaire based on Likert Scale and discuss on given questions in focus groups for the researcher to assess their perception on drug abuse. This research was guided by the Reader Response Theory whose tenets were used to analyse the selected texts based on the objectives. Descriptive method of data analysis and presentation was used. The research findings indicated that imageries were used to portray drug abuse, the texts portray effects of drug abuse and the respondents’ percpeption towards drug abuse was positive. It’s hoped that the findings of this study contribute to scholary Literature in Literary critics and works on portrayal of drug abuse in children’s Literature in providing additional information to already existing knowledge in portrayal of drug abuse in children’s literature. Furthermore, these findings can help the reader to understand the imageries as guided by stylistic devices and responses for the Children’s Literature. The research findings will be of great use to parents, Educationists and researchers in getting more additional information on portrayal of drug abuse in children’s Literature. The researchers and critics of the literary texts in children’s Literature will understand the use of Reader Response Theory in portrayal of drug abuse in children’s Literature.