An analysis of graffiti as a communicative strategy in selected public boarding secondary schools in Baringo central sub-county, Kenya

Abstract

of graffiti in public secondary schools in Baringo Central Sub-County, as a way of communicating their issues. Analysis of these graffiti can be an opportunity to understand the students with the aim of assisting them understand the issues they communicate and deal with them appropriately. The study described the types of graffiti, analyzed the linguistic forms and interpreted the thematic concerns of the students’ graffiti. The study was guided by Critical Discourse Analysis as its theoretical framework. The research adopted descriptive survey design. Graffiti were collected in fifteen boarding public secondary schools in Baringo Central Sub-County. The target population was all the graffiti collected and the students in the fifteen boarding public secondary schools. Simple random sampling was used to obtain the graffiti analyzed. Systematic random sampling was used to select two students in purely boys and girls schools. Stratified random sampling and systematic random sampling was used in mixed schools to select a boy and a girl from each form in a school respectively to take part in Focus Group Discussions. A camera and a notebook were used to collect data. The study employed Critical Discourse Analysis approach to analyse the graffiti. The data collected from this exercise was analysed qualitatively and quantitatively to arrive at inferences and conclusion. It was found that the most common types of graffiti written by students were gang, tag and existential and this indicated the messages they were communicating. The results also revealed that to convey their messages across, metaphors, irony, acronyms and code mixing were employed in the graffiti. The analysis indicated different themes which included politics, love, religion, education and football. The study can be useful to a wider audience like school administrators, teachers, and school counsellors. The types of graffiti analysed can enable school administrators come up with ways to communicate with students effectively and the linguistic analysis of forms of graffiti can enable the teachers of English to take note of their students’ level of competency and creativity and assist them to improve in the language. The thematic concerns analysed in the graffiti can be used by the school administrations and counselors to guide and counsel students accordingly. The findings of this research contribute to linguistic knowledge in the area of sociolinguistics. In addition, this knowledge can help school administrators to make improvements in the management of the secondary schools by identifying new ideas which can be used to make communication effective and possibly control problems before they get out of hand.