A Semiotic Analysis of English Language Animations for Grade Three Primary School Learners Under Kenya’s Competency-Based Curriculum

Abstract

This study focuses on a Semiotic Analysis of English language animations embedded in the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development’s iCloud platform for primary school educational purposes under the new Kenyan Competency-Based Education. The study is informed by linguistic, visual, and cognitive multimodal frameworks that guide the analysis of meaning-making in English language animations under the Competency-Based Curriculum. The objectives of the study were to analyse the semiotic elements in animations and their effectiveness in enhancing communicative functions and to evaluate how visual and auditory components contribute to comprehension. The study is anchored in a descriptive research design and qualitative study approach. Purposive and convenience sampling were used to select nine animations from the Institute’s platform, ensuring relevance to the Competency-Based Curriculum within practical time and access constraints. Data was collected through semiotic analysis and documentation of visual and linguistic components, while thematic analysis was applied to interpret the data. The findings indicate that colour, gaze, and auditory cues enhanced learners’ understanding and engagement. In particular, the use of green in environmental elements symbolically conveyed life, growth, and vitality, reinforcing young learners’ perception of nature as nurturing and life-sustaining. Key recommendations from the study include enhancing the design of animations to further support the communicative functions, improving the use of culturally relevant symbols and context-specific imagery in animations to improve communication skills among grade three learners.