Category: Language Education

ABSTRACT

The study is on “Effects of qualification of English teachers on the performance of secondary school students in external examination in Owerri Municipal”. The study has four objectives and four research questions were formulated and effort was made to discuss their results. Survey research design was used for the study. The population of the study comprised of 17,551 students and 728 teachers from the seven (7) public schools in Owerri municipal council of Imo State and the sample size was 434. The researcher used simple random sampling technique for the selection. Questionnaire was used for collection of data. The findings show that causes of poor academic performance among secondary school students include lack of interest in school programme, lack of role models and finance, lack of instructional materials to make teaching realistic, bad teaching methodologies and lack of qualified teachers. lack of quality of teachers has an adverse effect on the performance of students, students taught by non-qualified teachers end up with low scores in public examinations, teachers that teach without adequate knowledge of his/her subject misleads students during classroom instructions, teachers that teach without instructional materials are not encouraging. The study therefore recommended among others that, Government should regularly organize seminars, workshops and training programmes to foster teacher’s mastery of the subject. Government should also make sure that teachers employed possess the necessary teaching qualifications  to certify them to teach their subjects Different teachers should be made to handle different aspects of subject. This would enable them to be more efficient as they would be made to handle they have interest in and capable of doing.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

In this chapter, the background of the study and statement of the problem are presented. Next are the scope of the study and the purpose of the study.

Background of the Study

Education in all countries of the world has been considered very important for personal and social development (Adegbemile, 2011). Amaechi, Anamonye, Onuoha and Okwu (2012) saw education as a crucial tool for development to every country. Furthermore, it is an instrument for the realization of a nation’s growth and development because the level of nation’s literacy determines her extent of development. It is in view of this indispensable role of education in the development of man and modern society that various declarations on education have been made at the global level and in Nigeria.

Education has often been identified as an instrument of development of societies and individuals. Hence, as a way of life, it serves as a means of transmission and preservation of the core issues in every culture.

Education at secondary school level is supposed to be the bedrock and the foundation towards higher knowledge. In the tertiary institutions, it is an investment as well as an instrument that can be used to achieve a more rapid economic, social, political, technological, scientific and cultural development in the country. The national policy on education (2004) stipulated that secondary education is an instrument for national development that fosters the worth and development of the individual for further education and general development of the society. The role of secondary education is to lay the foundation for further education and if a good foundation is laid at this level, there are likely to be no problem at subsequent levels.

Federal Government of Nigeria (2004) noted that secondary education is a form of education that children receive after primary education and before the tertiary stage. The broad aim of secondary school education within Nigerians’ overall national objectives is the preparation of students of useful living with the society and for higher education. Abolade (2003) described secondary education level as probably the most unique and precarious of all other levels of education. This is because, he saw it as a point or junction box of all the subsets of the tertiary level. It is that junction where the differentiate higher education takes off. A primary school graduate cannot conveniently go into the world of work as result of age, but a secondary school leaver has four good options in front of him. He can, if he/she has all the required academic qualifications to go into; (i) A university, (ii) College of education (iii) a polytechnic or a school of nursery (iv) the world of work as a messenger or clerk.

The National policy on education (FRN, 2004: 18) outlined eight objectives of secondary school education as follows;

1. Inspire trained manpower in the applied science, technology and commerce at sub-professional grades
2. Inspire students with a desire for self improvement and achievement of excellence
3. Provide technical knowledge and vocational skills necessary for agriculture, industrial, commercial and economic development
4. Provide all primary school leavers with the opportunity for education of a higher level, irrespective of sex, social status, religion or ethnic background.
5. Offer diversified curriculum to cater for the differences in talents, opportunities and future roles.
6. Develop and promote Nigerian language; art and culture in the context of world’s cultural heritage
7. Foster national unity with an emphasis on the common ties that unites us in our identity.
8. Raise a generation of people who can think for themselves, respect the views and feelings of others, respect the dignity of labour, appreciate those values specified under the broad national goals and live as good citizens.

To achieve the above objectives of secondary education in Nigeria, the teacher is the determinant and the driving force behind its achievement.  This education of a nation rest on the shoulders of the teacher and also the development of a nation is determined by what the teacher teaches in the classroom. Therefore the quality of the teachers is sacrosanct.

In view of the fact that education is considered an investment in most countries (developing), the issue of poor performance in external examination is source of concern to all stakeholders both at home and abroad. The view that the standard of education appears to be on the on the decline is a concern all over the world. One of the most amenable tools for measuring such standard has been performance. In internal examinations, the percentage failures in such  examinations appears to be on the increase in recent times. (Nigerians in America, 2011). The failure is assumed to be more pronounced at the secondary school level. This might be because of its consumer – producer status among other levels of education. That is, because it consumes the products of primary school and produces the products for higher education to consume. Since the broad aim of secondary education is to prepare students for higher education and useful living in the society, the consequence of the aforementioned failure is student’s ability to meet admission requirements into higher institution and the state being unable to fill her quest in such admissions.

The federal government of Nigeria has adopted education as an instrument per excellence for effecting National development. If education has been adopted as the only tool that can solve the socio-economic problems of Nigeria, then the adequate supply of effective teacher becomes the core of the educational problems because there is a direct link between the quality of education and the quality of teachers.

Education scholars have pointed out that education quality is the reflection of education essence. There would be no good education without good teacher quality, for teaching effectiveness is the core mission of schools ( wang & fu 2007). Students are the subject of teaching activities but the key factor of teaching effects is the teacher because education quality is influenced by teaching Andrew & schwab1995,Bents and Bents 1990).

The most important component of teaching activity is students. However, the key to teaching effectiveness is teachers. It is necessary to probe into teacher quality to help teachers ascertain their shortcoming so that they cannot only improve themselves but also increase their teaching effectiveness. Secondly, teachers with good effectiveness usually value teaching performance, maintain teaching quality, pursue best teaching effectiveness and improve students’ learning effectiveness. Therefore, the current state of teacher’s effectiveness should be learned and the influences of the variables of different student backgrounds and school environment on teacher and teaching effectiveness perceived by students should be explored. Useful information can be offered to educational authorities as reference for follow-up related studies.

(Adegmile & Adeyemi, 2012). The above strongly shows that subject matter, knowledge(competence),teachers qualification, teachers teaching experience ,classroom behavior (teachers attitude, teaching skills and teacher student relationship).are strong variables indicating students performance.

Competence of teacherss which mullens (1993) regarded as a prime predictor of students learning. Adediwora and Bada (2007) stated in their study that nobody could teach what he does not know or understand. They went further to state that (teachers) must thoroughly understand the content the content of what they teach. A teacher whose understanding of topic is thorough uses clearer language, their discourse is more connected and they provide better explanation than those whose background is weaker. The way the students perceive the teaching in terms of their (teachers) knowledge of content of subject matter before teaching commences. Most teachers go into teaching without knowing what to teach: it is to be noted that pedagogical knowledge are not exactly the same thing as subject matter, they never the less are intimately linked together because teachers mastery and use of them in the classroom indicate the depth of their knowledge of subject matter.

Teachers teaching qualification is another quality of teacher. This means that the qualification is another quality matter when it comes to effective teaching. Darling-Hammond (2010) opined that certificate or licensing status is a measure of teacher qualifications that combines aspects of knowledge about subject matter and about teaching and learning. Its meaning varies across the state because of difference in licensing requirements, but a standard certificate generally means that a teacher has been prepared in a state approved teacher education program at the undergraduate or graduate level and has completed either a major or a minor in the field(s) to be taught.

In Nigeria the minimum requirement for teaching is Nigerian Certificate in Education (NCE) as stipulated by the Federal Government  of Nigeria (National Policy on Education, 2004). In most schools, you find a teacher who read Mass Communication, international relations and the likes, teaching English language. Although they are B.A or B.Sc. holders but this does not qualify them as teachers.  This is as a result of the shortage of qualified teachers and high rate of unemployment which have made so many people go into teaching even when they are not qualified to teach. Aguro(2008) observed that most teachers do not perceive their job to be a profession in which they require skills to excel. He went further to explain that a large number of these teachers lack the commitment in carrying out their task and failure come from uncertified teachers who are allowed to teach the subjects.  Ehindero and Ajibade (2009) asserted that students who are stakeholders in educational enterprise, have long suspected and speculated that some of their lectures (teachers) in the university lack the necessary qualification (that is skills, techniques, strategies, temperament, et cetrera) required to communicate concept ideas, principles in a way that would facilitate effective learning.

It is against this background that this study was carried out to ascertain the impact qualification of English language teaches on the academic performance of secondary school student in external examination in Owerri municipal of Imo state.

Statement of Problem

The roles of the teachers in students achievement in English language cannot be overemphasized. The progressive decline in secondary school students academic performance has raised a lot of questions as regards Nigeria educational system of which qualities of teachers are a key factors. Agusibe (2008) however, observing that the absence of qualified teachers contribute significantly to their poor performance of students in some subjects. The West African Examination Council (2009) seem to corroborate this assertion in their reports; as established earlier, the professional qualification required by a teacher in Nigeria are NCE, BSC, B.Ed. or PDGE in cases where teachers are not professionally qualified, generally teachers without educational background have been found to be ineffective teachers in terms of instructional delivery competence.

Due to the reports of persistent poor performance of students in some subjects at the secondary school level and scholars opinion attributing this to the handling of the subjects by unqualified teachers who themselves have no mastery of the subject among other factors, has greatly influenced this study which was carried out to investigate the extent to which these teachers qualifications could predict students’ academic performance in secondary schools in Owerri Municipal of Imo State.

Scope of the Study

This study covers all the teachers and students in the public senior secondary schools in Owerri municipal of Imo State. It is delimited in finding out how teacher’s qualification affects student’s academic performance. The study sought to address some variables such as cause of poor academic performance among secondary school students, how teacher qualifications required and ways of improving qualification of teachers.

Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of qualification of English language teachers on academic performance of secondary school students in external examination in Owerri municipal of Imo State. Specifically, the study sought to;

1. Ascertain the causes of poor academic performance among secondary school students
2. Examine how teacher qualification affects students performances
3. Ascertain the professional qualifications required of a teacher
4. Find ways of improving qualifications of teachers

Significance of the Study

The study would provide empirical information to the following stakeholders, such as students, educational planners and administrators subsequent researchers.

The study would provide empirical information on the teacher related factors that could predict student’s academic achievement. To the teachers, the findings of the study would help in creating classroom climate and selecting instructional strategies that are supported to students learning. The findings will contribute to the existing research on teacher’s effectiveness using a long-lasting approach and provide feedback to teachers on the need to modify subsequent instructional practices and provide classroom environment that will help raise levels of students achievements.

Furthermore, the findings of this study will enable teachers to consider the learning needs of increasingly diverse students population thus workload toward closing the gaps in equity of student outcomes.

The findings of this study will benefit the students, in the sense that it will broaden students knowledge, steer up their interest in subjects and improve the teaching skills of teachers in various schools in the study area and Nigeria at large. It is hoped or expected that findings in this study will build a link between students academic performance and the quality needed for teachers effectiveness in handling subjects across the state.

Findings of this study will provide educational planners and administrators with adequate information about teacher’s availability and how this affects productivity in Imo State, it will also help in establishing corrective measures as regards posting of teachers to disadvantaged school to ensure equity and increase productivity.

Lastly, this study will serve as empirical study and a relevant material to subsequent researchers who might be carrying out a related topic to this.

Research Questions

The following research questions were posed/asked the researcher to guide the study in line with the purpose of the study;

1. What are the causes of poor academic performance among secondary school teachers?
2. How does teacher qualification affect student’s performance?
3. What are the professional qualifications required of a teacher?
4. What are ways of improving qualification of teachers?
   

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   Pages:  69

   Category: Project

   Format:  Word & PDF         

   Chapters: 1-5                                                      

   Material contains Table of Content, Abstract and References.

ABSTRACT

The study investigated the influence of the media on students achievement in English language in secondary schools. Four research questions were formulated and a descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population for the study comprised of teachers and 1494 students of the all senior secondary schools in the area of study. However, samples of 200 respondents were randomly drawn from the total population. The method of data collection was through the use of a questionnaire which was structured on a four point likert scale. The data were analyzed using arithmetic mean and standard deviation. The results indicated that through media, new information is assimilated by the students which also help the students to improve their achievement. Also, the study revealed that one of the negative influence of the media to students is that it sends wrong  message to English language speakers learning slangs to add to their speech. The study recommends amongst other things, that government should support through adequate provision of educational media facilities and continuous training and retraining of teachers using these media facilities.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

The researcher will present this chapter under the following subheadings; Background to the Study, Statement of the Problem, Scope of the Study, Purpose of the Study, Significance of the Study and Research Questions.

Background to the Study

Education is very important to national development because education and national development are two sides of a coin that mutually reinforce and challenge each other. Jega (1997) affirmed that “Education is generally regarded as a necessary and essential requirement for national development. It is central to socio-economic and technological advancement and it is critical to self-generating process of positive transformation of modern society.”

Abiabaka (2010) affirms that “Education is the key to national development. It provides the intellectual capability needed by man to harness the human and materials resources for scientific and technological advancement”. Education is the process of transferring information, ideas, values from one person to another. Education has been defined by various authors in different perspectives. In all, their various approaches to the definition of education remain a general consensus that education is an invaluable process and a basic instrument for individual and societal development.

Secondary education is defined in the Nigeria National Policy on Education (2004) as the form of education children attend after primary education and before tertiary education. The main aim of Nigerian secondary education is to prepare students for useful living within the society and for higher education, Abolade (2003) described secondary educational level as probably the most unique and precarious of all other levels of education. This is because he saw it as or junction box of all the subjects of the tertiary level. Media is a means of communication it can be through radio, television, newspaper, magazines, orally and internets.

Sarah (2011) posited that media is an umbrella term for the different kind of mediums that enrich us with knowledge and vital information. It is the circuit that runs through society, in the form of visual, print and audio mediums, named television, newspaper (magazines, tabloids and newsletters), radio and the internet. These mediums play different roles when it comes to communicating to the audiences at large as well as altering their perceptions.

Media are communication outlets or tools used to store and deliver information or data. The term media refers to components of the mass media communication industry, such as print media, publishing, the  news  media, photography, cinema broadcasting,(television and radio) digital media and advertising. The development ofg early writing and paper enabling longer-distance communication systems  such as mail,  including in the Persian empire and Roman empire which can be interpreted as early forms of  human communication as early forms of media, such as Lascaux Cave paintings and early writings. Another framing of the history of media starts with the chauvet cave paintings and continues with other ways to carry human communication beyond the short range of voice smoke signals, trail makers and sculpture.

The media plays a very prominent role in our lives. There are various effects of media on the society at large. Media tends to influence and it’s obvious, there are positive as well as negative influences of the media. However, it also depends upon the way audiences perceive things. The power of the media is by far recognize by everybody in terms of advertising, marketing and as a medium to broadcast information to people at large. Since the media is used to communicate and interact with people from various walks of life, it can often result in a conflict of options. Lad (2011) stated that print media (magazines, newspapers, brochures, press releases, newsletters etc), electronic media (television, radio etc) and the internet are all part of media. Today, mass media can give a person phenomenal exposure and this can result in various effects of the mass media on the society.

It is against this background that the researcher deemed it necessary to investigate on the influence of the media on student’s achievement in English language in secondary schools in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State.

Statement of the Problem

One of the topical issues in the present day Nigeria education system is the performance of graduates (outputs). Most worrisome is the growing discontent and distrust from the society about the quality of public secondary schools products. This is judged by their poor performance in public examinations, inability to cope with further education at the tertiary institution and even their inability to express themselves very well in public (Ohia, 2010).

The result of a research carried out by Nwafor (2007) showed that the achievement level of public secondary school leavers is very poor graduates from public secondary school is performance abysmally below the expectations of the employers of  labour. Besides, 84% of these students graduate from secondary school without having the ability to speak and write correct sentences in English language (the nation’s Lingua Franca). They can hardly exhibit any acquired skill or knowledge. Obioma (2007) exclaimed that the status of education in Nigeria is in an epileptic stupor. In fact he lamented that the Nigeria educational system is virtually in shambles.

On the influence of the media on students achievement, many researchers has argued on the negative impact of the media on student’s academic performance, where they say it corrupts their mind, diverts students attention and makes them to perform poorly in their examinations.

Scope of the Study

This study covers all the secondary schools in Mbaitoli LGA of Imo State. It is delimited in examining media as a means of evaluating English language among junior secondary education. The study sought to address the level of understanding of English teachers on the basic concept of media, the influence how these problems can be remedied.

Purpose of the Study

The main aim of this research is to investigate on the influence of the media on student’s achievement in English languages in secondary schools in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State. But specifically, the study will attempt to find out;

1. The positive impact of media on student’s achievement on secondary schools in Mbaitolu LGA of Imo State.
2. The negative impact of media on student’s achievement on secondary schools in Mbaitolu LGA of Imo State.
3. The importance of English language to the academic performance of students in secondary schools in Mbaitolu LGA of Imo State
4. The role of the media in educational settings and in the classroom in secondary schools in Mbaitolu LGA of Imo State.

Significance of the Study

It is important to note that the findings of this research will be significant and serve the government educational policy makers, the teachers and students.

To the government, the study will enlighten them on the state of our educational system and on the need to improve the standard of education in order to achieve quality output.

The study will benefit the educational policy makers in adopting measures and policies that will improve the educational sector as well as integrating the needed policies on qualitative and efficient media facilities which will improve the proficiency of learners.

To the teachers, the study will help them to know the various ways of using media to inculcate learning abilities to the students and also make awareness on the best media tools to use in the classroom.

The study will help students to achieve a better academic goal and to improve their learning abilities.

Lastly, the study will serve as a reference material to subsequent researchers who might be carrying out research work related to this.

Research Question

The following research questions will help to guide the study;

1. What are the positive impacts of media on student’s achievement on secondary schools in Mbaitolu LGA of Imo State?
2. What are the negative impacts of media on student’s achievement on secondary schools in Mbaitolu LGA of Imo State?
3. What are the impacts of media to academic performance of English language students
4. What are the roles of media in the advancement of English language in secondary schools in Mbaitolu LGA?
   

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   Pages:  64

   Category: Project

   Format:  Word & PDF                

   Chapters: 1-5                                                      

   Material contains Table of Content, Abstract and References.

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ABSTRACT

The study is on The Problems of Teaching English language as a Second Language in Secondary Schools in Owerri Municipal Council of Imo State. Four (4) research questions guided the study and the researcher adopted descriptive survey for the study. The population of the study was 17,551 for the students and 728 for the teachers. The sample population of the study was 356. The method of data analysis was simple percentage. The instrument for the study were “ Problems of Teaching English Language as a Second Language (PTELSA). To elicit the necessary information. The instrument was validated by three (3) specialists, two in measurement and evaluation and one in Education English. The reliability of the study was 0.85 using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Co-efficient “r” (PPMCC). The findings revealed that the lack of employing qualified and experienced teachers in the field of English Language will result to the problems of learning English Language as a second language. Based on the findings, it was recommended that; teachers should have a vast knowledge on English Language  before teaching the students and the students should know the syntactic and semantic levels of English in order to understand and be able to speak the language fluently as a second language.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

In this chapter, the background of the study and the statement of problem are presented. Next are the scope of study and purpose of the study.

Background of the Study

Nigeria came into existence in 1914 after the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern protectorates. Ever since then, English language has served as the official language of the country, used for administration, education, law, commerce and news media. The first attempt to establish the use of English language in Nigeria dates back to the 19^th century when the industrial revolution started in Europe and there was quest for raw materials and markets for finished goods produced in these industries. The British and Portuguese merchants invaded the West African coast to  trade with Nigerian businessmen and since business transactions cannot thrive in the absence of a common language, a language of communication gradually emerged as a medium of transaction.

Much later, some Nigerian businessmen in Calabar sent their children to England to learn English while others had their children taught English to enable establish a strong  trade links. Also, the Europeans had need for Africans who  helped them in their English language was a condition for employment.

Another factor which led to the establishment of English language in Nigeria was the abolishment of slave trade in 1883. Millions of Nigerians were shaped to plantations in the West Indies and Americans (New World) during the boom of slave trade. Most of these slaves came from different countries in West Africa and had a common language for communication but they also needed to communicate with their masters. This need made it compulsory for them to learn the language of their masters which later paid off as they developed competence in it, utilized it in the spreading of the gospel and working for the white men when slave trade was abolished. After the abolition of slave trade, thousands of these slaves were brought back to Africa and were settled in Sierra-Leone and Liberia but Samuel Ajayi Crowder who later became the first African Bishop of the Christian Mission Society (Essien, 2013).

Furthermore, the return of many slaves led to an increase in missionary activities in West Africa and particularly in Nigeria. As many of these freed slaves were competent in English and had formal education unlike the natives, their presence facilitated the translation of the Bible and some acted as interpreters for the white missionaries whole sole aim was to convert the natives to Christianity. In the process, the rudiment of reading was taught to enable them read and understand the Bible.

However, in 1942 history was made as the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary established the first school. Their success attracted other religious groups who equally moved in and established their own schools. As the desire for the white man’s education increased, more schools were opened though the colonial administration was lukewarm towards the education of the natives. It took a dramatic turn in 1882 by promulgating the 1882 Education Ordinance and inter in 1887 education ordinance. These were geared towards quality education for the natives. This is because the ordinance specified among things the subject to be taught languages to be taught and the one to be used for instructions, as well as the quality of teachers to be used for instructions. Specific grants were promised and later given to only schools that met the criteria. This development led to the growth of two kinds of schools; assisted schools and non-assisted schools.

One prominent factor of these ordinances was the emphasis on the importance of the English language as a school subject and language of instruction. Consequently, English became an elitist symbol and was used by a few privileged Nigerians who worked for the colonial masters.

In 1960, when Nigeria gained independence, one had thought that English language would be discarded along with other vestiges of the colonial administration. Fortunately, English still retained its colossal stance in relation to the four hundred and fifty five (455) other languages (Bangbose, 2005). Not even the 1969 National Curriculum Conference and the birth of the widely acclaimed National Policy of Education could change the status of English in our educational system. As a matter of fact, Nigeria is a multi-ethnic group welded together for the benefit of the colonial administration. The welding together of different nationalities for ease in administration is the bone of the country today. Nigeria has about 250 different groups speaking as many as about 450 different languages. This had made Nigerians to see the English as a neutral language. Today, English has become our lingua franca. It is the language of inter-ethnic and inter-national communication. Nigeria has equally accepted English as its official language, the language of intellectual insight, the language of instruction from primary four through tertiary education, the language of parliamentary proceedings. More importantly for us, in academics, it is an index of academic excellence, as a credit pass in English is a condition for admission into any tertiary institution in Nigeria.

Obanya (2003) asserts that English plays a signifying role in Nigeria because of  its multi-linguistic background, while Nwachukwu (2008) adds that if we remove English from our education system and our polity (and replace it with an indigenous language), we must have cut the strongest sting that holds the country together.

Statement of the Problem

In Nigeria, English is learnt as a second language, i.e. it is a variety of English spoken by these whose mother tongue is not English but more importantly is tha*/t it is a second language in Nigeria because it is used as the language of education and a means of communication in the wider society. English as a second language is the sequential second language learnt by most Nigerians but because it  is the language that ranks next to the mother tongue of the learner in utility.

Shortage of specialized teachers in the educational sector of English language cannot be overemphasized. The student find it difficult to speak English language as a medium of expression in many social gatherings or in their academic purposes because they make a lot of grammatical mistakes when speaking or writing English. The successful implementation of the curriculum in each of the school subjects which depends to a large extent on availability of specialized teachers in English had led to the employment of graduates from the disciplines such as mass communication, political science, medical laboratory etc. to teach English language in some Nigerian secondary schools. This constitutes a serious problem to the teaching and learning of English language in some Nigerian secondary school.  The most important factor in the teaching learning process is the teacher. There is a great need to train more teachers in English language. Teachers provide background experiences for their students and also determines their academic achievement.

Hence, the need arises to ascertain mother tongue, physical and psychological problems, insufficient time allocated to English time table, inadequate supply of teaching material and shortage of specialized teachers in English language hinders the effective teaching of English language as a second language in secondary schools in Owerri municipal council of Imo State.

Scope of the Study

This research work covers all the public secondary schools in Owerri Municipal Council of Imo State investigating on the problems of teaching English language as a second language in secondary schools. This work will be delimited in finding out how English language is posed as a difficulty for a second learner and as well as to find out if child’s exposure to his mother tongue influence his learning abilities of English language as a second learner.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this research is to investigating on the problem of teaching English language as a second language in secondary schools in Owerri Municipal Council of Imo State.

Specifically, the study sought to:

1. Ascertain the extent to which English language pose as a difficulty for a second learner
2. To find out the extent to which a child’s exposure to his mother tongue influence the learning abilities of English language as a second learner

• To know the extent to which the teacher’s use of teaching method affects the teaching of English language as a second language

1. To know the extent of which English language is being exposed to the Nigerian schools adequate enough to contribute to its development

Significance of the Study

This research aims at improving communicative competence and highlights the use of language as medium of instruction in Nigerian schools. It is expected to help students gain insight and clearer perceptions of the roles of language in influence the content and effectiveness of education.

It would help the teachers understand the students i.e. their problems or errors which causes them to fail in interpreting the English language in its right usage

This research work would help the government in their different policy making where they will make provisions for the different texts used by the students, employ teachers who are experts in the field of English language and have the interest/zeal to teach.

Research Questions

To guide the study, the following research questions were posed or asked;

1. How does the English language pose as a difficulty for a second learner?
2. Does a child exposure to his mother tongue influence his learning solutions of English language as a second learner to a great extent?
3. Can a teacher’s use of teaching methods affect the students capabilities?
4. Is the extent of English language being exposed to the Nigerian schools adequate enough to contribute to his development?
   

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   Pages:  70

   Category: Project

   Format:  Word & PDF         

   Chapters: 1-5                                 

   Material contains Table of Content, Abstract and References.

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the Impact of mother tongue in the study of English language in secondary schools in Owerri Municipal Council of Imo State.  Four research questions were used to  guide the study and a survey research design was adopted for the study. The population for the study comprised of 17,551 students and 728 for the teachers from 7 public schools in the study area. However, samples of 914 respondents were randomly drawn from the total population. The method of data collection was through questionnaires which were structured on a four point likert scale. The data was analyzed using mean statistics. The instrument was validated by three specialists, two in education management and evaluation and one in education English department .The reliability of the study was 0.93 using Pearson  product moment co-relation co-efficient(PPMCC). The findings revealed mother tongue, if used properly could be of great impact in the study of English language in secondary schools and can foster effective teaching and learning. Based on the findings, it was recommended that The Ministry of Education ought to give teachers proper trainings (workshop, seminars) on the role of native language in teaching English grammar for EFL classroom and strategies to improve students’ motivation and efficiency by combining mother tongue with English when necessary.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

 Background to the Study

Education is regarded as the instrument per excellence and the means of achieving human capital and national development. It leads to individual freedom and empowerment, which yields significant societal development gains and makes an individual self reliant. It is seen as the foundation of society, enabling economic wealth, social prosperity and political stability. Education is therefore, increasingly being viewed as a fundamental right across the globe and essential for the exercise of all human rights. All individuals are entitled to education. Education is the action or process of educating or of being educated also. According to Aristotle, Education is “the process of training man to fulfill his aim by exercising all the facilities to the fullest extent as a member of the society”. Education can also be seen as the process of transmitting or imparting knowledge, skills from either a formal or an informal setting. A society that organizes its education well will achieve economic growth but if the system of education is not well managed, the effects on the society will be disastrous.

Nigerian secondary education is defined in the Nigeria National Policy on Education (2004) as the form of education children receive after primary education and before the tertiary stage. Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. It is characterized by transition from primary education for minors to  tertiary, ‘post secondary’ or higher education for adults. The broad aim of secondary education within Nigerian overall national objectives  is the preparation of students for useful living within the society and for higher education. It is seen as the junction which higher education takes off. A primary school graduate cannot conveniently go into the world of works as a result of age, but a secondary school leaver has four good options in front of him i.e. He can, if he/she has all the required academic qualifications to go into (i) a university (ii) a college of education (iii) a polytechnic or a school of Nursery (iv) the world of work as a messenger or a clerk.

The responsibility of secondary school education in Nigeria falls under the jurisdiction of the federal and state government. Secondary school occupies a strategic position in Nigeria because of the important role it plays in preparing the students for useful living in the society and for higher education (Onwusaanya, 2005). To ensure that secondary schools achieves what they are set to achieve, the various subjects they are set to achieve, the various subjects must work in line with the stipulated guidelines in order to achieve these aims.

Throughout the twentieth century, English language teaching tradition has been a subject to a great change in various adaptations in language classrooms all around the world.

The use of native language in foreign language classroom resulted from one of the longstanding controversies in the history of language pedagogy; the effect of the first language (L1) in the second language (L2) teaching is still being debated, though most of the language teachers are against the use of native language in the foreign language classroom even in Nigeria, many teachers are teaching English grammar by using the second language without any reference to native language of the speaker is used appropriately, there can be no doubt that it will be helpful to learn the foreign language.

According to Damra and Al-Queda (2012-2013), throughout the 19^th century, translation method offered an insight into the grammatical rules of translating from the foreign to the native language. Translation grammar method is still one of the most accepted and preferred method of language teaching which has been rather in previous to educational reforms, remaining a standard methodology.

However, many teachers believe that the use of the native language can be useful in explaining structural grammar rules. They consider that teachers who know the students native language have more advantage over the ones who do not have. It is worthy to note that advocates of native language use, are also eager to point out that “mother tongue should be selective and not seen as just an easy option”

The key for the teachers seems to be using the mother tongue appropriately and avoiding the overuse which will make learners feel that they cannot comprehend the input of the foreign language until it is translated into their native language

Studies confirm that complete removal of native language in foreign language classrooms is not appropriate (Freeman 1991, Nation 2003 and Schewers (1999). They emphasized that when the mother tongue is used appropriately, the use of L1 can be very beneficial. According to Verghese (1989), “A knowledge of grammar is perhaps more important to a second language learners than to a native speaker”. Because of the procedure of acquiring the language while the second language is different, the native speaker have creatively initialized and internalized the grammar of the language while the second language learner has to make a conscious effort to master those aspects and parts of the language grammar.

It is against this background that the researcher deemed it necessary to investigate the impact of mother tongue in the study of English language in secondary schools in Owerri municipal council of Imo State.

 

 

Statement of the Problem

Why is The mother tongue often seen by English teachers in Nigeria as a negative feature of the L2 classroom ?  The decision about whether to use the first language L1 is amongst the most common dilemmas that language teaching in monolingual classroom encounters, the low levels of students in grammar achievement is the evidence for the existence of this problem. This intends to determine whether the use of the mother tongue in English classroom in the field of teaching grammar and structure, is negative or positive and to determine the students’ attitudes towards using the native language in teaching grammar rules and structure in the EFL classrooms.

Consequently, various policy measures  have been taken by Nigerian government to promote mother tongue, projects have been undertaken with the results pointing to the efficacy of mother tongue in enhancing better numerous benefits of mother tongue  education, researches have revealed a general apathy on the parts of the parents, especially the literate ones towards mother tongue education in the primary schools as they express the fear that it would hinder their wards effective communication in English. Thus, they place their desire to have their children communicate in English over and above their cognitive development and achievement. It is pertinent to find out from the students themselves and teachers; what is their perception of students about the efficacy of MTE in enhancing cognitive achievement in secondary schools in Owerri municipal council of Imo State is?

Scope of the Study

This research work covers public schools in Owerri Municipal council of Imo state investigating on the impact of  mother tongue interference in the study of  English language in secondary schools. It will venture into finding out the relationship between mother tongue and the development of language skills and the role of mother tongue or L2 in national development and the perceptions on the effectiveness of mother tongue interference in education.

Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of the study is to investigate the impact of mother tongue interference in the study of English language in secondary schools in Owerri municipal council of Imo state. But specifically, the study sought to identify;

1. The role of mother tongue in the development of language skills
2. The role of mother tongue in national development

• The perception of secondary school students on the efficacy of mother tongue interference in education.

1. To what extent is the impact of mother tongue in the effective comprehension of English language.?

Significance of the Study

This research aims at improving communicative competence and highlights the use of language  as a medium of instruction in Nigerian schools. It is expected that the findings of this study will be significant in the following ways;

• The findings that L2 acquisition is closely related to the proficiency level of the L1.
• If taken seriously, this study can contribute to change of attitudes by teachers and parents who neglect the L1 in learning for fear that the first language negatively interferes with the learning of the L2.
• Also, the teachers on their part will benefit from this study, if there is adherence to the recommendations of this study. It will help them acquire the various skills in using the desired method in teaching languages in Nigerian schools.
• It will be of benefit to secondary education management and education language policy makers in making policies that will benefit the students to learn their mother tongue language as well as incorporating it towards the understanding of English language.
• Lastly, this study will serve as a relevant literature to subsequent researchers carrying out related studies to it.

Research Questions

In line with the purpose of this study, the researcher formulated the following research questions to guide the study;

1. What roles does mother tongue play in the development of language skills?
2. To what extent does mother tongue play in national development?

• What is the perception of secondary school students on the efficacy of mother tongue education?

1. To what extent is the impact of mother tongue in the effective comprehension of English language.?
   

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   Pages:  60

   Category: Project

   Format:  Word & PDF         

   Chapters: 1-5                                                      

   Material contains Table of Content, Abstract and References.

 

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ABSTRACT

This study investigated teachers perception of continuous assessment as effective means of evaluating students in English language among junior secondary schools in Owerri education zone 1 of Imo state. Four research questions were posed to guide the study. The Study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The study population comprises 2,150 teachers from thirty seven (37) Junior Secondary Schools in Owerri Education Zone 1. A purposive sampling technique was used to draw a sample size of 221 teachers from 3 schools (Urban and Rural). A 20-item modified 4-point likert instrument titled (CAEMESLEL)  was used to collect data for answering 4 research questions. The instrument was validated by experts and reliability co-efficient of 0.71 as established arithmetic mean and standard deviations were used to analyze and answer the research questions. It was found among others that teachers make use of intelligence test, attitude test, achievement tests, essay tests and objective tests as instruments of continuous assessment to evaluate students performance in English language. It was also revealed that teachers’ incompetence, large class size, inappropriate record keeping and inadequate materials were problems hindering implementation of CA in English language. It recommended among others that workshops and seminars should be organized for teachers in the concept and application of continuous assessment.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

The researcher presented this chapter under the following subheadings, background to the study, statement of the problem, scope of the study, purpose of the study, significance of the study and research questions.

Background to the Study

Education in Nigeria is an instrument ‘par excellence’ for effecting national development and harnessing the potentials of the citizens (FRN, 2004). The country’s vision is for a complete transformation of all aspects of Nation’s life over time. Education should therefore be able to effect inter and intra generational transmission of our cherished heritages and life invention. It should reposition Nigeria global status in science and technology in all spheres of life (Akindoju, Banjoko and Jimoh, 2010).

One of the distinctive features of the New National Policy on Education is its emphasis on continuous assessment and the method in which the evaluation of English language in the junior secondary schools can be based on. The role and status of English language has changed vastly in the last few decades, it is increasingly being used for technical, scientific and business communication.

English today is undoubtedly, the most important language of information technology, it serves as our window on the world, it also serves as the language in which the latest developments in different fields of knowledge are available. With the change in the role and function of English language in an average Nigerian student’s life, the approach of teaching English in junior secondary schools has also changed.

Continuous assessment technique of evaluation and grading of student has come to stay as a cardinal pillar of our education system in Nigeria. Its emergence is sequel to the introduction of the 6-3-3-4 system of education which continuous assessment is an integral part. Education assessment and evaluation will be liberalized by basing them in whole or in part of continuous assessment of the progress of the individual (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2004). However, educational reforms have led to the introduction of continuous assessment with a corresponding move away from the expectations that students should merely rote learn and memorize information and towards an increased emphasis on the testing of all aspect of behavior which includes the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domain. Here, teachers are now expected to use a variety of continuous assessment instruments such as short written or oral tests, quizzes performance assessment tasks, projects and students self assessment (Mohammed, 2012).

Continuous assessment is the systematic collection of marks or grades over a period of time and their aggregation into a final grade. It is a method of using the recorded performance of each individual to help him improve on his academic achievement, a means of providing adequate information about a student to parents, guardians or educational authorities. Continuous assessment as defined by the Federal Ministry of Education (1985) is a mechanism whereby a final grading of students in the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domain of behavior systematically takes account of all his performance during a given period.

Continuous assessment is systematic in that it requires an operational plan which shows those movements are to be made on student performance, at what time during the school years, the measurement are to be made, its nature and the tools to be used. Students are aware that assessment is an everyday occurrence not minding if they are at play or in the classroom. Its importance is guidance oriented because test scores are used to provide help to students especially in the areas of academic guidance. Another feature of continuous assessment is its comprehensiveness. The assessment is based on the totality of the individual’s performance and not his cognitive ability. To achieve this, many instruments are used such as tests, projects, assignments, observations, questionnaire interviews. It is said to be cumulative because information about a student includes his performance from his first days at school until the last day.

The rationale for continuous assessment is that the former system which assesses the learner through an external control on the curriculum and leads teachers to give up sound long range instruction in order to teach the test. A system of examination which considers the learned performance throughout the social period is more likely to be valid and more indicative of the learner’s overall ability than a single comprehensive examination. Continuous assessment is the answer to this noble idea; it also removes the fear and high anxiety inherent in the old system of education. Continuous assessment affords the teacher the opportunity to introduce innovation into his teachings. It also facilitates the work of the guidance counselor in directing the students towards achieving the aims of the new educational system which emphasize the independence and self reliance of individual.

Furthermore, students are evaluated from one stage to the other through tests or assignments. At the end of the term or year, these tests are used for determining the performance or achievements of the students. This form for assessment is different from the one known to most teachers in Nigeria who based the achievement of students on only one test given during the end of a term or year. End of the year assessment does not take into consideration the class progressive performance of students; this is very dangerous because many factors are bound to dedicate the performance of the students. By the same token, there are many people who have never succeeded in written examination but can perform excellently when given the opportunity to work with materials relating to their field or area of interest.

The addition of continuous assessment in the instructional and evaluating process of English language in junior secondary school in Owerri Education Zone1 of Imo State is intended to improve both the validity and reliability of the results of pupils performance on tests and exercise and secondly to help the students to develop effective learning and work habits. The present continuous assessment system is essentially based on frequent test taking and does not really serve the two critical purposes of continuous assessment of lower level abilities and memorization where assessment are based on low level thinking skills (i.e. knowledge and comprehension).

Pupils/students complete their education still unable to analyze and apply their knowledge to solve problems. Education in effect is unable to transform the pupil form the stage of knowledge receiver to the status of knowledge producer and problem solver. The central purpose of continuous assessment in evaluating students in English language is to help the students to become a better learner and producer by encouraging pupils/students to improve their knowledge and skills on the subject (English Language) through learning and test taking in the critical and important objectives of the school curriculum.

It is therefore against this background that the researcher deemed it necessary to investigate the continuous assessment as an effective means of evaluating student’s learning in English language among junior secondary education.

Statement of the Problem

Continuous assessment is no doubt a good innovation in Nigerian education system. However, its operation is not without some problems, thus one of the most important problem identified despite the effort of the government is that, most of the serving teachers in Nigerian schools as at the time when continuous assessment was introduced was incompetent in the development and validation of measuring instrument such as tests, questionnaires, inventories, rating scales etc. they were also incompetent in evaluating behaviors in the three domains of cognitive, affective and psychomotor (Dimson, 2008). This constituted a serious setback to the effective implementation of continuous assessment.

Also added to the above were the issues of storing facilities which enhanced continuous assessment and these facilities are the continuous assessment folders, file cabinets, shelves, computer etc. were a huge problem to the government as the teachers could not keep records of their students performance as a result of lack of storage facilities.

Therefore, the question that comes to mind which have necessitated this investigation seeks to find out if the teachers who are the implementers of the continuous assessment are well equipped in qualification, experience and knowledge of the concept of continuous assessment and its guidelines to ensure effective utilization in assessing the performance of students in English language. Also, there is need to find the hindrances of its implementation and the way forward.

Scope of the Study

This study covers all the junior secondary schools in Owerri Education Zone1 of Imo State. It is delimited in examining continuous assessment as a means of evaluating English language among junior secondary education. The study sought to address the level of understanding of English language teachers on the basic concept of continuous assessment, the problems associated with continuous assessment and how their problems can be remedied.

Purpose of the Study

The general aim of  this study is to examine continuous assessment as an effective means of evaluating students’ learning in English language among junior  secondary schools in Owerri Education  Zone1 of  Imo State. But specifically, it sought to find out the following objectives;

1. Examine if the English language teachers understand the basic concepts of continuous assessment
2. Find out if the teachers know the continuous assessment instruments used in assessing students performance

• Investigate on the problems of implementing continuous assessment in English language

1. Examine the ways of curbing the problem facing continuous assessment of English language

Significance of the Study

The result of this study will serve as a guide to the educational policy makers, the teachers, the students and to subsequent researchers.

To the educational policy makers, this study will serve as a guide on how to properly plan and implement the school curriculum in line with global trend.

To the teachers, the study will serve as an eye opener for them to comprehend the importance of continuous assessment in evaluating English language in school. It will also serve as a guide to ensuring that continuous assessment is properly utilized in order to bring about good result/performance from the students.

To the students, the study will teach or impart in them the skills to be able to improve their academic activities and not merely on achievement, which means that the assessment is developmental as it seeks to diagnose the weakness and determine the approaches that can help to redress them.

Research Questions

The following research questions were posed by the researcher to guide the study;

1. What is the English language teacher’s level of understanding the basic concept of continuous assessment in junior secondary schools?
2. What is the continuous assessment instruments used in assessing students’ performance?

• What are the problems facing the implementation of continuous assessment in English language?
  

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  Pages:  80

  Category: Project

  Format:  Word & PDF                

  Chapters: 1-5                                                      

  Material contains Table of Content, Abstract and References. 

Abstract

The study investigated the influence of the media on students achievement in English language in secondary schools. Four research questions were formulated and a descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population for the study comprised of teachers and 1494 students of the all senior secondary schools in the area of study. However, samples of 200 respondents were randomly drawn from the total population. The method of data collection was through the use of a questionnaire which was structured on a four point likert scale. The data were analyzed using arithmetic mean and standard deviation. The results indicated that through media, new information is assimilated by the students which also help the students to improve their achievement. Also, the study revealed that one of the negative influence of the media to students is that it sends wrong  message to English language speakers learning slangs to add to their speech. The study recommends amongst other things, that government should support through adequate provision of educational media facilities and continuous training and retraining of teachers using these media facilities.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

The researcher would present this chapter under the following subheadings; Background to the Study, Statement of the Problem, Scope of the Study, Purpose of the Study, Significance of the Study and Research Questions.

Background to the Study

Education is very important to national development because education and national development are two sides of a coin that mutually reinforce and challenge each other. Jega (1997) affirmed that “Education is generally regarded as a necessary and essential requirement for national development. It is central to socio-economic and technological advancement and it is critical to self-generating process of positive transformation of modern society.”

Abiabaka (2010) affirms that “Education is the key to national development. It provides the intellectual capability needed by man to harness the human and materials resources for scientific and technological advancement”. Education is the process of transferring information, ideas, values from one person to another. Education has been defined by various authors in different perspectives. In all, their various approaches to the definition of education remain a general consensus that education is an invaluable process and a basic instrument for individual and societal development.

Secondary education is defined in the Nigeria National Policy on Education (2004) as the form of education children attend after primary education and before tertiary education. The main aim of Nigerian secondary education is to prepare students for useful living within the society and for higher education, Abolade (2003) described secondary educational level as probably the most unique and precarious of all other levels of education. This is because he saw it as or junction box of all the subjects of the tertiary level. Media is a means of communication it can be through radio, television, newspaper, magazines, orally and internets.

Sarah (2011) posited that media is an umbrella term for the different kind of mediums that enrich us with knowledge and vital information. It is the circuit that runs through society, in the form of visual, print and audio mediums, named television, newspaper (magazines, tabloids and newsletters), radio and the internet. These mediums play different roles when it comes to communicating to the audiences at large as well as altering their perceptions.

Media are communication outlets or tools used to store and deliver information or data. The term media refers to components of the mass media communication industry, such as print media, publishing, the  news  media, photography, cinema broadcasting,(television and radio) digital media and advertising. The development ofg early writing and paper enabling longer-distance communication systems  such as mail,  including in the Persian empire and Roman empire which can be interpreted as early forms of  human communication as early forms of media, such as Lascaux Cave paintings and early writings. Another framing of the history of media starts with the chauvet cave paintings and continues with other ways to carry human communication beyond the short range of voice smoke signals, trail makers and sculpture.

The media plays a very prominent role in our lives. There are various effects of media on the society at large. Media tends to influence and it’s obvious, there are positive as well as negative influences of the media. However, it also depends upon the way audiences perceive things. The power of the media is by far recognize by everybody in terms of advertising, marketing and as a medium to broadcast information to people at large. Since the media is used to communicate and interact with people from various walks of life, it can often result in a conflict of options. Lad (2011) stated that print media (magazines, newspapers, brochures, press releases, newsletters etc), electronic media (television, radio etc) and the internet are all part of media. Today, mass media can give a person phenomenal exposure and this can result in various effects of the mass media on the society.

It is against this background that the researcher deemed it necessary to investigate on the influence of the media on student’s achievement in English language in secondary schools in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State.

Statement of the Problem

One of the topical issues in the present day Nigeria education system is the performance of graduates (outputs). Most worrisome is the growing discontent and distrust from the society about the quality of public secondary schools products. This is judged by their poor performance in public examinations, inability to cope with further education at the tertiary institution and even their inability to express themselves very well in public (Ohia, 2010).

The result of a research carried out by Nwafor (2007) showed that the achievement level of public secondary school leavers is very poor graduates from public secondary school is performance abysmally below the expectations of the employers of  labour. Besides, 84% of these students graduate from secondary school without having the ability to speak and write correct sentences in English language (the nation’s Lingua Franca). They can hardly exhibit any acquired skill or knowledge. Obioma (2007) exclaimed that the status of education in Nigeria is in an epileptic stupor. In fact he lamented that the Nigeria educational system is virtually in shambles.

On the influence of the media on students achievement, many researchers has argued on the negative impact of the media on student’s academic performance, where they say it corrupts their mind, diverts students attention and makes them to perform poorly in their examinations.

Scope of the Study

This study covers all the secondary schools in Mbaitoli LGA of Imo State. It is delimited in examining media as a means of evaluating English language among junior secondary education. The study sought to address the level of understanding of English teachers on the basic concept of media, the influence how these problems can be remedied.

Purpose of the Study

The main aim of this research is to investigate on the influence of the media on student’s achievement in English languages in secondary schools in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State. But specifically, the study will attempt to find out;

1. The positive impact of media on student’s achievement on secondary schools in Mbaitolu LGA of Imo State.
2. The negative impact of media on student’s achievement on secondary schools in Mbaitolu LGA of Imo State.
3. The importance of English language to the academic performance of students in secondary schools in Mbaitolu LGA of Imo State
4. The role of the media in educational settings and in the classroom in secondary schools in Mbaitolu LGA of Imo State.

Significance of the Study

It is important to note that the findings of this research will be significant and serve the government educational policy makers, the teachers and students.

To the government, the study will enlighten them on the state of our educational system and on the need to improve the standard of education in order to achieve quality output.

The study will benefit the educational policy makers in adopting measures and policies that will improve the educational sector as well as integrating the needed policies on qualitative and efficient media facilities which will improve the proficiency of learners.

To the teachers, the study will help them to know the various ways of using media to inculcate learning abilities to the students and also make awareness on the best media tools to use in the classroom.

The study will help students to achieve a better academic goal and to improve their learning abilities.

Lastly, the study will serve as a reference material to subsequent researchers who might be carrying out research work related to this.

Research Question

The following research questions will help to guide the study;

1. What are the positive impacts of media on student’s achievement on secondary schools in Mbaitolu LGA of Imo State?
2. What are the negative impacts of media on student’s achievement on secondary schools in Mbaitolu LGA of Imo State?
3. What are the impacts of media to academic performance of English language students
4. What are the roles of media in the advancement of English language in secondary schools in Mbaitolu LGA?

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Pages:  57

Category: Project

Format:  Word & PDF         

Chapters: 1-5                                 

Material contains Table of Content, Abstract and References.