Perceived Factors Militating Against Learning Of English Language In Junior Secondary Schools
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Perceived Factors Militating Against Learning Of English Language In Junior Secondary Schools
Abstract
This study focused on the perceived barriers to learning English in junior secondary schools. The study’s overall population is 200 staff members from chosen secondary schools in Edo state’s Oredo local government area.
The researcher employed questionnaires to collect data. The descriptive survey research design was used for this investigation. The survey used 133 respondents, including principals, vice principals, administrators, senior personnel, and junior staff. The acquired data was organised into tables and analysed using simple percentages and frequencies.
Chapter one
Introduction
Background of the study.
Nigeria is a country with around 400 different languages. Some of these languages are spoken by millions, while others are spoken by only a few thousand individuals. Some of these languages are believed to have become extinct. Following the 1963 Census.
The principal languages of the nation are listed as Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba Around 11.5 million people speak Hausa as their first language (LI), while 9.5 million speak Yoruba and 7 million speak Igbo. Each of these languages is spoken as a second language (L2) by around one million people.
Nigerian languages are used extensively in people’s daily lives. They are employed at school markets, offices, factories, and school events. Books are published in the majority of Nigerian languages, and the major languages have newspapers, journals, and comics. Traditional theatre and musical organisations exist throughout the country, entertaining audiences while employing the indigenous Nigerian language.
Despite the prevalence of indigenous Nigerian languages in Nigerian society, no single Nigerian language has emerged as the country’s main language. This is because the overwhelming majority of Nigerians do not speak or understand a single language. The Nigerian linguistic situation is thus one in which a variety of languages coexist.
Obanya, P. Secondary English Teaching (Lagos: Macmillan Nigeria Publishers, 1982) p1.
The Institute of Education at the University of Ibadan published “Language Arts Methods” (1981), p. 3.
As a result of the diversity of languages, tribes, and cultures, there is a challenge with determining which tongue should take precedence over others. There have been appeals and concerted efforts to establish and adopt a common national language, but the question remains:
which language should be prioritised above the other? Over time, the need for a national language has become associated with the failure to create some technical jargons in various endeavours. As a result, even when two people speak the same language, they are forced to utilise certain English words to make their points.
Based on Nigeria’s multilingual background, the English language conveniently meets some of the prerequisites that indigenous languages have failed to meet.
The English language can be stated to be a unifying force in Nigeria. It is the only language that connects Nigerians from various linguistic, geographical, social, and religious backgrounds. It is utilised to handle various official business for the country.
It is the language of government, commerce, the media, and instruction in schools and institutions. This is in addition to the indigenous language of the local population.
It should be mentioned, however, that English is the medium of teaching in senior primary, secondary schools, and university institutions. These schools offer native language or mother tongue as a school topic.
English language speakers are divided into three categories. Native speakers; speakers of English as a foreign language; and speakers of English as a second language (L2). A native English speaker learns the language spontaneously as a child.
This is frequently because his parents utilise English as their primary mode of contact with him and with one another, and it is the language spoken in the community in which he is growing up. It is spoken as a native language in Britain, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand, among others.
As a foreign language, English is typically taught as a topic at school or college. A speaker in this situation resides in a country where English is spoken as a second language (L2). A speaker of English as a second language typically lives in a nation where English is not the native language of the indigenous population.
However, in his country, English is widely used to communicate between speakers of other local languages. It’s the language of education, business, and politics. These children have often been exposed to English before. They learn and apply it in school.
In Nigeria, English is a mandatory component of the educational curriculum. It is an obligatory school subject, and passing it with a credit is required for entry to the country’s higher education institutions. This applies to any course of study. A passing grade in English is required at the University of Benin in Benin City before being awarded a degree diploma.
Despite English’s prominent position in Nigeria, the number of individuals who comprehend it is limited. Efforts should be made to increase the number of persons who understand English. The preferred model is Standard English, which was previously regulated for grammar, vocabulary, and spelling, and Received Pronunciation (E-P) for pronunciation.
This could be taught through mass media or in schools and universities. This essay will be built around the approach of teaching English and the challenges that come with it.
The obstacles involved with teaching English can be divided into instructional and infrastructural issues, as well as biases and interferences from the first language (L1). It is worth noting, however, that there is no single optimum way of teaching English.
Language acquisition does not have to proceed in the same manner regardless of the purpose or conditions. The teaching of English is a praginatic enterprise and should be judged accordingly. The teacher must make selections about the methods and strategies he will utilise while also considering the settings under which he will work.
That is, one cannot judge a method as good or terrible without considering the circumstances under which it is utilised. The instructor must also consider his own qualities, the characteristics of his students, as well as the physical and other conditions under which he works.
When learning English as a second language, the learner is taught English in school and unconsciously “picks it up” outside of school from his family and friends, the radio, newspapers, films, public speeches, and so on.
The majority of the English he is exposed to outside of school will be incorrect English because it will be spoken by people whose first language is not English.
Furthermore, he will struggle to acquire English because of influence from his mother tongue; for example, if his mother tongue lacks the /r/ sound, he will most likely pronounce “river” as “liver”.
Another issue in English instruction is the frequent usage of pidgin. It makes grammar learning difficult because the grammar or pidgin has, in most cases, been suggested and made to resemble that of several indigenous Nigerian languages.
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