ABSTRACT
This had been an attempt to identify and rank difficult topics in
teaching and learning of English Language at the basic level in Lagos State. In
carrying out the study, a descriptive survey research design was used. A total
of two hundred and thirty six respondents were drafted from English teachers
and students at the basic level from Education District IV of Lagos State. The
researcher designed ‘‘Teachers and Students questionnaire on Difficult Teaching Topics in English Language”.
The study found out that the
topics which are difficult to students in English language at the basic level are
poetry, composition writing, debates and active and passive verbs. The most difficult topic in
English language at the basic level is debate seconded by poetry. Teachers were of the opinion that poetry, intonation,
stress and rhythm, composition writing, spelling are more
difficult than active and passive verbs for students at the basic level. It was
concluded that pupils at
the basic level do not understand debate and poetry as well as some other
topics. It is therefore recommended that teachers should ensure that
emphasis is made on the topics identified in this study and that students need
to be encouraged that they can master these topics that seemed difficult to them.
The researcher however suggested that the study be replicated by other
researchers using different location to confirm or refute its validity
and to expand the scope of work previously done.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Title page i
Certification
ii
Dedication iii
Acknowledgment
iv
Abstract
v
Table of Contents
vi
CHAPTER ONE
Background of Study
1
Statement of Problem
6
Purpose of Study
7
Research Questions
7
Research Hypotheses
8
Significance of study
8
Scope of study
8
Definition of terms
9
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE
Introduction 10
Teaching and Learning of English
Language at the Basic Level 10
Students’ Perception of Difficult
Topics in English Language at the Basic Level 12
Teacher’s
Perception of Difficult Topics in English Language at the Basic Level 13
Difficult
English Language Topics at the Basic Level 13
Causes of
Difficulties in Identified Topics 43
Studies Related
to Difficult Topics in Teaching and Learning of English Language 47
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Introduction
50
Research
Design
50
Population of
Study
50
Sample and
Sampling Technique 50
Instrument 51
Validity of the
Instrument 51
Reliability of
the Instrument 51
Method of Data
Collection 52
Data
Analysis
52
CHAPTER FOUR: DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
Introduction
53
Descriptive
Analysis of Respondents Bio-Data
53
Research
Question 53
Test of
Hypotheses
58
Discussion of
Findings 59
CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY,
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Summary of the study
62
Conclusion
63
Recommendations
63
Suggestion for Further Studies 64
References
65
Appendix
74
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
Despite all efforts by the
government, parents and teachers towards improving the teaching and learning of
English language at the basic level, students’ academic achievement has not
yielded the expected result. Therefore, this study is an avenue to identify and
rank difficult topics in teaching and learning English language at basic level.
It is also a process of showing or presenting the topics in English language in
order of level of difficulty as perceived by the students and teachers of
English language in primary and junior secondary school levels.
The National Policy on Education
(2004) defined basic education as a 9 year education comprising 6 years of
primary education and 3 years of junior secondary education. It also includes
adult and non-formal education programmes at primary and junior secondary
education levels for the adult and out-of-school youths. The aforementioned
document also highlighted the goal of basic education to include among others,
permanent literacy and numeracy, and ability to communicate effectively.
However, this study is limited to
only the 9 year education for primary and junior secondary school children. The
medium of instruction as mentioned in the National Policy on Education is
languages of the environment for the first three years and from the fourth
year; English language is expected to be used as a medium of instruction.
However, due to the fact that English language is not the language of the
environment, there are some difficulties especially in some topics which conflict
with the learning process in basic level education. These difficult topics arguably hamper
students’ performance in English language as a subject at the basic level.
The teaching and learning of English
language in basic level is not a simple task (Jolayemi, 2009). Being a second
language, some students are not even familiar with the language until they get
to senior secondary school (Esan, 2011) as some primary schools hardly use
English language as the medium of instruction. Esan also attributed this to
poor performance in English language in both the common entrance examination
and junior secondary school certificate.
English language in basic level consists of topics which include but not
limited to reading, writing, spelling, speaking, listening, comprehension,
verbal and vocabulary. For reading, Dairo (2008) observed that it is a lifelong
activity but also a complex cognitive process of decoding symbols in order to
construct or derive meaning. It is a means of language acquisition of communication
and of sharing of information and ideas. However, it is not only basic level
students that have been found to experience difficulty in reading, senior
secondary school students and all categories of reader are also affected.
Oyetunde & Udoh (2006) however list impediment to positive reading as lack
of materials, lack of interest, home background and lack of adult readers as
models.
A child's ability to learn to read, known as reading readiness, begins in infancy, as the child begins attending to the
speech signals in their environment and begins producing spoken language.
Children make some use of all the material that they are presented with,
including every perception, concept and word that they come in contact with. The
amount of time that a child spends together with parents or other important caregivers while listening to them read
is a good predictor of the level of reading that the child will attain later in
life. As a child sits with a caregiver, looking at pictures and listening to
stories, he or she will slowly learn that all the different lines on each page
make different symbols and then that together these symbols refer to words.
Taking time to read to children is the most important precursor to a child's development of reading. Preschool-aged children
with limited exposure to books and reading in their home, including limited
experience of being read to, are at risk of reading difficulties.
Ojo (2011) found that children with limited exposure to books and reading
in their home, including limited experience of being read to mostly identify
reading as one of the most difficult topics in English class. For example,
these children tend to have less exposure to literary phrases, such as
"Once upon a time", and have smaller vocabularies, both factors that
affect the ability to read by limiting comprehension of text. The environment
in which a child lives may also impact their ability to acquire reading skills.
Children who are regularly exposed to chronic environmental noise pollution,
such as highway traffic noise, have been known to show decreased ability to
discriminate between phonemes as well as lower reading scores on
standardized tests.
Creative writing is also another
topic that has been reported by researchers as a topic that often looks
difficult to students in basic level classes. Studies that have investigated
why students perceive creative writing as difficult topic have produced
contradictory results over time. Ojo (2009) discovered that some students are
not exposed to creative writing method as a reason for identifying creative
writing as a difficult topic while some other researchers are of the opinion
that creativity is a gift and not all students can be creative in writing. In this sense, creative writing is a more
contemporary and process-oriented than what has been traditionally called
literature. This branch of writing includes narrative, descriptive, persuasive
and expository writing. Students at the
basic level may not be enthusiastic writers but most kids have active imagination
in some areas or another. Creative writing is also believed to focus on
students’ self expression.
Ogunlewe (2009) mentioned punctuation
as another area which students find challenging. Punctuation is the use of
spacing, convention, signs and certain typographed device as aids to the
understanding and correct reading. In written English, punctuation varies with
language, location, register, time and are constantly revolving while certain
aspect of punctuation are stylistic and author’s choice.
Grammar has also been found to be
very difficult for students in basic level to comprehend. As a result of
various new grammar rules that emerge on a daily basis, there have been
difficulties is application of these new rules when writing or speaking. Therefore,
grammar has been said as a topic that is not easy to understand but researchers
like Anderson (2011) and Wallace (2009) have shown that some students in basic
class do not regard grammar as a difficult topic. Grammar also comprises the
usage and application of noun, adjectives, verbs, determinants and speech.
Another topic which students
perceived as difficult in basic level is words and vocabulary. These are
distinct meaningful elements of speech or writing used with others to form a
sentence. Vocabulary is commonly described as all the words known and used by
particular persons. Vocabulary is also a stock of collection of words used by a
particular person. Knowing a word is not as simple as merely been able to
recognize or use it. Various aspects of vocabulary include listening
vocabulary, speaking vocabulary, writing vocabulary, and focal vocabulary.
According to Anibueze (2007), there
are many problems that teachers and students encounter in course of teaching
and learning English language. Such problems are classifies as the problem in
equivocation which refers to the problem students and teachers encounter when
they read meaning of words, sentences and passages. The problem in elocution
which also refers to the problems students envisage in their practice of oral
delivery or in usage of the English language has also been mentioned. The
problem in transliteration which is affected by interference of the mother
tongue also contributes significantly to students’ mastery of English language.
In a separate studies conducted by
Ajibola (2009), Wilson (2011) and Yusuf (2009), they all concluded that
reading, vocabulary and spelling are the most common topics that are difficult
to students in basic level especially in African region. However, Esan (2008)
found out that reading, writing, spelling and comprehension are the most
difficult topics in basic level curriculum.
Similarly, in a self rating
questionnaire for students in public primary school in Lagos Metropolis as
reported by Ndukwu (2005), he found that listening, speaking, reading and
writing abilities often affect students’ performance in English language. When
asked students in a study conducted by Esan (2008) to indicate the order of
difficulty of various topics they had to learn on a 4 point scale where 1
represents easiest and 4 represents hardest, a significant number of respondent
perceived reading as hardest.
The conflicting findings generated by
other researchers when ranking difficult English language topics and
investigating the reasons for general poor performance in English language in
basic classes therefore necessitate the identification and ranking of the
difficult topics in teaching and learning English language.
Statement of the Problem
Specific
educational policies aimed at improving students’ performance in English
language at the basic level have been largely ineffectual in the country.
Non-identification of, uncertainty about and non-chalant attitude towards
prioritizing the particular areas and topics that are difficult to students by
policy makers so that adequate attention be paid have indeed help to erode
studies ever geared towards improving students’ performance in English language
(Tsikata, 2007).
General poor academic performance at
the basic level in English language has been established (Ojo, 2012). While
some researchers have blamed home background as one of the factors that are
accountable for the poor performance of students, some researchers have
identified problems in equivocation, elocution, transliteration and expression
as reason for students’ poor performance. The researcher then feels that it is
necessary to build on existing body of knowledge by highlighting the topics
that are actually difficult as perceived by the students and teachers in order
of difficulty so that adequate measures can be put in place.
Purpose of the Study
The general purpose of this study is
to identify and rank in order of difficulty, English language topics at the
basic level. Specifically, the study was aimed at:
1. finding out the topics that are
difficult in English language at the basic level.
2. determining the extent at which the
difficult topics identified in English language affects students’ academic
performance.
3. identifying in order of difficulty
the topics in English language as perceived by basic level students.
4. identifying in order of difficulty
the topics in teaching-learning of English language as perceived by teachers at
the basic level.
Research Questions
This study provided answers to the
following questions:
1. What are the topics that are
difficult in English language at the basic level?
2. To what extent will difficult topics
identified in English language affects students’ academic performance?
3. What is the order of difficulty the
topics in English language as perceived by basic level students?
4. To what extent do English language
teachers perceive various topics identified to be difficult?
Research Hypotheses
1.
No
significant influence of difficult topics identified exists on the academic
performance of students in English language at the basic level.
2.
No
significant level of difficulty exists in any topic identified as difficult in
English language at the basic level.
Significance of the Study
This study will help to identify the
areas that require most attention in English language.
Teachers will be able to understand
more about their students’ problems and proffer necessary solutions
There have been few studies on the
identifying difficult topics in English Language. Therefore, this study will
provide a template for other researchers who may want to embark on a similar
study.
Curriculum developer will use the
result of this study to design a realistic curriculum that will suite both
teachers and students in junior secondary schools.
Scope of the Study
This study is strictly
concerned with identifying difficult topics and the extent at which the
teachers and also the students perceived it to be difficult. It covers students
and English language teachers at the basic level in Education District IV of
Lagos State. Both primary and secondary sources of data will be available for
use.
Operational Definition of Terms
Academic Performance: This
refers to the rate of success in an examination. Throughout this study, the
term ‘Students Academic Performance’ shall be interpreted as meaning gains made
by students in the SSCE results in five subjects including Mathematics, English
Language and Biology which are subjects under Lagos Eko Project.
Influence: It is the
capacity to have an effect on the character, or behavior of someone or
something or the effect itself.
Difficult: Unpleasant to do as it requires a
considerable effort or skill. Not easy to accomplish.
Job Performance:
This has to do with the effective teaching, content knowledge, subject mastery,
application of appropriate skills and materials.
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