TABLE
OF CONTENTS.
CHAPTERONE
INTRODUCTION
Background
to the Study
Statement
of the Problem
Purpose
of the Study
Research
Questions
Scope
of the Study
Operational
Definition of Terms
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED
LITERATURE
English Language in the Curriculum of Secondary Schools in Nigeria
The Place of the English Language in Senior Secondary Schools in
Nigeria
Spelling as a Problem in the Written English Language
of Second Learners of
English
Factors Influencing English Language Learners Spelling
Ability in the Second
Language Context
Procedures
in Error Analysis, Relevant to spelling
Strategies for the Effective Teaching and Learning of
English Language
Spelling
Teach rules
Strategies for Effective Learning
Speed Copying
Spelling and Writing
Research Teaching Strategies
High Frequent words
Spelling Strategies
Margin Spelling
Appraisal
of the Literature Reviewed
CHAPTER
THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Population,
Sample and Sampling Techniques
Instrumentation
Procedure
for Data Collection
Data
Analysis Techniques
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA
ANALYSIS AND RESULTS
Analysis of Findings on the Research Questions
Summary of Findings
CHAPTER FIVE
DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Discussion on Findings
Conclusion
Recommendations
Suggestions for Further
Studies
REFERENCES
APPENDIX
CHAPTERONE
INTRODUCTION
Background
to the Study
Language is a system of
conventional spoken, manual or written symbols by means of which human beings, as
member of a social group and participants in it's culture, express themselves.
The functions of language include communication, the expression of identity,
play, imaginative expression and emotional release.
Henry sweet (2010) stated
"language is the expression of ideas by means of speech-sounds combined
into words. Words are combined into taughts". Bernard Bloch and George L.
Trager (2010) formulated the following definition: "A language is e system
of arbitrary vocal symbols by means of which a social group cooperates".
Any succinct definition of language makes a number of presuppositions and begs
a number of questions. The first, for example, puts excessive weight on "taught",
and the second uses "arbitrary" in a specialized, though legimate,
way.
Nigeria being a
multilingual country with over four hundred (400) languages already, received
an additional language which is English language in the sixteenth century from
the Great Britain, by the colonial masters whom were in Nigeria to propagate
Christianity, trade and take over the entire Nigerian administration.
This marks the
introduction of the English language in the Nigerian history and thus added to
the multilingual existence of the Nigerians.
Medubi (2013) posits that
English language came into Nigeria with the British settlers (in the sixteenth
century) whose expansionist programmes saw them colonise a good number of
countries all over the world. The interaction of the British settlers and the
Nigerian natives resulted in birth of pidgin, a broken form of English that
ease communication difficulties between the two peoples. However, with the
complete appropriation of the Nigerian land as a colonial territory, Britain
introduced the English language as the lani of administration. During these
times also, the missionaries who needed to communicate with converts introduced
the learning of English language for Bible reading, thus, forming the rudiments
of the educational system (Medubi, 2013). This laid the foundation of literacy
skills of reading and writing in the English language curriculum in Nigeria.
English language occupies
a prominent place in the Nigerian school curriculum to the extent that it is
stated in Federal Ministry of Education secondary Education Curriculum (2007)
that no student can proceed to the tertiary level without a credit pass in
English Language. As one of the legacies bequeathed to Nigerians by the
British, it will be very difficult to do away with it because it is the major
medium of instruction in our schools, business transaction, and communication
both nationally and internationally.
The term 'curriculum' has
different interpretations among scholars. Olorundare (2003) viewed curriculum
as the sum total of all experiences a pupil undergoes in school.
Offorma(2006) defined
curriculum as a structured series of learning experiences intended for the
education of the learner. Ivowi(2008) viewed curriculum as a tool designed for
educating a person in order to change the orientation behavior, actions and
values to that of a good person whose concern is not only to develop self but
also the world around. To Epo and Osam (2009), curriculum is a graded course of
different subject taken from the nursery school to the university. Thus all
what students do or learn at school from the day they are admitted into school
to the day they leave school may be referred to as curriculum. It is a
continuous process of a conscious insight into the life of the society by the
school with a view to bring about improvement.
In the light of the above
definitions, certain steps are vital in the formation of effective and
attainable mains, goals and objectives of a curriculum which the English
language curriculum adopted. The English language curriculum for the secondary
school was designed generally towards the achievement level of a high level of
proficiency in the Nigerian students' use of English language.
The English language
curriculum in both basic and post basic levels of education encompasses several
areas such as: reading/comprehension, speech, vocabulary development,
handwriting, phonics instruction, composition/creative writing, summary
writing, lexis/structure, oral English/pronunciation among others. All these
areas have their aims and objectives. On the goals and objectives of English
language curriculum, Amuseghan (2007) stated that one would expect English as a
second language (ESL) learner in the Nigerian context, after nine or twelve
solid years of learning English and using it for instruction at the primary and
secondary levels to become academically, linguistically and communicatively
competent in social contexts beyond the school, which is the ultimate goal of
the prescribed English language curriculum as the secondary level.
There has been an
increase in spelling research in the past years due to importance spelling has
on literacy acquisition (e.g. Conrad, 2008; Kwong & Varnhagen, 2005; Treiman
& Bourassa, 2000). Spelling is important for literacy because of its close
relationships with reading and writing. Spelling supports reading because two
processes are reciprocally related and they both follow a similar course of
acquisition (Ehri, 2000).Spelling supports writing. This is because "spelling
and text production in later grades will require that students can automatically
and legibly write alphabet letters and match sounds in words to associated
spelling patterns"(Ritchey, 2008, p.44).Spelling also plays an important
role in our daily lives.It is necessary in various occasions which range from
undemanding tasks such as: filing alphabetically; looking up words in a phone
book, dictionary, writing notes that others can read; and even playing parlor
games(2005).
Spelling is a complex
cognitive activity in which several mental processes are involved. Spelling
also plays an important role in every learners live. This is because Part of
what determines a learner's proficiency in English language is his/her ability
to spell correctly for accurate expression. No matter how fluent a speaker may
be, without a good mastering of spelling, it will be considered a great error.
According to Wiktionary,
error is the state, quality, or condition of being wrong. In applied
linguistics, an error is a deviation from accepted rules of a language made by
a learner of a second language.
Richards and Schmidt
(2002:pg.184) define error analysis as" the study and analysis of the
errors made by second language learners." Another view of error analysis
is given by Brown (1989, cited by Hashim, 2002:43), when he defines error analysis
as the process of observing, analysing, and classifying the deviations of the
rules of the second language and then to reveal the systems operated by a
learner.
Brown (2000):217) also
insists that "mistakes must be carefully distinguished from errors of a
second language learner". He defines an error as "a noticeable
deviation from the adult grammar of a native speaker" which also reflects
the competence of the learner. He continues to explain that" a mistake
refers to a performance error that is either a random guess or a 'slip', in
that it is a failure to utilize a known system correctly" and "
mistakes, when attention is called to them, can be self-corrected.
Brown (2002:220)
differentiate between covert and overt errors. They define covert errors to be
grammatically correct but not interpretable within the context of
communication, whereas overt errors refer to the obviously ungrammatical
utterances.
Brown (2000: 217) also
insists that “mistakes must be carefully distinguished from errors of a second
language learner”. He defines an error as “a noticeable deviation from the
adult grammar of a native speaker” which also reflects the competence of the
learner. He continues to explain that “a mistake refers to a performance error
that is either a random guess or a ‘slip’, in that it is a failure to utilize a
known system correctly” and “mistakes, when attention is called to them, can be
self-corrected”. Errors, on the other hand, often indicate the learner’s
competence in the target language and they are ‘evidence’ which can reflect the
learner’s language proficiency. “The fact that learners do make errors, and
that these errors can be observed, analysed, and classified to reveal something
of the system operating within the learner, led to a surge of study of
learner’s error, called error analysis” (ibid.: 218). This is the next topic of
discussion in the following sections. 2.3.4 Goals and definitions of Error
Analysis Error Analysis is a theory replacing the Contrastive Analysis, which
was abandoned by linguists and teachers due to its in effectivity and
unreliability. EA also belongs to applied linguistics but it has no interest in
explaining the process of L2 acquisition. It is rather “a 17 methodology for
dealing with data.”
Error Analysis Error analysis is an activity
to reveal errors found in writing and speaking (Hasyim, 2002, p.43). Similarly,
Barzegar (2013) stated “error analysis is a procedure used both researcher and
teachers which involves collecting samples of learner language, identifying the
error in the sample, describing these errors, classifying them according to
their nature and causes, and evaluating their seriousness” (p. 322). The other
definition states that error analysis is a type of linguistic analysis that
focuses on the errors learners make (AbiSamr 12 The other opinion comes from
Hasyim (2002) who stated that Error analysis is advantageous for both learners
and teachers. Besides, benefit for students, error analysis is needed to show
them in what aspect in grammar which is difficult for them, while for teachers,
it is required to evaluate themselves whether they are successful or not in
teaching. Thus, error analysis should not be neglected in foreign language
teaching. (p.42-43). Thus, the definition explains that error analysis is a
technique to investigate an error word and sentence in writing or speaking
form. Spelling Error Botley, Hakim and Dillah (2007) stated, “spelling error
are highly ubiquitous and contentious features of second language learners’
written performance” (p.75). The other definition of spelling error is given by
Al-jarf (2010); he said “Any faulty words, faulty graphemes (single vowel,
single consonant, vowel digraphs, consonant digraphs, phonogram, suffix or
prefix) within a word are counted as an error. Any graphemes that are added,
deleted, substituted by another or reversed are counted as misspellings”.
(p.9). Spelling error usually occurs because the students cannot distinguish
between letters and sound of the word when they write. According to Perveen
& Akram (2014), “Sounds, letters, word parts, word meaning, and word
history are those elements which play the important role in learning to spell
the words of English 13 language” (p.2605). Similarly, “A single sound (or more
correctly, a single phoneme) may have many different spelling (paw, poor, pore,
pour, daughter, Sean), and the same spelling may have many different sound (or,
word, information, worry, correspond)” (Harmer, 2001, p.256). Spelling error
still appears in large number in writing producing by learner; even drilling
and training technique did in every school or university (Botley et al, 2007).
According to Benyo (2014), spelling errors are due to these sound problems. The
other statement, “One of the reasons that spelling is difficult for students of
English is that the correspondence between the sound of a word and the way it
is spelt is not always obvious (Harmer, 2001, p.271). The other statement given
by Al-zuoud & Kabilan, (2013) stated, many students produce misspelled
word, which result in disconnected sentence.
The importance of
spelling is not limited to individuals whose first language is English, but to
English language learners as well. The
development of the English language learners’ spelling differs from those whose
first language is English. It has been well-established in literature today
that unlike English monolinguals, language learners use knowledge of their
first language when they learn to spell in English. Since language learners use
their knowledge of their first language in learning to spell in English, the
proficiency level of the first language is closely related the acquisition of
second language spelling. According to Brisk and Harrington (2000),
"literacy skills are acquired only once through one language and then
applied to new languages" (p. 4).
The problem of poor
spelling seems to be ubiquitous. It is apparent at all grade levels and in
practically every school. When poor spelling is uncorrected for many students,
they carry it with them into the work world or college classroom, where
employers and professors must face it. “Some people just aren’t good spellers,”
one teacher excuses the problem, “just as some people aren’t good at math or
history. The ability to spell well is a gift.” “Her brothers weren’t good
spellers, either,” another teacher might say, concluding that poor spelling
must have a genetic cause. To address the problem, however, we must recognize
its magnitude, acknowledge people equate a Southern or Midwestern farm accent
with ignorance. Although neither assumption is necessarily valid, the stigma
affects one’s image or reputation and often determines what one can achieve in
life. Do we continue to go through life
denigrating and berating—or excusing—the poor spellers and blaming others for
their predicament? Do we continue to pass them along to the next higher grade,
hoping that somewhere between our class and graduation someone will manage
miraculously to “get through to” them and teach them how to spell? No, it is
not a hopeless case, and no, we don’t have to resign ourselves to having poor
spellers as a matter of course. Not if we understand the factors that
contribute to poor spelling and take the steps necessary to solve the problem.
The Contributing Factors Postulated No single cause can be cited for every poor
speller’s predicament. Rather, a plethora of factors contribute to the problem.
For some people, one factor is predominant; for other people, several factors
are involved in creating their problem. An understanding of each factor will
help teachers identify poor spellers, diagnose their predominating factors, and
apply a proper solution. Intelligence and Organizational Skills Marilyn vos
Savant (2000) writes, “When your spelling is perfect, it is invisible— the
reader has no reason to notice it unless it’s wrong. But when it goes wrong, it
spurs strong associations in the mind of the reader, even when he or she isn’t
aware of them.
Although many people,
knowingly or subconsciously, equate spelling ability with intelligence, that
association does not seem to be validated by facts. “Spelling ability has
nothing to do with intelligence,” Sorsby (1996) declared. “It has a lot to do
with developing a familiarity with words, an ability to recognize them and,
equally important, a similar ability to recognize when they don’t ‘look right.’
” Although good spelling is a mark of a well-educated person, and the opposite
can cost one a job, a raise, or a promotion, it is not necessarily a sign of
low intelligence not to spell well. Rather, vos Savant (2000) indicates that
spelling ability is more closely related to “our organizational habits and
other personality traits than our intelligence.” Proving her claim, she found
in a survey of 42,603 readers that “If you’re a top speller, you’re more likely
to be more intelligent than average, better able to follow instructions than
average, and more organized than average. On the other hand, if you’re a bottom
speller, your general intelligence and ability to follow directions are not
likely to be lower than average, but you are more likely to be less organized.
Marsand and Griffith
(1974) warn, “Memorizing the rules will not be of much help unless you apply
them.” 7. Encourage the use of easily remembered helps such as, “Write i before
e, except after c, or when sounded like a, as in ‘neighbor’ and ‘weigh.’ ” 8. Emphasize
handwriting legibility in students’ writing activities. 9. Encourage reading.
10. Have the students keep a notebook of their misspelled words or words that
have given them trouble. Review them periodically, and practice spelling them
regularly. 11. Help students develop the habit of looking up words whenever
they are uncertain of their correct spellings. 12. Teach, enforce, and
encourage rigorous proofreading. 13. Provide opportunities for students to
check their own (or others’) work. AVKO (2000) states, “Of all the spelling
techniques currently employed, immediate student self-correction is generally
the most effective.” 14. “Make the spelling words relevant. Learn spelling
within a context.” (Hamilton Public Library, 2004). Introduce words that they
are actually using in their current reading or study or that are in the news.
Use words that include subjects that are of interest to them. 15. Study the
etymology of words and roots, prefixes, and suffixes; and encourage students to
learn the meanings of words. 16. Help students to form a mental picture of
individual syllables and then to fit those pieces together into whole words.
17. Provide both intrinsic and extrinsic motivational rewards for successful
spelling. Do not punish poor spelling; encourage correct spelling. 18. Play
crossword and Scrabble-type games to increase spelling ability and increase
vocabulary. 19. Emphasize spelling across the curriculum and at all grade
levels. As a child learns meanings,
stretching his vocabulary, he understands more of what he reads. When he
writes, he now has more words to choose from to find that perfect word. And
because he has learned to spell by seeing and using patterns, he can come up
with a word that he hasn’t been taught, just because it makes sense. If
spelling is only something the child sees as a random list of words to spell
correctly on Friday’s test, he will miss all of these benefits.” Conclusion In
many of our schools today, formal spelling instruction ceases in the upper
elementary grades. In many other schools, spelling instruction is isolated as
“the English teacher’s job,” and teachers of other subjects complain bitterly
about students’ inability to spell correctly—but, feeling helpless, they do nothing
about it. Perhaps it is time to address the problem at all levels and across
the entire curriculum. The solution lies not in merely following the right
rules in laying the right foundation in the early elementary grades; it lies in
reinforcing those lessons throughout the child’s educational career. It
requires a team effort by everyone.
Statement
of the Problem
Many researchers have
written on the spelling error in the written English of Junior secondary
schools. In order to master literacy, one must not only be able to read and
write, but to spell as well (MCardle, Chhabra, & Kapinus, 2008). There has
been an increase in spelling research in the past years due to the importance
spelling has on literacy acquisition e.g (Conrad,2008, Kwong &Varnhagen,2005,
Treiman & Brourassa, 2000). Spelling is important for literacy because the
two processes are reciprocally related and the both follow a similar course of
acquisition (Ehri, 2000). Spelling supports writing, this is because "text
production in later grades will require that students can automatically and
legibly write alphabet letters and match sound in words to associated spelling
patterns"(Ritchey, 2008:44).
The researcher, having
discovered the spelling errors in the written English in the works of many
researchers, hereby focuses this research work on the spelling errors in the
written English of junior secondary schools in Abeokuta South Local Government
Area of Ogun State, Nigeria.
Purpose
of the Study
The purpose of this study
focused on the analysis of spelling errors in written English of junior
secondary schools students in Abeokuta South Local Government Area of Ogun State,
Nigeria. The study found out:
1.
The common spelling errors in written
English of junior secondary school students in Abeokuta South Local Government
Area of Ogun State, Nigeria.
2.
To investigate the spelling errors in
written English of Junior secondary school students in Abeokuta South Local Government
Area of Nigeria based on gender.
3.
To investigate the spelling errors in
written English of junior secondary school students in Abeokuta South Local
Government Area of Ogun State Nigeria based on school type.
4.
To investigate the spelling errors in the
written English of junior secondary school students in Abeokuta South Local
Government Area of Ogun State Nigeria based on school location.
Research
Questions
The following research
questions were raised in order to guide the study.
1.
What are the common spelling errors in the
written English of Junior secondary school students in Abeokuta South Local
Government Area Ogun State, Nigeria?
2.
Is there any difference in the spelling
errors found in the written English of male and female junior secondary school
students in Abeokuta South Local Government Area Ogun State?
3.
Is there any difference in the spelling
errors found in the written English of private and public junior secondary
school students in Abeokuta South Local Government Area Ogun State?
Scope
of the Study
This study centred on the
analysis of spelling errors in the written English of the junior secondary
school students in Abeokuta South Local Government Area of Ogun State, Nigeria.
All students of English were involved in the study due to the common spelling
errors in the written English from Abeokuta South Local Government Area of Ogun
State. Two hundred and one (201) Students were selected among the six public
junior secondary schools and other registered private schools within the Local
Government Area.
A test was given to the
students. It was an essay composition of about one hundred and fifty (150) words
long. This was used to obtain the spelling errors data from the respondents. The
demographic characteristics of respondents was described using percentages. The
three research questions were answered using the qualitative method.
Operational
Definition of Terms
Language:
is a system that consists of the development, acquisition, maintenance and use
of complex systems of communication, particularly the human ability to do so.
Error:
is an act involving an unintentional deviation from rules or accuracy. It is
also seen as an act that through ignorance, deficiency, or accident, departs
from what should be done.
Spelling:
is the combination of alphabetic letters to form a written word.It is a
linguistic process of correct writing with the necessary letters and diacritics
present in a comprehensible, usually standardized order.
Significance
of the Study
Findings of this study
would be useful to the English Language teachers, students, curriculum
planners, policy makers and textbook writers.
English Language teachers
would be exposed and informed of the strategies for the effective teaching of
English Language spelling during the planning, the actual teaching and
post-teaching stage. Students would also show keen interest in the strategies
for the effective learning of English Language spelling and as well be informed
of the need and importance of spelling in written English.
The end product of this
research would reveal to the curriculum planners the strengths and the
weaknesses of the existing English Language curriculum. They would be informed
and aware of the appropriate strategies for the effective teaching of English
Language spelling.
The research would help
policy makers to see to the importance of teaching spelling in the written
English in educational system and thereafter introduce a policy to mandate
teaching and learning of spelling as part of daily or weekly routine. Textbook
writers would be informed of the effective strategies to be used in the
teaching of English spelling. English teachers and students would be able to
use the books to tackle problems associated with spelling in written English of
second learners of English.
Lastly, the finding of
this study would be additional knowledge for future researchers who may wish to
offer suggestions and directions for further study.
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