TABLE OF CONTENTS.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background
to the Study
Statement of the Problem
Purpose
of the Study
Research
Questions.
Research
Hypotheses
Scope
of the Study
Operational
Definition of Terms
Significance of the Study
CHAPTER
TWO
REVIEW
OF RELATED LITERATURE
Meaning,
Nature and Types and Theories of Motivation
Meaning of Language and Language Skills
Writing as a Language Skill
The Concept of Students' Performance in
Writing
Influence
of Gender, School Type and School Location on Students’
Performance
Factors
Influencing Students’ Effectiveness in Writing
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
ANALYSES AND RESULTS
Summary
of Findings
CHAPTER
FIVE
DISCUSSION,
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Discussion
of Findings
Conclusion
Recommendations
Suggestions
for Further Studies
REFERENCES
QUESTIONNAIRE
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background
to the Study
An indispensable
instrument for human progress, development and empowerment is education. Any
individual, community or nation that plays down the importance of education,
stands the risk of decay and retardation. It is evident then that education
plays a vital role in both the human and non-human development of an individual
or a nation at large. Junior secondary education has the broad aim of preparing
students for useful living within the society and preparing them for senior
secondary education (National Policy on Education (NPE), 2013). One of the
major roles of educators is to encourage learners to work harder in order to
perform well in their academic pursuit.
The junior secondary
school level is a very critical period in the education pursuits of students.
This is because it is a period of adjustment from childhood to adolescent.
Hence, they need encouragement to achieve success in life. This form of
encouragement given to learners is called motivation.
Motivation is a
prerequisite for students at the secondary school level. Motivation is thought
of as some kind of internal forces which arouse, regulate and sustain all
important actions. Omolehin (2010) opines that motivation is regarded as a
factor within an organization that influences behaviour directed towards
satisfying needs and drive. Motivation is seen as the complex internal process
in man, originally initiated as felt need which leads man to an activity that
will satisfy the need.
It can be deduced that
motivation plays a major role in students’ academic work and in their
achievement. It is seen in students’ choices of learning tasks, in the time and
effort they put in their studies, their persistence on learning tasks and
coping with the obstacles they encounter in the learning process.
Furthermore, motivation
is the process whereby a goal-directed activity is instigated and sustained. It
is a force that energizes and directs behaviour towards a goal (Ibrahim, 2012).
It plays an effective role on academic achievement of students in general and
writing learners in particular. It is a concept that cannot do without actual
action and ability.
Student
motivation is the element that leads students' attitude towards learning
process. Number of studies have been conducted to probe the role of students’
motivation toward academic performance in writing especially in English
Language. Student motivation is often separated into two types: Intrinsic
motivation and extrinsic motivation. A student is intrinsically motivated when
he/she is motivated from within. Intrinsically motivated students
enthusiastically engage themselves in learning out of peculiarity, attention,
happiness or in order to achieve their own scholarly and personal aims.
Therefore,
students with intrinsic motivation are more enthusiastic, self-driven,
challenging and feel pleasure in their studies and students with extrinsic
motivation try to drag themselves with academic coursework, feel compelled to
learn, and always put minimum efforts to attain maximum appreciations.
Intrinsically motivated, students tend to use strategies that require more
effort and that allow them to process information more strongly.
Language, a step designed
to give a level playing ground for the task at hand, has been variously defined
by many scholars such as (Lyons, 1991; Lehman, 1999; Pearson, 2000 &
Mounin, 2004). According to Lehman (1999), language is a system for the communication
of meaning through sounds. There is no doubt that Lehman's definition is not
comprehensive enough. How about the writing aspect of language? Language is
human vocal noise or the arbitrary graphic representation of this noise used
systematically and conventionally by members of a speech community for purposes
of communication.
There are four skills of
language. These skills are listening, speaking, reading and writing. In the
context of first-language acquisition, the four skills are most often acquired
in the order of listening first, then speaking, then possibly reading and
writing. For this reason, these capabilities are often called LSRW skills.
Listening is the first
language skill we acquire in a language. It is what is known as a receptive
skill, or a passive skill, as it requires us to use our ears and our brains to
comprehend language as it is being spoken to us. It is the first of two natural
language skills, which are required by all natural spoken languages.
Speaking is the second
language skill we acquire in a language. It is what is known as a productive
skill or an active skill, as it requires us to use our vocal tract and our
brains to correctly produce language through sound. It is the second of two
natural language skills.
Reading is the third
language skill we may acquire in a language. As with listening, it is a
receptive or passive skill, as it requires us to use our eyes and our brains to
comprehend the written equivalent of spoken language. It is one of the two
artificial language skills, as not all natural spoken languages have a writing
system.
Writing is the fourth
language skill we may acquire in our native language. As with speaking, it is a
productive or active skill, as it requires us to use our hands and our brains
to produce the written symbols that represent our spoken language. Along with
reading, it is one of the two artificial language skills, as not all natural
spoken languages have a writing system.
Therefore, writing is a
comprehensive ability involving
grammar, vocabulary, conception, rhetoric and
other parts of
the language (Zhang
&Chen,1999). Writing enhances
language acquisition as learners
experiment with words,
sentences and other
elements of writing
to communicate their idea
effectively and to
reinforce the grammar
and vocabulary they
are learning in class (Bello,1997). Writing
is an important
skill to be
mastered in learning
English as a foreign language. It is
not only a
means of communication
where students can
share their views and
thoughts, it is actually
a prerequisite to
master other language
skills. Man has primitive needs to write. Children want to write, in
fact need to write, before they want to read" (Elbow, 2003).
The purpose
of teaching writing
as one of
the four language
skills is to facilitate students' learning, career and
their daily communication. Writing as a psychological need in the
sense that it
provides learners with
evidence that they
are making progress (Takrouri, 2002). Writing also
makes language learning
more effective and
authentic through creating a
variety of activities inside and outside the classroom.
Al-Mutawa and Kailani
(2009) considered writing
as significant language
skill that should be
developed at an
early stage of
learning a language. Yet, writing is a skill that should not be learned
in an isolated form, it should be taught interactively with other language
skills, i.e. listening, speaking and reading. Writing has
many important aspects, it
makes students more
relaxed and confident in other language
skill because it allows
them to work
at their pace.
It also allows
them to make changes
and revision without
pressure to perform
on the spot
that is associated,
for instance, with speaking
(Mahmoud,2000).
Writing plays
two distinct roles
in schools; First,
it is a
skill that requires
mastering basic sub skills
and processes such
as; handwriting, spelling, a rich
knowledge of vocabulary, mastery of
the conventions of
punctuation, capitalization, word
usage, grammar, and the
use of strategies; planning,
evaluating and revising text. All
are necessary for
the production of coherently
organized essays containing
well developed and
pertinent ideas, supporting
examples and appropriate detail. The role can be characterized as “learning
to write.” Second, writing is
a means to
extend and deepen
students' knowledge, it
acts as a
tool for learning subject matter (Graham&Perin,2007). So, writing is a
psycho-socio-mental linguistic skill.
Prakash (2007)
explained that motivation
is the heart
of significant age
level. When motivation is
high, students learn
things without taking
much time ,
but when it
is low , they
take longer time
to learn the
writing skill aspects
and they are
exposed to make
many errors in learning the material. Motivation is considered as the central
construct in both educational and
psychological research and plays
a significant role
in several theories
of human development
and learning (Weiner, 1990). Learning is
equally essential for
performance, learning enables
learners to acquire new
knowledge and skills,
whereas motivation provides
the impetus for
showing what we have learned . Motivation is
an important psychological
construct that affects
learning and performance in
at least four
ways. Firstly, it increases an individual's energy and activity level
(Pintrich, Marx, Boyle, 1993). Secondly,
it directs an individual toward certain goals (Eccles & Wigfield, 1985).
Motivation affect choices
people make and
the results they
find rewarding .
Thirdly, it
promotes initiation of
certain activities and
persistence in those activities (Stipek, 2008). It increases
the likelihood that
people will begin
something on their own,
persist in the
face of difficulty
and resume a
task after a
temporary interruption.
In addition, it effects
the learning strategies
and cognitive processes
an individual employs (Dwek &
Elliot, 2009). It increases the likelihood that people will pay attention to
something, study and practice it and try to learn it in a meaningful fashion.
It also increases the likelihood that will seek help as they encounter
difficulty. Educational psychologists have
long recognized the
importance of motivation
for supporting student learning.
More recently, the
partnership for 21st
century skills has identified initiative
as one of
the life and
career skills necessary
to prepare students
for postsecondary education
and the workforce.
However, many educators
may be unfamiliar
with methods for evaluating
and encouraging motivation,
particularly at the
junior secondary level (Emily, 2011).
Various factors have been
ascribed to the poor performance of students in English language. Tella (2007)
enumerates the various factors facilitating the poor performance of students in
mathematics. These factors can also be used as yardsticks for the poor
performance of students in writing. These factors are: students' lack of
interest, poor mastery of the language, students’ personality and self-concept,
feeling of inadequacy, motivation and self-confidence, anxiety. Other factors
are poor facilities, equipment and instructional materials, poor teaching methods,
large students’ ratio and so on.
Moreover, individual
students have peculiarities such as intelligence, cognitive styles and
personalities which play an essential role in learning and instruction as does
the context of learning. Many researchers have established the fact that
individual students’ characteristic variables such as motivational
orientations, self-esteem and learning approaches are important factors
influencing academic achievements.
In view of this, the
problem of students’ poor performance in writing seems to be a major one that
requires urgent and serious attention since students lack of motivation has
been identified to influence their performance in writing.
Gender refers to men and
women, boys and girls as members of social groups. It is a socio-psychological
concept used to describe the culture and social roles different societies of
the world ascribe to male and female folks to depict the differences between
them. A woman is evidently different to a man. The anatomical differences are
apparent at once, particularly in the development of a woman’s physique. If
given the opportunity, a woman can succeed in most activities as well as a man
(Llewellyn-Jones, 2005).
Although, a woman tends
to have less developed muscles than a man, she can equal a man in physical and
mental stamina and is able to perform jobs which have been reserved for men in
the past. Adegbite (2014) finds out that girls’ performance in writing is
higher than that of boys. She concludes that at junior secondary school level,
boys score higher than girls in mathematics, science and speaking. Girls,
however, perform better than boys in reading, writing and music.
However, some scholars
and researchers, nevertheless, argued that gender cannot be regarded as a
serious determining factor to effective and efficient learning in the
classroom. For instance, Abe (1991) submits that gender has no direct influence
on a person’s standard in writing. This variable may, however, have great
influence on junior secondary school students’ performance in learning writing.
Another important factor
to be considered in this research work is the type of school which the child
attends, as this has a great impact on the performance of the students. Odewumi
(2005) is of the opinion that the type of school a child attends - public or
private has a great influence on the way they learn generally and vocabulary in
particular. This is because the proprietor of any school has an unimaginable
influence on the school, especially in terms of school administration and
policy making. In most cases, private schools are better funded than many of
the government-owned schools. Odewumi (2005) is of the opinion that there is no
way one could compare the public schools with private ones in terms of supply
of instructional materials, organization, planning, practical teaching and
funding among others.
The most prevalent
attribute of children growing up in poverty is limited access to resources.
Resources exist in the form of finances, parental guidance, books, preschool
tutorial, food, clothing and more. Often times, poverty-stricken children’s
first worries are about their next meal. Thoughts of high academic performance
are not a priority. Many children in this situation live with parents who are
not high school graduates. These set of parents do not have the optimal
opportunities to spend time going over homework and providing parental guidance
for important decisions on how their children can perform better in writing.
The findings of Ogundeyi
(2014) reveals that a greater number (317) of adolescents involved in her study
are from literate homes. However, no significant difference was found in the
number of adolescents from illiterate and literate homes who are independent,
instructional or struggling readers. Bada’s (2007) findings showed that
children who come from homes where conversation is limited and books unknown
are likely to be slower in their linguistic growth, writing and to find greater difficulty in learning to
read than those who come from more favoured backgrounds; and that the
majorities of struggling readers have less well-educated parents. Furthermore,
come from socio-economically disadvantaged families who tend to lack educational
resources including books.
Statement of the Problem
The influence of motivation on junior
secondary school students’ performance in writing of students has been an issue
of concern to all stakeholders in education. This is evident in the rate of
mass failure of students in both internal and external examinations, as
revealed by research studies. Despite the Oyo State government’s effort towards
the employment and training of staff in secondary schools, students’
performance in writing is still very low and below expectation. Several
research studies have identified other factors such as motivation, school
climate, instructional materials, discipline and physical facilities, teacher
quality, type of school, location of school, class size and over population of
students in classroom as being responsible for poor academic achievement of
students especially in writing.
Adegbite (2014) draws
attention to the embarrassingly poor level of competence and a grossly
inadequate proficiency in both speaking and writing among students at junior
secondary level. At the end of every instructional period in school,
examination takes place. Over the years, the society has been recording
persistent increase in the rate of poor performance in examinations
particularly in writing. This situation of unsatisfactory academic performance
has created a shortfall in the number of qualified candidates needed for senior
secondary education.
The problem of students’
poor performance in writing seems to be a major one that requires urgent and
serious attention since students lack motivation which may influence their
performance in writing. Motivation in this case could come in the form of
praise, incentives and reward.
In this direction,
Omolehin (2010) studies motivation for occupational preference and academic
achievement of junior secondary school students in Mopa Muro Area of Kogi
State. She found out that motivation is a condition which students consider in
determining and selecting occupation irrespective of gender, school or family
type. Furthermore, the study showed that gender, school and family types have
significant influence on students’ academic performance.
In Pakistan, Atta and
Jamil’s (2012) research centres on the effects of motivation and parental
influence on the educational attainments of students at the secondary level.
Their findings revealed that there was significance on the educational
attainments of the students who were under the influence of their parents’
motivation.
The impact of motivation
on students’ academic achievement and learning outcomes in reading and writing
among secondary school students in Nigeria was studied by Tella (2007). Four
hundred and fifty participants were involved through the administration of
questionnaire items. Gender and academic achievement were used as dependent
variables on academic achievement of junior secondary school students in
English language. Furthermore, the results revealed that highly motivated
students performed better academically than the lowly motivated students.
The researcher has observed with dismay
that the influence of motivation on writing in the study area is nothing to
write home about. Motivation of students has been neglected by the teachers
which eventually lead to poor performance writing. Lack of competent teachers
and other facilities that promote teaching and learning are also in short fall
which may tend to influence students’ academic achievement in school. It is on
this premise that the researcher is motivated to study the influence of
motivation on junior secondary school students’ performance in writing in
Ogbomoso South Local Government of Oyo State.
Purpose
of the Study
The general purpose of
the study is to examine the influence of motivation on junior secondary school
students’ performance in writing in Ogbomoso South Local Government of Oyo
State. Specifically, the purpose of this study is to:
a. investigate
the common types of motivation that influence junior secondary school students’
performance in writing in Ogbomoso South Local Government.
b. examine
the relationship between motivation and performance of male junior secondary
school students in writing.
c. examine
the relationship between motivation and performance of female junior secondary
school students in writing.
d. find
out the relationship between motivation and performance of private junior
secondary school students in writing.
e. find
out the relationship between motivation and performance of public junior
secondary school students in writing.
Research
Questions
The following research
questions are raised to guide the conduct of the study:
a. What
are the common types of motivation that influence junior secondary school
students’ performance in writing in Ogbomoso South Local Government?
b. What
is the relationship between motivation and performance of male junior secondary
school students in writing?
c. What
is the relationship between motivation and performance of female junior
secondary school students in writing?
d. What
is the relationship between motivation and performance of private junior
secondary school students in writing?
e. What
is the relationship between motivation and performance of public junior
secondary school students in writing?
Research
Hypotheses
The following research
hypotheses were tested in this study:
HO1: There
is no significant relationship between motivation and performance of junior
secondary school students in writing in Ogbomoso South Local Government.
HO2: There
is no significant relationship between motivation and performance of male
junior secondary school students in writing in Ogbomoso South Local Government
HO3: There
is no significant relationship between motivation and performance of female
junior secondary school students in writing in Ogbomoso South Local Government.
HO4: There
is no significant relationship between motivation and performance of private
junior secondary school students in writing in Ogbomoso South Local Government.
HO5: There
is no significant relationship between motivation and performance of public
junior secondary school students in writing in Ogbomoso South Local Government.
Scope
of the Study
This study focused on the
relationship between motivation and performance of junior secondary school
students in writing in Ogbomoso South Local Government area of Oyo State. The
study focused students at the junior secondary school level in Ogbomoso South
Local Government Area of Oyo State. In addition, the study determined the influence
of variables such as gender, school type, school location and parental
educational background on motivation.
A modified instrument
tagged Influence of motivation on academic performance in writing questionnaire
was used to gather the data. The data collected were analysed using percentages
and the other research questions with their corresponding hypotheses using the t-test
statistical tool at 0.05 level of significance.
Operational
Definition of Terms
The following terms are
defined operationally as they are used in this study to remove ambiguity.
Influence:
is the capacity to have an effect on character, development or behaviour of
student or the effect itself
Motivation:
the
process of arousing and sustaining interest of learners towards achieving an
academic goal.
Highly
Motivated: the student whose interest is aroused and
sustained while teaching and learning take place.
Lowly
Motivated Student: the student whose interest is not aroused
and sustained while teaching and learning take place.
Private
Schools: schools established, managed and controlled by private
organisations, religious groups or individuals, usually for profit.
Public
Schools: schools established, managed and controlled by the
government.
Performance:
students’
outcome from the standardized test administered
Significance of the Study
It is hoped that this study would provide
information for parents, educators and school administrators to reflect upon
various factors that help students in achieving their academic goals. In so
doing, they can investigate the possibility of introducing those factors to
their schools, which may consequently lead to enhancing students’ educational
outcomes in school. This study will also be significant because the findings
could stimulate parents, school managers, teachers, students and the society’s
awareness on the importance of motivation on writing.
The findings of the study will also assist
school administrators and curriculum planners to develop strategies that would
reduce negative effects of poor motivation on academic achievement of students.
The findings of this study would be useful
to school proprietors, government school administrators and parents in
understanding the influence of motivation on academic achievement of students
in secondary schools.
This study would also be of importance to
students themselves as it will be made known to them the effects of motivation
on their academic performance most especially in writing.
Finally, the findings of
this study would serve as a source of information to future researchers in this
area by providing them with useful empirical data, which will enrich their
study.
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