FACTORS AFFECTING SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ EFFECTIVE SPOKEN ENGLISH
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Speaking appears to be the most important of the four abilities (listening, speaking, reading, and writing), as people who are fluent in a language are often referred to as speakers of that language (Ur, 1996; Tuan & Mai, 2015).
In Nigeria, English remains the unmistakable language of education, governance, administration, legislation, justice, foreign contacts, ethnic unity, and social status (Adio, 2010). Producing spoken language is frequently regarded as one of the most difficult aspects of language acquisition (Brown & Yule, 1983; Tuan & Mai, 2015).
In the Nigerian educational system, English is taught as a topic as well as the medium of instruction for other disciplines. The goal and purpose of teaching oral English skills in Nigerian school curricula
is to teach students how to communicate effectively and intelligently in English. Furthermore, it helps the learner gain confidence in his ability to communicate clearly in English and allows for the correction of spoken English errors (Babu, 2010).
The primary goal of any English language instruction should be to prepare students to communicate effectively and correctly in English. However, even after years of study, not all language learners are capable of communicating effectively and correctly in English due to a lack of basic information (Tuan & Mai, 2015).
Within Nigeria’s educational system, the English language has grown in importance and prestige. According to Bamgbose, Banjo, and Thomas (1995), “English has an undisputed dominance in formal and transactional communication.”
Given Nigeria’s multilingualism, with over 400 indigenous languages (Ufomata 1995), English is regarded as the country’s only viable and practical option now and in the foreseeable future. The majority of English language efforts in Nigeria have focused on education, particularly in relation to indigenous Nigerian languages like Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, Ibibio, Edo, Fulfulde, and Kanuri. To facilitate the country’s cultural and linguistic integration, English was chosen as the official language of Nigeria as well as the former colonial language. English, on the other hand, remains the exclusive domain of the country’s urban elite and is rarely spoken in rural areas, where three-quarters of the population lives (Tuan & Mai, 2015).
An effective approach to oral language training
will improve students’ reading, writing, and speaking abilities, making English language learning more successful and students’ learning experiences in other secondary school topics more tangible and engaging (Yichu, 2013). In reality, many language learners struggle to communicate in the spoken language of their target language. Each student faces unique challenges.
On this point, a lot of emphasis and effort should be put into oral English instruction because it will help the student develop his or her pronunciation enough to communicate effectively with both native speakers and non-native users. Similarly, it is self-evident that among English language teachers and students today, common errors include incorrect pronunciation, mispronunciation, poor intonation, and misrepresentation of phonetic sounds. For example, the vast majority of students misunderstand.
the characteristics and lengths of vowels. In light of these concerns, recent advances in language teaching and learning have made oral English instruction and learning not only necessary, but also a prerequisite for assessing a learner’s proficiency in language usage and acquisition (Udoh, 2013).
1.2 THE PROBLEM’S STATEMENT
Due to the increasing nature of poor academic performance of secondary school students, particularly in external examinations such as WAEC, NECO, NABTEB, or JAMB, many educators blame the students’ lack of interest in the subject being discussed, mother tongue interference, a lack of consistent practice by the students, a lack of orientation and facilities, and a lack of and limited access to relevant books (Udoh, 2013).
Ekpo (2018) mentions
There are several characteristics and issues that impact the effectiveness of spoken English as a spoken language in a country with a diverse native language population, such as Nigeria. These variables could be caused by a variety of factors, such as social environmental concerns, cultural differences, and social economic expansion. These difficulties contribute to students’ low language acquisition success, particularly in densely populated countries like Nigeria.
1.3 THE STUDY’S OBJECTIVES
The primary goal of this research is to look into the factors that influence secondary school students’ effective spoken English. Specifically, this study seeks to:
i. Determine the extent to which English is spoken in Nigerian secondary schools.
ii. Determine whether the use of text books and practical facilities affects students’ ability to communicate effectively in Nigerian English.
Secondary schools.
iii. Identify the factors that influence spoken English among Nigerian secondary school students.
iv. Identify the difficulties that Nigerian secondary school students face when learning English.
1.4 QUESTIONS FOR RESEARCH
This study will address the following research questions:
i. How widely is English spoken in Nigerian secondary schools?
ii. Does the use of text books and practical facilities affect students’ ability to communicate effectively in Nigerian secondary schools?
iii. What factors influence spoken English among Nigerian secondary school students?
iv. What are the difficulties that Nigerian secondary school students face when learning English?
1.5 THE STUDY’S IMPORTANCE
The findings of this study will be extremely useful to curriculum designers, teachers, and school administrators.
of this study will reveal the factors impacting secondary school students’ spoken English.
This study will also benefit secondary school students in Nigeria because the findings will show the impact of text books and practical facilities on effective spoken English, as well as the challenges secondary school students face when learning English.
Furthermore, scholars and researchers will benefit from this study because it will serve as existing material for future studies and references.
1.6 STUDY OBJECTIVES
This research will look into the factors that influence secondary school students’ effective spoken English. It will specifically examine the extent to which English is spoken in Nigerian secondary schools, determining whether the use of
text books, practical facilities affects students effective spoken English in Nigerian secondary schools, determining the factors that affect spoken English among secondary school students in Nigeria, and identifying the challenges that students of Nigerian secondary schools face when they learn English.
English teachers and students of selected secondary schools in Minna, Niger State will serve as enrolled participants for the survey of this study.
1.7 THE STUDY’S LIMITATIONS
A study of this type would be incomplete unless some of the researcher’s difficulties were addressed. As a result, the sections that follow address the various issues that limit the findings of this research project.
i. This study is primarily based on pupil and teacher responses. The researcher was unable to complete this study due to a lack of time.
Textbooks and practical facilities have an impact on students’ ability to conduct thorough and comprehensive investigations into the subject.
ii. In the local government region used as a case study for this research, another period of extended vacation for teachers and students occurred.
Finally, no questionnaires distributed to instructors, students, or counselors were returned to the researcher. This would only encourage the researcher to work with those closest to him or her.
1.8 TERM DEFINITION
A circumstance, fact, or influence that contributes to a result is referred to as a factor.
Secondary school: A secondary school is an institution that provides secondary education, as well as the building in which it is delivered.
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