ABSTRACT
The study looked at a case study of four private and public schools in Ogun State to see if a poorly equipped language laboratory was a factor of academic failure in oral English among secondary school pupils. The survey design and purposive sample technique were used to pick 450 students from S.S.S. 1-3 for the study. The data was collected from the respondents using a well-designed questionnaire that was shown to be valid and reliable. The Pearson correlation analysis was used to assess the data collected during the administration of the questionnaires.
The findings revealed a favorable and substantial link between language laboratories and properly equipped facilities (r=0.772; p0.05). Language laboratory equipments and Oral English have a positive and significant relationship (r=.896; p0.05). Language laboratory and academic performance have a favorable and substantial link (r=0.772; p0.05). Statistically significant differences and academic achievement had a positive and significant link (r=.896; p0.05).
According to the findings, inadequate language laboratories are important variables and a substantial predictor of academic failure in oral English among secondary school students in Ogun State.
According to the report, the government should focus its emphasis on the provision of language laboratories in primary and secondary schools as soon as possible.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Without first defining language and its value, the advantages of a language laboratory cannot be overstated. Students must be familiar with the term “language” and its application in learning in order to use a language laboratory. Language is a structured and conventional method of human communication that involves the use of words in a structured and conventional manner. It also includes the creation, acquisition, maintenance, and usage of complex communication networks (Atolagbe, 2008; Flora, 2009). Osisanwo (2012) defined language as the arbitrary graphic representation of human voice sounds used routinely and traditionally by members of a speech community for communication purposes. Human language is mankind’s most useful communication tool (Atolagbe, 2008). Any, according to Okoh (2006) Language is a required topic at all levels of education. However, the federal government has ensured that not just English, but also other languages such as Spanish, French, and others, can be acquired through a variety of methods. However, there is one important issue that the government has yet to address, and that is the issue of under-equipped language laboratories. The government should prioritize the provision of language laboratories in primary and secondary schools, and the ministry of education should consider giving funds and overseeing language lab maintenance. The English language academic community, as well as schools and universities across the country, acknowledge the importance of having a language lab. Language labs are one way language students effectively practice and improve their skills. The use of audiovisual tools opens the dimension or bridges the gap between the theoretical and practical aspects of English; the labs are designed to provide the learners with a strong platform for practical language training. Language learners, according to Thayalan and Wilson (2007), require language laboratories in order to have a good command of the language for communicative purposes, with clarity and accuracy being critical for efficient and effective communication. Students can listen to model pronunciations, repeat and record sounds, listen to their performance and compare it to the model, and undertake self-assessments in language labs. This technology has been used to instruct.
From the 1950s to the 1990s, they were tape-based systems that used reel to reel or, more recently, cassette tapes to allow teachers to manage and listen to students’ audio via hardwired analogue tape deck based systems with sound booths in fixed locations.
A good English language laboratory, when established and used by the institute, can do wonders for the learners; the learners develop a certain interest as it encourages and facilitates the understanding of the language’s concepts. It is a technological assistance with a number of advanced features that, over time, improve pupils’ language competency and proficiency. Language laboratory, according to Mambo (2007), is one of the Language (foreign and Nigerian) is grouped under ‘A’ as a core subject made compulsory for both junior and secondary schools, according to Nigeria’s national policy on education, 1998 edition. This is yet another reason why language laboratories in Nigeria should not be overlooked because of the numerous benefits they provide. Take, for example, tertiary institutions, where we have inadequate language laboratories, the most appalling of which is the language laboratory at the University of Lagos. Unlike Nigeria, developed countries today use computer programs to teach languages. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) London launched a door-to-door language training campaign in 1999, dubbed RADIO ENGLISH DIRECT (RED),
STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
Language laboratories are very useful in creating a conducive environment for language learning and in assisting learners in acquiring necessary language skills useful in sharpening their studies now and streamlining their research and innovative activities in their future studies, but it is disheartening and concerning that English proficiency is extremely low, particularly in communicative aspects (listening and speaking skills).
This issue arose from either a shortage of language laboratories in which students could successfully practice their communication abilities or language laboratories that were inadequately equipped. Despite the fact that the ministry of education places a high priority on spoken skills, students’ comprehension levels remain low, and some of them struggle to generate correct utterances. The poor state of language laboratories in schools, on the other hand, can be connected to pupils’ low performance in Oral English. Some schools lack a language laboratory, while others have one that is inadequately equipped. Students will struggle to perform well in Oral English in this situation because they are not taught with the necessary equipment to increase their conversational skills as well as their performance in Oral English.
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The study’s overall goal is to look into a badly equipped language laboratory as a predictor of academic failure in Oral English among senior secondary school students in Ogun State’s Ikenne Local Government Area. The study’s particular goals are as follows:
To determine if language laboratories in secondary schools in the Ikenne Local Government are appropriately equipped.
To determine the frequency with which language laboratory equipment is used in secondary schools in the Ikenne Local Government Area for the learning of Oral English.
To examine if language laboratories have an impact on senior high school students’ Oral English performance in the Ikenne Local Government Area.
To see if there are statistically significant differences in senior secondary school pupils’ academic performance in the Ikenne Local Government Area.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The research aims to address the following research questions satisfactorily:
In the Ikenne Local Government Area, how well-equipped are language laboratories in secondary schools?
In secondary schools in the Ikenne Local Government Area, how frequently are language laboratory equipments utilized in the learning of Oral English?
Does the language laboratory have an impact on senior high school students’ Oral English performance in the Ikenne Local Government Area?
Is there a statistically significant difference in the academic achievement of senior secondary school students in the Ikenne Local Government Area who were taught in a well-equipped vs a poorly-equipped language lab?
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
Students, instructors, school administrators, and stakeholders/policymakers in the educational system will all benefit from this research. The study advises students about the importance of using a language laboratory to improve their Oral English academic performance. The study informs English teachers that in order to effectively improve the teaching-learning process of Oral English, they must be skilled and knowledgeable in the use of language laboratory equipment. The study will educate school administrators, directors, proprietors, and proprietresses on the importance of modernizing their language laboratory facilities. Furthermore, because of the importance of language laboratories, stakeholders and policymakers will be informed about the necessity for language laboratories to be mandated in all schools before any schools are registered or recognized. Furthermore, the
SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The impact of a poorly equipped language laboratory on senior secondary school students’ academic performance in Oral English in Ikenne Local Government Area, Ogun State, is investigated. The study is limited to SS3 pupils in Ogun State’s Ikenne Local Government Area.
RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
The following are the hypotheses that will guide the investigation and allow reasonable inferences to be drawn:
H01: Language laboratories in Ikenne Local Government Area secondary schools are inadequately equipped.
H02: In the Ikenne Local Government Area, language laboratory equipment is not used in the teaching of Oral English in secondary schools.
H03: In the Ikenne Local Government Area, the performance of senior high school pupils in Oral English is unaffected by the language laboratory.
H04: There are no statistically significant variations in academic performance between senior secondary school pupils in the Ikenne Local Government Area who were taught in a well-equipped and a poorly-equipped language laboratory.
DEFINITION OF TERMS
Language Laboratory: A language laboratory is a room in a school or college that contains unique equipment to assist students in learning other languages through the use of tapes, CDs, or movies.
Poorly equipped language labs: These are language labs that lack all of the required equipment to assist students attain oral English competency.
Academic performance refers to a student’s grade on a test or examination, which may be poor, below average, average, or above average.
Academic Failure: A extremely low degree of academic achievement is referred to as academic failure. In the context of this study, academic failure refers to students’ poor academic performance in Oral English.
Senior secondary school: This refers to the last year of secondary school.
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