CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1. Background to the Study
Globally, various studies have been made on oral English proficiency not just in the educational sector. What makes this research unique is the preparedness of the researcher to make an in-depth study on secondary school student’s proficiency in oral English in Ogun State. In Africa, Ogunsiji and Olarewaju (2009) argue on the fact that English language plays the fundamental role of being the sole channel for instruction in Primary to Tertiary schools in Nigeria. It is important to know that students acquire knowledge of various school subjects at different stages which can only be done through the use of English language. That is to say, how well students progress in their academics, depends basically on their level of oral English proficiency.
In Nigeria Educational System, English language has turned out to be significantly valued and bejeweled among practitioners. According to Bamgbose, Banjo, and Thomas (2015), the dominance of English language in both formal and informal transactional communication is inalienable. In view of the multilingual nature of Nigeria, with over 400 indigenous languages, English is perceived to be the only feasible and realistic choice for the nation at the moment and in the future to come, (Ufomata, 2010). The best efforts expended on English language in Nigeria have been in the area of the Educational system, most especially with regards to the Nigerian indigenous languages of which the three major ones are Yoruba, Hausa, and Igbo. In Nigeria, English language is seen as the official language and as well the former colonial language was chosen to aid the cultural and linguistic unity of the country, (Bamgbose, 2014). However, English remains an exclusive preserve of the country’s urban elite, and isn’t generally spoken in the rural areas which comprise three quarters of the country’s population.
Generally, the learners of English language as a second language are usually encountered with the issue of proficiency in oral in terms of using the correct pronunciation of English sounds (phonemes) either by virtue of being a new language or mother tongue or first language interference, (Bamgbose, 2014). However, there has been emphasis on the quest for Standard English, hence; an English language Instructor as well as learner must aim at proficiency to a degree of the standard form. This enables the instructor and the learner to acquire adequate competence for practical purpose of teaching and everyday communication, (Unoh, 2015).
Therefore, it is based on the above that, a lot of emphasis and efforts be placed on the teaching and learning of Oral English mainly because it will assist the students to develop their pronunciation skills sufficiently in order to aid effective communication with both native speakers and non-native users, (Enyeazu, 2011). Similarly, it is apparent that, the common mistakes seen among the teachers and learners of English as a second language today are; inappropriate pronunciation, mispronunciation, wrong intonation, as well as misrepresentation of phonetic sounds. For example, a lot of students misplace the qualities and length of vowels. It is in view of these problems that recent development in language teaching and learning has made the teaching and learning of oral English not only a necessity but as well a pre-requisite for assessing the learner’s competence in language use and acquisition, (Idris, 2015).
Therefore, since emphasis has shifted to studying varied rules intended at the identification, interpretation and reproduction of English sounds (phonemes), there is every cause to emphasise and to review the teaching of oral English especially in senior secondary schools, (Bamgbose, et al, 2015). Furthermore, speech is perceived to be persona which represents the ability of a person to articulate phonemes according to some established norms. It as well entails an individual’s ability to recognize and understand the representation and meaning of English sounds. Unfortunately, it is quite sad that majority of secondary schools students do not exhibit the knowledge of oral English when using the language which could be associated with the aforementioned factors, (Anthony, 2012).
The proficiency in oral speaking should be made inherent in both teachers and students. According to Jowitt (2013) affirmed that, the emphasis on proficiency in spoken English was introduced in the New National Curriculum in English language for Nigerian Secondary Schools in the 1980s. It was in the past neglected in the teaching of English in Nigeria as oral English was made optional for the West African School Certificate students (though a compulsory course for teacher grade II examinations in those days). Jowitt (2013) further claimed that, students unconsciously depend on mother tongue models when deprived them of consistent and reliable guidance from teachers, as indeed many of teachers did: assuming that there was a perfect correspondence between sound and spelling. They use orthography as their guide to pronunciation.
Roach (2010) asserted that, the teaching of oral hasn’t really been popular with teachers and language theorists during the 1970s and 1980s. It was fashionable to treat it as a rather outdated activity. It was claimed that, it makes students try to sound like native speakers of Received Pronunciation, which became difficult and led to repetitive exercises, and it as well failed to give importance to communication, (ibid). Anthony (2011) and Uche (2013) emphasized the challenges of acquiring oral skills. According to Williams (2016), the factors to be enumerated could be categorised under one factor, the interference of mother tongue. It is worth noting that for the non-native speakers, the mother tongue always affects the acquisition of the second language. This has always been a major problem in oral English or pronunciation teaching especially in Nigerian schools. Unoh (2015) as well examines the situation of oral English in Nigerian secondary schools. He claimed that, teaching and learning of English pronunciation in Nigeria suffers from peculiar handicaps unknown to the teaching of English language or any other school subject. For any subject to be effectively taught in our schools, there are at least three very essential conditions that has to be met, which are; a high degree of motivation on the part of both students and teachers; the competence of the teachers in the subject, and his or her mastery of the techniques of imparting knowledge in it; and the availability of relevant books as well as standard facilities for practical, (Unoh, 2015).
While the aforesaid conditions are rarely achieved in the teaching and learning of English Language, they are as well hardly met in the case of the teaching and learning of English pronunciation. Okoli (2014) comments on the need to be proficient in the sound system of a new language and explains that English should be pronounced in the accent normally chosen as the standard form especially the model most often recommended for foreign learners studying standard British English and also Received Pronunciation.
The teaching and learning of oral English in Nigerian secondary schools had in the past been neglected. However, recent development in the teaching and learning of English Language requires greater emphasis on this aspect of English language. Oral English complements the understanding and the use of English language in order to enhance the standard of spoken English. According to Idris (2015), very little has been achieved since the introduction of Oral English in our West African School Certificate and National Examination Council due to the problems associated with the teaching and learning of oral English. There are existing publications on phonology written by Linguists such as A.C. Gimson, Daniel Jones, David Jowitt, Peter Roach, among others. Over the past years, there is the emergence of new publications especially on Oral English by other language teachers, researchers and scholars such as Mannell, Cox, and Harrington (2011), Akperero (2012), Enyeazu (2010), and Idris (2015). This development has gone a long way in bringing oral English into focus. Its recent inclusion in the English Language Examination Paper (Test of Orals) has drawn the attention of many teachers and students.
Thus, the teaching and learning of oral English is rather weighed down by a number of factors which have contributed to the slow pace and ineffectiveness in teaching the course, which are; poor background, interference of mother tongue, incompetent teachers, poor teaching methodology, lack of regular practice, lack of orientation and facilities, and dearth and limited accessibility to relevant books.
A lot of students in Nigerian senior secondary schools are faced with either one of the factors mentioned above. Some are deficient as a result of more than one problem especially students from rural and poor backgrounds. As a result, this study will examine the effect of oral English on the teaching and learning of senior secondary schools in some selected schools in Ikenne local government area of Ogun State.
1.2. Statement of the Problem
The primary concern for this study is to identify those problems that are negatively affecting the teaching and learning of Oral English in senior secondary schools. Although, much effort has been put in place to improve Oral English teaching and learning, however, the result is still to be seen as students are not doing so well in the subject during examination. A number of educationists have shifted the blame on the students’ lack of interest in the subject being discussed, interference of mother tongue, lack of constant practice by the students, lack of orientation and facilities as well as shortage and limited accessibility to relevant books.
Although, many concerned educationalists have charted several ways to simplify the teaching or instruction of Oral English, many more problems are mounting and need to be thoroughly addressed urgently as they are alarming. The cause of this negative development is certainly because a lot of energy is being channeled only towards the learners’ problems, and not the problem of teaching.
The factors affecting Oral English teaching and learning in senior secondary schools in Ikenne local government area of Ogun State range from teachers’ incompetence, lack of teaching materials, disgust for the emphasis on the British accent, poor teaching skills, lack of motivation for the students, to other problems which could have been caused by school administrators or the government.
1.3. Research Objectives
The primary aim of this study is to assess the effect of oral English on the teaching and learning of secondary school students in some selected schools in Ogun State. The specific objectives will be to:
- examine the methods of instruction of Oral English by teachers in senior secondary school
- identify the students’ attitude towards oral English teaching and learning
- determine the influence of Oral English teaching in the effective communication of students in senior secondary school
1.4. Research Questions
Based on the above research objectives, the following research questions will be poised.
- Is there any significant influence on the methods of instruction by teachers on student performance in Oral English in senior secondary school?
- What is the attitude of students towards the teaching and learning of Oral English in senior secondary school?
- Does Oral English teaching has any influence on the effective communication of students in senior secondary school?
1.5. Research Hypotheses
The following research hypotheses will be formulated in their null form.
Ho1: There is no significant influence on the methods of instruction by teachers on student performance in Oral English in senior secondary school
Ho2: Students’ attitude has no significant influence on the effective teaching and learning of Oral English
Ho3: Oral English teaching has no significant influence on the effective communication of students in senior secondary school
1.6. Significance of the Study
The findings of this study will be relevant to the parents, teachers, language educators, government, and students. To the government, it will relevant to the government in providing good working atmosphere through good communication skills, effective curriculum, direct interpretation and better understanding of the use of oral language. To the parents, it will be relevant to them in improving their children oral language. To the teachers, it will be relevant to teachers on how best to teach their students oral language and to make them understand what they are taught effectively which will make parents send more children for effective oral learning.
Furthermore, the research will add to knowledge in the peculiar nature of oral English teaching and learning among secondary school students. Finally, the study will serve as a tool of reference for other researchers who might want to carry out research in this area.
1.7. Scope of the Study
The study is limited to finding out the effects of oral English on the teaching and learning of secondary school students in some selected secondary schools in Ogun State. A total of 5 secondary schools in Ikenne Local Government Area in Ogun State will be examined for the study which are; Mayflower, Ikenne Community High School, Illisan High School, Peekan International School, and Remo Methodist High School. While, the study will be limited to the use of questionnaire as a primary source of data to gather the opinion of the respondents.
1.8. Operational Definition of Terms
English: The language, originally of England, now spoken in many countries and used as a language of international communication throughout the world.
Teaching: Guidance or training given to someone.
Students: A school pupil or a person studying at a place of higher education
Secondary School: Level of education that comes after the basic or results from the primary education.
Oral: relating to the mouth, which is spoken.
Proficiency: Proficiency is the ability an individual has in doing something.
