WELCOME TO KENTERPRO:
PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE TEACHING OF SPOKEN ENGLISH IN SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN PANKSHIN

 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

• Background to the Study

English language is taught as a subject and at the same time it is a medium of instruction for other subjects in the Nigeria education curriculum. The aim and objectives of teaching oral skills in English as taught in the Nigeria education curriculum is to enable students communicate effectively and intelligibly in English. It also helps the student to develop confidence in his ability to express himself in English as fluently as possible and provides an opportunity for the correction of mistakes in spoken English.

Common problems identified among the teachers and learners of English as a second language today include improper pronunciation, mispronunciation, poor intonation, as well as misrepresentation of phonetic sounds. For instance, most 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 also a pre-requisite for assessing the learner’s competence in language use and acquisition. Therefore, since emphasis has shifted to studying varied rules aimed at the identification, interpretation and reproduction of English sounds (phonemes), there is every cause to emphasize and to review the teaching of oral English especially in post-primary schools. Furthermore, speech is regarded as personal which represents an individual’s ability to articulate phonemes according to some established norms. It also entails the ability of an individual to identify and understand the representation and meaning of English sounds. It is quite unfortunate that most of our secondary school learners do not exhibit the knowledge of oral English when using the language which could be associated with the aforementioned factors.

Oral proficiency should be made inherent in both Instructors (teachers) and learners (students). Jowitt (2008) confirms 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 previously 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). Roach (2000) confirms that pronunciation teaching has not always been popular with teachers and language theorists and in the 1970s and 1980s. It was fashionable to treat it as a rather outdated activity. It was claimed that it makes learners try to sound like native speakers of Received Pronunciation, which became difficult and led to repetitive exercises, and it also failed to give importance to communication.

Oral English is a very important language skill, however it has been neglected for far too long by teachers of English, this is as a result of negative attitude of these teachers to oral English. However, recent development in the teaching of English Language requires greater emphasis on this aspect of English language. This is because oral English complements the understanding and the use of English language so as to improve the standard of spoken English.

From the above discussion, it is not out of place to say that there are different problems faced by teachers in teaching English as a second language generally, therefore, it is in the light of this that this study sets out to examine the problems of teaching English as a second language in senior secondary schools in Pankshin.

• Statement of the Problem

Over the years, researchers and education stakeholders have constantly heaped blames on students, government and curriculum planners for the poor performance of students in English language. However, only little attention has been paid to teachers as a cause of these students’ mass failure.

 English occupies the status of an official language in Nigeria. Learning English as a second language is not an easy task, the learners of English face several difficulties while learning the language, this is because most second language teachers and learners find it difficult to speak or write good English.

Paradowki (2008) observes that English is one of the rapidly changing languages in the world and one of the identified reasons for this is the fact that new speakers of the language are not passive but are actively shaping it. He concludes that the inevitable consequence of these is that natural speakers are losing relevance.

With the above in mind, this research work examines the problems of teaching English as a second language in selected senior secondary schools in Pankshin. This is to find out the problems and difficulties possible suggestions of how to reduce them.

1.3 Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of this study is to investigate problems of teaching English as a second language in selected senior secondary schools in Pankshin Local Government Area of Plateau State.

The specific objectives of the study include:

1. to find out the problems of teaching oral English in Pankshin Local Government Area.
2. to determine the causes of students’ poor performance in oral English in Pankshin Local Government Area.
3. to find possible solutions to the problems associated with the teaching and learning of oral English in Pankshin Local Government Area.

1.4 Research Questions

The following research questions were formulated to guide the study.

1. What are the problems of teaching oral English in Pankshin Local Government Area?
2. What are the causes of students’ poor performance in oral English in Pankshin Local Government Area?

• What are the possible solutions to the problems associated with teaching and learning of oral English in Pankshin Local Government Area?

1.5 Significance of the Study

The importance of this study hinges around the fact that the world as a global village uses English as a means of communication on platforms like social media for academic and official purposes. Therefore, it will be of benefit to education stakeholders which include government, curriculum planners, teachers and students. 

The government shall benefit from this study as the problems faced by teachers in teaching oral English language will be brought to light and the recommendations that will come at the end of the study will serve as measures and guidelines for them.

To the curriculum planners, they will understand that teachers face some problems in the course of implementation of the curriculum, therefore they will structure learning experiences to cater for these limitations or problems.

The study will also help administrators to know the resources to be provided in schools so as to improve the teaching of oral English.

This study will help teachers of English to know the strategies to adopt in order to improve students’ acquisition of oral skills in English language. They will do this by using appropriate teaching method, suitable instructional materials and improvise where necessary.

To the students who are at the centre of this research, it will benefit them as measures taken by government, curriculum planners and teachers based on the outcome of this study will enhance their English language skills and make them better users of the language.

1.6 Scope of the Study  

This research work covers problems of teaching English as a second language. The study is limited to selected secondary schools in Pankshin Local Government Area of Plateau state. Despite the fact that the study is limited to the selected local government and schools, its findings can be applicable to other parts of the state and country at large.

1.7 Definition of Terms

Teaching: In the field of education, teaching refers to the coordinated exchange of information and experience, which is typically structured within a discipline. More generally speaking, teaching refers to the act of one person or artifact providing stimulation to the psychological and intellectual development of another individual.

Learning: The process of acquiring new understanding, knowledge, behaviors, skills, values, attitudes, and preferences is referred to as learning. Learning can take place in a variety of contexts. Not only do humans, animals, and even some machines have the capacity to learn, but there is also evidence that certain plants are capable of learning in some capacity as well.

Oral English: Oral English is an aspect of the English language and it is important in learning as most subjects and information in schools are transmitted verbally in English. Oral English or spoken English is concerned with the verbal production of speech sounds associated with meaning.