CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the study
The importance of the English Language in Nigeria cannot be over emphasized. It is one language spoken more than every other language all over the world either as a native, second or foreign language. The native speakers unconsciously acquire the language by virtue of the fact that it is their mother tongue and those who speak English as a second language learn it formally, thereby using it as an official language for international communication. English, as the official language of Nigeria, was chosen to facilitate the cultural and linguistic unity of the country. As succinctly put by Adekunle (2019), The English Language, apart from being Nigeria’s language of science and technology, is both in theory and practice the language which those who have the basic educational background use in discussing official matters and in exchanging views on strictly formal private or public occasions in situations where there is no common local language among the interlocutors. To give strength to the above view, a careful survey of certain trends in Nigerian history would show that the English language has acquired a status that makes it almost indispensable.
Teaching methods play a vital role in determining how students perform especially in English language as a subject. The learning teaching methods that teachers employ determine to a large extent how a student understand, behaves and interacts, that is to say that the teaching methods teacher use tend to affect teaching and learning process, Mark, (2018). According to Ada (2020), one of the major obstacles to the development of secondary schools especially in English language is the persistent misuse of appropriate teaching methods by teachers. Based on this fact, people believe that the standard of education is falling in Nigeria. Poor academic performance as recorded in recent years was so great that many students fall short of the requirements necessary for admission into secondary schools. Engagement is seen to comprise active and collaborative learning, participation in academic activities, formative communication with academic staff, involvement in enriching educational experiences, and feeling legitimated and supported by University teaching communities (Coates, 2018).
The choice of English as the official language was partially related to the fact that a part of Nigerian population spoke English as a result of the British colonization that ended in 1960. The history of the English language in Nigeria could be traced to the early British colonizers. Observing this, Spencer (2016) says, “English is the language of institution implanted by colonialism”.
It is also referred to as talk and chalk or textbook strategy (Gbamaja, 2019). In the course of employing the strategy, the teacher dominates the teaching with very little participation on the part of the learners. In the old teaching paradigm, the teacher was responsible for transferring knowledge to the students based on the assumption that learning was passive. In that model, students were compared to vessels or banks. They could easily be filled with knowledge through the use of proper lecturing techniques. More recently, researchers have argued learning outcomes are more significant for students when the teacher employs active learning strategies. In this newer paradigm, Johnson, Johnson, and Smith (2006) argue that students can discover and actively construct knowledge. In this active learning model, teachers are no longer the information transmitters via lecture but instead they become a guide helping students through the learning process as they work cooperatively with their peers.
According to Hake (2016), interactive engagement method as opposed to traditional lecture is achieved by questioning students or challenging them to think or to do something that requires thought. Students interact with each other, with the instructor as a coach or guide, or with guided materials created by the instructor. Here the teacher is seen as the repository of all knowledge while the students are passive recipients of knowledge transmitted by the teachers in the process of learning. The strategy has the advantage of covering a wider area within a short time but it is not student centered and students do not gain mastery of concepts. The present study focuses on the relationship between teachers’ methods and students’ academic performance in English language in selected secondary schools in Ikorodu local government area of Lagos state.
Statement of the problem
There have been so much cry and agitation from the educational stake holders about the poor performance of students in English. Several factors have been identified as responsible for the poor performance of students in English language. One of such factors has to do with idiosyncrasies of classroom interaction which are in part traceable to insufficient interaction between the teachers and the students.
Many students fail English language in Senior Secondary school due to one reason or the other. The importance of strategy cannot be overemphasized in effective teaching and learning of English language. Could strategy of teaching contribute to poor performance of students in English language?
A major problem that faces English language today is lack of equipment and appropriate use of methodology of teaching, which are very necessary for proper mastery of the subject. As a result of these problems, there has been less interest and motivation on the part of the students who do English language in school. Hence, this study investigates the relationship between teachers’ methods and students’ academic performance in English language in selected secondary schools in Ikorodu local government area of Lagos state.
Purpose of the study
The broad objective of this study is to examine the relationship between teachers’ methods and students’ academic performance in English language in selected senior secondary schools in Ikorodu local government area of Lagos state. It intends to specifically;
1. Determine the effect of teaching methods on students’ academic performance in English language
2. Find out the relevance of the methods of teaching to teaching and learning of English language
3. Ascertain the importance of methods of teaching to teaching and learning of English language
4. Pinpoint the disadvantages of these methods of teaching
Significance of the study
The significance of the classroom interaction in any subject cannot be over emphasized. In secondary schools, there has been no particular teaching method established in the conventional classroom situation. Therefore, the result of this study is expected to assist the English teachers to consciously structure their class so as to induce in the learners the knowledge necessary for meaningful English learning. Also, the result is expected to help the curriculum planners to prescribe the structuring meaningful classroom teaching method necessary for promoting higher performance of students in English language.
Scope of the study
The study is limited to secondary schools in Ikorodu Local Government Area. It comprised of senior secondary school two English students in public secondary schools in Ikorodu Local Government Areas of Lagos State.
Research questions
The following research questions were raised to guide the study.
1. What is the effect of teaching methods on students’ academic performance in English language?
2. What is the relevance of the methods of teaching to teaching and learning of English language?
3. What is the importance of methods of teaching to teaching and learning of English language?
4. What is the disadvantage of these methods of teaching?
Hypotheses
From the above research questions, the following null hypotheses were generated.
1. There is no significant effect of teaching methods on students’ academic performance in English language.
2. There is no significant relevance of the methods of teaching to teaching and learning of English language
3. There is no significant importance of methods of teaching to teaching and learning of English language
4. There is no significant in the disadvantages of these methods of teaching
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