CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

English is the medium of communication at our post-primary institutions and higher institutions, as well as the country's official language. As a result, secondary school pupils require good English language skills in order to operate correctly or improve their performance. According to Fema (2003), "a person is functionally literate when he has acquired the knowledge and abilities in reading and writing that enable him to engage successfully in all those activities for which literacy is often presumed in his group's culture." The English language requires four fundamental skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. It is the primary medium of teaching in our schools and a required subject at all levels of education in Nigeria (Danladi, 2008).

However, it is distressing to note that the poor performance of students in the English language on public tests has been cited as a key factor in the fall of academic performance and educational standards in Nigeria in recent years. According to Oluwole (2008), "difficulties in completely comprehending the contents and concepts of various disciplines taught in the target language appear to be one of the most important obstacles that English as a first language students confront in their specific course of study." This might be a result of their inadequacies in the English language (their medium of instruction), which could have a detrimental effect on their overall performance.

The enormity of the problems and their risk have been recognized by the general population. The relevance and value of the English language have waned in the eyes of students. Nowadays, students do not take the English language seriously and place little value on the subject. Recent events have demonstrated that the issue of English language failure is not exclusive to Nigeria; it occurs around the world. It is self-evident in the Nigerian context that discipline is one of the most important concerns in the society, with English language failure increasing rapidly (Danladi, 2008).

According to history, just a handful of the 6,000 regular and private school students who sat for the school certificate exams earned a final credit in the subject; the others failed. It is a well-known reality that many unscrupulous parents do not encourage their children to take an interest in the English language, which, while it is a borrowed language in Nigeria, should be regarded seriously. Additionally, there is the issue of low teacher morale and morality.

According to Oye (2017), the need to ascertain why students failed the English language component of the WASSCE may prompt one to explore the elements that contribute to secondary school students' failure of the English language. It can be clearly stated that teachers' methods of teaching have a significant impact on learning and can affect students' performance directly or indirectly; the internet and related technology also have a significant impact because, in the process of speeding up communication, many grammatical and punctuation rules are broken and yet deemed acceptable or text-friendly or web-friendly. These and several more issues are the subject of this research.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The alarming rate at which students fail the WASSCE each year, particularly in the English language, demands attention, and something immediately has to be done about it. According to Okoye (1986), the significant failure rates reported annually in public examinations are only a symptom of a pervasive national failure syndrome. Rufai, (2012), who attributed the widespread failure of students on a lack of high-quality teachers, among other factors.

1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The main aim of this study is to examine the perception of teachers and students on the causes of failure in English language. Specifically, other objectives of this study are:

i.          To find out the extent of failure in English language in secondary schools.

ii.        To examine the causes of failure in English language in secondary schools.

iii.      To examine ways of improving English language performance in secondary schools.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following research questions will be answered in this study:

i.          What is the extent of failure in English language in secondary schools?

ii.        What are the causes of failure in English language in secondary schools?

iii.      What are the ways of improving English language performance in secondary schools?

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