CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY
The existence human beings are fastened on communication which facilitates mutual interaction and relationship among the human species. Communication can be said to be the exchange of information between two people or more (Afe, 2007). Also, it is widely known that the Yorubas including Ado Ekiti people whom this study is centered upon generally communicate to one another by speaking the indigenous language which is Yoruba language and this affect the attitude of teenagers to speaking and learning other languages especially English Language which serve as a medium of passing across all school subject apart from being the lingua franca in Nigeria.In Nigeria, the language policy on education (1998) stipulated a role for all Nigerian languages. The languages of the immediate environment of the teenager are prescribed as languages of instruction for pre-primary and the first three of six years of primary education.
English is to be a medium of instruction from the fourth year of primary education onwards, and is to be taught as a subject from primary four so the importance of English language cannot be disregarded.Generally the disposition of teenagers to speaking and learning English language in Nigeria especially in Ado Local Government Area where the study is focused upon has been discouraging due to the teenagers lack of exposure to English input and also their inability to speaking the language consistently. Even in secondary schools it is a common thing among the students to speak their indigenous language which is Yoruba, not only that the teachers at times even communicate to students in Yoruba, all these contribute and determine the attitude of this teenagers to English language.Meeting with the teenagers it was observed that the English language constitutes an important part in their daily life towards their academics and in their relationship to their immediate environment. Teenagers are well aware of the fact that the English language is the key to a future with international elements to it. It is not difficult to imagine that the teenagers in Nigeria, using Ado Local Government Area of Ekiti as a case study should be motivated to learn and speak English language because it is something of value to their performance in the class and also of great importance to their future.
However, In Nigeria focusing on Ado Local Government Area, some teenagers cannot speak English language fluently but resorted to their mother tongue due to high level of illiteracy and also to their cultural background and this may hinder them from exhibiting brilliancy in their academic works. Not only for teenagers to reach their goals set up for English language, but in accordance with the curriculum for English language, they should also bear in mind they will also be equipped with enough English language skills to relate with anybody in the nearest future and with the interest to continue developing their English speaking and learning skills it will contribute to their general academics in school and also after finishing school. Sequentially to reaching this aim, we believe that it is important that the teenagers feel that the English language somehow develops their personality and that they find that they have to speak and learn English language also outside the English classroom. Teenagers must be stirred to have an interest in English language and developing good attitudes towards its usage knowing that English language can help us to express our opinions, hopes, and even our dreams (Tavil, 2009). In English Language learning and speaking context, there are various factors that influence the learning and speaking process such as motivation, attitudes, anxiety, learning, achievements, aptitudes, intelligence, age, personalities, etc.Moreover, attitude is a convenient and efficient way of explaining consistent patterns in behavior (Mamun, et al., 2012) as it often manages to summarize, explain, and predict behavior (Baker, 1992).
Accordingly, it may be assumed that teenager’s attitudes towards English language speaking and learning may enhance and influence his relationship among with his peers and the class performance (Mealey 1990).Many studies on teenager’s attitudes to English language have revealed that there is a strong relationship between attitude and achievement (Hough and Piper, 2008). Fakeye (2010) claim that attitude is a vital factor that influence English language performance. Also, Padwick (2010) stated that apart from the way of intellectual, the nature of learning and speaking English language depends on the learners’ motivation and attitude to learn the language. After World War II, English became lingua franca throughout the world. (Acat and Demiral (2002) stated that it has become a necessity for nations to learn and speak the world language of English in addition to their own language. There is no hesitation that English is the international scientific language and the world language today, as well as the language use on mass media, such as on computers and televisions (Eskicumali and Turedi 2010).Many scholars focused on attitude about than a century ago. Initially, Baker, (1992) described attitude as a physical posture or pose that a person adopted when he or she had their portrait painted.