CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background Of The Study
Literature in English is an academic discipline today in schools and universities. It owes its heritage to ancient times. Its sources rise out of inherent nature of man. It is variations reflect the social, political, religious, cultural and environmental changes of ages, and it’s objectives demonstrate the dominant ideas, events, concepts, beliefs as well as time and space in the society. The contemporary society who are the inhabitant of both oral and written literature held allegiance to the African traditional society who started it orally.
Olehi (2005) started that education can be more benefit when it takes wit literature in English as its bedrock, because it deals with human inner most feelings. Abola (2004) has it that our traditional literatures with which people are informed and the modern African literature are no times distinct literature, cannot be transformed into something or somebody else but into something or somebody new. This shows that our traditional literature mould us while the modern literature modernized us. Literature has a vital role it plays to individual and the society. It should not be taken for granted.Writers renew, expand and update language by discarding awkward and out dated syntactic structure and new grammatical forms of structure just as literature in English structure individual feeling, emotion as a vehicle for culture transmission and preservation.
It performs the functions of preserving and propagating culture as stated by Oko (2004). The cultural values of a people are encoded in their literature. This call the attention of teacher of literature to make these plausible functions realizable by cultivating and stimulating positive students attitude towards literature. Many educationists are deeply concerned with improving the standard of literature in English.Muouat (2002), Obah (2001), Elpa (2005) Udondata (1994) and Eka (1991) confirm the poor attitude and performance of students in literature in English at all levels.The Nigerian government after the attainment of independence and with the wave of Western ideologies saw a great need of making literature in English a discipline in school curriculum. This was done not only to educate but to propagate the cultural heritage of the country. In achieving this, the curriculum was designed personnel were trained, school building erected and learners were grouped according to age ability. Teaching and learning materials were made available to the school. Ibli (1994).
Proper orientation and counselling were done. Teachers recruited into schools were not only qualified but also very conscientious and dedicated in the discharge of their legitimate duties. All these were done to enhance proper teaching and learning of literature in English. The teaching and learning of this subject starts from the first stage of formal education in the poetry form known as nursery poem or hymns which is done through recitation. It advances in stage as one advances in education. Literature is completely introduced in junior secondary school and it comprises of the three genres of literature. And literature in English and English language were integrated to be known as English studies,
Ezenyiriobu (1991), which everybody have to study.Rivers (1968) started that the Junior high school curriculum should provide the students with an organized introduction to many avenues of human knowledge and experience, showing him the possibilities which lie before him. The philosophy for Nigerian education report of the national curriculum conference (1969) cited by Uwaifor shows that out of the fifteen objectives stated for primary and secondary schools in Nigeria, the following can be achieved through the study of literature in English.
– Catering for the difference in talents opportunities and roles open to students after their secondary education.
– Raising a generation of people who can the reflectively for themselves.
– Encouraging students to develop a desire achievement, continual self improvement both in school and inter life.
– Helping students appreciate and understand Nigerian culture as well as the world’s cultural heritage.
– Fostering clear communication of thoughts and making relevant judgment.
In the light of the above and in consonance with the educational goal which is all round development of a child, a proper teaching and learning of literature in English is very desirable if the said goal is to be achieved.It is evident that the teaching and learning of literature in English at the senior secondary school level is not properly handled due to some factors affecting it.