CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.0Background to the Study
English Language plays an important role in the social, political and educational sectors of Nigeria as a country. It is Nigeria’s official language, it is also referred to as a second language (L2). It is the means of social, political and even cultural interaction among the various ethnic groups in the country. This is why some people tend to use and refer to it as a “lingua franca”, English Language is not just a subject in the school curriculum, but the medium of instruction in all other subjects except indigenous language. It is a very important language (Jibowu, 2002). According to Jibowu (2002), the low performance in English language by students at the West African Examination Council (WAEC), for example usually brings great concern to parents, educationists and teachers and the nation at large. A credit pass at least in the subject is required for admission into higher institutions and for employment.
The ability to speak intelligibly and write Standard English (SE) is often seen as a yardstick for determining the educational standard of a person, his/her ability and competence in the language of instruction have some influence on the quality of performance in the other subjects.
According to Ubahakwe and Ebo (1989), Nigeria in her 1979 constitution advocated equal opportunity in education for her citizens. Education in Nigeria is expected to play a harmonizational role which is as an instrument of national unity. Nigeria is an egalitarian society where equal opportunity in education should be given to the citizens but suffice it to say that this situation does not occur. A situation where only the particular set of children get into the unity schools does not allow the same equality of education for the citizens.
Durojaiye (1994) observed that the current issue in Nigeria is efficiency in education. According to him, in recent times, parents claim that there have been more sophisticated measures of efficiency in private fee paying schools than in public non-fee paying schools in the state schools. This efficiency in the private schools ranges from the employment of enough and qualify English language teachers, motivation of teachers, adequate remuneration and provision of the same teaching-learning materials. Parents according to Durojaiye (1994) draw this conclusion from the fact that many children from these private schools gain admission to federal schools and most likely, into the universities while others end up as bus conductors, drivers, carpenters, street traders, mechanics, apprentices and in other menial jobs.
According to Adeleke (1990) many factors contribute to mass failure of students in English Language and other subjects especially from public non-fee paying schools. He identified such factors as lack of motivation for teachers, students, low interest in studying, unconducive school environment, lack of current textbooks, non-provision of equipment, lack of up-top-date art learning equipment and inadequate supply or provision of other important teaching and learning materials in the public schools, other factors also include government neglect of teachers, non-staff training programmes or inadequate staff training and retraining programmes, poor remuneration and so on.
David (2000) defines anxiety as an emotion characterized by feelings of anticipated danger, tension and distress and by sympathetic nervous system arousal. Richardson and Suinn (2003) on the other hand define mathematics anxiety as the feelings of tension and anxiety that interfere with the manipulation of numbers and solving of problem in a wide variety of ordinary life and academic situation. English anxiety is postulated to affect both the extents to which a student pursues any more than the minimally required amount of English training and the extent to which the student is able to learn and perform English language skills and concepts.
Attitude, interest and perception are other factors that could affect students’ achievement in any subject including English language. Attitude is a predisposition to perceive, feel and behave towards specific objects. An attitude towards something consists of person’s collection of facts about the subject which may enables the person to feel apathy towards it which that attitude is related to sex, age and personality characteristics. Ayoola (2004) opined that value influences attitude. Attitude can be positive or negative. Monly (2002) advanced that attitude formation may be a matter of limitation. Many of our attitudes are simply borrowed such as when the student accepts the views of their teacher and other significant persons in their achievement. Attitude can also be developed as a result of deliberate cultivation especially by parents or teachers. Positive attitude of teachers will therefore foster desirable attitude more than words. This statement has relevance to students’ attitude to English language. Hart (2005) found that there is a significant correlation between attitude and achievement. Wardehn (2006) also found that difference in attitude can be significant predictors of achievement in English language. Students who have negative attitudes for English language would end up performing poorly in the subject-matter. Not only that, negative attitude causes English language anxiety which automatically leads to poor achievement in the subject.
According to Uzor (2004), students’ interests and perceptions count a lot in their over or under achievements in subjects offered in the school system all over the world. Uzor opines that if a student does not have any interest or have any negative perception about any subject, the student will hardly achieve any success in the subject in question. Adewunmi (2006), states that for a student to make a relative success or high achievement in any subject pursued in the school system, the student must develop the right attitude, the right interest and the right perception that will lead to the right learning achievement in his/her educational career.
For the fact that English language is a core subject offered in school, and considering its importance and compulsory nature in any child’s upward movement in academic pursuit, students develop anxiety in achieving it. For instance, Amaonye (2006) opined that most students fear the failure of English language and as such apply any means possible to pass it. This is because they know that failure in it may mar their educational progress in future.
1.1 Theoretical Framework
Sigmund Freud (1957), believes that human behaviour is governed to a very great extent, by instincts. Freud agrees that the process of personality development hinges on the theory of psychosexual development. This theory of psychosexual development is basically biological in nature with different unfolding stages at which particular behaviours occur. The normal process of personality development occurs from stage to stage, but this process of development may become abnormal when an individual experiences some traumatic events in early childhood. When this happens, the flow of the process of personality development becomes fixated at any given stage and this eventually caused some crisis for the individual later in life.
Due to the fact that the person had abnormal development resulting in fixation when faced stressful situations or conditions later in life, he may not be able to handle this. Rather, the individual will regress by perhaps showing some infantile behaviours. During any of the stages that an individual experiences conflict according to Freud, there is a corresponding character pattern exhibited as an adult. According to Freud (1957), there are other stages of an individual’s development of personality. These stages are: the oral stage during which there is separation of self from the environment; the anal stage, which occurs during the second and third years of life. At this stage, pleasurable sensations shift from the mouth to the anal cavity. The phallic stage is a stage between ages of four and five pleasurable sensations shifting from the anal to cavity to the genital area. Other development stages of an individual are: the latency stage and the genital stage.