ABSTRACT
Scholars’ preoccupation with the teaching and learning of English language among other languages in this part of the world is founded as it is the language of instruction in schools as well as the lingua franca in many African nations, Nigeria included. Given that students and their teachers do not exist in isolations of the society influencing students’ performance in English language as a subject in the secondary school.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of study
Language is a code, a vehicle through which thoughts and creativity are conveyed. English language is not an exception. The arrival of Europeans at Badagry in the early 18th century marked the beginning of modern or western education in Nigeria. The Europeans were mostly English speaking concentrated on enlightening the people, teaching them to read and write. As a means of spreading the gospel, they therefore built school wherever land was available and there was adherents. The primary objectives of the early missionary education were basically to convert Nigerians to Christianity, to train pastors and few teachers to translate the Bible. In order to accomplish the above stated objectives, the missionaries discovered that unless Nigerians were trained to read, write and communicate in English
effectively, nothing can be achieved. Hence, schools were established and patterned along the British model. English language was the only medium of instruction (lingua franca) provided by the missionaries. This united and has continued to the heterogeneous groups in the country. The fact that English language was used as a medium of instruction only in schools is the root cause of the influence of the society on students’ performance on the language. Outside school, in different domains, indigenous language are more readily used than English. Since English is not our native language, students find it difficult in using it to express themselves both in speech and in writing.
Like any other language, English acquired through listening, speaking, reading and writing the four language skills. However, it is saddening to know that secondary students perform below expectation in English as subject and also were English in the medium of instruction. In other words, students’ proficiency in English as far reaching effects than their ability to speak the language well-a much criterion for judging language ability.