INVESTIGATING THE PERFORMANCE OF STUDENTS IN COLLEGES OF EDUCATION IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

0
670

ABSTRACT

The study investigates the performance of students in Colleges of Education in the English language.The researcher is an English language tutor at the SDA College of Education and has observed over a period that the students perform poorly in the English language examinations. The study is guided by four research questions. They are (1) Are trainee teachers’ performance in the English language affecting pupils’ performance at the basic school level? (2) What are the causes of trainee teachers’ poor performance in English at S.D.A.College of Education, Asokore-Koforidua? (3)What are the effects of students’ poor performance in English on teaching and learning in the basic school(s) where they practised? (4) How can trainee teachers’ performance in English be improved at S.D.A.College of Education, Asokore- Koforidua? The study is a descriptive survey and the purposive sampling procedure and simple random sampling technique are used to select the sample for the study. The study concludes that the pupils in basic schools where trainees practice could not speak good English, write good essays, and pass their examinations. This is because trainee teachers do not have enough time to prepare for their lessons. The study recommends that the Principals of the Colleges of Education need to ensure that there is improvement in students’ performance by equipping the college library with relevant reference materials and the resource rooms with adequate teaching and learning materials. Furthermore, the Heads of English Departments need to supervise their teaching staff to ensure that they complete their syllabi on schedule. Tutors need to motivate students to attend classes regularly and use the English language as the main medium of communication to ensure that students become fluent in the language.

TABLE OF CONTENTS 
 PAGE 
DECLARATION i
DEDICATION ii
AKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii
ABSTRACT iv
TABLE OF CONTENT v
LIST OF TABLES x
CHAPTER ONE:     INTRODUCTION  
  1.0  Introduction  …  …  …  …  …  …  …  1
  1.1  Background to the Study … …  …  …  …  …  1
  1.2  Statement of the Problem  …  …  …  …  …  6
1.3Purpose of the Study …7
  1.4  Research Questions  …  …  …  …  …  …  7
  1.5  Significance of the Study  … …  …  …  …  …  8
  1.6  Theoretical Framework …  …  …  …  …  …  10
1.7Delimitation13
1.8Organization of the Study14

PAGE

CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

2.0       Introduction    …         …         …         …         …         …         …            15

2.1       Teacher Education in Ghana  …         …         …         …         …            15

2.2       English Language Teaching and Learning in Ghana …21
2.3       Assessing the Performance of Teachers in the Classroom24
2.4       Causes of Pupils Poor Academic Performance …      …27
2.5       Reforms and Language Policies in Ghana      …        …33
2.6       The Dzobo Education Reforms of 1974         …        …37
2.7       The 1987 Educational Reform      … …        …        …40
2.8       The 2007 Educational Reform      … …        …        …42

2.9       Issues that Affect the Quality of Education in Developing Countries 44

2.9.1    Peaceful and Safe Environments45
2.9.2    Effective School Discipline Policies46
2.9.3    Professional Learning for Teachers47
  2.10  Teacher Competence and School Efficiency …  …  …  .. 48
  2.11  Teachers’ Working Conditions  …  …  …  …  50

PAGE

  1. Administrative Support and Leadership ..      …        …        …           51
    1. Using Formative Assessment to Improve Achievement Outcomes       53
    1. Outcomes Sought By Parents …        …        …        …        …            54
    1. Experiential Approaches to Achieving Desired Outcomes …              55
    1. English Language Learning and Teaching      …        …        …           56
    1. English Language Learners (ELLs)                …        …        …           58
    1. Summary of Chapter  …        …        …        …        …        …           59

CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY

3.0     Introduction61
3.1     The Research Site61
3.2     Research Design63
3.3     Population65
  3.4  Sample and Sampling Procedure      66
  • Research Instrument     …        …        …        …        …         …          68
    • Pre-Testing                      …      …        …        …        …        …           73

PAGE

3.7    Data Source       …        . …      …        …        …        …        …           73

  • Data Collection Procedure         …        …        …        …        …           74
    • Data Analysis Plan    .                …        …        …        …        …           74

CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

4.0Introduction76
  4.1       Background Information of Respondents     76
4.2       Findings of the Study       …    …      …81
4.3       Findings of the Interview       …        …115
4.4       Discussion of Findings     …   …         …118

CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION, AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.0       Introduction  …          …         …         …         …         …         …          124

5.1       Summary of the Study       … …        …        …        …        …         124

5.2       Conclusion      …        …        …        …        …        …        …         126

5.3       Recommendations      …        …        …        …        …        …         128

 PAGE
5.4       Area for Further Study129
REFERENCES APPENDICES.. .131
Appendix A       …140
Appendix B      …147
 LIST OF TABLES     PAGE
Table 1.1Analysis of the English language Results from the  
 New Juaben Municipality – Eastern Region …4
Table 3.1Population Distribution           …        …        …66
Table 3.2Sample selected for the Study            …        …68
  Table 4.1  Sex of Tutors …  …  …  …  …  …  76
  Table 4.2  Sex of Trainee Teachers  …  …  …  …  77
    Table 4.3    Level of Academic Achievement of Tutors    …    …    78
  Table 4.4  Level of Study of Trainee Teachers …  …  …  79
Table 4.5Teaching Experience of Tutors           …80
  Table 4.6  Trainee Teachers’ Performance in English Language 
 and its Effect on Pupils’ Performance at the Basic School81
Table 4.7Trainee Teachers’ Performance in English Language and 
 its Effect on Pupils’ Performance at the Basic School84
Table 4.8The Causes of Trainee Teachers’ Poor Performance in 
 English at S.D.A. College of Education         …        …87

PAGE

Table 4.9         Causes of Trainee Teachers’ Poor Performance in

English at S.D.A. College of Education         …        …        92

Table 4.10       Trainee Teachers’ Performance in English Language and Teaching and Learning at the Basic Schools where

Trainees are practicing            …        …        …        …        99

Table 4.11       Trainee Teachers’ Performance in English Language and Teaching and Learning at the Basic Schools where

Trainees are Practicing            …        …        …        …        101

Table 4.12       Measures to Improve Trainee Teachers’ Poor Performance in English at S.D.A. College of Education,

Asokore-Koforidua     …        …        …        …        …        103

Table 4.13       Measures to Improve Trainee Teachers’ Poor Performance in English at S.D.A. College of Education,

Asokore-Koforidua     …        …        …        …        …        108

  1. Introduction

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

This chapter considers the background to the study, the statement of the problem, the purpose of the study, research questions, the significance of the study, the theoretical framework, delimitation and the organization of the study.

  • Background to the Study

The world is very rapidly turning into what many people call a “global village”. As the pressure to communicate increases, the importance given to language which is the very basic tool for communication also increases and language teaching and learning, seen as international channel of communication, becomes even more crucial. Such a demand for learning foreign languages consequently results in a bigger demand for language teachers and training of these teachers (Esra, 2008).

With such a dire need  for language teaching, there has been increased demand for language teachers and the consequent need to train these teachers, hence the

numerous training colleges we have in Ghana today. For a country like Ghana to have forty (40) colleges of Education, all aimed at training the “perfect” teacher, shows how important language teaching and learning is to our part of the world.

To form part of the global world and to be able to fit into the Ghanaian society, it is very important that beginners are exposed to the English language at the early stage of their educational set-up. This is because the English language is necessary for every meaningful and effective academic work (Tabi-Arhin, 2004). It is the official language in Ghana, which everybody is expected to formally use in governmental affairs, the media, commerce, the banks and the like. It has become the communication medium across a country faced with different languages. The English language thus serves as a unifying force amongst Ghanaians. It is the language of the press and the professionals. English helps people to travel all round the world without any difficulty of interaction.

However, the English language teaching and learning has been a problem in this country due to its second language nature and the deficiencies of  the methodology used by the teachers. French (2004:4) pointed out that “A fairly

large proportion of discussion on educational issues in Ghana is focused on the problem of „falling standards‟ in academic performance and central to the problem of „falling standards‟ is learners inability to read and follow simple instructions due to weak foundations in reading”. The teaching of English as a second language in Ghanaian schools comes with its own challenges.  The citizens of this country require training especially in the English language for a successful academic life. In Ghana today, even tailors and hairdressers need to pass an examination in English before they can earn their certificates. Ghana, therefore aims to produce resourceful and employable school leavers who can at least read and write in English. In view of this, quality teachers are being trained in various institutions to see to the intellectual and educational needs of pupils.

The forty (40) Colleges of Education in Ghana aim at training young people and dispatching them throughout the nation to provide quality education to Ghana‟s future leaders in the Basic Schools. Yet, there are always reports of alarming Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) results in the English language. For example:

Year Total number of candidates who wrote the English language exams. Total number of candidates obtaining grades 1-3 in English Total number of candidates obtaining grades 4 and 5 in English Overall total for grades 1-5 in English 2011 2743 926 1089 2015 2010 2769 768 1206 1974 2009 2758 1090 1292 2382 2008 2766 1079 1286 2365 2007 2765 1013 1210 2229    

Table 1.1: Analysis of the English Language Results from the New Juaben Municipality – Eastern Region

Discussion of the Table1.1:

The analysis above clearly explains that for the past five years, the New Juaben Municipality of the Eastern Region cannot boast of any good performance in the English language since the majority of the candidates obtained grades 4 and 5, the average pass for the the BECE (2007-2011). The New Juaben Municipal

Assembly presented about seventy (70) schools with an estimated number of two thousand seven hundred and sixty nine registered candidates each year to write the BECE. For example in 2011 alone, two thousand seven hundred and forty three (2743) candidates were present during the examination, out of this, two thousand and fifteen (2015) passed with aggregate 1-5. The Chief examiners of the English language paper reported that “the general performance of the candidates revealed that many of them have still not grasped the rudiments of  the English Language. The performance of the majority was disappointing. A majority of the candidates exhibited poor knowledge of the mechanics of the language. Their work contained many grammatical errors, inaccurate tenses, wrong spellings, wrong use of capital letters, etc. Example, your‟s son” (chief examiner‟s report, 2011: p.14).