Evaluative Study of Teaching and Learning English Grammatical Structures in Some Selected Primary Schools
CHAPTER ONE
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The objectives of this research are:
- Find out how Establish how children learn and acquire grammatical structures and English language skills are being taught in the primary school.
- Examine methods of teaching and learning grammatical structures and English language skills in primary schools.
- Establish the impact of teaching/learning materials on teaching of English language in primary schools.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Introduction
In this chapter, the researcher discusses how children acquire English Grammatical structure and language skills in primary schools, teacher competencies in English language, and methods of teaching/learning English language skills and use of teaching/learning materials in teaching English language skills.
Children Learn English grammar and Language Skills in Primary School
Young children are natural language acquirers. They are self-motivated to pick up language without conscious learning unlike adults or adolescents do. This was because children are born with innate language abilities which they use later to pick up later. Different theories had been advanced on how children learn. The behaviorists believe the child‟s mind was blank and society was responsible for “writing” on it. While the cognitivists stressed the fact that child‟s was born with the ability to think which enabled them to perceive and analyze language they heard. The researcher was of the view that child had the ability to think and it was that ability to think that enabled them to pick up language. The Language Acquisition Device (LAD) in children enabled them to learn any language. This meant that a human brain was programmed to enable individuals to learn and use language.
Babies started communicating from very early times, for example, babies are able to make eye contacts and follow the gaze of light. MOE (2001) says this is the beginning of sharing language. Children are born with the ability to imitate, pronounce and work without the rules of language for themselves. As mentioned earlier in this study babies had the ability to figure out rules of a language that they heard; however, it was said this ability decreased as they grew older.
The child’s readiness to use language was also influenced by training, and experience. Children acquire first language basically for survival, since they needed it to interact with the environment. There are no rules that children follow when learning first language. Ideally, all children develop first language in similar way. According to Kimathi and Ngungi (2007) all children develop language through the following stages;
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Introduction
This chapter discusses the research design, location of the study, target population, sampling and sample size, research instruments, pilot study, data collection, data analysis procedures, logistical and ethical considerations.
Research Design
Chakraborty (2012) says research is the cornerstone of any science including both the hard and soft sciences and management of education. Research refers to the organization, structured, and purposeful attempt aimed at discovering, interpreting revising human knowledge on different aspects of the world with a goal of producing new knowledge…He further says it is a design that produces the “glue” that holds the research project together. The design is used to structure the research project; it can be thought of as the structure of research – it is the “glue” that holds all of the elements in a research project together (ibid).
Blaikie (2000) says to design is to plan, that is design is the process of making decisions before the situation arises in which decision has to be carried out. It is the process of deliberate anticipation, directed towards bringing an expected situation under control. This study used descriptive survey design. Survey research provides description of trends, attitudes or opinions of a population by studying a sample of that population. Creswell (2000) says from the sample results the researcher generalizes and makes claims about the population. This method describes trends, attitudes or opinions of a population by studying a sample of that population.
Burns (1990) contends that survey research is one of the techniques available to provide information on beliefs, attitudes and motives. He adds that survey research is an efficient way of collecting large amounts of data at a low cost in a short period of time.
This study was guided by Halliday’s (1993) language theory which postulated that human learning involved the use of signs and symbols. The theory attempted to explain how children’s language developed. The conceptual framework in this study discuses the independent and dependent variables.
The independent variable was included in the study so that its effects can be determined. The independent variable therefore, affected the dependent variable. Mwituria (2012) confirms that the dependent variable is a variable being affected or assumed to be affected by an independent variable.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA ANALYSIS, RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Introduction
This chapter presents the analysis, results and discuses the findings of the study. The findings are presented according to the study objectives.
Data Analysis
Teaching and Acquisition of Grammatical structures and English Language Skills in Primary Schools
This includes pupils learning how to listen, speak, read and write. The analysis was presented in the following tables. In Tables shown N stands for Number of frequencies or occurrences of the behavior and % for Percentage of occurrences of the behavior.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Introduction
This chapter presents the summary of the study findings as per the objectives of this research work; conclusions arrived at and the recommendations for future response and research.
Summary of the Findings
The results of data analysis from this study indicated that 46.8% of the respondents strongly agree that children learned English language at school while 86.2% of the schools had put in place policy rules on how to improve pupils’ spoken language. Parents, teachers and peers contributed significantly to pupils’ language development both at home and school by acting as facilitators, mentors and role model.
The study further established that 45.5% of the teachers did not use appropriate teaching/learning methods that enhance learning of English language skills. Teachers used lecture method of teaching and this did not improve the quality of learning of English language skills in children. Although teachers made schemes of work, 96.2% of them did not prepare and used lesson plan notes; this meant that teachers go to class not prepared to teach. Lack of adequate teacher planning affected the quality of teaching/learning in class.
The results of this study found out that 53.3% of the schools had adequate teaching/learning resources. Schools had acquired adequate text books for their pupils; yet in some schools some of the classes had a pupil text book ration that was higher than 1:3. Even though the schools had acquired enough teaching/learning resources this did not add value to the teaching/learning of English. This may mean children were not exposed to many readers. This study also learned that 78.6% of the teachers of English did not prepare and used teaching/learning materials. Minimal learning took place without the use of teaching/learning materials.
Conclusion
This study found out that children acquire first language or mother tongue naturally and that LAD enables children learn other languages very easily. The research also established that children learn English as a second language in school. Children came to school when they are already speaking mother tongue and this lays a foundation for second language acquisition.
Teachers played a big role in the teaching/learning of English but this study established that despite the fact that teachers of English had met the minimal requirement for teacher training and education and had professional qualification in teacher training/education; these teachers did not enhance learning in children. The teachers lacked skills and knowledge in teaching English and these teachers had not been capacity built by the DQASO on how to teach English.
There was evidence that teachers of English did not prepare and used teaching/learning materials. Although it was true primary schools had acquired some teaching/learning resources, results showed that children were not benefiting from these resources, this was because pupils were not able to communicate effectively in English. Effective use of teaching/learning resources enhanced language development in children.
Recommendation
English language was an important tool that assisted children to learn in school and interact with the environment. The study, therefore, recommended that-:
Schools should enforce school language rules, this helped improve pupils spoken English and reduced use of mother tongue in schools.
Teachers should provide quality teaching by preparing adequately to teach.
They should make schemes of work and lesson plan notes, maintain all professional records and prepare and use teaching/learning materials. Teachers should vary teaching/learning methods to make their teaching more interesting and effective to their pupils. Some teaching methods the teachers used did not enhance learning. Methods that involved learners in practical activities were more suitable and appropriate.
This study recommends that the Sub County Quality Assurance and Standards Officer should mount teacher in-sets once a term to improve teacher competencies in teaching English language skills.
This study also recommends that schools should acquire adequate and use teaching/learning materials and teachers should make and use them to enhance pupils learning.
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