Use of ICT in Teaching and Learning of English Language
Chapter One
Objective Of The Study
The study is aimed at finding out the benefits of Information and Communication Technology in the teaching and learning of English in secondary schools in Nigeria. The specific objectives of the study are:
- To determine the impacts of the use of ICT on English Language teaching and learning in Nigeria
- To examine the relationship between the use of ICT in English teaching and learning and Nigeria’s development
- To evaluate the level of advantages can ICT English Language teaching and learning bring to Nigeria
- To ascertain if the use of ICT in Nigerian education improve the nation’s development
- To determine the negative effects of employing ICT in the English Language teaching and learning on Nigeria
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Introduction
The review of literature is organized under the following subheadings:
- Conceptual Framework
- Theoretical Framework
- Empirical Studies
- Summary of Literature Review
Conceptual Framework
The Concept of Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
The importance of information in human life cannot be over-emphasized. It is said that if one is not informed, one is deformed. Hence, it is a well-known fact that nothing can be done efficiently in an information vacuum. Wiener says that, “… to live effectively is to live with adequate information…”. Magnstle (1994) must be aware of this fact when he said that information is a tool for increasing relevance to the individual scientists. Wired, March 1994:
Information is an activity. Information is a life form. Information is a relationship. Information is a verb not a noun, it is something that happens in the field of interaction between minds or objects or other pieces of information. Information is an action which occupies time rather than a state of being which occupies physical space.
The word information derives from Latin “informare” which means “give form to”. The etymology thus connotes an imposition of structure upon some indeterminate mass. The way the word information is used can refer to both “facts” in themselves and the transmission of the facts. Thus, information contains a structure that has a meaning.
According to Shannon and Weaver (1959), information is a purely quantitative measure of communicative exchanges. To Gregory Bateson, information is a difference that makes a difference. Information is data that (1) has been verified to be accurate, (2) is specific and organized for a purpose, (3) is presented within a context that gives it meaning and relevance, and (4) that can lead to an increase in understanding and decrease in uncertainty. The value of information lies solely in its ability to affect a behaviour, or outcome. A piece of information is considered valueless if, after receiving it, things remain unchanged. Information, in its most restricted technical sense, is a sequence of symbols that can be recorded as signs, or transmitted as signals. Information is any kind of event that affects the state of a dynamic system. Conceptually, information is the message (utterance or expression) being conveyed. Information is any type of pattern that influences the formation or transformation of other patterns. Information is any detected difference. Information is a repertoire’s collection detected somewhere within the system. Information is an abstract entity which has no separate existence on its own, because no difference can exist save there are real states between which the difference holds, and which constitute its mode.
Information is the stimulus that has meaning in some context for its receiver. When information is entered into and stored in a computer, it is generally referred to as data. After processing (such as formatting and printing), output data can again be perceived as information. Krippendorf (1984:50) defines information as a change in an observer’s state of uncertainty. He compares information with energy. “Energy and information are measures of work. But whereas energy is a measure of the physical work required to transform matter of one form into matter of another, information is a measure of the (intellectual) work required to distinguish, to a degree better than chance, among a set of initially uncertain possibilities”.
March and Horton (1986) regard information both as operational necessity and as an integral part of the overall business planning. Nzetta and Eyitayo (1988), remark that information like money gives both economic and political power to the possessor of it, power to achieve things, to take advantage of opportunities and to control people. Steven (1986) remarks that information has consistently been a significant element in the development of human society and that it has over a long period of time shaped the way we think and act.
The second concept in the title of this study is communication. The word communication derives from the Latin word “communis” meaning “to share”. Communication requires a sender, a message, and a recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender’s intent to communicate at the time of communication; hence communication can occur across vast distances in time and space. According to Eyre (1983), communication is therefore, a transfer of message from one party to another so that it can be acted upon. Communication requires that the communicating parties share an area of communicative commonality. The communication process is complete once the receiver has understood the message of the sender. Hence, communication is the exchange of thoughts, messages, or information, as by speech, visuals, signals, writing or behaviour. The term communication may be used to mean transfer, transmission or exchange of ideas, knowledge, beliefs, attitudes or emotion from one person or group of persons to another. It is the flow or exchange of information within people or group of people. It is a process by which meaning is assigned and conveyed in an attempt to create shared understanding. This process, which requires a vast repertoire of skills in interpersonal processing, listening, observing, speaking, questioning, analyzing, gestures, and evaluating, enables collaboration and cooperation. It includes verbal, non-verbal and electronic means of human interaction. It is the essence of human interaction and learning. It is sharing information whether in writing or speech.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHOD
This chapter deals with the general procedure for carrying out the study. It is organized according to the design of the study, area of the study, population of the study, sample and sampling technique, instrument for data collection, validation of the instrument, method of data collection and method of data analysis.
Design of the Study
This research uses the survey design. Research design according to Popoola (2003) is an investigator’s picture /imagination/pattern of a piece of research work. It is a researcher’s path to provide a meaningful answer to an investigation. The choice of a research design by an investigator depends on the purpose of research, nature of problem, economy (material and time) and the scope.
Also, according to Popoola (2003), survey research is a research that is exploratory in nature where the researcher is interested in identifying and selecting variables or elements that are relevant to an investigation to enable a broad or provisional decision making. More often, hypotheses of survey researches are not tested because events/phenomena are only described. No wonder, it is sometimes called descriptive survey. This design is appropriate because it would enable the researcher to elicit information on views, perception and opinions of the respondents. The study aims at evaluating the use of ICT by students and teachers of English in secondary schools.
Population of the Study.
The population of the study is made up of all senior secondary two (SS II) students in Nsukka Education Zone. SS II students were chosen for the study because the scheme of work for the class contains the aspects of oral English which this study covers. The SS II students are also preparing for their examination at the end of their three years in the senior secondary school. The population of SS II students in Nsukka Education Zone is four thousand five hundred and nineteen (4,519) (Planning, Research and Statistics Dept., PPSMB, Enugu). The students are of the same age range (15-18 years) and they are all taught English.
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION OF DATA
This chapter presents and analyses the data generated from the responses of the respondents based on the research questions. Simple percentage and mean rating were used for data analysis.
Data Analysis
The responses to the five research questions by the randomly sampled respondents reflected the following:
CHAPTER FIVE
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Conclusion
By and large, this study has been used to examine and showcase how the employment of digital gadgets can develop a nation’s technology and economy. The development of the science and technology of any nation can be easily facilitated through the use of ICT and automated gadgets. If the English Language pedagogy is facilitated through ICT, it will not only improve the communication and mutual understanding among people of diverse ethno-linguistic and cultural backgrounds, but it will also develop the nation’s technology. Consequently, the development of the technical skills not only help the production and economic self-reliance, but it will also develop the nation’s economy. If government can help develop the utilization of ICT in language pedagogy, Nigeria’s technology and economy will be drastically developed.
Recommendations:
Based on the findings of this study, the following recommendations were made:
- The school administrators should encourage government to provide ICT facilities in the schools.
- The school administrators should also encourage individuals and NGO’s who are interested in supporting the schools to donate ICT facilities.
- The ICT facilities should be used during classroom interactions as they enhance all L2 learner’s contact with the target language without going abroad to study.
- The staff and students should be adequately trained at cheaper or no cost for proper utilization of ICT facilities.
- There should be constant supply of electricity to secondary schools or generating plants as alternatives, for effective use of ICT facilities in case of power failure.
- The students should be encouraged to visit cyber cafes to use the technological resources available for effective spoken English practice like audioblogging, podcasting and videocasting, videoconferencing, and voice chatting.
REFERENCES
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- Adegbiya, E.E. (1994) Language Attitudes in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Sociologistic Overview. Clevendon Avon: Multilingual matters.
- Adegbija, E.E. (1998) “Nigerian Englishes: Towards A Standard Variety” A Keynote Address Presented at the 5th Conference of the International Association of World Englishes (IAWE) held at the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, USA, Nov. 5-7.
- Adeleke, I.A (2011) “Sustainable Roles of ICT in Transforming the Nigerian Educational Sector in the 21st Century: In New Trends in Linguistics & Literacy Studies, Lagos.
- Adesan Oye, F.A (1973) “A Study of Varieties of written English in Nigeria” Unpublished PhD Thesis, University of Ibadan, Ibadan.
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- Alabi, V.A (2005) “Problems of an Emergent Written Language of the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) in Nigeria”. A paper presented at the 22nd Annual Conference of the Nigeria English Studies Association (NESA) held at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. September 7-10.
- Alo, M. (2003) “Communicative Competence and Academic Discourse in an ESL Setting”. In Oyeleye L. Olateju, M. (eds) Readings in Language and Literature. OAU Press Ltd, Ile- Ife PP 115-126.
