Assessment of the Problems of Teaching English Language at Junior Secondary Schools in Katsina State, Nigeria (Published)
Teaching English as a second language is not as easy as some think. In this study, an attempt is made to identify the problems militating against successfull teaching of English language at junior secondary schools in Katsina State, Nigeria. The problems are categorised as psychological, linguistic and pedagogical. The method used in the study is the descriptive survey design. Sixty Eight public, private and community schools across the educational zones were used, involving 210 teachers and 384 students. Two sets of questionnairs, one for teachers and the other for students were used to collect data. The data collected was analysed by means of frequency counts and percentage. Bar charts were also used for further clarity of the results obtained. The findings revealed that pedagogical problems were at the top in militating against successfull teaching of English at the targetted schools. However, among the three types of schools used in the study, problems identified are more pronounced in public schools. The implecation of the findings is that, since the aural – oral skills are the backbone of the English language, a language used as the medium of instruction in all schools, the whole education system is at threat. Among the solutions offered is that Government should review upward, the current minimum teaching qualification and as an interim measure, intensify effort to provide teachers with lower qualifications the necessary linguistic background and skills for efficient teaching of the two skills. This is necessary because NCE as a teaching qualification has deteriorated beyond imagination.
Keywords: English teaching, Junior Secondary Schools, Linguistic, Problems, Psychological, militating, pedagogical