Abstract:
The study assessed the causes of poor performance in English language among SHS
students at Kibi Senior High Technical School. To achieve this, four (4) specific
objectives were set to: examine the school environmental factors to the causes of poor
performance; analyse teacher related factors that contribute to learners’ poor
performance; find out the learner factors that lead to poor performance in English
Language in KISHTS; investigate the social factors that contribute to the poor
performance of English language in KISHTS. The population for the study included
all final year students, teachers of English language, Headmaster and Assistant
Headmasters of the school. A sample of 157 respondents was used for the study.
Purposive sampling method was used to select Teachers of English Language and
Headmasters and random sampling method was used to select the final year students
of the school. Data was collected through questionnaire, interviews and observation.
The data collected were analysed with the help of SPSS version 20.0 and use of
tables, frequencies, charts, graphs. Then, the study found that factors outside the
school environment significantly influenced the students’ prospects for academic
success in school. Again, the study revealed that classroom activities of teachers,
teacher quality, teacher commitment, teacher absenteeism and punctuality and
teachers of English not following the prescribed syllabus were considered as teacher
related factors that contribute to the poor performance in English Language at
KISHTS. Finally, the study also recommended that qualified teachers of English
language should always be employed to teach it, adequate facilities and instructional
media/materials need to be provided and where they are not available teachers are to
improvise, proper supervision by all stakeholders should be embedded and so on.
Description:
A dissertation in the Department of Applied Linguistics,
Faculty of Foreign Languages Education, submitted to the School of
Graduate Studies, in partial fulfilment
of the requirements for the award of the degree of
Master of Education
in the University of Education, Winneba