CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Research
English Language is considered one of the most widely spoken languages
all over the world. Although it comes second to our indigenous languages in the
total number of speakers, it is widely spread compared to other languages. English
is the official language of 53 countries in the world, more than 750 million people
speak it either as a native or second language More than 196 have English as an
official language. In addition to that English will give you more opportunities in
speaking, communicating effectively whenever or wherever you go abroad,
enabling you to have wide opportunities in looking for jobs and business one day.
English will make you more desirable to
employers.Itwillalsoprovidewideaccesstoknowledgeinallitsmeaningsandshapes.
Besides, more than 53% of the world Web Sites and Internet, computer use
English language, and this absolutely show the importance of it, beside that it is
the language of science, using it in education and scientific research. It is a global
language and has wide uses including also the fields of Diplomacy, Tourism and
Aviation, many references and textbooks in Universities worldwide are written in
English Language.
Nigeria has witnessed general deterioration in the standard of English
language. This can be seen clearly via the student’s marks in English language,
the
teachers'observationsandtheperformanceofthestudentsinEnglishlanguageintheclass
room, etc.
The weakness of English language tookplaceas a result of a variety of
factors e.g.

1
 Teachers low qualification, student’s low motivation for learning English
Language, the absence of literature from the English language syllabus and
inadequate school environment. Among these the school environment in Nigeria
is the focus of this research. No doubt that there is a strong bond between school
environment and language learning because environment is like a motor that
facilitates the language acquisition. For instance, through good environment we
can see the best achievement ofalanguagelearningandteaching.
Hencetheresearchersuggeststhatliteratureschool environment can never be
separated from any level of language learning. Therefore, if schoolenvironment
was under any reason separated from a language, this would cause a big damage
in the learning process. Therefore, learning English involves many factors that
would affect the process of learning positively or negatively; learning
environment comes on the top
1.2 Statement of the Problem

Emphasizing the importance of school environment to students’performance

in English language, Oluchukwu, (2000) asserted school environment is an
essential aspect of educational planning, he went further to explain that “unless
schools are well suited, buildings adequately constructed and equipment
adequately utilized and maintained, much teaching and learning may not take
place.

The high levels of students’ performance in English language may not be

guaranteed where instructional space such as classrooms, libraries, technical
workshops and laboratories are structurally defective. However, little is known on
the impact of school environment on students’ performance in English language in
Jema’a Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

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1.3     Objectives of the Study

The purposes of this study are:

i.   To examine the relationship between school environment and the student
performance in English language

ii.  To examine the impact of school facilities on the performance in English

languageof students in the secondary school

iii. To explore factors such as class size that have been perceived to promote or
inhibit students learning in the academic process of students in secondary school

iv. To investigate the extent to which school location affects the academic
achievement of secondary school students.

1.4     Research Questions

i.   Is there any relationship between school environment and the student
performance in English Language?

ii.  To what extent do school facilities affect student performance in secondary

school?

iii. What effect does class size has on the performance in English language of
students in secondary school?

iv. To what extent does school location has on the achievement of secondary
school students?

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1.5     Research Hypothesis

Ho1: There is no significant difference between school environment and the

student performance in English language

Ho2: There is no significant difference between school facilities and performance

in English Language of students

Ho3: There is no significant difference between class size and performance in

English Language of students

Ho4: There is no significant difference between school location and performance in

English Language of students

1.6     Significance of the Study

It is hoped that this study will provide information for parents, educators and
school administrators to reflect upon various factors that help students in achieving
their academic goals. In so doing, they can investigate the possibility of
introducing those factors to their school, which may consequently lead to
enhancing students’ educational outcomes in school. In addition, the fact that this
study is conducted in public schools, it shares quite a lot of similarities with many
other counterparts. In this connection, this study provides a valuable reference for
other schools to reflect upon the school environment as it affects the performance
in English language of student in secondary school.

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1.7     Scope of the Study

This research work focuses on influence of school environment on

performance in English language of secondary school students in some selected
schools in Jema’a Local Government Area of KadunaState. This research
work covers all public secondary schools students inJema’a Local Government
Area of Kaduna State. However, four public secondary schools will be used as case
study.

1.9   Definition of Terms

School: A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students (or

“pupils”) under the direction of teachers

School environment: A school’s physical environment includes

the schoolbuilding and the surrounding.

Academic Achievement – Knowledge attained or skills developed in school

subjects by test scores.

Secondary school (“also high school”)is a term used to describe an educational

institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and
usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place. It follows elementary or
primary education, and may be followed by university (tertiary) education.

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 CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1-Introduction:
An intensive review of related literature has been done about the factors
which are affecting students English achievement at the country and beyond, to
reveal that several researches on this topic were organized and carried out in
developing and developed countries as well, showed that school environment was
one of the most important factors which affected and was more important for
students’ English achievement than the otherfactors.

The contents of this chapter present background, the definition of school

environment, characteristics of good school environment, previous studies
andconclusion.

Extreme demographic changes in classrooms in recent decades, as well as

the impact of globalization on potentials regarding fluency and mastering English
(today’s “lingua- franca”), have made it mandatory upon academics to shed more
light on the learning and teaching issues that impact English learners, in both the
English as a foreign language (EFL) and English as a second language (ESL)
settings. In this repute, many studies have scrutinized learner’s environment and
it relationship to the academic achievement.

These studies have focused on several factors, including essential value,

values for achievement, self-efficacy, self-schema, prior knowledge, cultural
background, andsocio-economicstatus (Bandura & Locke, 2003; Eccles &
Wigfield, 2002; Ruddell & Unrau, 1997/2004; Wigfield & Eccles, 2000).
However, few EFL studies seem to have addressed the impact of environment of
schools and classrooms on students’ motivations and achievement in English
language; further, many studies seem to have examined the conjoint effect of

6
said issues. It is these issues that the present study seeks to address using a
sample of EFL teachers of secondary levels in the Nigeria, which is a developing
English speaking country in Africa.

2.2- Background:
Additionally, English is a wide spread important language in the world
today. It is used for everything from international academic conferences to news
reports, books, popular music, lyrics and desired higher degree education, add to
that it is the ultimate method of communication between native speakers and
non-native speakers of English language. English language is used in secondary
school certificate examinations and it is a compulsory subject to sit for the West
Africa Examination Council (WAEC) and the National Examination Council
(NECO) examinations which qualifies students to enroll in tertiary
institutions.EnglishCurriculahavebeenchangedmanytimessince1970s.
2.3- Definition of school environment:
The institutions that designed to provide learning and teaching spaces as
well as learning environments are generally called worldwide, schools, that offer
for the teaching of students (“orpupils”) under the direction of teachers. In most
countries, it is called systematicorformale
education,whichiscommonlycompulsory.Insuchsystemsstudents’ progress through
different stages and schools. Their names vary according to the country,
yettheyincludethreemainstages,primaryschoolforyoungchildrenandsecondaryscho
ol for teenagers who have completed primary education and finally institutions
where higher education is provided, which commonly called a university or a
university college.

According to Alexandra Loukas, in the answer to the question what is

school climate? In the NAESP (2007), “School environments vary greatly.

7
Whereas some schools feel
friendly,inviting,andsupportive,othersfeelexclusionary,unwelcoming,andevenuns
afe. The feelings and attitudes that are elicited by a school’s environment are
referred to as school climate. Although it is difficult to provide a concise
definition for school climate,
mostresearchersagreethatitisamultidimensionalconstructthatincludesphysical,soci
al, and academic dimensions”.

The physical dimension includes:

 Appearance of the school building and itsclassrooms;
 School size and ratio of students to teachers in theclassroom;

 Order and organization of classrooms in theschool;

 Availability of resources;and
 Safety andcomfort.
The social dimension includes:
 Quality of interpersonal relationships between and among students,
teachers, and staff.
 Equitable and fair treatment of students by teachers andstaff.
 Degree of competition and social comparison between students,and
 Degree to which students, teachers, and staff contribute to decision-
making at the school.

The academic dimension includes:

 Quality ofinstruction;
 Teacher expectations for student achievement;and
 Monitoring student progress and promptly reporting results to students
andparents.

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 The term “school climate” or “school environment” is often used to refer to
the emotional and social aspects of school environment. A measure of the quality
of school climate is students’ feelings of safety and connectedness to their
school. In a positive and healthy school climate students feel close to people at
school, are happy to be there, feel a part of the school, believe teachers treat them
fairly, and feel personally safe while at school.
Safety includes physical, emotional and intellectual considerations.
Intellectual safety is a subset of emotional safety and refers to student’s comfort
when they take intellectual risks at school such as asking questions, making
comments, joining groups and choosing to study difficult topics.(Guidelines for a
Coordinated Approach to School Health 147 Connecticut State Department of
Education July 2007)

2.4- Characteristics of good school environment:

Agreatschooloffersacleanandwell-
organizedenvironmentthatisconducivetolearning. One excellent way to support
better learning in school is to provide the students with a clean and well-organized
environment where they can develop their skills and increase their knowledge. A
clean and comfortable school setting helps enhance the teaching and
learningexperience.So,sayingaschooladministratormustrelyonaprofessionalcleanin
g service to maintain the orderliness and cleanliness of the schoolpremises.

A good school must have supportive teachers and administrators.

Teachers are students’ role models. They have a strong influence in shaping a
student’s attitude and personality, so it is necessary that they possess admirable
qualities which cultivate the students’ talents and abilities. Good teachers are
approachable and willing to mentor their students in achieving academic
excellence and attaining their personal goals. Likewise, school administrators

9
must be professional and supportive to the needs of the academic staff. Good
teachers empower the faculty by creating instructional techniques which nurture
their skills and broaden their expertise to become more effective teachers.
An effective school must have reliable support staff and efficient service providers.
Good schools have excellent support staff (e.g., nurse, doctor, guidance
counsellor and psychologist) who are geared to help meet the needs of all the
students. Additionally, the school connects with the best suppliers or service
providers who deliver quality products (e.g, school playground equipment, school
supplies, art supplies and library supplies) and efficient services that meet the
needs of the school community.

An exceptional school works to build a safe learning environment for

students.An effective school is a place where students feel safe, physically and
emotionally. It is a
supportivecommunitywheretheteachersandstudentscollaborateandfocusonachieving
better learning. Hence, it is free of negative behaviours, like bullying and
harassment. Insteadofservingpunishmentasameans
todisciplinethestudents,theschoolmightfocus
onpreventingstudentmisbehavioursbyimplementingdisciplinaryactionsthataresafefo
r the student and helpful to the community, such as letting the students do social
work or community service for a certain period oftime.
An outstanding school provides state-of-the-art equipment and facilities to help
improve student learning.
Giving students access to powerful educational tools and facilities, such as
computers, laboratories and libraries deepens their knowledge and further
improves their logical and cognitive skills. Additionally, the school offers
students (including those who love

10
theperformingarts)withopportunitiestoenrichtheireducationalexperienceandnurture
their talents such as going on school performance tours.(Madeleine Borrey in
People Interested in Education 9 May 2014).
2.5- Previous studies:
Byoungsuk,K.
(2012)statedthatchildrenneedsafe,healthyandstimulatingenvironment in which to
grow and learn. During the school year, children can spend 6 to 8 hours at the
school where the environment plays a significant/critical role in child
development. More of the time is spent in the school yard or travelling to and
from school. This condition requires careful planning and designing to optimize
experiences that support education, health and stewardship. Therefore, the school
environment is of paramount importance in shaping and reshaping intellectual
ability. However, supportive and favourable school environment enriched with
enough learning facilities, and favourable climate makes students more
comfortable, more concentrated on their academic activities that resulted in high
academic performance. The forces of the environment begin to influence growth
and
developmentoftheindividualrightfromthewombofhismother.Theeducationalproce
ss of development occurs in physical, social, cultural and psychological
environment. A
properandadequateenvironmentisverymuchnecessaryforafruitfullearningofthechil
d. The favourable school environment provides the necessary stimulus for
learning experiences. The children spend most of their time in school, and this
schoolenvironmentis exerting influence on performance through curricular,
teaching technique and relationship (Arul Lawrence A.S. 2012).

English language learning presented a preoccupation in Nigeria education

11
system in
termsofstudents’achievement.Itisthelanguageofinstructionatthemostofpost-
graduate education system. However, Anoma (2005) discusses that most students
in secondary school find it difficult to obtain a good pass in English at external
examinations. This is reflected in the large number of candidates who fail the
West African Senior School Certificate (WASSC) English language examination
annually. The issue of poor performance in English language has been a cause
for concern to all who are interested in the education sector and the problem has
been found caused by so many factors, school environment was mainly one of
them. Akwanya (2009) blames it on poor school learning environment, negative
attitude among learners and teachers lack of commitment and
training,overcrowdedclassroomswithpressureandcollapseoffacilitiesandundoubte
dly first language interference. Kolawole (2011) claims the issue of the failure in
English
languageisbecauseofthelackofbasicinfrastructuresforinstanceconduciveclassroom
s,
unequippedlibrariesandlaboratoriesandnegativeattitudeonthepartofstudents.Osun
de and Ogiegbaen (2005) observe that lack of infrastructural facilities is
associated with students’ poor achievement in Senior Secondary Certificate
examination in English language. Similarly, Teachernet (2008) points out that the
environment in which students learn can enormously influence their academic
performance and well-being. Henceaperfect learning environment is a pre-
requisite for positive teaching and learning to be conducted.

For Egim (2003) the school physical environment includes the buildings,
classrooms, furniture and equipment, instructional materials, laboratories,
libraries, playground etc... Others are walls, machinery, decorative objects and

12
 audio-visual equipment.
According to Arshad, Tahira and Ahmad (2009), school environment is a
very important school resource input and all the indicators of school environment
collectively produce an academic environment that is helpful for the development
of students’ attitude and achievement in English language.
Eric, S. (2005) in an article the role of the supportive school environment in
promoting academic success postulates that the school environment has inexact
sway on students’ learning and academic achievement, including a significant
aspect of their social, emotional and ethical improvement. When students find
their school environment supportiveandcaring,theyareless
likelytobecomeinvolvedinsubstanceabuse,violence
andotherbehaviouralproblems.Theresearchindicatedthatsupportiveschoolsfosterthe
se positive outcomes by promoting students sense of connecting, belongings or
communication. These terms are used interchangeably here to refer to students’
sense of
beinginaclose,respectfulrelationshipwithpeersandadultatschool.Therefore,building
inaschoolcommunityisameans
ofpromotingacademicsuccess.Studentswhoexperience their school as a caring
community become more motivated and engage in their learning
In particular, students’ active connection with teachers and their
perceptions that teachers
careaboutthemarewhatstimulatetheireffortandengagementintheeducationprocesses
.

Another research by Oworye, J.S. (2011) showed that there is a significant

difference between the academic achievement of students in rural and urban
secondary schools as measured by senior school certificate examinations. To

13
him, the geographical location of schools has a significant influence on the
academic achievement of students. Also, he
pointedoutthatunevendistributionofresources,poorschoolmapping,facilities,proble
m of qualified teachers refusing appointment or not willing to perform well in
isolated villages, lack of good road, poor communication, and nonchalant attitude
of some communities to school among others are some of the factors contributed
to a wide gap between rural and urban secondary schools. Schools located in
rural areas lack qualified teachers.

Itisbecause,theydonotwanttogotoruralareasthatlacksocialamenities.They
prefer to stay in urban schools. It is also observed that a lot of coaching of urban
students is done to prepare them for public examinations, thus promoting the
spirit of competition and rivalry that may be lacking in the rural pupils, probably,
owing to limitations in
exposureandexperience.Also,thestudyhasproventhatstudentsinurbanareashadbette
r academic achievement than their rural counterpart. In other word, students in
urban locations have a very advantage of favourable learning environment that
apparently enhance their academicperformance.
Arul Lawrence, A.S, Vimala, A. (2012) conducted a research on the school
environmentandacademicachievementofstandardsixstudents.Thedatafrom400sam
pleparticipants is used to determine the relationship between school environment
and academic achievement. The result of this study indicated that there is an
important difference in the school environment of standard six students in term
of locality of school. The urban students have better school environment than the
rural students. The urban students are having a stressful environment in their day
life very much because they are living in the mechanical and hurry burry life. So,
they feel school environment is not very convenient

14
fortheirstudies.Therefore,schoolenvironmentenrichedwithmodernfacilitiesmakest
he student feel comfortable in their studies that result to high
academicperformance.

Orlu, C. (2013) conducted a research among six hundred teachers and

students with the aim to find out that, the physical structure of the school
building and the interactions between teachers and students are also influence
students’ performance. School climate
canbeapositiveinfluenceonthehealthofthelearningenvironmentorasignificantbarrie
r to learning. The school environment can affect many areas and people within
schools.For example, a positive school climate has been associated with fewer
behavioural and emotional problems for students. Therefore, it is believed that
positive interpersonal relationship and optional learning opportunities for
students in all demographicenvironments can increase achievement behaviours.
Positive student’s teacher relationship brings about a positive and supportive
school climate for students for smooth running of academic activities which
results in good academic performance.
Denial, K.K. Felix, K. (2014) examined the impact of the school
environment and peer influence on the students’ academic performance. The
study assessed school environment factors and peer influence in term of the level
of psychological impact they have on learners. Twenty-one public secondary
schools in sabbatical established that school
environmentexertapotentinfluenceonstudents’academicperformance.Theschoolas
an
institutionoflearningwhichalsoactasasecondhomeforlearnershasbeenfoundtohave
a strong relationship with students’ academic performance. However, the school
sector (private or public) and class size are two important structural components

15
of the school. Private school tends to have both better funding and smaller sizes
than public school. The additional funding for private schools leads to a better
academic performance and more access to resources such as a computer that
have been shown to enhance academic achievement.

Ryan Hannah in The Effect of Classroom Environment on Student

Learning 2013 illustrates that, if not approached correctly, a classroom can be set
up in a way that stifles
creativityordoesnotpromoteapositivelearningenvironment.There are
manythingsthat can affect this environment. There are physical elements such as
wall art, arrangement of desks, orresources.
Also, there are intangible elements such as the energy of the classroom, the
rules, or the
soundswithintheroom.Eachofthesecanimpactastudent’sfocusandachievementinthe
class. They can also affect a teacher’s attitude in the class. Included in each of
these elements of the classroom is the emotional environment. The way in which
a teacher organizes their class, or how they control it, will yield positive or
negative consequences for their students. If a teacher is unmotivated or negative,
there will be a direct impact on
thestudentswithintheclassroom.Similarly,ifateacherismotivatedandpositivetheywi
ll likely have a beneficial impact on their students as well. It is important for a
teacher to understand this cause and effect in order to understand how to
organize their classroom to create a better learningenvironment.
However, one of the first areas that make a noticeable impact on student
success is the physical environment of the classroom. This can pertain to a
variety of details. It can be structure, resources, color. All of these can play a role
in determining whether the classroom will be conducive for learning. Each may

16
not have a large effect individually, however together they can work to
strengthen a student’s ability to learn.
According to Ajewole and Okebukola (2000), a number of factors are said
to have contributed to the students’ poor academic achievement in school. The
authors stress that a host of these factors may surround students’ poor
achievement in school which may include: poor study habits and lack of
available resource materials, poor school climate, indiscipline, inadequate
facilities, teachers’ ineffectiveness, the teaching method and the
type of learning environment available for both the students and the teachers.
From the authors view, the poor performance of students in primary school may
be a reflection of the type of learning environment.

Farombi (2008) observed that school environment may have negative

influence on
students’academicachievementespeciallyifsuchenvironmentlacksgoodschoolclim
ate, instructional materials, discipline, physical facilities, has poor teacher
quality, type of
locationofschoolisquestionable,thereissmallclasssizeandoverpopulationofstudents
in classrooms. Farombi further opined that school facilities are a potent factor to
quantitative education. The importance to teaching and learning of the provision
of adequateinstructionalfacilitiesforeducationcannotbeover-
emphasized.Thedictumthat “teaching is inseparable from learning but learning is
not separable from teaching” is that teachers do the teaching to make the students
learn, but students can learn without the teachers. According to Akande (2005),
learning can occur through one’s interaction with one’s environment.
Environment here refers to facilities that are available to facilitate students
learning outcome. It includes books, audio-visual, software and hardware of

17
educational technology; so also, size of classroom, sitting position and
arrangement, availability of tables, chairs, chalkboards, shelves on which
instruments for practicals are arranged.
Ministry of education, Guyana published in Wednesday, 13 July 2016 an
article about Importance of Environment in the Classroom revealing that
Classroom environments areextremely important for students and for teachers.
Everything from the colour of the walls to the arrangement of the desks sends
impressions to students and can affect the way a student learns. The emotional
environment also will affect the learning environment and how well a student
receives instruction.
Emotional Environment:
Creating a positive learning environment is essential for success in the
classroom. Teachers should create a welcoming atmosphere where student feel
safe and willing to share. Classrooms should represent the students equally and
everyone should know each other's name. Teachers who use humor in the
classroom also create more positive environments.
Physical Environment:
Structuring the physical environment of a classroom means strategically
placing desks, students, decorations, and playing music. Desks arranged in a
circle give the impression of sharing, while coupled desks work well as
workstations. The colour of the walls and the decorations on the walls also send
impressions. Light colours open up spaces and warm colours are welcoming.
Respectful Environment:
Classrooms should be a place where students feel respected and feel their
contributionsmatters. No student should be singled out or secluded in the
classroom. Everystudent should feel accepted, wanted andrespected.
Freiberg, Driscoll and Knights (1999) observed that some of the notable factors

18
that may influence students’’ academic achievement in secondary schools are;
school climate, instructional materials, discipline, physical facilities, teacher
quality, type of location of schoolandclasssize.
Thisisbecause,schoolswithagoodandconduciveenvironmentthat has the best
type of teachers, instructional materials and physical facilities will produce better
school leavers with high achievement. Most at times parents of students are not
satisfied with the facilities provided in their school. Also, the extent at which
some teachers, exhibit high level of indiscipline does not seem to portray them as
role models. They rather encourage indiscipline among students by their attitudes.
This may have negative influence of students’ academicachievement.
One finding of Odeh. Oguche, Angelina and Ivagher, Ezekiel Dondo, also
revealed that
schoolphysicalfacilitieshavesignificantinfluenceonacademicachievementofsecond
ary schoolstudents.ThisfindingisinconsonancewiththeopinionofHallak
(2000)whostates that facilities form one of the potent factors that contribute to
academic achievement of students in the school system. They include the school
buildings, classroom, accommodation, libraries, laboratories, furniture,
recreational equipment, apparatus and other instructional materials. He went
further to say that their availability, relevance and
adequacycontributetoacademicachievementofstudents.Hehowever,quicklyaddedth
atunattractiveschoolbuildingsandovercrowdedclassroomsamongotherscontributeto
poor academic achievement of the students in primary and other levels of
education.
Another finding also revealed that school physical facilities have significant
influence on academic achievement of secondary school students. This finding is
in consonancewiththe opinion of Hallak (2000) who states that facilities form one
of the potent factors that contribute to academic achievement of students in the

19
school system. They include the
schoolbuildings,classroom,accommodation,libraries,laboratories,furniture,recreati
onal equipment, apparatus and other instructional materials. He went further to
say that their availability, relevance and adequacy contribute to academic
achievement of students. He however, quickly added that unattractive school
buildings and overcrowded classrooms
amongotherscontributetopooracademicachievementofthestudentsinprimaryandoth
er levels ofeducation.
In another study, Aduwa-Ogiegbaen and Iyamu (2006) examined the
factors responsible for the poor quality of the teaching of English as a second
language in public secondary schools across the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria.
Three thousand senior secondary school students were asked to respond to a
questionnaire consisting of three variables: (1) Frequency of the use of
instructional media; (2) Frequency of the use of instructional techniques; and (3)
The school learning environment. Results revealed that English language
teachers do not frequently use modern instructional technologies and variety of
teaching techniques in their English Language lessons.
Itwasalsofoundthatstudentslearnunder harsh environment, which is often rowdy,
congested and noisy. Lamb et al (2006) provided an overview of the major
factors and interventions affecting migrant students' academic
performance/outcomes. Factors outside the school, such as poverty, family, and
Englishlanguageproficiency,arediscussed.Next,factorsinsidetheschool,suchasstud
ent records, credit accrual, and school curriculum, will bereviewed.
Teaching and Learning International Survey (2009) notes that numerous
other factors determine the classroom learning environment include the
curriculum, then physical conditions (good / poor quality facilities) and material
resources available at schools, the role of testing and examination in education

20
systems, working time and condition for teachers (including pay, social security
andother benefits), students’ motivation, marking and grading systems and
overall school culture.
Hence, Ijaiya (2009) observes that the state of the physical facilities and
buildings is poor and made worse by over- crowding. Even with the
implementation of the current 6-3-3-4, facilities are far from being adequate.
Osunde & Ogiegbaen (2005) notes that lack of infrastructure facilities is
associated with student’s poor achievement in senior secondary certificate
examination in English language. They observe that many ofthe students come
from technologically advanced homes where all sorts of modern gadgets such as
radio, television sets, film videos, satellites and internet services exist but find
themselves in boring and rowdy traditional classrooms which hardly have any
facilities.
Theschoolenvironmentisnotconduciveforlearningandtheclassroomsareusuallypoo
rlyequipped. It is not surprising, therefore, that the students performpoorly.
Responses to declining standards of English in Nigeria were examined by
Dr. Josephine O
Brienconcludingthatanewsyllabus,tooffsettheperceiveddecline,theLongmanprojec
t
wasdrawnupandanewintegratedcoursewasintroducedintheearly1980s.Thedesignin
g of the New Integrated Longman English Course (NILE) for Nigeria was a
partial response to the declining standards of English. The course emerged after
long discussion between Ministry of Education officials, Longman publishers,
expatriate authors and some serving secondary school teachers. The essential
features of the course were that it was designed
specificallyforNigeriawithcontentrelevanttothelivesofthestudents;itwasproposeda
s an integrated graded course that was easy to teach given the constraints of the

21
Nigeria classroom and with clear guides for teachers in a teacher manual. The
objective was to develop a realistic level of competence in all four skills by the
end of the sixth year. The
coursewhilefocusingondevelopingcompetencewasdeliberatelynotrevolutionarysot
hat teachers would find it easy and straightforward. In a great spirit of optimism,
Sandell (2003)referredtoit
asacoherentsyllabus'thatanswersthepleasofteacherswhilealso describing it as 'a
realistic course' and concluding that without any major political or educational
changes ' it should serve the northern schools for years tocome.'
It could be concluded that teachers lacked three fundamental requirements for
effective
teaching:areasonablelevelofcompetenceinEnglishandtraininginandunderstanding
ofvarious methods of teaching the four language skills in the classroom and the
ability to adapt methods and materials to their own classroom environment.
2.6 Summary:
Overall, the classroom environment plays a vital role in keeping students
involved and permitting them to be successful indoors of the classroom. The
teacher can adjust the environment to accomplish these results. There is a
multitude of ways in which to do this. They can assemble the desks in different
outlines. They can decorate the walls with different assignments or objects.
Students can be used to help lead the classroom in the
waythattheteacherwantstogo.Evenadaptingthelightingorthetemperatureoftheroom
canincreasetheefficiencyofinstructionintheclassroom.Agoodteacherisawareofthes
e elements and the importance that they play in student success. Without giving
attention to theenvironmentofaclassroomtheteacherissettingtheirstudentsup
tobelesssuccessful.

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 CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Introduction

This chapter explains the methodology of the study base on the following topics:

Research Design

Population of the Study

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Sample and Sampling Technique:

Instrumentation

Validity of the Instrument

Reliability of the Instrument

Procedure for Data Collection

Procedure for Data Analysis

Summary of Chapter

3.2 Research Design

The research adopts the social survey technique. It involves collecting data
primarily through questionnaire. This method is flexible and affordable and also
gives the respondents high level of courage owing to the fact that they could respond
objectively to the questionnaire without any undue interference.
The population of the study is the people living in Jema’a Local Government
Area of Kaduna State, Nigeria; the sample size is twenty-five respondents (25) from
four (4) secondary schools drawn randomly from schools in Jema’a Local
Government Area of Kaduna. The primary source of data is the questionnaire. On
the other hand, the secondary data used include: library materials such as books,
journals, articles newspapers, unpublished materials as well as the internet materials.
The frequency and percentage method was used to analyze the data in a tabular form
and conclusions are made from the data collected.
3.3 Population of the Study
The population of the study include teachers and students of Secondary
Schools within Jema’a Local Government Area of Kaduna state, Nigeria. In order to
enhance efficiency and accurate result, a sample of the population was drawn from

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the population of the study.
3.4 Sampling Technique

The sample size for this research is hundred (100); it is the number of people
that are to be administered with the structured questionnaire. The sampling
technique the study adopts is the simple random sampling. The simple random
sampling technique is adopted because it allows equal chances for any one among
the target population to be selected for the response. People were selected randomly
from different communities in Jema’a LGA. The simple random sampling technique
is considered most appropriate because the study will involve students and teachers.

3.5 Instrumentation
The major instrument used for this research is the questionnaire. Personal
observation and oral interview from other primary source of information.
3.1 Validation of the Instrument
The extent to which an instrument measures what it is supposed to measure as
it is designed to perform is known as “instrument validation”. It is rare to have a
hundred percent valid instrument but to a large extent the instrument used in this
research is structured in a way that the view of respondents is given in a secured
atmosphere; there was no undue influence of the respondents’ view by the
researchers or anyone else. The instrument adopts the use of statements made in
simple language and a close ended options for each response to avoid ambiguity.
Furthermore, there is a high level of objectivity because of the method employed in
analyzing the instrument. Therefore, the instrument used here is valid.
3.2 Reliability of the Instrument
The instrument employed in this study is reliable to a larger extent because it
is able to measure the variables of the study in the most appropriate manner.
According to Mugenda (2009), a coefficient of 0.08 or more implied that there was a

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high degree of reliability of the data. This was the reliability coefficient that was
accepted. The method used to establish the reliability coefficient was internal
consistency method because it gave high reliability. The specific method under this
used was Kuder-Richardson because it was easy and it gave a high reliability.If the
measurement is repeated, a greater level of consistency will be achieved.
3.3 Procedure for Data Collection
The procedure used for data collection for this study is both primary source
and secondary source. The primary sources of data collection include the use of
questionnaire, discussions and observations. While the secondary source includes
library material such as books, journals, newspapers, articles, unpublished materials
as well as the internet materials.
3.4 Procedure for Data Analysis
The quantitative data for this research is analyzed using the Frequency and
Percentage Chat represented on a tabular form.
The Frequency and Percentage table is presented as:
Frequency= n
n
Percentage= tn × 100

Where n= the number of a particular response

Where tn= total number of the respondents.
3.10 Summary of Chapter
This chapter described the methodology used for data collection and analysis
under the following topics: research design, population of the study, sample and
sampling technique, instrumentation, validity of the instrument, reliability of the
instrument, procedure for data collection, procedure for data analysis, summary of
chapter.

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