This study examines the effects of Nigerian pidgin on students’ performance in English studies using selected students of Junior Secondary School, Bwari Abuja as case study.
In conducting the research the researcher uses qualitative and quantitative approach method and sources data from both primary and secondary sources. Primary data are collected through the use of questionnaire with open-ended variables while secondary data collection is from existing literature on the project topic. Likert-type scale arranged in order of "very significantly", "significantly", "neutral", "insignificantly" and "very insignificantly" are used to get respondents opinion on the variables. The major research questions are: What are the effects of Nigerian Pidgin on students’ performance in English studies? Are students allowed to use Nigerian Pidgin in academic works? The general objective of the study is to find out the impact of Nigerian Pidgin on students’ performance in English studies while the hypotheses posit for the study include:
Ho1: There is no significant relationship between Nigerian Pidgin and students’ performance in English Studies.
Ho2: There is no significant relationship between students’ use of Nigerian Pidgin on the outcome of their academic performance.
The major results of the study indicate that 94% or the respondents posits that Nigerian Pidgin affects academic performance while the test of hypothesis with a degree of freedom 4 percent indicate that there is a significant relationship between Nigerian Pidgin and students’ performance in English studies. The study recommends that the use of Nigerian Pidgin in an academic community such as Junior Secondary School Bwari, Abuja should not be encouraged. The study suggests that a more robust examination on the research topic involving other academic communities be conducted. Besides,, a comparative study on the impact of Pidgin on students’ performance in other English speaking countries should be carried out in order to investigate how its been handled.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
1.1 Background of the study
1.2 Statement of the Problem.
1.3 Purpose of the study
1.4 The objective of the study
1.5 Research Questions
1.6 Research hypothesis
1.7 Significance of the study
1.8 Scope of the Study
1.9 Operational definition of terms
2. Review of Literature
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Conceptual framework
2.2.1 Pidgin
2.2.2 Nigerian Pidgin
2.3 The concept of performance
2.4 Theoretical Framework
2.4.1 Krashen and the Monitor Model
2.4.2 Interaction Model
2.4.3. Previous empirical studies
2.4.4 Junior Secondary School
2.5 Appraisal of effect of NP on Students’ Performance
3. Research Methodology
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Research design
3.3 Population of study
3.4 Sample Size
3.5 Sampling procedure/ Technique
3.6 Instruments for Data Collection
3.7 Process of Data Collection
3.8 Method of Data Analysis
3.9 Validity of the instrument
3.10 Reliability
4. Date Presentation, Analysis and Interpretation
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Data Presentation and Analysis
5. Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Summary/ Discussion of findings
5.3 Conclusion
5.4 Recommendations
5.5 Suggestion for further studies
Research Goals and Focus
This study aims to examine the impact of Nigerian Pidgin (NP) on the academic performance of Junior Secondary School students in Bwari, Abuja, specifically focusing on how the usage of Pidgin affects their proficiency and grades in English Studies.
- Assessing the correlation between Nigerian Pidgin usage and English language proficiency.
- Investigating the influence of environmental contact (family, neighborhood) on student Pidgin usage.
- Evaluating whether current institutional policies sanction the use of Nigerian Pidgin in academic settings.
- Analyzing the pedagogical implications of the co-existence of Standard English and Nigerian Pidgin in classrooms.
Excerpt from the Book
2.2.1 Pidgin
Pidgin English according to Basheer (2015:3) “is a language which was developed in a situation where speakers of different languages have a need to communicate but do not share a common or specific language.” Basheer, further, posits that Pidgin English ‘is generally learned as a second language and used for communication among people who speak different languages. Some other scholars have defined Pidgin variously: Ajibade, (2012: 8) opines that any two languages in contact can result in ‘inter-lingual improvisation’; Izenose, (2018) posits ‘a Pidgin crops up from a situation involving a target language and two or more substrate languages, but the socially superior target language is usually inaccessible to the substrate speakers’ (Basheer, 2015:9)
Further, Hassan, (2015: 22) see Pidgin as “A language which has been striped-off everything but bare essentials necessary for communication.” One can deduced from this definition that Pidgin; unlike English Language is a more simplified means of communication. This is so as implied above, syntactic or grammatical details are much less when compared with a language like English. More so, ‘Pidgin is a mixed language, and almost all languages come into being under conditions of communicating among people from different linguistic background.’(Akande & Salami 2010: 39). According to Akande and Salami “most of the existing pidgins advanced along the trade routes of the world, most particularly in those territory where the British, Spanish, Dutch, French and Portuguese built up their empire.” Consequently, one hears of Pidgin English, Pidgin French, and Pidgin Portuguese, and others, based on the language that Pidgin is derived from. Achoimre (2014:6) added that Pidgin normally arises in colonial conditions though it primarily begins as trade language.”
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter provides the background on declining academic performance in Nigeria and introduces the research problem regarding the influence of Nigerian Pidgin on student proficiency.
2. Review of Literature: This chapter reviews conceptual frameworks, including the definitions and origins of Pidgin and Standard English, and examines previous empirical studies on language contact and performance.
3. Research Methodology: This chapter outlines the research design, population size, sampling techniques, and statistical methods used to collect and analyze data from students and staff.
4. Date Presentation, Analysis and Interpretation: This chapter presents the statistical results from the survey and tests the research hypotheses to determine the relationship between Pidgin usage and academic performance.
5. Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations: This chapter summarizes the findings, concludes that Nigerian Pidgin negatively impacts performance, and provides recommendations for pedagogical improvements.
Keywords
Nigerian Pidgin, English Studies, academic performance, Junior Secondary School, language contact, Standard English, linguistic proficiency, pedagogical interference, grammar, student achievement, academic community, Bwari, Abuja.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this research?
The research examines the effects of Nigerian Pidgin usage on the academic performance of Junior Secondary School students, specifically regarding their proficiency and achievements in English Studies.
What are the central themes of the work?
The central themes include the conflict between Nigerian Pidgin and Standard English, the impact of environmental and familial language exposure, and the educational consequences of linguistic "broken English" in formal settings.
What is the main objective of the study?
The objective is to determine whether there is a significant relationship between the use of Nigerian Pidgin and the academic performance of students, and to identify if this usage hampers their ability to master Standard English.
Which scientific methods were employed?
The researcher used both qualitative and quantitative approaches, utilizing a structured questionnaire for field surveys and Chi-Square statistical analysis to test the research hypotheses.
What topics are covered in the main body?
The main body covers the theoretical frameworks of language acquisition (Krashen’s Monitor Model), the conceptual definition of performance, empirical analysis of student essays, and the impact of the school environment on language usage.
Which keywords best describe the research?
The research is best characterized by keywords such as Nigerian Pidgin, academic performance, English Studies, language contact, and pedagogical interference.
Does the study find that Nigerian Pidgin should be adopted as a lingua franca?
No, the majority of respondents (76%) and the research findings suggest that Nigerian Pidgin is not sufficiently developed to fulfill the role of a national language, and its adoption would likely further erode academic standards.
How do students primarily get in contact with Nigerian Pidgin?
The study concludes that students' contact with Nigerian Pidgin stems primarily from their home environment and immediate neighborhoods before they even begin their formal education in Junior Secondary School.
What do the essay results reveal about students' performance?
The essay scripts showed a high incidence of grammatical and spelling errors linked to Nigerian Pidgin, with 76% of the sampled students scoring below 40% (failure), indicating a direct correlation between Pidgin usage and poor academic outcomes.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Leslie Acheson Wey (Autor:in), 2019, Does Using Local Pidgin Effect the Outcome of English Learning? The Case of Nigerian Students, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/512587
