The Challenges Facing Effective Teaching of Literature-in-English in Nigerian Secondary Schools

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Foreign Countries; Secondary School Students; Secondary School Teachers; Skill Development; Barriers; English Teachers; Literature; English Instruction; Educational Quality; Educational Resources; Educational Environment; Language Proficiency; English (Second Language); Faculty Workload; Misconceptions; Parent Participation; Textbooks; Language of Instruction; Public Schools

2167-8693

Literature-in-English is a major school subject that equips students with language and other soft skills needed for entry into the workforce. For students to acquire the skills, effective teaching, which is dependent on the availability of basic teaching--learning resources, is essential. Education is underfunded in Nigeria. This affects the quality of teaching and impedes learning. The rate at which students fail Literature-in-English, which is getting worse each year, indicates that there is a problem in the teaching--learning process. Using a mixed-method research design, this study investigated the problems of teaching Literature-in-English in 51 public senior secondary school in Ibadan metropolis, Oyo State. Random and purposive sampling techniques were used to select three local government areas (LGAs), 20 teachers, and 7,090 students. Data were gathered through Availability of Literature Teachers Checklist (ALTC), Interview Guide for Literature-in-English Teachers (IGLT) and Students' Text Possession Checklist (STPC). The result shows that teachers are faced with many challenges that prevent them from delivering quality instruction. These include poor learning environment, acute shortage of textbooks, low language proficiency, misconceptions about the value of literature, heavy workload, and lack of parental support. Some schools do not have literature teachers. The biggest obstacle, however, is lack of textbooks. The situation is critical and points to a crisis of teaching and learning in Literature-in-English classrooms. Urgent interventions are needed if the objectives of this school subject are to be achieved. Some recommendations are made.

As Provided

2023

EJ1373904