CHAPTER FOUR
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
This chapter is based on the presentation, analysis, as well as interpretation of the
data that were collected in the course of this study.
Results
Demographic Analyses of the Students’ Respondents
Table 1: Distribution of Student respondents based on gender
Frequency Percent
Valid FEMALE 121 60.5
MALE 79 39.5
Total 200 100.0
The table above reveals that 121 (60.5%) of the students’ respondents are female
while the remaining 79 (39.5%) are male respondents.
Table 2: Distribution of respondents based on age
Frequency Percent
Valid Below 12 years 11 5.5
12-16 years 83 41.5
16 - 20 years 106 53.0
Total 200 100.0
Table 2 indicates that, 11 (5.5.0%) of the respondents were within the age range of
below 12 years, 83(41.5%) of the respondents were within the age range of 12-16
years while, 106 (53.0%) of the rest of respondents were within the age range of 16
-20 years. This implies that, majority of the students examined are within the age
range of 16-20 years.
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Table 3: Distribution of respondents based on school
Frequency Percent
Valid Community High School 50 25
Etioro
AUD Secondary school 50 25
Oroke High School Akungba 50 25
Ikare Comprehensive High 50 25
School
Total 200 100.0
The table above reveals that 50 (25%) of the respondents were from Community
High School Etioro, 50 (25%) were from AUD Secondary school, 50 (25%) were
from Oroke High School Akungba while, 50 (25%) were from Ikare
Comprehensive High School. This implies that are the selected secondary schools
were evenly presented.
Table 4: Distribution of respondents based on religion
Frequency Percent
Valid Christian 163 81.5
Muslim 35 17.5
Traditional 2 1.0
Total 200 100.0
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The table above reveals that, 163 (81.5%) of the respondents were from Christians,
while 35 (17.5%) were Muslims while 2 (1.0%) respondents were of traditional
religion. By implication, majority of the respondents were Christians.
Analysis of Research Questions
Research Question One: What was the perception of students towards the
English language in public secondary schools in the Akoko south-west area of
Ondo State?
Table 5: Analysis of students’ responses based on the perception of students
towards the English language in public secondary schools in the Akoko south-
west area of Ondo State
S/N ITEMS SA A SD D
F F F F
% % % %
1. I enjoy learning English language in 182 18 - -
school 91.0 9.0 - -
2. My teachers are effective in teaching 145 55 - -
English language 72.5 27.5 - -
3. English language is a difficult subject for - - 131 69
Me - - 65.5 34.5
4. My school provides a conducive 189 11 - -
environment for learning English 94.5 5.5 - -
language
Mean 2.6960
grand total standard deviation 0.5616
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The table above reveals that 182 (91.0%) of the respondents strongly agreed that they
enjoy learning English language in school, 18 (9.0%) of the respondents agreed with the
statement. On item 2, 145 (72.5%) of the respondents strongly agreed that their
teachers are effective in teaching English language while, 55 (27.5%) of the respondents
agreed with the assertion. On item 3, 131 (65.5%) of the respondents strongly
disagreed that English language is a difficult subject for them while, 69 (34.5%) of the
respondents disagreed with the claim. On item 4, 189 (94.5%) of the respondents
strongly agreed while, 11 (5.5%) of the respondents agreed with the assertion that their
school provides a conducive environment for learning English language.
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Research Question Two: What factors influenced students’ attitudes towards
learning the English language?
Table 6: Analysis of students’ responses based on the factors that influenced
students’ attitudes towards learning the English language
S/N ITEMS SA A SD D
F F F F
% % % %
1. Availability of resources and materials in teaching 161 39 - -
and learning English language 80.5 19.5 - -
Perceived usefulness of English language in 173 27 - -
future career 86.5 13.5 - -
Difficulty level of English language courses - - 127 73
- - 63.5 36.5
Parental encouragement and support 192 8 - -
96.0 4.0 - -
Mean 2 .606
grand total standard deviation 0.5998
The table above reveals that 161 (80.5%) of the respondents strongly agreed that
availability of resources and materials in teaching and learning English language is
the factor that influenced students’ attitudes towards learning the English language,
while 39 (19.5%) of the respondents agreed with the statement. Item 2, avowed that
173 (86.5%) of the respondents strongly agreed that perceived usefulness of English
language in future career is the factor that influenced students’ attitudes towards
learning the English language while, 27 (13.5%) of the respondents agreed with the
assertion. On item 3, 127 (63.5%) of the respondents strongly disagreed that
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difficulty level of English language courses is the factor that influenced students’
attitudes towards learning the English language while, 73 (36.5%) of the
respondents disagreed with the claim. On item 4, 192 (96.0%) of the respondents
strongly agreed while, 8 (4.0%) of the respondents agreed with the assertion that
their parental encouragement and support is the factor that influenced students’
attitudes towards learning the English language.
Research Question Three: How did the students’ attitudes impact their
learning and performance in the English language?
Table 7: Analysis of students’ responses based on how the students’ attitudes
impacted their learning and performance in the English language
S/N ITEMS SA A SD D
F F F F
% % % %
2. My positive attitude towards English language 161 39 - -
helps me to learn faster 80.5 19.5 - -
I am more engaged in English language classes 173 27 - -
when I am motivated and interested
86.5 13.5 - -
My negative attitude towards English language - - 127 73
makes it harder for me to learn
- - 63.5 36.5
I ask questions in English language classes when 192 8 - -
I am curious and struggling for understanding
96.0 4.0 - -
Mean 2 .606
grand total standard deviation 0.5998
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The table above reveals that 161 (80.5%) of the respondents strongly agreed that their
positive attitude towards English language helps them to learn faster, while 39 (19.5%)
of the respondents agreed with the statement. Item 2, avowed that 173 (86.5%) of the
respondents strongly agreed that they are more engaged in English language classes
when they are motivated and interested while, 27 (13.5%) of the respondents agreed
with the assertion. On item 3, 127 (63.5%) of the respondents strongly disagreed that
their negative attitude towards English language makes it harder for them to learn
while, 73 (36.5%) of the respondents disagreed with the claim. On item 4, 192 (96.0%)
of the respondents strongly agreed while, 8 (4.0%) of the respondents agreed with the
assertion that they ask questions in English language classes when they are curious and
struggling for understanding.
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Research Question Four: Does the learning environment affect students’ attitudes
towards learning the English language?
Table 8: Analysis of students’ responses based on does the learning
environment affect students’ attitudes towards learning the English language
S/N ITEMS SA A SD D
F F F F
% % % %
3. The classroom atmosphere and peer 161 39 - -
interactions influence my attitude towards 80.5 19.5 - -
English language positively
The classroom size and adequate students to 173 27 - -
teacher ratio impact my attitude towards 86.5 13.5 - -
learning English language
The teacher’ teaching style positively influence 127 73 - -
my attitude towards English language 63.5 36.5 - -
The teacher’s expectations and feedback impact 192 8 - -
my attitude towards learning English 96.0 4.0 - -
Mean 2 .606
grand total standard deviation 0.5998
The table above reveals that 161 (80.5%) of the respondents strongly agreed that the
classroom atmosphere and peer interactions influence their attitude towards English
language positively, while 39 (19.5%) of the respondents agreed with the statement.
Item 2, avowed that 173 (86.5%) of the respondents strongly agreed that the classroom
size and adequate students to teacher ratio impact their attitude towards learning
English language while, 27 (13.5%) of the respondents agreed with the assertion. On
item 3, 127 (63.5%) of the respondents strongly agreed that the teacher’ teaching style
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positively influence their attitude towards English language while, 73 (36.5%) of the
respondents agreed with the claim. On item 4, 192 (96.0%) of the respondents strongly
agreed while, 8 (4.0%) of the respondents agreed with the assertion that their teacher’s
expectations and feedback impact their attitude towards learning English.
Discussion of Findings
This section presents the discussion of the relevant findings emanating from the
study.
What was the perception of students towards the English language in public
secondary schools in the Akoko south-west area of Ondo State?
Considering students opinions and beliefs regarding the English language, how
much they value and like it, and what they forecast for their own future education
(Kifer, 2002), reflect the strongest predictor variables affecting student
achievement. Students with higher self-concepts, i.e., those who thought that doing
well in the English language was not so difficult and who valued the importance of
the language, were more likely than their peers with low self-concepts to attain a
higher English language performance. The result of the statistical analysis reveals
that 91.0% of the respondents strongly agreed that they enjoy learning English
language in school, this discovery is consistent with the findings of Benham (1995),
he reviewed studies relating to students self-perceptions and academic achievement.
His findings were that when students believed that their academic performance was
a consequence of their own actions rather than the consequences of factors out of
their control, they had better academic achievement. Also, 72.5% of the respondents
strongly agreed that their teachers are effective in teaching English language, this
findings is in consistency with the findings of (Borasi, 1990; Shoenfeld, 1985).
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They believed that Students have been found to hold a strong procedural and rule-
oriented view of the English language and to assume that English language
questions should be quickly solvable in just a few steps, the goal just being to get
the “right answers” within the shortest time possible. For them, the role of the
student is to receive English language knowledge and to be able to demonstrate it;
the role of the teacher is to transmit this knowledge and to ascertain that students
have acquired it. Furthermore, the result of this study reveal that the majority of the
respondents agreed with the assertion that their school provides a conducive
environment for learning English language.
What factors influenced students’ attitudes towards learning the English
language?
According to Getie (2020), several factors affect English language students’
attitudes towards language learning. Moreover, according to Krashen (1998),
students’ confidence fosters learning achievements. The findings in this research
showed that 80.5%) of the respondents strongly agreed that availability of resources
and materials in teaching and learning English language is the factor that influenced
students’ attitudes towards learning the English language this result is supported by
the position of (Wilkins, 1974; Conteh, 2002), they believed that a teacher’s
classroom management skills play an essential role in determining whether students
are willing to learn or not. In some countries where the teaching and learning
conditions are not good, it highly requires teachers’ abilities to deal with big or
small, hot or cold, adequate and functioning equipment, bright or dark classes, airy
or steady, students’ misbehaviors, and more, consequently, teachers capable of
dealing with these problems may bring more effective teaching to the class and
enhance students’ learning attitudes towards the target language. Furthermore, it
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was discovered that the majority (86.5%) of the respondents strongly agreed that
perceived usefulness of English language in future career is the factor that
influenced students’ attitudes towards learning the English language.
How did the students’ attitudes impact their learning and performance in the
English language?
The result of the statistical analysis reveals 80.5%) of the respondents strongly
agreed that their positive attitude towards English language helps them to learn
faster, according to Krashen (1998), students’ confidence fosters learning
achievements. Students’ confidence is defined as their beliefs in their capacities to
do or complete tasks.
More so, the findings of this study also show that 86.5%) of the respondents
strongly agreed that they are more engaged in English language classes when they
are motivated and interested, (96.0%) of the respondents strongly agreed that they
ask questions in English language classes when they are curious and struggling for
understanding this is in consistent with the opinion of Spolsky (1972), teaching
could not be effective if it lacked communication between teachers and students,
also according to Larsen and Long (1991), students tend to be grateful to their
teachers when they feel their positive attitudes. Eventually, they will be more
motivated to participate in class activities and improve their learning outcomes. The
outcome of this study is in relationship with a study carried out by Ibnian (2015) on
relationship between Saudi EFL students’ attitudes towards learning English and
their academic achievement, Ibnian (2015) found that letting the students
understand that English is a key to success in their future would give them the need
to master the language to open new horizons in various domains. In addition, age,
socio-economic status, strategies, methods, and techniques, the teaching learning
environment, and cultural pressure are some of the factors that can affect the
learners’ attitudes towards learning a language.
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Does the learning environment affect students’ attitudes towards learning the
English language?
The findings of the study reveal that majority of the sampled respondents strongly
agreed that strongly agreed that the classroom atmosphere and peer interactions
influence their attitude towards English language positively. Also, all the
respondents agreed that the classroom size and adequate students to teacher ratio
impact their attitude towards learning English language. This findings is in
consistent with the theory that underpinned this study, social learning theory, the
theoretical framework was based on Albert Bandura’s social learning theory of
1977. Social learning theory is increasingly cited as an essential component of
sustainable natural resource management and the promotion of desirable
behavioural change. (Muro & Jeffrey, 2008). This theory is based on the idea that
we learn from our interactions with others in a social context. Separately, by
observing the behaviors of others, people develop similar behaviours. After
observing the behavior of others, people assimilate and imitate that behavior,
especially if their observational experiences are positive ones or include rewards
related to the observed behavior. Furthermore, all the sampled respondents agreed
that their teacher’ teaching style positively influence their attitude towards English
language, this finding agrees with the opinion of (Day & Ford, 1998), they opined
that undoubtedly, the teacher plays a highly essential role in students’ learning
processes. First, good interaction between students and their teachers can forge their
attitudes towards English learning.
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