scholarly journals Content analysis of levels and aspects of comprehension in West African senior secondary school examination

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Funmilayo M. Oguntade
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
English Language ◽  
Local Environment ◽  
Higher Order ◽  
West African ◽  
School Students ◽  
The West ◽  
Senior Secondary School ◽  
School Certificate ◽  
Senior Secondary

Background: Reading is one of the most complex and exclusively human mental activities. It is a foundational skill for all learning, whether at primary, secondary or tertiary levels. If students do not master effective strategies for reading, they may not be successful independent learners. The ability to comprehend written texts and answer relevant questions on them is a major feature that is examined in comprehension in the West African Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination.Objective: This study was directed at analysing the content of the English language comprehension questions in the West African School Certificate Examination to identify the intensities of testing different aspects of comprehension so that teachers can lay emphasis on these aspects when they teach reading strategies to their students.Method: The content analytical approach was used to identify the different aspects and levels of the comprehension passages. The analysis of the content was carried out by focusing on 10 different content sub-categories.Results: The study revealed that most of the comprehension passages presented had never been used before and they were related to the students’ local environment. Literal and inferential questions dominated while critical and evaluative questions were rarely asked.Conclusion: In the light of the pedagogic importance of critical and evaluative questions, it is recommended that examiners and teachers should lay emphasis on questions that demand higher-order reasoning to prepare students for the contemporary demands of literacy. In line with higher-order questions, it is also suggested that the curriculum should be amended to encourage critical evaluative thinking among secondary school students as it is an important part of literacy and language development.

scholarly journals SELF CONCEPT, PARENTAL SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AMONG SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN KEBBI STATE, NIGERIA

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 12
Author(s):  
Haruna Sani Aliero
Keyword(s):  
Academic Performance ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
English Language ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Self Concept ◽  
School Students ◽  
Senior Secondary School ◽  
Socio Economic Status ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Senior Secondary

 The main thrust of the paper is to determine if there is any significant difference between socio – economic status, self-concept and academic performance of SS1 students in Kebbi State. The sample was made up of 360 (180 boys and 180 girls) drawn from the population of senior secondary school one (S.S.I) from six Senior Secondary Schools in Kebbi State. Akinboye’s Adolescent Personal Data Inventory (APDI) by Akinboye (1985) and the Adopted version of Parental Socio- Economic Status Questionnaire (PSESQ) by Adegoke (1987) were used to measure Self-concept and Parental Socio-economic Status respectively. The reliability coefficient of the instruments was (0.85 and 0.79) for APDI and (0.82 and 0.78) for PSESQ respectively. Academic Performance was obtained using the students’ scores in English Language and Mathematics in the Junior Secondary School Certificate Examination of 2015/2016 session. Two hypotheses were generated and tested using t- test. The findings of the study indicated that there was significant difference between Parental Socio-economic Status and Academic Achievement. There was also significant difference between Self-concept and Academic Performance of students. The findings were discussed and their implications and recommendations highlighted. It was recommended that teaching became more meaningful when pupils are assisted to build a positive self-concept. Similarly, parents should show more concern in helping their children develop positive self-concept. Teachers should also take into consideration the socio-economic background of their students.

scholarly journals The effectiveness of corpus-based training on collocation use in L2 writing for Chinese senior secondary school students

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Liuqin Fang ◽  
Qing Ma ◽  
Jiahao Yan
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
English Language ◽  
L2 Writing ◽  
Testing System ◽  
School Students ◽  
Senior Secondary School ◽  
Writing Tests ◽  
Word Selection ◽  
Senior Secondary

Abstract Corpus tools are known to be effective in helping L2 learners improve their writing, especially regarding their use of words. Most corpus-based L2 writing research has focused on university students while little attention has been paid to secondary school L2 students. This study investigated whether senior secondary school students in China, upon receiving corpus-based training under the framework of data-driven learning (DDL), could improve their vocabulary use, especially the use of collocations, in their writing for the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test. Twenty-two students aged 16–18 in a senior secondary school in Nanchang, China who were planning to take the IELTS exam participated in the study. Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA) and Word and Phrase were the main corpora that the participants used to learn various search functions. Pre-writing and post-writing tests were administered to measure the effect of corpus training. In addition, a questionnaire and interviews were used to collect students’ perspectives and attitudes. The results indicate that students made improvement in word selection after three corpus training sessions, and their attitudes towards corpus use were positive even though they were restricted from using computers to access corpora inside their school.

Implications of Short Message Service (Text Messaging) on English Languge Writing and Learning Among Secondary School Students: A Case Study of Some Selected Secondary Schools in Olorunda Local Government Area of Osun State, Nigeria

2020 ◽  
pp. 38-45
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Random Sampling ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
English Language ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Simple Random Sampling ◽  
School Students ◽  
Senior Secondary School ◽  
Senior Secondary

The study investigated commonly used abbreviated words among the sampled population. It also determined the difference between those that abbreviated words and those that did not abbreviated words. The study revealed the list of abbreviated words in the study. And also ascertained which gender abbreviated words most. These were with a view to provide information on the implications of SMS language on English Language writing and learning of the students. The study adopted quantitative survey research design. The population for the study Comprised 83 senior secondary school students in Olorunda Local Government, Osun State. The sample size comprised 100 respondents, selected using multistage sampling technique. One Local Government Area (LGA) was selected from thirty Local Governments in the state using simple random sampling technique. From the LGA, four senior secondary school was selected using simple random sampling technique and from each school, 25 students were selected from senior secondary school II using simple random sampling technique. The students were taught for forty minutes on how to write a letter devoid of using abbreviated words and after the lesson, the students were asked to write a letter to their father informing him about social amenities in your school. Those letters were collected, marked and converted to data for this study. Data collected was analyzed using simple percentages. Those letter were collected, marked and converted to data for this study. The result showed commonly used abbreviated words by the respondents such as, pls (please) 9 times by 9 students, u (you) 26 times by 10 students , and fyn (fine) 5 times and so on. The result also revealed 51 students (representing 61.4%) did not abbreviated words in the letter writing and 32 students (representing 38.6%) abbreviated words in the letter. The result showed that female gender was the gender that abbreviated words most in the letter with 49% and male with 35%. Lastly, the result also revealed percentage of students that used abbreviated words 38.6% of the students used abbreviated words while 61.4% of the 100% total population did not used abbreviated words The study concluded that use of abbreviated words did not have effect on English language learning and writing among secondary school students in Olorunda Local Government, Osun State.

scholarly journals Effects of Word Games, Culturally Relevant Songs, and Stories on Students' Motivation in a Nigerian English Language Class

2008 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yetunde Ajibade ◽  
Kate Ndububa
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
English Language ◽  
Culturally Relevant ◽  
School Level ◽  
Control Group ◽  
School Students ◽  
Control Group Design ◽  
Senior Secondary School ◽  
Language Class ◽  
Senior Secondary

This study investigated the extent to which word games and culturally relevant songs and stories could motivate senior secondary school students in Nigeria, thereby enhancing their performance in English. A pre-test/post-test control group design was used. The sample consisted of 100 senior secondary school II students randomly assigned into experimental and control groups. Four instruments were designed, validated, and used for data collection. Four hypotheses were formulated and tested. The findings revealed that the use of word games and culturally relevant instructional activities was beneficial for these students, as they served as an effective motivational strategy that contributed to better performance in English-language learning at the senior secondary school level.

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