INTRODUCTION
Education is a process of acquiring
knowledge. Bellingham (2007) in Sarti & Agu ed (2018) see education as any process, formal or
informal, that helps develop potentialities of human beings, including their
knowledge, capabilities, behaviour patterns and values. In a similar context,
education can be seen as a developmental process provided by a school or other
institutions that are organised mainly for instruction and learning. Education
can be summed up as the aggregate of all the processes by which an individual
and society in general develops abilities, attitudes and values for good
development. Sarti & Agu Ed (2018). The National Policy on Education
(Federal Republic of Nigeria, FRN, 2013) describes education as an instrument
for effective national developments.
Education at the secondary school
level comes between the primary school and the tertiary institution. Secondary
education is responsible for the development of the young during their
adolescence, the most rapid phase of their physical, mental and emotional
growth. It is at this very education level, particularly in its first cycle,
where values and attitudes formed at primary school level are more firmly
ingrained alongside the acquisition of knowledge and skills (Samuel, 2015)
quoted in Avaa C.C et al (2023). The desire to achieve the aforementioned goals
prompted the introduction of more subjects into the secondary schools among
which is English language.
Communication is one of the most
important aspects of man’s existence: since man is not self-sufficient, his
dependence on others for food, clothing, shelter and others is possible through
communication. Language is a means of communication. For a languages to be a
good means of communication for a particular group of people, that language
should be common to almost all persons in that community. Nigeria as a multi-ethnic
country has many languages. This obviously hinders communication. Eko (1987).
This is why the proper implementation of English Language curriculum especially
at the junior secondary school is important. English language is to a greater
extent, an instrument of love, peace, unity and a socializing instrument.
English language plays clearly
identifiable roles in Nigeria. These can be seen in education, science and
technology, inter-ethnic communication, trade, governance, the mass media,
international communication and national literature. Proficiency in English
language is required for any progress in education in Nigeria. That is why
right from the last three years of primary education English language is the
medium of instruction in the Nigeria school system. Okpara (2015). English
for Junior Secondary Schools is carefully written for students at the junior
secondary classes. It extensively covers the new NERDC curriculum of both the
junior WAEC and NECO curriculum. Students are taken through the rudiments of 5
basic parts of English Language Comprehension, Literature, Grammar, Oral
English, and Writing.
This paper presents a critical
assessment of the English language curricula for Junior Secondary School (JSS).
The JSS curriculum is designed for the first three years of secondary
education. It serves as a follow-up to the JSS curriculum and as a preparation
for tertiary education. The national English language curriculum is designed
principally for learners, teachers and writers of instructional materials. An
examination of the structure of the curricula is followed by an evaluation of
their content (vocabulary development, grammatical structures, spoken English,
listening and reading comprehension, writing, and literature). While the
curricula are definite improvements on previous efforts, there is still much
room for improvement, especially with respect to the development of linguistic
and communicative competence. Also, guidance should be provided to teachers
with respect to the categories of Nigerian English that are acceptable for
academic purposes, and there should be a proper integration of the various
teaching skills.
Curriculum implementation is the
practical application of an innovation. The implementation phase of a syllabus
is the most critical stage in curricular change. The success of a curriculum will be
determined by teachers, who are frequently "the agents in the
implementation process". In any country, the quality of education cannot
be greater than the quality of the teachers. Teachers' quality is a key
determinant of student achievement, since research has demonstrated that the
outcome of students' performance is based on teacher quality (Otis, 2014).
Beauchamp (1975) observed that incorporating teachers in curriculum preparation
improves curriculum implementation.
Obeta (2014) explained that curriculum
involves all the processes taken to ensure that as individual leaner is passing
through the school, the school is also passing through the leaner.
Professionally speaking, Tanner and Tanner (1975), cited by Okoro (2015) see
curriculum as planned and guided learning experience and intended learning
outcome, formulated through the systematic reconstruction of knowledge and
experience under the auspices of the school, for the learners’ continuous and
wilful growth in personal social competence. Curriculum also involves all the
experiences a student garners in school under the tutelage of a teacher. It is
the total learning activities or educative experiences which an educational
institution offers, through its education programmes designed to meet specific
objectives.
Onwuka. (2014) posits that curriculum is a total experience with
which the school deals with, in educating the young people. Also, Mkpa (2013)
sees curriculum as a vehicle through which the school strives towards the
achievement of educational goals; be it those of the national, local government
or even the community schools. The content of English Language for example, at
all levels of education consists of the four language skills which include
reading, writing, speaking and listening. These skills consist of vocabulary
and comprehension, summary, grammar, oral English, lexis and structure, essay
and letter writing. It is based on this content that different schemes and topics
for different classes are developed (Wordu & Damgbor, 2020).
English Language is one of the core
subjects in Nigeria secondary school curriculum. Kedcity (2010) reveals that the aim of English Language
curriculum is to (i) broaden and deepen the language competence of students
through basic education, (ii) develop the students’ interest and confidence in
the studying of English Language and also gain mastery of the subject matter;
(iii) expand the students’ knowledge on the understanding of various cultures
in which English Language is anchored; (iv) develop and prepare students for
advance studies, other skills, for combating the changing knowledge based on
technology, entrepreneurship, etc. The rationales for learning English
Language; is that of English Language being a Language of global communication.
Language generally, helps individuals in developing right values and attitudes,
establishes and maintains relationships with people, increases their
understanding of different cultures, as well as widens their world views.
Akogwu (2018) further opines that English Language is a Language
of international business, trade and professional communication. It plays an
important role in fostering learners abilities needed for life-long learning,
creativity, problem-solving, innovation as well as adjusting to the frequent
/unpredictable changes and demands a society gives. In addition, English
Language creates a world for leisure and entertainment for learners. Thus,
mastery of the English language becomes critical for learners in Nigeria,
particularly in Zone B of Benue State, because it opens up new opportunities
for intellectual development, social development, cultural understanding,
educational attainment, career advancement, and individual personal fulfilment.
Amuzo (2017)
discovered that the quality and quantity of teachers have a significant impact
on implementing the curriculum in Nigerian schools, particularly at the
secondary level.
Public concern has long existed about children's low performance
in external English exams. Reports of widespread failure in the country's
primary and junior secondary tests have been linked to its weak foundation. The
frequent revelation of substandard Basic Education Certificate (BECE) results
have sparked widespread interest and inquiry into the issue. The causes of low
performance are blamed on parents, teachers, students and governmental causes,
focusing on the educational methodologies teachers use, as stated in Otis
(2014).
The guidelines for the implementation
of English language curriculum in secondary schools as contained in National
Policy on Education (NPE, 2004) is established under some content areas among
which are; teaching method, teacher-pupil ratio, infrastructure, teachers’
qualification, instructional materials, monitoring/supervision, guidance and counselling,
library, strategic planning, students/students transition, curriculum,
certification, quality assurance, assessment of learning achievement, community
empowerment, publications, statistics/education management information system,
procurement of goods and procurement of works among a host of others. However,
of interest to the researchers among the content areas of quality
implementation of English language curriculum in Junior secondary schools as specified in the
guideline are; teachers’ qualification, teaching method, teacher-student ratio,
instructional materials and monitoring/supervision.
The involvement of qualified teachers
in the implementation of the English language curriculum in junior secondary
schools cannot be overemphasized. In the NPE (2004) implementation guideline,
the Nigerian Certificate in Education (NCE) is prescribed as the minimum
qualification for teaching. It is not an over statement to say that teaching is
a profession of the experts and therefore should not be left in the hands of
non-qualified and half-baked teachers. The teacher is the major instrument in
the implementation of any curriculum not only English language as a subject.
The teachers therefore should be knowledgeable enough to understand the subject
matter and the best way of implementing the curriculum. Nearly, all issues,
whether related to goals, learning, achievement, organization of programme or
performance of the educational system involves comprehensive analysis of the
roles of teachers, their behaviour, performances, remuneration, incentives,
skills and how they are used by the system. The teacher is the main determinant
of quality education, but if he/she is apathetic, uncommitted, uninspired,
lazy, unmotivated, immoral or anti-social, the whole nation will be doomed
(Aneke, 2015).
Teachers-students’
ratio in class is another vital consideration in the NPE (2004) implementation
guideline. It is stipulated in the guideline that, for UBE, the
teacher-students’ ratio should be:
- 1:25 in a class, for Primary
Education
- 1:35 in a class for Junior
Secondary and
- 1:40 in a class for Senior
Secondary respectively.
With
this prescription, students’ enrolment for the programme can be better monitored.
For the secondary schools as a concern for this study, it can be noted that, a
class with more than 35 students attached to a teacher will be considered
overpopulated and vice versa.
In order to successfully implement the
English language curriculum, it is also prescribed that the provision of adequate instructional materials for effective teaching
and learning process should be ensured. Instructional materials refer to
materials that are used to facilitate teaching and learning. Despite teaching this subject in
junior secondary school, there is a high exam failure rate. This is a cause for
concern and a call to action. Time of exposure, model exposure to, practice or
usage opportunities, interference, code-mixing, and multilingualism are some
issues the learners must deal with. Can this be linked to a failure to
execute the English curriculum properly? As a result, the researcher wishes to
analyze the implementation of the English language curriculum in junior
secondary schools in Benue State's Zone B Educational Zone. The researchers
think that the study's findings will assist the following groups: classroom
teachers, the government, curriculum planners, and future researchers.
Objectives
Specifically, the study Sought to achieve the
following objectives:
1.
To ascertain the qualification of English
language teachers in Junior Secondary Schools in Zone B of Benue State.
2.
To assess the teaching methods used by
English language teachers in Junior Secondary Schools in Zone B of Benue State.
3.
Ascertain the teacher-students’ ratio in
English language classes in Secondary Schools in Zone B of Benue State.
Research Questions:
The study sought answers to
the following research questions.
1.
What are the qualifications of English language teachers in Junior
Secondary Schools in Zone B of Benue State?
2.
What are
the teaching methods used by English language teachers in Junior Secondary
Schools in Zone B of Benue State?
3.
What is
the teacher-students’ ratio in English language classes in Junior Secondary
Schools in Zone B of Benue State?
METHODOLOGY
The study adopted a descriptive research
design. The population for the study comprised 293 teachers from 104 public
Junior Secondary Schools in Zone B Educational Zone of Benue State, Nigeria.
Since the population was not large, no sampling was employed. Hence, the entire
population of teachers and schools were used. Two adopted instruments – a
questionnaire and a checklist adopted from the UBE minimum guideline for
implementation of English Language were used for data collection. The
questionnaire was titled 'Teacher Qualification and Teaching Method
Questionnaire (TQTMQ)' and was divided into two clusters: A and B focusing on
research question 1 and 2 while the checklist focused on eliciting data to
answer research question 3. Since the instruments were standards for
implementation adopted from the Universal Basic Education minimum guideline for
the implementation of English Language, they were only subjected to face
validation by an expert. The data for the study was collected by the researchers
with the aid of four (4) research assistants. The Data collected were analyzed using
descriptive statistics of Frequency Counts and Percentages to answer the
research questions raised for the study. Histogram and Pie Chart were used to
represent the data analyzed.
RESULTS
Research Questions 1: What are the qualifications of English language teachers in Junior
Secondary Schools in Zone B of Benue State?
Table
1: Frequency Counts and
Percentages of the Qualifications of English Language Teachers in Junior
Secondary Schools (JSS) Zone B of Benue State.
|
S/N
|
Qualifications
|
Frequency
|
Percentage (%)
|
|
1
|
NCE
|
103
|
35.1
|
|
2
|
OND
|
0
|
0.0
|
|
3
|
HND
|
19
|
6.5
|
|
4
|
B.Ed
|
77
|
26.3
|
|
5
|
BSc/B.A
|
21
|
7.2
|
|
6
|
BSc.
(Ed).
|
65
|
22.2
|
|
7
|
M.Ed
|
8
|
2.7
|
|
8
|
MA
|
0
|
0.0
|
|
9
|
PhD
|
0
|
0.0
|
|
|
Total
|
293
|
100
|
The data in Table 3 reveals that the
recommended student-teacher ratio of 1:35 for teaching English language in
Junior Secondary Schools in Zone B of Benue State is not being implemented.
Instead, the actual ratio adopted exceeds this benchmark, as indicated by the
remark "Adopted" under the category Above 1:35. This deviation from
the minimum requirement suggests an overcrowded classroom environment, which
may impede effective teaching and learning.
DISCUSSION
The findings on the qualifications of English language
teachers in Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) in Zone B of Benue State align with
existing literature emphasizing the critical role of teacher qualifications in
ensuring the effective implementation of curricula. According to
Darling-Hammond (2000), teachers with higher qualifications and specialized
training in education exhibit greater mastery of subject content and pedagogy,
leading to improved student outcomes. However, the predominance of NCE holders
in this study suggests that many teachers possess only the minimum teaching
qualification, which may limit their ability to deliver the curriculum
comprehensively. Amadi (2019) asserts that the lack of postgraduate
qualifications among teachers, particularly in a subject as critical as
English, undermines the goal of developing linguistic competence and critical
thinking skills in students. This raises concerns about the preparedness of
educators to meet the demands of contemporary educational frameworks and the
dynamic needs of learners. Moreover, Mkpa (2013) highlights that continuous
professional development and advanced academic exposure are vital for teachers
to adapt to evolving instructional practices and effectively implement
curriculum objectives. The limited representation of postgraduate
qualifications among the teachers in Zone B suggests a need for targeted
interventions to enhance their professional growth and capacity.
The study's findings
regarding the teaching methods employed by English language teachers reveal a
mixed approach, with a combination of traditional and student-centered
strategies. This is consistent with the literature, which underscores the
importance of diverse instructional strategies to address varying learner needs
and promote active engagement. For instance, Vygotsky’s (1978) theory of social
constructivism emphasizes the role of interactive and participatory teaching
methods, such as discussion, storytelling, and role-playing, in fostering
deeper comprehension and language acquisition. These methods provide
opportunities for learners to construct meaning collaboratively, bridging their
prior knowledge with new content. However, the limited use of drill and
practice highlights a potential gap in reinforcing foundational skills, which
scholars like Ellis (2015) argue is crucial for language mastery, especially in
multilingual contexts like Nigeria. The reliance on teacher-centered approaches,
such as lectures, may reflect the influence of systemic challenges, including
large class sizes and limited instructional resources, which constrain
teachers’ ability to implement more engaging, student-focused methods (Afolabi,
2021).
The findings regarding
the teacher-student ratio underscore significant challenges in meeting the
recommended standards for classroom size, as outlined by the National Policy on
Education (FRN, 2013). Research by Blatchford et al. (2011) demonstrates that
overcrowded classrooms hinder individualized instruction and limit
opportunities for meaningful interaction between teachers and students. This
directly affects the quality of language instruction, as teachers struggle to
provide adequate attention and feedback to learners in large classes. In the
context of English language teaching, the implications are even more profound,
given the subject’s emphasis on interactive skills such as speaking, listening,
and writing. The findings resonate with Obanya (2014), who notes that high
student-teacher ratios in Nigerian schools contribute to surface-level
learning, where students often memorize content without achieving deep
understanding or practical language proficiency. The persistent issue of
overcrowded classrooms in Zone B reflects systemic inefficiencies in resource
allocation and teacher recruitment, which have long been identified as barriers
to achieving the goals of universal basic education (UBE) in Nigeria (Ogunyemi,
2020). Taken together, the findings of this study highlight systemic challenges
that undermine the effective implementation of the English language curriculum
in junior secondary schools. Addressing these challenges requires a
multifaceted approach, including enhancing teacher qualifications, promoting
professional development, adopting innovative and student-centered teaching
strategies, and reducing class sizes to create more conducive learning
environments. Such efforts are critical to ensuring that students in Zone B,
and across Nigeria, acquire the linguistic competence and communication skills
necessary for their personal, academic, and professional success.
CONCLUSION
The study provides a comprehensive
examination of English language curriculum implementation in Junior Secondary
Schools in Zone B of Benue State, revealing significant challenges that impact
educational quality and effectiveness. The investigation uncovered critical
insights into teacher qualifications, pedagogical approaches, and classroom
dynamics, highlighting systemic limitations in English language education.
Teachers demonstrated varied but potentially inadequate instructional
strategies, with a predominant reliance on traditional teaching methods that
may not fully engage students or promote comprehensive language development.
The research exposed notable gaps in teacher qualifications, suggesting a need
for enhanced professional development and advanced training programs to improve
pedagogical expertise. Classroom conditions, particularly the overcrowded
learning environments that exceed recommended student-teacher ratios, present
substantial barriers to effective language instruction and individual student
attention. These findings underscore the complex challenges facing English
language education in the region, pointing to the urgent necessity of
multifaceted interventions that address teacher training, instructional
methodologies, and resource allocation. The study's implications extend beyond
immediate educational concerns, suggesting that addressing these systemic
issues is crucial for developing students' linguistic competence, supporting
national communication goals, and ultimately contributing to broader
educational and societal development in Nigeria.
Recommendations
Based on the findings the study makes the following
recommendations:
1.
Provision of a comprehensive professional development program that
supports teachers in pursuing advanced academic qualifications beyond the
current NCE level, including sponsored postgraduate studies and specialized
training in English language pedagogy to enhance their subject matter expertise
and instructional capabilities.
2.
Introduction of targeted training workshops focusing on diversifying
teaching methods, particularly emphasizing drill and practice techniques and
interactive approaches like role-playing and storytelling, to create more
engaging and comprehensive language learning experiences for students.
3.
Implementation of strategic recruitment and resource allocation
strategies to reduce the current overcrowded classroom ratios, ensuring that not
only English language classes but all other subjects align more closely with
the recommended 1:35 student-teacher ratio to enable more personalized and
effective instruction.
Acknowledgment
We wish to thank the management of the Federal College of Education Pankshin and
TETFund for finding us worthy of funding for this research.
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