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Parents and Teacher Contribution Towards the
Study of English Language in Primary School in Nigeria
Introduction
According to a Malayan
proverb, "Melentur bulah semasa masih rebung". In English, it
means "To bend the bamboo start with the shoot". Young children learn best in an environment which provides them with an
interactive role in the learning process. And this should start in the early
years of a child. For this are the critical years when he starts to gain enough
knowledge he will need as he grows.
Teachers, therefore have an important role in the
learning process of these individuals. However, the traditional approach which
is dominant in Nigeria, does not assist the teachers in constructing a learning
environment appropriate to the needs and learning styles of young children. New
strategies and developments in some areas therefore, are needed to address the
certain issue.
Aside from the teachers role in honing the learning capabilities of
children, their parents are also playing vital roles. The parents are considered as
the first teacher, who taught their children about their primary knowledge. On
the other hand, the teachers are considered as the second parents who look for
their students and supplement additional knowledge that will be needed in the
future.
In childhood education parents play significant role especially in
developing the reading skills of their children. In this stage, parents give education to
their children that contains holistic and stresses the physical, cognitive,
social and emotional education (Pedersen, & Willians, 2004). Basically,
early childhood educators can be the parents, caregivers and teachers, and in
which the parents play a significant role in the process of early childhood
education (Pedersen, & Willians, 2004). Actually, the child’s development
contains various developmental domains such as physical development, perception
and sensory development, communication and language development, cognitive
development, emotional development and social development (Wenglinsky, 2000).
As part of educating children, secondary language learning
and acquisition is one of the most important subjects to be learned by
children. Particularly, English because it is considered as the global
language. With this, this study will focus on analyzing the contribution and
role of parents and teachers in the study of English Language in primary
schools in Nigeria.
Research Question
The following questions will serve as the guideline for the author during the
investigation process:
- How
do parents and teachers interact with each other regarding the learning
process and performance of individual students?
- How
does parents and teachers contribute to the English language study of
students from Nigerian primary school?
- What
is the current status of English learning process in Primary School in
Nigeria?
Aims and Objectives
The aim of this research is to determine the role of
parents and teachers in educating their children especially in teaching the
English language. Although one of the ways this research will be run is through
subjective interpretation, objectives are also needed as it will also utilize
quantitative researched. The following objectives will be addressed in the
study:
Ø Identify the significant role of parents and teachers teaching the English
language to the children.
Ø Identify the
educational needs of the children in
their early education.
Ø Identify
the significant impact of parents as teachers in teaching the English
language of their children.
Ø Identify the
current instructions used in by parents and
teachers in helping their children learn the English
language.
This study will be a significant
endeavor in promoting educational concerns such as the role of parents in
developing the reading capabilities of their children. This study will be
beneficial to not only to parents and children but also to the teachers. By
understanding the needs of the students and the benefits of quality education
especially in learning English, these practitioners will be assured of a larger
progress performance. Moreover, this research will provide recommendations on
how to value students as they are taking a large part in the overall
performance of the school quality education.
Methodology
This project will apply both qualitative and quantitative approach in order to
support the data to be gathered via two types of data gathering method. This
will help in order to study and analyze the topic in in-depth manner.
Sampling
In essence, Guilford & Fruchter (1973) argued that
in choosing sample sizes, the Slovin’s formula should be considered especially
in the cases were the total population was impossible to gather. Therefore, in
selecting the sample size, the Slovin’s formula was used. The Slovin’s formula
is given as:
Data Gathering Method
Survey questionnaire and interview will be implemented. Survey questionnaire
will be disseminated through the respondents via mail and personal. 10% of each
sampling group will be invited for interview.
References:
Guilford,
J.P. & Fruchter, B. Fundamental
Statistics in Psychology and Education, 5th Edition (1973). New York: Mc
Graw-Hill
Pedersen, S. & Willians, D. (2004). A
Comparison of Assessment Practices and Their Effects on Learning and Motivation
in a Student-Centered Learning Environment. Journal
of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 13(3), 1.
Wenglinsky, H. (2000). Teachers
Who Learn, Kids Who Achieve: A Look at Schools With Model Professional
Development. San Francisco, California: WestEd.
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