by CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Language acquisition is an ongoing, dynamic process that commences at birth and persists throughout one’s life. Students acquire language by utilizing it to express their ideas, emotions, and interactions within their families, social circles, and the broader community. English, a West Germanic language belonging to the Indo-European language family, has its roots in the early medieval inhabitants of England according to Watkins (2021), and it has gradually become a lingua franca in most parts of the world without Ghana being an exception. Adika (2019) traces the evolution of the English language from its inception in the 16th century up to the present day. In Ghana, English serves as the primary language of instruction, and it is widely acknowledged that speaking is one of the most intricate and challenging skills to acquire in a second language (Tarone, 2025).
English language is taught as a subject and at the same time it is a medium of instruction for other subjects in the Nigeria education curriculum. The aim and objectives of teaching oral skills in English being taught in the Nigeria education curriculum is to make the student communicate effectively and intelligently in English. It also helps the student to develop confidence in his ability to express himself in English as fluently as possible and provides an opportunity for the correction of mistakes in spoken English. A good approach to oral language instruction will develops the reading, writing and speaking skills of the student thereby making the learning of English language more effective and the learning experiences of the learners in other subjects being taught in Secondary Schools more concrete and more enjoyable. It is on this note, that much emphasis and efforts should be placed on the teaching of Oral English because it will help the learner to develop his or her pronunciation sufficiently to permit effective communication with both native speakers and non-native users. Similarly, it is obvious that common mistakes identified among the teachers and learners of English as a second language today include improper pronunciation, mispronunciation, poor intonation, as well as misrepresentation of phonetic sounds. For instance, most students misplace the qualities and length of vowels. It is in view of these problems that recent development in language teaching and learning has made the teaching and learning of oral English not only a necessity but also a pre-requisite for assessing the learner’s competence in language use and acquisition.
The English language as a communication tool for transmitting and receiving information cannot be overlooked with this in mind. For information flow, the only way by which an effective interaction can go on is speaking (oral) and listening (audio), as well as the “look and say method.” The use of verbal cues and gestures is equally important. Of paramount significance, Oral English, a component of the English language paper in the final examination of secondary educational institutions focuses on communication and serves to convey knowledge, concepts, and emotions through spoken words (Asemanyi, 2021). Cultivating oral language proficiency involves nurturing the abilities and understanding involved in both listening and speaking. Moats (2020) identified five fundamental elements of oral language, encompassing phonological skills, pragmatics, syntax, morphological skills, and vocabulary. The Oral English is a forty-five-minute test captured in the English language West African Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). This paper’s primary aim is to assess a candidate’s grasp of Oral English or their capability to effectively converse in the language. In general, there has been a consistent trend of candidates achieving low scores in the English language, and about 45% of the candidates failed in the English language during the 2021 WASSCE examination (Albert, 2021).
Oral English has become an embodiment for effective communication. It is the beginning stage of speech articulation through sounds, such as intonations (stressed and unstressed), transcriptions and phonemes. This affirms the notion that accent and dialect of the language are highly receptive to the English language. From a linguistic perspective, an accent encompasses a socially significant array of phonetic attributes. Distinctions in accents, for instance, can arise from factors such as the length of final consonant sounds, vowel duration, pause patterns, and the degree of diphthongization (Levis & Zhou, 2019). Accents refer to the various manners in which a language is enunciated, whether by native or non-native speakers (Levis & Zhou, 2019).
Statement of the Problem
Despite the recognition of English as the official language of instruction and communication in Nigeria, many students in senior secondary schools still struggle with oral proficiency. Oral English is expected to equip learners with the ability to communicate effectively, yet in Ado‑Ekiti, observations and reports indicate that students’ performance in oral communication remains unsatisfactory. Several factors contribute to this problem. First, the dominance of indigenous languages in informal settings reduces opportunities for students to practice spoken English outside the classroom. Second, Oral English lessons in schools are often taught using traditional lecture methods, with little emphasis on interactive, discussion‑based, or communicative approaches that can actively engage students. Third, overcrowded classrooms, lack of language laboratories, and insufficient instructional materials further limit students’ opportunities to practice oral communication.
