ASSESSMENT OF ARABIC SPOKEN COMPETENCE AMONG SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Language remains an intricate multifunctional phenomenon that facilitates human communication. The utilities of foreign language learning transcend the benefit of obtaining an academic qualification for employment. According to Adam and Abdul-Wahid (2012) Foreign language learning is now construed as a facilitator of globalization and a strong vehicle of fostering world peace and intercultural understanding in a world of extreme diversities. The emergence of new paradigms for foreign language learning and teaching is now more rapid in the context of contemporary events. The post-September 11 strategies for fighting terrorism, the renewed interest in understanding Arab culture and managing information emanating from the Arab world have accentuated the demand to study Arabic by the international community.
These developments and the age-long motivations for studying Arabic in Muslim and non-Muslim locales have indicated the need for a more focused attention on mechanisms for achieving greater effectiveness in the teaching of Arabic as a foreign language. Buttressing this assertion, Oladosu (2012) noted that the facts which make Arabic language a priority language to be studied are compelling. Apart from its status as the fifth most commonly spoken native language in the world with over 300 million speakers, it is the official language of 20 countries and an official language of the United Nations, Arab League, Organisation of Islamic Conference and African Union. The demand for Arabic with bilingual in careers such as journalism, business and industry, education, finance, banking, translation and interpretation, consulting, Foreign Service and intelligence have further emphasized its position as a language of strategic importance. With the combined annual GDP of 600 billion dollars of the Arab region, the increase in population, commerce, trade and economic activities Arabic will definitely have a more significant role to play in world affairs(World Languages and Culture “Arabic”, 2012).
According Muhammad (2016) Arabic in Nigeria has been used and is still studied, largely, for liturgical as well as academic purposes. The study of Arabic for communicative ends is limited compared to the religious and academic utilities for which the language has been subjected. Muhammad explained further, this, of course, restricts the competences of the graduates who are constricted to function as Arabists within Nigeria alone. Apart from the extremely limited population of Shuwa Arabs (100,000 in 1975)of Northeast Nigeria who speak a dialect of Arabic as Mother Tongue (MT), the overwhelming majority of users of Arabic are also multilinguals who as a non-native linguistic code. Thus, within the Shuwa Arabic-speaking environment, Arabic is diglossic and is a mother tongue used for everyday informal interaction. Formal Spoken Arabic (FSA) or Educated Spoken Arabic (ESA) is the chosen the language used in official and elevated interactions since colloquial Arabic is seldom used in formal domains.
In recent years, much of the discussion relating to proficiency oriented instruction and testing focused on the development of oral skill. The emphasis on speaking proficiency can be attributed to a variety of factors, many of which are traceable to the widespread popularity of audio-lingual methodologies in the 1960s and the communicative competence movement that began in the 1970s. The interest in oral communicative competence continues till today, as contemporary communicative language teaching approaches are emphasizing the importance of having the learners engage in “task” that encourage meaningful interaction. Recent research in second language acquisition has also considered oral interaction as important factor in the shaping of the learner’s developing language ability. Studies have investigated the role of interaction in second language development, particularly in conversation between native and non-native speakers and among non-native speakers working in parts or small groups, (Gass 1997). Swan (1995), also highlighted the role of output in language learning and describes a variety of communication activities that can help learners develop accuracy as well as fluency through consciously reflecting on their language production. Fundamentally, language is speech. However, writing is an effort in exemplification of speech. Man knew speech before he knows writing for a long time, whereas, writing emerges in the latter period of man’s history. The infant learns speaking before he begins to learn writing, which he starts when entering the school. All human being are equally speaking their mother tongue with fluency while many do not know the orthography of their languages.
Moreover, there is no gain saying that speaking skill is one of the most important goals of Arabic language learning. The emphasis on oral proficiency does not and should not mean that other skill areas ought to be neglected in the language communication. As part of the goals of teaching Arabic in Nigerian Secondary schools is to function adequate in Arabic speaking skill, it is incumbent upon Arabic teachers to identify effective strategies for teaching this skill in order to attain the required levels of proficiency. Hence, this study focused on the assessment of Arabic spoken competence among senior secondary school students in Atiba local government.
1.2 Problem of the Study
The structural characteristics of Arabic as compared to other languages studied in the school system in Nigeria, the sociolinguistic context within which Arabic is studied and the language teaching competences of the Arabic language teacher in Nigeria are some of the variables which affect Arabic education in Nigeria. The extreme language diversity in Nigeria where over 250 languages are spoken imposes on the bilingual educator enormous tasks requiring specialised pedagogical knowledge and skills. In view of the numerous challenges facing the subject, Abukakre (2002) contends that Arabic in Nigeria is struggling for survival in a difficult terrain. In a similar vein, Oladosu (2012) reported that the trend in the study of Arabic in formal settings has been fluctuating between 2000 and 2011. He posited that the stiff competition which Arabic faces with English and French as first and second official languages respectively and with Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba and other indigenous languages as Nigerian Mother Tongues offered as school subjects places Arabic within a matrix of the daunting challenges. The teaching of Arabic is not only dissimilar to the teaching of most world languages because teaching as a foreign language constitutes a different task from its general teaching without considering intricacies associated with bilingual or multilingual education.
Based on the problem of its relegation as foreign language to be teaching in secondary schools, students find it difficult to express ideas in Arabic language. Grammatical errors such as wrong tense; omission of article; misuse of modal operators, countable and uncountable nouns; and errors in concord are mistakes commonly committed by students in the course of Arabic speaking. As a result, students see it as waste of time to learn it.
1.3 Purpose of the Study
The main purpose of the study is assessment of Arabic spoken competence among senior secondary school students in Atiba local government. Specifically, it assesses their level of competence, causes of their poor competence, and remedial approaches to be adopted in curbing the factors that determine their poor competence in Arabic Language speaking.
1.4 Research Questions
To realise the purpose of this study, the following research questions are raised and to be answered in the study in order to establish the factors, the causes and remedies for poor competence:
• What are the levels of competence in Arabic spoken among senior secondary school students in Atiba local government?
• What are the causes of poor competence in Arabic spoken competence among senior secondary school students in Atiba local government?
• What are the remedial approaches to be adopted in curbing the poor competence in Arabic spoken among senior secondary school students in Atiba local government?
1.5 The Significance of Study
It is anticipated that the finding of this research work would have impact on the following groups:-government, school administrators, educational planners and teachers. It is hoped that the finding of the study would revealed the level of Arabic spoken competence among senior secondary school students in Atiba local government, if the level is poor what are the cause, and the remedies to be adopted in curbing the problem.
The research findings will be useful for Arabic Language curriculum development planners, as it will make them appreciate the need to recognize students’ interest in curriculum development and make necessary adjustments especially on incorporation of things that will motivate them to read and be competent in Arabic language.
The outcome of this study also suggest the need for the government to provide necessary school equipment to enhance learning of Arabic Language in public secondary school.
It is expected that findings from this study would acquaint the prospective and the existing Arabic Language teachers with the means for extending their horizon of experience in the field and the benefit of recognizing students’ factors that may hinder their success in their teaching as well providing them with rich measures to be adopted in tackling any emerge issues.
1.6 Scope of the study
The study is exclusively focused on assessment of Arabic spoken competence among senior secondary school students in Atiba local government. Hence, the study will be narrowed on speaking competence; and it will cover only students in five public secondary schools in the local Government. In other words, students will be randomly picked in each school for the purpose of this study.
1.7 Definition of Term
Arabic: Arabic is an official language spoken in Saudi Arabia and its neighbouring countries, it is regarded as foreign language in Nigeria.
Competence: it refers to ability to use language without committing errors, be it spoken or written.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
2.1 Arabic Language in Nigeria
The history of Arabic in Nigeria is not quite different from that of other non-Arab Muslim societies. Arab traders who extended their trading interests to West Africa also carried along with them their religion and language. On arrival in West Africa, they embarked on a process of conversion of the African population, an effort which involved adapting not only to the religious precepts of Islam, but also to Arabic with the imperfections associated with the acquisition of a foreign language within the context of a dominant mother tongue. Thus, the process of Islamization and Arabization occurred simultaneously. The process of the acquisition of Arabic was initially informal and at best non-formal since the early agents of Arabization were mainly merchants. As early as the 11th Century, the introduction of Islam in KanemBorno signalled the beginning (Adam and Abdul-Wahid, 2012). This confirms the reality of the foreign status of Arabic in Nigeria.
This experience is almost analogous to the history of the development of Arabic studies in the early period of Islam. The expansion of the religion beyond the shores of the Arabian Peninsula, during this early period, witnessed the outbreak of al-Lahn (solecism) involving both the Arab native speakers as well as non-Arabs. The intermingling of Standard Arabic or al Arabiyyah al Fus-ha with some foreign languages which resulted in the adulteration of Arabic in the conquered territories evoked interventions to preserve the textual integrity of the process of codification first led to the evolution of an-Nahw (Arabic grammar) and various aspects of Arabic philology. This development formed the basis of teaching and learning Arabic. Subsequently, extensive linguistic and literary studies emerged as an integral part of the study of traditional Islamic sciences. Linguistic reforms were later affected to simplify the language and consequently facilitate its learning.
According to Raji (2003)presently, considerable number of speakers of Arabic whether as Mother Tongue (MT), Second Language (SL) or Foreign Language (FL) are ubiquitous in parts of the globe with varying degrees of presence. Similarly, a large population of non-Arab Muslims who use Arabic for liturgical purposes exists in different parts of the world. Although a second language or L2 generally refers to a language learnt after the acquisition of the mother tongue or L1. The term second language is technically applicable where the language is not indigenous to the speech community where it is used as the main language of communication. This characterization of Second Language as official language or lingua franca, especially, in a multilingual setting such as Nigeria where English functions as the language of political administration, education and commerce. A foreign language (FL) however, has no visible communicative value or function as against the roles of the mother tongue (MT) or the second language. Typical illustrations of foreign languages in Nigeria are Arabic, French, German, Latin etc. Foreign languages have no recognized official functions but are studied for intellectual or professional purposes. The numerous indigenous Nigerian languages are used in informal interactions and also taught alongside English where the indigenous language has orthography and a school curriculum. English is, generally, the second language of the Nigerian child (it may be the third in some cases) or his first depending on the language used at home. Thus, English is not regarded strictly as a foreign language in Nigeria. A foreign language in Nigeria will therefore be defined as any language (except English and other Nigerian languages) spoken by nationals of countries other than Nigeria. By virtue of this definition and in line with the linguistic situation in Nigeria, Arabic conveniently qualifies as a foreign language in the country. The recognition of Arabic as a Foreign Language (FL) exhibits different dimensions. In an extreme FL situation, Arabic becomes so foreign to the learners that it is merely studied for two or three lessons a week, and not used it outside of the classroom. On the contrary, an extreme SL situation which English typifies; teaching and learning may occupy a larger part of the daily life of learners. (Ryding, 2012)
2.2 The Nature of Arabic Speaking as a Second Language
What is it that one needs to and be able to do in order to speak Arabic? Of course one needs to know how to articulate Arabic sounds in a comprehensible manner, one needs an adequate Arabic vocabulary, and one needs to have a mastery of Arabic syntax. All these are referred to as linguistic competence. However, while this is necessary, it is not sufficient for someone who wants to communicate competently in another language. Communicative competence includes linguistic competency and also a range of other socio- linguistic and conversational skills that enable the speaker to know how to say what ,to whom and when (Hyme 2016).
According to Muhammad (2018) Communicative competence is not restricted to spoken language alone, but involves writing as well. It is also contest specific, which means that a competent communicator in Arabic language knows how to make choices specific to the situation. This is different from performance, which is what one does. So, when we talk about Arabic Communicative Competence, this includes knowledge of Arabic grammar and vocabulary, the knowledge of Arabic rules of speaking (knowing how to begin and end Arabic conversation, knowing what topic can be talked about in different types of speech arts, knowing which address should be used with different persons one speaks to and in different situations. A person with Arabic communicative competence must also know how to use and respond to different types of speech acts such as request, apologies, thanks and invitation. This indicates that he must know how to use language appropriately. For example, below is a typical conversation in Arabic which illustrates the concept of communication competence. A student of one of the northern universities investigated, Abdur-rahman, pretends to be in Saudi Arabia for the first time. He plans to eat in a restaurant, visit the university in Madinah, go to the post office, etc. On arriving at the Jeddah airport, he asks a passerby for the following information:
To an Arab found on a street.
AR: TabayaomukYaakh,aynajamiatislamiyyah?
A: Alatul,yasayyid
AR: Walmaktabah?
A: Al maktabahfilharamiljami/?ah
AR: Halilmat?amqaribminaljami?ah
A: Na?amyasayyid, tujadhunakmat?ammurihbijanib al jami?ah
AR: Shukranjaziilan
طاب يومك يا أخى،أين جامعة الإسلامية AR
حالة يا سيد A
والمكتبة AR
المكتپة فى حرم الجامعة A
حلل المطعم قريب من الجامعة AR
نعم يا سيد،تجد مطعم مر بجانب الجامعة A
شكرا جزيلا AR
Note: AR stands for Abdur-rahman and A stands for an Arab passer-by From the above conversation, it is observed that the questioner does not familiar with the culture of the area he pretends to dramatize. The most common form of greeting among the Arabs in Saudi Arabia is”assalamualaik” this will be discovered in the nature of response of the Arab to the questioner. No greeting from him (The Arab), he only goes straight to give him the information he asked for. In short the information seeker does not follow the rule of speech arts of that particular environment he is representing, that is he is devoid of adequate Arabic communicative competence
Meanwhile, Yakub (2008) noted that aspect of speaking that is particularly relevant for second language speaker, concerns whether or not the speaking is planned or spontaneous. In the case of Arabic language learners (as a second language), the provision of planning time can significantly increase levels of both fluency and accuracy in Arabic speaking. If the Arabic instructors are teaching the students who have to make oral presentations in Arabic, it is important to provide opportunities for them to give prepared presentations in class.
2.3 Arabic at the Primary and Post-Primary Levels
The roles Arabic is expected to play have been vital determinants of the approaches used in instructional delivery and extent of its study by various categories of learners. Muslims who required basic literacy in Arabic for the purpose of performing Islamic rituals are contented with the mastery of the rules of reading and writing the Arabic script. At this rudimentary level of Arabic studies, majority of the pupils who learn Arabic do so through the non- MakarantarAllo(Ile Kewu) constraints of lack of a curriculum, haphazard nature of instruction, poor learning environment, lack of adequate teaching and learning aids, the excessive use of the cane to maintain discipline and limited scope of learning largely restricted to the basic literacy skills of reading and writing the Arabic script. The main teaching method in this school is parrotemploys the choral technique in teaching them. (Ogunbiyi in Adam and Abdul-Wahid, 2012)
Although some students are able to advance their studies through the more organized madaris, the totality of instruction at the lower level discourages many potential Arabists who might possess a strong aptitude for language learning but are advertently forced to terminate their studies at this level. The higher form of this system is found in the `ilimi or `ilimiyyah schools. Here, the pupils are introduced to a variety of branches of knowledge such as Arabic grammar, rhetoric, literature, etc. The lecture method of delivery which revolves around the reading of certain venerated texts are not used with a view of discussing the contents but merely to imbibe the message and style of the author and to memorise the details. This approach is reminiscent of medieval process of Islamic education. Thus, we find that in teaching Arabic at the secondary school level in the Ilmiyyah schools also identified as the madaris, there is an over-concentration on the grammar-translation method which stresses language learning with little or no consideration for the subsequent use of the language. Priority is thus given to ability to read and translate grammatical rules and comprehension passages while the skills of listening and speaking are ignored (Adam and Abdul-Wahid, 2012).
In spite of the fact that some of such schools make use of few Arab expatriates, they do not utilize the opportunity of the presence of the native speakers to create a platform for an immersion programme. Depending on their area of specialization, they may not also be involved in the teaching of pure Arabic subjects at all. In this situation, the Grammar-Translation method which offers little opportunity for second language acquisition is extensively used. Thus we discover that the foundations of the study of Arabic in Nigeria are, therefore fragile. The teaching of a foreign language within a multilingual context calls for strategies to mitigate the negative effects of the contact between languages, the potential areas on interference between the target language and the other languages already acquired by the learner. The implication of the failure to do this is that the learner transfers features of the MT and SL as well as other languages spoken on the target language. Mutual intelligibility is, of course, hampered during interaction with native speakers of the language being acquired. In the Nigerian public formal school system, Arabic is not offered in public schools as an independent system of Arabic orthography -oriented Islamic schools, Arabic is offered as a subject with the objective of developing communicative skills of pupils (Raji, 2003).
However, Musa (2008) asserted that it must be acknowledged that the effort to maintain quality has been directly or indirectly enhanced by the statutory responsibilities of bodies such as the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), the National Examination Council (NECO), the Nigerian Educational Research Council (NERC), the Nigerian Arabic Language Centre and the National Universities Commission (NUC) to mention but a few. In the same vein, the Nigeria Association of Teachers of Arabic and Islamic Studies (NATAIS) has, over the years, intervened to ensure that Arabic teaching and learning produce excellent output. However, the weaknesses associated with the teaching of Arabic at the primary level are carried on to the secondary level. One of the main purposes of teaching Arabic at the secondary level is to meet both foundational and transitional objectives particularly for those who may pursue a career in Arabic through its extensive study in higher education.
The two objectives are hardly achieved since most of the students who secure admission into tertiary institutions to study Arabic are the products of the madaris many of whom encounter difficulties in communicating in English. This situation has inexorably provided a recipe for deficiencies in the teaching of Arabic as a foreign language at the tertiary level.
2.4 The Process of Teaching and Learning of Language
The use of language as second (ELS) or foreign language (EFL) in oral communication is without doubt, one of the most common but highly complex activities necessary to be considered when teaching the language especially because we „‟live at time where the ability to speak Arabic fluently has become a must, specially who want to advance in certain fields of human endeavor” Al-sibai,(2004). The focus of teaching speaking of course is to improve the oral production of the student. Therefore language teaching activities in the classroom should aim at maximizing individual language use Haozhang,(2015). In the past oral communication instruction was neglected because of the misconception that oral communication competence develops naturally overtime and that the cognitive skill involved in writing automatically transfer to analogous oral communication skill Chaney,( 2007).
However, Ur-penny,(1996) considered speaking as the most important skill among the four skills (listening, speaking, writing, and reading) because people who know a language are referred to as speakers of that language. This indicates that using a language is more important than just knowing about it because “There is no point in knowing a lot about language if you cannot 'speak it (Scrivener, 2005). Oral Language Acquisition Oral language acquisition is natural process for children. It occurs almost without effort. The ability to speak grows with age, but it does not mean that such growth will automatically lead to perfection to speak in the more affection ways requires particular attention and constant practice Zhang et al,(1995). Speaking fluently appears to develop with increased exposure to second language input Al-sibai, (2004). Input refers to the language data which the learner is exposed to Zhag,(2009).Although, it is widely recognized that input is very essential for language acquisition, it is not sufficient if not followed by interaction and output (the language learner produces) because the processing of comprehension is different from the processing of production, and the ability to understand the meaning conveyed by sentences differs from the ability to use linguistic system to express meaning.
Interaction, they selectively take in portions of comprehensible input and choose a correct linguistic form to express themselves. This process makes it possible for the learners internalize what learned and experienced (Swain(1985) as cited in Zhang 2009). Oral Language Learning: For the language learning to take place, there are four conditions that should exist, and they are the exposure, opportunities to use language, motivation, and instruction.
Learners need chances to express what they think or feel and to experiment in supportive atmospheres for using language they have seen or heard without feeling threatened „‟Willis,(1996). A fact that is highlighted by second language research is that progress does not occur when people make conscious effort to learn, progress occur as the result of spontaneous, subconscious mechanism which are activated. When learners are involved in communication, with second language the subconscious elements demands anew range of activities, where learners are focused not on the language itself but on the communication of the meaning Littlewood,(1989). Harmer,(1982) also argues that in attempting, rather than the form, they should use wide variety of language.
According to Ellis, (2003), this can be done by involving learners in performing two types of communicative tasks: focused on communicative tasks and unfocused on communicative tasks, both of these tasks seek to engage learners in using language pragmatically rather than displaying language. They seek to develop language proficiency. In other words, application of these principles can be adopted in the teaching and learning of Arabic language for the learners to be more proficient and competent in it usage. Through communications learners, can integrate separate structures into a creative system for expressing meaning.
2.5 Problems Facing Teaching of Arabic Speaking Skill in Nigerian Schools
In recent informal survey that was carried out by the writer, reluctance to speak Arabic on the part of students learning Arabic as a second language was seen as the biggest challenge. Yaqub (2008) identifies three set of factors that may cause reluctance on the part of some Nigerian Arabic students to take part in class tasks involving Arabic speaking. These, he classified as cultural factors, linguistic factors, and psychological affective factors. Cultural factors derive from learner’s prior experience and his expectations. If learners come into Arabic class believing that learning Arabic language involves listening to the teacher or the tape, and doing written exercises, then, they may be reluctant to become actively involved in Arabic speaking. It will be necessary to engage in a certain amount of Arabic learner training to encourage them to participate in speaking. A good number of students in Nigerian schools that study of Arabic are reluctant speakers. This reluctance is partly due to prior learning experience. Many of them were trained at their junior and senior secondary school situated in noisy neighbourhood where opportunities to speak the language are severely limited. Others were taught in school where speaking the language was simply not encouraged. However, a period of learner training can go a long way toward overcoming this reluctance. Simple dynamics, and the management of classroom interactions, can also help. It is also discovered that some students(especially from the south-west) are not exposed to Arabic speaking at the junior and secondary schools before being admitted to the university to read Arabic. Other factors that inhibit the use of Arabic language in Nigerian schools include difficulties in transferring the students first language (e.g. Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo etc) to the sounds rhymes and stress patterns of Arabic, difficulties with the native speaker pronunciation of the teacher, a lack of understanding of common grammatical pattern in Arabic e.g. Arabic tenses and how these may be different from their own language and lack of familiarity with the cultural or social knowledge required to process meaning. Psychological and effective factors include cultural shock, previous negative social or political experiences, lack of motivation, anxiety or shyness in class, especially if their previous learning experiences were negative. Motivation is a key consideration in determining the preparedness of learners to communicate. Motivation refers to the combination of effort plus desire to achieve the goal of learning Arabic language plus favorable attitudes towards learning the language. There are identified factors responsible for the un-motivation of Arabic students in Nigerian universities. These include:
(a) lack of success over time / or lack of perception of projects.
(b) Uninspired teaching.
(c) Boredom
(d) lack of perceived relevance of Arabic instructional materials.
(e) Lack of knowledge about the goals of the Arabic instructional programme
(f) Lack of appropriate feedback.
Furthermore, Musa, (2008) observed thatreasons for reticence in the Arabic language classes are also investigated. Some of the reasons include:
• Students perceived low proficiency in Arabic. The investigation reveals that although students did not have the competence to respond to teachers’ question in Arabic, their lack of confidence, unwillingness to take risk, and a perception that their Arabic was poor resulted in a marked reluctance to respond.
• Students’ fear of committing mistakes and derision. The students were also afraid of making fools of themselves in front of their peers.
• Teachers’ intolerance of silence. Many of the Arabic lecturers teaching these students gave them little or no wait time.
• Uneven allocation of turns. Naturally, teachersfavoured the better students when soliciting responses; this is probably related to the intolerance of silence in the class. By targeting the better students the teachers could be sure that there would not be periods of silence or confusion in their class.
2.6 Solution to Poor Arabic spoken competence among senior secondary school students
Abdullahi and Salisu (2015) stated that strategies to deal with anxiety and reluctance to speak Arabic language. One of the strategies proposed is the lengthening the amount of time between asking a question and nominating someone to respond. However, this strategy has limits. The extended wait time, in fact, may embarrass the student who had been asked to respond. This may discourage the student from volunteering in the future. The second strategy is to improve the questioning techniques. This would help some teachers but not others. The other strategies is to adopt variety of answers, to give learners an opportunity to rehearse their responses in small groups or pairs before being asked to speak up in front of the whole class. Another strategy proposed is to focus on content rather than form. This lowers anxiety, among the students; of committing mistakes.The final strategy is to establish good relationship with the students. The key to encouraging students to communicate was to create a low-anxiety classroom atmosphere. Strategies that contribute to a lowering of anxiety are the key ones in encouraging the students to speak out.
According to Abdullahi and Salisu (2015) what needs to be done to motivate students are:
(a) To make Arabic instructional goals to be explicit to the learners.
(b) Break learning down into sequences of achievable steps
(c) Link Arabic learning to the needs and interest of the learners
(d) Allow Arabic learners to bring their own knowledge and perspectives into the learning process
(e) To encourage creative Arabic language use
(f) To help Arabic learners identify the strategies underlying the learning tasks, they are engaged in.
Furthermore, Abdullahi, (2016) postulated some measures to be adopted towards building students competence in Arabic Language.
2) Story Telling: In this activity, the students must be able to tell story in the target language, in this case is Arabic language. Teacher can encourage the students to retell stories which they have read in their books or found in newspaper or in internet in Arabic Language. The best stories of course are those which the students tell about themselves and their family or friends.
(3) Favorite objects: It is an activity in which the students are asked to talk about their favorite objects in Arabic language. It can be done in pairs or in groups. In addition, the teacher also can use this activity for individual task. Each student is asked to tell about the characteristics of their favorite thing, while other students or the audiences try to guess what the favorite thing is.
(4) Meeting and Greeting: Student role-plays a formal or business social occasion where they meet a number of people and introduce themselves. It is usually taught in the beginner level of language learners. The students try to use Arabic language in meeting and greeting expression in front of the class with two or more students.
5) Describing things or person: Students are asked to describe something or someone with detail characteristics to other students in Arabic Language. They can describe it in front of the class or in pairs with two students. It is almost same with describing favorite objects, but the other students or the audiences do not need to guess what the object is. Sometimes the teachers may provide certain things or person, and then students will describe those kinds of things and person.
(6) Students presentation: Individual students give talk on given topic or person. The students present some topic in front of the class while other students listen to the presentation and give feedback about the presentation all in Arabic Language. Some like interview that interview is for honing organizational and planning skills.
Based on the suggested activities above, Arabic Language teacher will need to give some correction about the students speaking and writing to avoid continuity in poor competence among students. It is important for teachers and learners to understand the goal of language teaching and learning, as well as how to achieve it. It is pointed out that the goal of language teaching is to develop learners’ communicative competence. In other words, when selecting learning activities, we must always remember that our goal is for the students to be able to interact freely with others: to understand what others wish to communicate in the broadest sense and to be able to convey to others what they themselves wish to share.
CHAPTER THREE
METHODOLOGY
This chapter deals with the procedure used in carrying out this study. It includes research design, population, the sample and sampling techniques, instrumentation, methods of data collection and the analytical tools employed in the study.
3.1 Research Design.
Descriptive method of survey type will be employed in the study. The design will be attempted to assess an accurate description of Arabic spoken competence among senior secondary school students in Atiba local government. Thus, the researcher will try to gather data on the identified research problem without manipulating any of the variables in the study.
3.2 Population of the Study
The target populations for the study comprised all students in public secondary Atiba local government Area, Oyo State.
3.3 Sample and Sampling Techniques
The study employed simple random sampling technique. Thus, sample for the study consists of four (4) secondary schools in Atiba Local Government Area, Oyo State. In each school fifteen students will be randomly selected and the prepared questions for interview and questionnaire will be administered.
SN Schools Numbers of Students
1. Alaafin High School, Oyo; 15
2. Community Grammar School, Oroki, Oyo; 15
3. Community Secondary School, OkeOlola, Oyo. 15
4. Isale Oyo Commercial Secondary School, Koso, Oyo 15
3.4 Research Instruments
The instrument that will be used for the study is “Interview” and “questionnaire”. The interview questions and questionnaire will be designed and will be addressed by the target population to obtain the necessary information required in achieving the objectives of the study. The interview questions will be designed, as well, check list to grade the students’ speaking competency problem. Furthermore, the questionnaire will be divided into two sections. Section ‘A’ provided Demographic Information of the respondents and partly explains how the questionnaire is to be filled, while section B focus on research questions and key for the responds are: Strongly Agreed=SA, Agreed=A, Strongly, Disagreed=SD and Disagreed=D.
3.5 Validity of the Instruments
The instrument will be subjected to both face and content validity to ensure that they measured what they were expected to measure. Face validity entails looking at questions and questionnaire respectively and deciding if they really measures what they are expected to measure. Content validity on the other hand, it has to do with the use of recognized subject matter experts to evaluate whether questionnaire assess defined content.
3.6 Reliability of the Instrument
Pilot test of the instrument will be carried out to observe how the respondents react to both and questionnaires; whether the items are clear enough and easily understood, whether there is the need to include more items in certain areas, or whether there are some items to which they would not like to respond, etc. This will help determine the internal consistency and reliability of the questionnaires. A total of 5 students will be randomly selected as a sample outside the area of study, copies of the instrument will be administered as a small, the results will be analysed to determining the validity of the instrument.
3.7 Method of Data Collection
Permission will sought from the school authorities and the participants will enlightened on how to attend to the both the interview questions and the Questionnaire, the participants thereafter will be asked to complete the questionnaire. Ethical issues of assurances will be given on the basis of confidentiality and discretion of the study. The participants will be informed about the purpose of the study and its seriousness and they will be encouraged to be truthful in their responses. The researcher will administer the questionnaire with the assistance of one research assistant that assisted in the distribution and collection of the questionnaires.
3.8 Methods of Data Analysis
Data collected will be analysed with the use of percentages and frequency counts mean for each of the items will be calculated and analysed based on respondents responses to each item.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
This chapter contains the analysis and interpretation of the research questions that guide the study. It also contains discussion of findings in relation to the existing literatures and empirical studies.
4.1 Demographic Information of Respondents
Table 4.1: Gender Distribution of Respondents
S/N Gender Frequency Percent
1. Male 18 30
2. Female 42 70
Total 60 100
From table 4.1 above, it is evident that majority of respondents are female with 70% scale.
Table 4.2: Age Distribution of Respondents
S/N Age Range Frequency Percent
1. 10 - 14 years 36 60
2. 15- 19 years 17 28.3
3. 20 and above 7 16.7
Total 60 100
From table 4.2 above, it is evident that majority of respondents are in range 10 – 14 years with 60% scale.
Table 4.3: Academic Level of Respondents
S/N Class Taught Frequency Percentage
1. SS 1 36 60
2. SS 2 12 20
3. SS 3 12 20
Total 60 100
From table 4.3 above, it is evident that majority of respondents are in JSS 1 with 60% scale.
4.2 Data Presentation and Analysis of Research Questions
It should be noted that any analysed data that is weighted less than Zero proved that the postulated items are less relevance.
Table 4.4: Respondents’ response on the levels of competence in Arabic spoken among senior secondary school students in Atiba local government?
S/N Items Poor Fair Average Good Excellent Mean
1. Organization
Development of idea, Logical sequence, Relevant supporting detail and conclusion 25 18 11 1 5 1.7835
2. Language Use (Verbal Effectiveness) Vocabulary, Pronunciation, Articulation 24 13 15 7 1 2.0533
3. Delivery (Nonverbal Effectiveness)
Boldness, eye contact, gestures, posture. 28 21 2 5 4 1.8034
Weighted Average 1.9693
(Data Source: SPSS)
From table 4.4 above, it could be inferred that the majority of the respondentsperformed poorly in Arabic spoken competence in the interactive interview section conducted. Moreover, with the weighted Average of 1.9693 which is greater than zero, it could be inferred that the postulated measures for grading students’ competence in Arabic language are relevance.
Table 4.5: Respondents’ response onthe causes of poor competence in Arabic spoken competence among senior secondary school students in Atiba local government
S/N ITEMS A SA D DS Mean
1. Student’ low interest in learning Arabic Language 28 25 2 5 1.8000
2. Incompetence of Arabic language teachers 32 13 9 6 1.8625
3. Inadequate reading texts on Arabic Language. 38 12 8 2 1.6750
4. Poor learning environment 30 18 11 1 1.7875
5. Mother tongue preference 25 13 15 7 2.0500
Weighted Average 1.8675
(Data Source: SPSS)
From table 4.5 above, it could be inferred that the majority of the respondents agreed to the postulated causes of poor competence in Arabic spoken among senior secondary school students in Atiba local government. Moreover, with the weighted Average of 1.8675 which is greater than zero, it could be inferred that the postulated items are relevance to the essential factors that served as predictors to students’ poor competence in Arabic spoken.
Table 4.6: Respondents’ response on the remedial approaches to be adopted in curbing the poor competence in Arabic spoken among senior secondary school students in Atiba local government
• S/N Items SA A SD D Mean
1. Constant training on how to speak fluently to enhance student grammar competence 32 8 9 11 1.9875
2. Availability of reading texts books on Arabic language motives student to read much on grammar. 22 23 7 8 2.0125
3. Listening to good speakers in seminars to emulate them 46 7 3 4 1.5625
4. Engagement in Arabic Grammar through constant practice. 25 23 8 4 1.8875
5. Learning with Audio and Audio-Visual materials. 30 10 16 4 2.0500
Weighted Average 1.9675
(Data Source: SPSS)
From table 4.6 above, it is could beinferred that the majority of the respondents agreed to the postulated specific ways which the students’ poor competence in Arabic spoken could be solved. Moreover, with the weighted Average 1.9675 which is greater than zero, it could be inferred that the postulated items are relevance to be the specific ways which students’ poor competence could be normalized.
4.3 Discussion of Findings
Research question one was on levels of competence inArabic spoken among senior secondary school students in Atiba local government. From the finding of this study, it was revealed that Arabic spoken competence of the majority of the students in the study area is poor. The study revealed that in the aspect of language organisation which connotes: development of idea, logical sequence, relevant supporting detail and conclusion they were poorly performed in the organized interview held during the course of this study. Also, in the aspect of language use (Verbal effectiveness) and delivery (nonverbal effectiveness), the study revealed that only few of the students performed better, while majority were very poor in vocabulary development, words pronunciation and articulation, boldness to deliver their response, eye contact with their questioner, body gestures and their standing postures. The, implication of this result is that, evidently, the students are poor in Arabic language, especially speaking competence. However, there are factors that led to these problems, which the subsequent research questions prompt to make enquiry on.
From the research question two, it was revealed that causes of poor competence in Arabic spoken competence among senior secondary school students in Atiba local government was as result of student’ low interest in learning Arabic Language; incompetence of Arabic language teachers; inadequate reading texts on Arabic Language; poor learning environment; and their mother tongue preference in the course of speaking Arabic Language.
Furthermore, research Question three was on remedial approaches to be adopted in curbing the poor competence in Arabic spoken among senior secondary school students in Atiba local government. From the result of the findings, it reported that some measures like:constant training on how to speak fluently to enhance student grammar competence;availability of reading texts books on Arabic language motives student to read much on grammar; listening to good speakers in seminars to emulate them; engagement in Arabic Grammar through constant practice; learning with Audio and Audio-Visual materials can be adopted to enhance learners speaking competence in Arabic language.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
This chapter presents the summary of the major findings, implications, limitations; it also puts forth the conclusion made based on the finding. It is the hope of the researcher that useful recommendations made in the study will be implemented by the concerned personalities on levels of students’ Arabic spoken competence among senior secondary school students in Atiba local government.
5.1 Summary of the Study
The study focused on assessment of Arabic spoken competence among senior secondary school students in Atiba local government. In this study all the necessary literatures have been reviewed; the theoretical, conceptual and empirical studies respectively.
The study was structured into five chapters. Chapter one gave the background to the study, statement of the problem, research questions significance of the study, scope of the study, and definition of terms were given within the chapter. Chapter two consisted of the review of the related literatures to the study. Chapter three gave the methodology used in study. The result and discussion of the findings from the analyzed data were presented in chapter four; this chapter is also made up of the description of the findings, the opinion of the respondents on the examined content.
In all, three research questions were raised and analysed. From the results, it was revealed that the level Arabic spoken competence among senior secondary school students in Atiba local government was very poor; there were essential predictive factors that cause this poor competence such as: low interest in learning Arabic Language; incompetence of Arabic language teachers; inadequate reading texts on Arabic Language; poor learning environment; and their mother tongue preference in the course of speaking Arabic Language. Furthermore, it was revealed that some measures like: constant training on how to speak fluently to enhance student grammar competence; availability of reading texts books on Arabic language motives student to read much on grammar; listening to good speakers in seminars to emulate them; engagement in Arabic Grammar through constant practice; learning with Audio and Audio-Visual materials can be adopted to enhance learners speaking competence in Arabic language.
5.2 Conclusion
There is common wise thought that says “a discovered problem is half solved, since the findings of this study have revealed the problem and the postulated remedies have been confirmed relevance by the participants who were the major concerned. Therefore, the remedial approaches covered in this study are to be given special attentions.
5.3 Recommendations
Based on the result of the research finding, it would be worthy to give some recommendations for the improvement of Arabic Language speaking competence among secondary schools students.
• The study recommends that schools should be provided with language labs or at least with some educational techniques that based on Arabic Language, so as to introduce classroom Arabic communication activities in good and interesting manners.
• Also, Arabic text books should be well prepared to motivate and encourage students to speak the language and they should be given enough time to practice speaking skills. Teachers should pay attention for teaching and developing learners' Arabic speaking skills.
• The schools should be provided with motivation speaker to rid the students from negative psychological factors.
• Enough time should be given to student and teachers for practicing speaking skills.
• Arabic language teaching strategies, method and syllabus should be changed to enable the teachers and students to develop good speaking skills in Language.
5.4 Limitations of the Study
The present study has some limitations despite its valuable findings. Although I attempted to collect data from different sources to maximize credibility of my research, I would like to admit that the quality of the data is limited due to a lack of substantially long observations and interviews of all students of the Arabic language. It is also less likely to generalize this research to other Arabic programs. Moreover, I should admit that that reading was the best learning skill that students excelled in applying the instruction given to them about the think-aloud approach. The small number of participants also posed a limitation for this study. I would argue that the recruitment of students from different levels of Arabic could enrich the research findings. Therefore, the findings of this research should not be treated as general and applicable to all levels of Arabic.
However, despite the limitations mentioned above, the present research findings might be important to researchers, curriculum planners and instructional designers. They could inspire suggestions that deserve the consideration of Arabic language practitioners and theorists.
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