Project

Investigating Social and Educational Factors in the Success of English Learning: The Case of Ghana

Program

African Humanities Program Dissertation Fellowships

Abstract

Comments from the West African Chief Examiners Reports (WEAC) and media accounts carry one concern: poor performance by students of English in primary schools through tertiary institutions. This work examines the poor performance of English as a subject in Ghana, using the Senior Secondary Schools of Eastern Region as a case study. It argues that this performance is shaped by attitude, motivation, teaching, and learning styles. The discussion focuses on social and educational factors. First, the nature and extent of social support received by a learner influences his/her learning. Second, exploring variance in educational factors illustrates how differences between the learner’s learning style and the teacher’s teaching style affect the quality of learning and attitude towards English.