WHY CANDIDATES PERFORM POORLY IN LITERATURE-IN-ENGLISH IN THE WEST AFRICAN SENIOR SCHOOL CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION FOR SCHOOL CANDIDATES IN NIGERIA�

MR. C. A. O. UDUH

SENIOR DEPUTY REGISTRAR/HEAD, RESEARCH DEPARTMENT, WAEC

INTRODUCTION

• Literature is an imaginative and beautiful creation in words which provides entertainment, information, education and excitement to its audience.
• Literature is an elevated form of language used in a more special and beautiful manner to express views, feelings, ideas, beliefs and emotions (Fatimayin, 2017).
• It helps tremendously in ensuring intellectual growth, aesthetic appreciation and understanding of how people’s experiences in the past and present can be represented

�RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LITERATURE AND LANGUAGE

• Language theories, concepts and styles are put into function in the creation of literary texts.
• Language is the instrument through which literature is concretised.
• Therefore, to analyse and interpret a literary text, competence in the language of the text is required.
• Conversely, to be competent in a language, sufficient exposure to the literature of the language in question is paramount.

�RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LITERATURE AND LANGUAGE

• Literature-in-English embodies literature of different people in the world which is relayed in English Language (Sanoto, 2017).
• English Language is the main official language and the language of formal education in all WAEC member countries.
• At primary and junior secondary school levels, they are studied as composite subjects; while at senior secondary level, they are studied as two different subjects and individually assessed in WASSCE.

LITERATURE-IN-ENGLISH SYLLABUS IN WASSCE

Literature-in-English syllabus is focused on helping the students to:

• develop further the literary skills and competencies acquired earlier in JSS English Language classes;
• develop further their love for reading;
• make critical and informed responses to texts in their forms, styles and contexts;
• evaluate the different ways in which writers achieve their effects;
• appreciate human nature in their imaginative and intellectual response to the different texts; and appreciate the reactions of humans to critical and dramatic situation in life .

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FEATURES OF LIT-IN-ENGLISH AT WASSCE

ASSESSMENT OF LIT-IN-ENGLISH AT WASSCE

CHIEF EXAMINERS’ REPORTS ON CAUSES OF CANDIDATES’ POOR PERFORMANCE IN LIT-ENG IN WASSCE�

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• Poor use of English Language by candidates.
• Candidates ignored relevant textual reference.
• Some candidates avoid reading the prescribed texts and prefer to read commentaries.
• Poor knowledge of the texts.
• Candidates’ failure to either state the relevant themes or identify the characters or both.
• They regurgitated notes, commentaries, etc., which were not appropriate to the requirements of the questions.
• Some candidates’ lack of understanding of the questions.

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SOME AUTHORS’ VIEWS ON WHY CANDIDATES PERFORM POORLY IN LITERATURE-IN-ENGLISH IN WASSCE�

• Low proficiency in English Language and reading comprehension;
• Lack of in-depth knowledge of the prescribed texts because they preferred reading study guides;
• Lack of teaching and reading materials;
• Students’ poor linguistics background and negative attitude to reading;
• Non-availability of the reading texts;
• Students’ poor self-esteem and self-efficacy;
• Some students do not like the way literature was taught in their schools.

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WASSCE EXAMINERS

• WAEC do employ the services of many seasoned and experienced personnel as auxiliary staff, examiners, script checkers, supervisors, etc.
• Examiners are highly experienced teachers and professionals;
• They are expected to be diligent, responsible, smart, professional, accountable, innovative, transparent, disciplined and of high integrity;
• They are carefully selected, trained and well coordinated.
• To be an examiner in Literature-in-English, a good bachelor’s degree in either English Language or Literature-in-English is a prerequisite.

MARKING OF SCRIPTS

• WASSCE examiners are properly guided through the Coordination and Marking Exercise.
• The coordination meetings begin with the International Preliminary Coordination Meeting to standardise the marking schemes;
• Coordination meetings led by chief examiner or team leader-in-charge are held for examiners where marking schemes are discussed and used by all examiners to mark the dummy scripts.
• This is to ensure that only efficient and very effective examiners assess the candidates.

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STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

• The management of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has made several efforts to improve candidates’ performance in Literature-in-English in WASSCE over the years.
• Unfortunately, candidates’ performance in the subject in the examination has continued to be poor.
• This study therefore investigated the factors responsible for candidates’ poor performance in the subject in the examination.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

• What school factors account for the candidates’ poor performance in Literature-in-English in WASSCE (SC) in Nigeria?
• What factors relating to the script marking process account for the candidates’ poor performance in Literature-in-English in WASSCE (SC) in Nigeria?
• What other factors account for the candidates’ poor performance in Literature-in-English in WASSCE (SC) in Nigeria?
• How can candidates’ performance in Literature-in-English in WASSCE (SC) in Nigeria be improved upon?

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METHODOLOGY

• Research Design:
• Exploratory mixed method design: Quantitative and Qualitative.

Sample and Sampling Techniques

• 117 teachers, 3384 students and 923 examiners were involved in the study. Also 570 examiners were selected for test.
• Multi-stage sampling technique.
• 36 states already clustered into the six geopolitical zones.
• Two states from each geopolitical zone
• 15 secondary schools were selected (10 private and 5 public)

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SAMPLE AND SAMPLING TECHNIQUES

• Private schools - one Literature-in- English teacher and 20 SS3 candidates.
• Public schools - two Literature-in-English teachers and 50 SS3 candidates.
• Marking venues with the highest number of Literature-in-English examiners in each of the selected states and FCT were purposively selected.
• Examiners involved had marked any of the components of the subject for at least two years.

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INSTRUMENT AND INSTRUMENTATION

• Two types of instruments were used for data collection: A test and three sets of questionnaires.
• The test comprising eight items was developed from some of the prescribed texts for Literature-in-English in WASSCE and administered on the examiners.
• The questionnaires comprised of open and closed-ended items for the three categories of the respondents - teachers, students and examiners.
• The questionnaires adopted a four-point Likert-type rating scale for the closed-ended items.

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WHAT SCHOOL FACTORS ACCOUNT FOR THE POOR PERFORMANCE OF CANDIDATES IN LITERATURE-IN-ENGLISH IN WASSCE (SC) IN NIGERIA?�

DISCUSSION

• The findings supported Chin (2018) who posited that lack of teaching and learning materials affects students’ performance in Literature-in-English.
• The difficulty in understanding the texts will affect students’ interest in the subject and subsequently their performance.
• Chin (2018) posited that many students have poor linguistic background or low language proficiency and that such a factor accounted for the poor state of students’ performance in Literature-in-English.

DISCUSSION

• The results show that a substantial number of the students did not have the texts to read or do their assignments.
• Similarly, a good number of the teachers did not have the texts to prepare for their lessons
• The non availability of the textbooks therefore could have affected their performance in the subject.
• According to Ezeokoli and Igubor (2014), students’ poor performance in Literature-in-English could be attributed to lack of in-depth knowledge of the prescribed texts because they preferred to read ‘short notes’ or study guides.

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DISCUSSION

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• Some students ignored relevant textual reference, avoided reading the prescribed texts and read only commentaries.
• Some candidates’ answers exhibited very poor knowledge of the texts which in some cases became glaring that the candidates did not read the texts at all.

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DISCUSSION

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• Many teachers do not use the WASSCE Chief Examiners’ Report to guide their students.
• It is expected that the reports will aid teachers and students prepare very well for the examinations.
• . Candidates who do not cover the syllabus will be unable to answer questions from the areas not covered.
• Such candidates will not perform well in the examination.

DISCUSSION

• It is only when adequate numbers of teachers are available that the syllabus will be effectively covered, and candidates adequately prepared for the examination.
• The heavy workload might make it very difficult for teachers to cope, and this might affect their students’ performance.

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WHAT FACTORS RELATING TO THE SCRIPT MARKING PROCESS ACCOUNT FOR THE CANDIDATES’ POOR PERFORMANCE IN LITERATURE-IN-ENGLISH IN WASSCE (SC)?�

DISCUSSION

• Bello et al. (2010) maintained that a number of examiners marked candidates’ scripts hurriedly because they found it difficult to complete marking on schedule which might affect candidates’ performance in the examination.
• The time for the exercise should be efficiently managed and realistic enough to ensure that the real essence of the exercise is achieved.
• It is not expected of any examiner to participate in the Marking Exercise without proper coordination or farm out scripts (WAEC, 2010; Ukwuegbu, 2012).

DISCUSSION

• Examiners’ lack of commitment might have accounted for the candidates’ poor performance in the subject. These findings supported that of Bello et al (2010) that candidates could perform poorly in examinations because of examiners’ low level of commitment.
• The marking schemes did not contain sufficient details to guide some examiners, were not clear enough for some examiners to easily interpret, were not properly discussed during the Coordination Exercise due to time factor and were too voluminous for ease of reference while marking.

DISCUSSION

• Unsatisfactory marking scheme could be the principal source of unreliable marking and perhaps, candidates’ poor performance in an examination (Meadows &Billington, 2005).
• The marking schemes as perceived by some of the examiners might have contributed to the candidates’ poor performance in the subject.

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DISCUSSION

• Ordinarily, for an examiner to mark the scripts very well there should have been proper understanding of the recommended texts.
• Fatimayin (2017) posited that the inability of examiners to adequately read and understand the prescribed texts could affect the effective marking of Literature-in-English scripts.

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N = 570

DISCUSSION

• 74.3% of the examiners scored at most 14, 75% of the maximum obtainable score.
• Therefore 74.3% of the examiners did not attain mastery of the subject.
• There is no doubt that engaging such examiners to mark candidates’ scripts could affect candidates’ scores.

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OTHER FACTORS THAT ACCOUNT FOR THE CANDIDATES’ POOR PERFORMANCE IN THE SUBJECT IN WASSCE (SC) IN NIGERIA AS SUGGESTED BY THE EXAMINERS�

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• Laziness on the part of students, teachers and examiners
• Poor reading culture among teachers and students.
• Poor handwriting.
• Some candidates prefer malpractice to reading for their examination.
• The quality of teacher- made assessment is not equivalent to that in WASSCE
• Some school authorities do not monitor teachers to ensure that the syllabus is adequately covered before WASSCE.

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OTHER FACTORS THAT ACCOUNT FOR THE CANDIDATES’ POOR PERFORMANCE IN THE SUBJECT IN WASSCE (SC) IN NIGERIA AS SUGGESTED BY THE TEACHERS�

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• Some students find it difficult to understand some questions.
• Some schools are not equipped with the relevant instructional materials.
• Some students’ and teachers’ poor background in subject.
• Poor reading culture among some teachers and students
• Laziness on the part of some students, teachers and examiners
• Some candidates prefer malpractice to reading for their examination

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OTHER FACTORS THAT ACCOUNT FOR CANDIDATES’ POOR PERFORMANCE IN THE SUBJECT IN WASSCE (SC) IN NIGERIA AS SUGGESTED BY THE STUDENTS�

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• Some candidates prefer malpractice to reading for their examination.
• wrong spellings and poor organisation of points.
• Poor English Language background/use of bad grammar.
• Literature questions are difficult and too twisted.
• Late introduction of the recommended texts.
• Some school authorities’ failure to monitor teachers to ensure that the syllabus is adequately covered before WASSCE.
• Laziness on the part of some students, teachers and examiners

DISCUSSION

• These findings support those of WAEC (2015 - 2020) where the chief examiners reiterated that candidates performed poorly in Literature-in-English because some of them
• made poor use of English Language,
• avoided reading the prescribed texts and preferred to read commentaries
• regurgitated notes, commentaries, etc. which were not appropriate to the requirements of the questions,
• lack understanding of the questions as they presented answers that did not actually address the questions.

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HOW TO IMPROVE CANDIDATES’ PERFORMANCE IN LITERATURE-IN-ENGLISH AS SUGGESTED BY EXAMINERS�

• WAEC should recruit more examiners.
• Rigorous Coordination Exercise should be encouraged and properly enforced.
• Time for the marking exercise should be extended.
• Candidates should endeavour to read the texts.

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• Qualified teachers should be recruited to teach the subject.
• Parents should endeavour to buy literature texts for their children.
• Examination malpractice should be curtailed.
• Examiners should be encouraged to read the text before coordination and marking Exercise.

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HOW TO IMPROVE CANDIDATES’ PERFORMANCE IN LITERATURE-IN-ENGLISH AS SUGGESTED BY EXAMINERS

• Candidates should endeavour to write legibly.
• Teachers should teach their students how to develop their points.
• Teachers should ensure they complete/ cover the teaching syllabus before examination.
• Teachers should endeavour to give students practice tests before examination.
• Progressive vetting of scripts for early detection of errors for correction should be encouraged.
• Transportation allowance should be given to Assistant Examiners for submission of scripts for progressive marking.

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HOW TO IMPROVE CANDIDATES’ PERFORMANCE IN LITERATURE-IN-ENGLISH AS SUGGESTED BY TEACHERS

• Government and other stakeholders should provide the recommended textbooks in time.
• Students should be given enough assignments for them to practice at home.
• Parents should allow the students to choose the subjects they are interested in.
• Reading culture should be inculcated from the junior classes.
• There should be reduction in the number of books in each of the genres of Literature-in English

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HOW TO IMPROVE CANDIDATES’ PERFORMANCE IN LITERATURE-IN-ENGLISH AS SUGGESTED BY TEACHERS

• More teachers should be recruited.
• More instructional materials should be deployed.
• The subject should be made interesting by teachers.
• Students should be encouraged to read the texts.
• Students should always strive to read and understand the questions first.

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HOW TO IMPROVE CANDIDATES’ PERFORMANCE IN LITERATURE-IN-ENGLISH AS SUGGESTED BY STUDENTS

• Questions should be made clearer.
• Reduce the Literature-in-English texts.
• Government should provide textbooks and other instructional materials for the students.
• More qualified teachers should be recruited.
• There should be training and retraining of teachers.
• Students should endeavour to understand the questions before answering.
• There should be improved reading culture among students, teachers and examiners.
• Government and school owners should provide adequate facilities for the teaching and learning of the subject.
• Only qualified and competent teachers should be allowed to teach the subject.

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CONCLUSION

• It is expected that Literature-in-English students and their teachers should be passionate readers. Unfortunately, the reverse is the case from the findings of this study.
• This, among others, have accounted for candidates’ consistent poor performance in the subject.
• Strict adherence to the measures advanced as way forward will results to improvement in candidates’ performances in the subject in WASSCE in Nigeria.

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WAY FORWARD�

• Government and other education stakeholders, through the Ministry of Education should ensure that schools are equipped with prescribed textbooks and other necessary teaching and learning materials for teachers and their students.
• Students, teachers and examiners should be encouraged and motivated to cultivate good reading culture.
• Government and school owners should endeavour to recruit more qualified Literature-in-English teachers to teach the subject.
• Teachers of Literature-in-English should endeavor to improve their skills and teaching methods.
• Government and school owners should periodically train and retrain Literature-in-English teachers through seminars, workshops and other in-service trainings to enhance their skills.
• Examiners should be more commited and observe the marking procedures.
• WAEC should increase the duration for the Coordination and Marking Exercise.

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