AN EVALUATION OF TEACHING AND LEARNING GRAMMATICAL STRUCTURES IN SELECTED PRIMARY SCHOOLS: A CASE STUDY OF KADUNA NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY: In today's culture, both the teaching of and the study of the English language are considered to be of utmost importance. This is due of the many different functions it fulfills within the country's overall geopolitical framework. In Nigeria, the English language is utilized for a variety of reasons, including communication, education, the economy, and social life. Not only is the English language taught as a topic in the educational system, but it is also the fundamental subject that serves as the foundation for the instruction of all other subjects (Kombo, & Tramp, 2022).
In spite of the points made above, grammatical aspects of the English language are taught with less emphasis in elementary education. Today, educators, researchers, and policy makers are placing a significant amount of emphasis on the manner in which English grammatical structure is taught and learned in the primary school setting. This is due to the fact that doing so significantly improves the student's ability to acquire all four aspects of language proficiency: listening, speaking, reading, and writing (Kothari, 2021).
In light of the information presented above, the grammatical structure of the English language, which includes English tenses, parts of speech, punctuation, concord, clauses and phrases, is of extreme significance to the teaching, learning, and mastery of the English language among students in primary schools. Therefore, not only should it be taught to the students, but it should also be treated seriously at the primary school level. This is because elementary education is a better foundation, and the future depends on it (Magut, 2021).
In spite of this, the general approach taken by both teachers and students in some primary schools located in the Kaduna North Local Government Area of Kaduna State toward the teaching and learning of English grammatical structure is not very encouraging. This can be seen when looking at the situation that currently exists in these schools. The teaching of writing and reading comprehension, the use of old question papers from the common entrance examination, the teaching of spellings, dictation, and other activities have taken precedence over the learning of the grammar of the language, despite the fact that the students have a great need for adequate instruction and explanation on the various aspects of English grammatical structures (Magut, 2021).
A lack of trained and qualified teachers, inadequate materials (textbooks and teaching aids), poor classroom facilities, ambiguity of some English syllabi, inadequate evaluation of teacher's work by the supervisory authority, and the teacher's inability to properly evaluate pupils' work on grammar are all contributory factors to pupils' poor performance in not only grammatical structure but also other aspects of the English language at large. Pupils' poor performance in not only grammatical structure but also other aspects of the English language (Kombo, & Tramp, 2022).
As a result, the goal of the teaching and learning of English language in primary school should be to guarantee that students have a strong understanding and command of the grammatical structures as well as the capacity to employ them effectively for a greater progress in English language. This is the actual impetus behind the requirement for doing this investigation (Kothari, 2021).