INFLUENCE OF CULTURAL BACKGROUND ON STUDENTS’ACQUISITION OF STANDARD IGBO LANGUAGE SKILLS IN SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN IGBO-ETITI LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF ENUGU STATE

Abstract

The study aims to investigate the influence of cultural background on acquisition of standard Igbo language skills in Senior Secondary Schools in Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area of Enugu State. Despite concerted efforts to promote the use of the standard Igbo language in the Nigerian educational system, many senior secondary school students in Igbo-speaking areas, such as Igbo-Etiti L GA, continue to struggle with acquiring proficiency in the standard form of the language. The students are deeply embedded in local dialects and traditional expressions that differ significantly from the standardized orthography, vocabulary, and grammar taught in schools. These linguistic differences may hinder effective comprehension, oral fluency, reading, and writing in the standard Igbo language. It is against this backdrop that this study seeks to investigate. Guided by two research questions, the study used a descriptive survey research design. The population for the study consisted of 3518 students. A sample size of 288 students were obtained using simple random sampling technique. The instrument for data collection was a 10 items researcher designed questionnaire titled ‘Influence of cultural background on acquisition of Igbo language skills in Senior Secondary Schools (ICBAILS)’. Overall reliability co-efficient of 0.76 was generated using Cronbach Alpha Statistical tool. The findings revealed that cultural influences emerge as a significant challenge in students' Igbo learning processes, indicating the need for diverse teaching strategies which plays a vital role in improving their Igbo language skills. The study recommends that educational stakeholders adopt culturally responsive teaching methods, train teachers to address diverse cultural backgrounds, and include culturally relevant content in the Igbo language curriculum to improve student engagement and learning outcomes.