Perception of English Learning in Junior High Schools: Evidence from NGO Projects
Keywords:
Teaching, Learning, Experience, Academic, Performance, learnersAbstract
Purpose: This study draws on Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle to examine the teaching and learning of English Language in Junior High Schools in Sekyere Central District, Ghana.
Methodology: The study employed Action Research design to examine the processes involved in the teaching of English Language and its impact on learners’ academic performance. The convenient and simple random sampling techniques were employed to recruit 300 respondents for the study. The major research instrument for the study was questionnaire which were administered to learners in the four Junior High Schools.
Results: The study identified strategies that were involved in the teaching of English Language to final year learners in correlation with their class exercises, quizzes and Mock Examination results. The study found that teachers adopted teacher-centered approaches which did not take into consideration individual learning needs and abilities. Through the application of Experiential Learning, it is expected that learners have more meaningful and lasting learning processes, so they can make effective use of their learning. The findings of this research showed that Experiential Learning could increase learners’ motivation to become independent learners.
Unique Contribution to Theory, Policy and Practice: The results of the research are beneficial for the development of knowledge on learners’ learning styles and give some benefits to teaching practitioners and future researchers as well. Therefore, the study recommends Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle as an effective guide for instructions to suit all learners for them to achieve high academic performances in English Language at the Junior High School Level in Ghana.
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