Factor Affecting The Teaching And Learning Of English Language In Primary School
[ILORIN WEST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF KWARA STATE]

Instructional materials/teaching aids chosen for any topic must be relevant or appropriate to such topics. For example, during an oral English class or listening class, the most effective and efficient instructional material/teaching aid to use is a tape recorder. The learning aid must be appropriate to the level of the students it will be used for. If it is not so, teaching and learning may not be achieved adequately.
Danesty (2004) opined that innovative environment do stimu1ate head start learning and mental perception and not only that, it has also been proved that students that come from simulative environment with laboratory or those that are taught with instructional-aids, pictures and allowed to demonstrate using their functional peripheral nerves like eyes, hands and sense of taste, performed better than those trained under theoretical canopy of abstraction. Thus teaching and learning should be done under organized, planned and fortified environment with learning/instructional-aids to simulate students’ sense of conception, perception and concentration to facilitate systematic understanding and acquisition of knowledge in them.
 The roles of government in the teaching and learning of English language are multi-dimensional. In most cases, it is the government that is responsible for the establishment of schools, curriculum development recruitment and remuneration of teachers, provisions of infrastructures and instructional materials such as teaching aids and textbooks to mention but a few. Bazuaye (1997) referred to this situation as the one over which English teachers have little or no control.
The effectiveness of English teaching and learning in secondary schools like any other subject in the school curriculum depends on the policy of the government from time to time. Akinkunmi (1984) noted that, the government policy that changed the previous eight years primary school duration to six years had a serious effect on English language teaching because many students enter the secondary school without adequate basic knowledge of English language.
Attitude of Teacher and Students
Ogunyerni (1994) quoting Ajzen (1988) defined attitude as a disposition to respond favourably or unfavourably to an object, a person, an institution or an event. Babajide (2001) saw it as the different way every man or every group of people react to different things, ideas, events, etc.
The kind of attitude that the teacher has towards teaching is important in the teaching-learning process. The negative attitude of teachers has negatively affected the students. Some teachers are hostile; they are quick to condemn students at the -- slightest mistake. Such students will discourage to participate in class. A teacher’shostile attitude may make a student hate such a teacher and invariably such subject. Speaking on teacher’s attitude, Cyril and Peters (1983) said that a teacher who shouts down students, who always criticize their opinions, will discourage such students from participating in the class.
Some teachers are not even committed to their work. Such teachers are mainly those who took up teaching as a last resort. Thus, they do not really have interest in the profession and this will affect the way they teach as well as how students will learn. Sometimes, they deliberately refuse to go to class to teach students. This type of attitude often affects student’s performance.
Psychologically, pupil’s attitude to lesson can be linked with some special problems. Maturation factor may exert a considerable influence on the development of pupils’ attitude and behavior towards English Language teaching. It is very rampant to see a good number of pupils, loitering about in questionable corners in our cities during the school hours. The influence of the peer group on the behavior of these pupils cannot be brushed aside with a wave of hand. It plays a vital role in their formation of prejudice and the consequent rejection of the values and rules in the schools.
Appraisal of the Literature Reviewed
This study investigates the factors affecting the teaching and learning of English is Primary School in Ilorin West Local Government Area of Kwara State.
The important position of English Language in the Nigerian Curriculum was stressed by several researchers. Onugbo (2004) stressed this by saying that for anyone to be qualified for admission into the University; he/she must have a credit pass in English language. view is also shared by Oyesakin (1999) Mohammed (1995), Oyesade (2001) and Olagoke (1979)
Several researchers such as Akinkunmi (1984), Basuaye (1992(, Nwigwe (1994), Adewunmi (2000), Ojoawa (1989), Faburimi, Peter and Isaiah (2007) have identified factors which affect the teaching and learning of English Language in our schools. These researchers all agreed that the class size is a factor that can affect the teaching and learning process, to them the fewer the number of students in a class, the more efficient and effective the lesson will be.