Abstract:
English Language is learnt as major subject in the senior high level and as a programme at
higher levels in the tertiary institutions. English Language is the official language and
therefore the medium of instruction in Ghanaian schools and colleges. Student in all levels
of education in Ghana are expected to learn to speak and write English Language fluently
and adequately. English Language has a fairly strict word order and the elements that make
up a sentence must be in concord, otherwise, the utterance becomes ungrammatical. The
study investigates the nature of concord errors students of Kenyase SDA Senior High
School commit and how the concord errors affect their communication. The objectives of
the study are to analyze the extent to which form 3 students of Kenyase SDA SHS commit
concord errors in their written scripts and to ascertain the challenges that hinder the usage
of correct concord among the students. The study adopted descriptive a design. Simple
random sampling technique was used to select 115 students for the study. The research
instrument used included questionnaires, test items and interviews. The data gathered were
analyzed using Corder’s (1974) Error Analysis mode and frequency tables. The results of
the study revealed that students face a significant level of the difficulty in the use of
concord. The factors that account for the errors made by students include students’ negative
attitude towards the study of English and their inability to truly internalize the rules of
concord in English, and inadequate scope of concord topics in the SHS syllable and the
manner in which some teachers teach concord rules. The study recommends that
curriculum designers develop appropriate programmes to maintain student interest and
have achievable short term goals. Again, there must be a deliberate effort to improve the
standard of teachers of English Language, hence, the teachers should be sent for regular
in-service training and conferences. It also recommends that instructors encourage
students and make the language learning process enjoyable.
Description:
A Dissertation in the Department of English Education,
Faculty of Foreign Languages Education and Communication,
submitted to the School of Graduate Studies in partial fulfilment
of the requirements for the award of the degree of
Master of Arts
(English Education)
in the University of Education, Winneba
DECEMBER, 2019
