Examining ESL Learners’ Motivation to study Nzema language in the College of Languages Education, University of Education, Winneba
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32350/jcct.72.02Keywords:
Nzema, Ghana, language attitude, motivation, English as a medium of instructionAbstract
Proficiency in one’s mother tongue is crucial to achieving proficiency and academic success in the second language Learners’ attitudes toward their mother tongue and its speakers play a crucial role in their academic endeavors. Ghana is a multilingual country. Most of these languages are used solely for instruction, while a few are studied as subjects across various levels of education. A major competition exists between English and Nzema in terms of choice of study at the tertiary level. As a result, this paper investigates learners’ motivation to study English as a course and the factors that hinder their learning of Nzema at the College of Languages Education, University of Education, Winneba. The study used a descriptive quantitative approach, with a 20-item questionnaire administered to 39 Nzema students at the College of Languages Education, Ajumako Campus. The analysis showed, inter alia, that although the students have good reasons for studying their mother tongue, several instrumental factors drive their study of English as a course at the tertiary level.
Downloads
References
Adriosh, M. M., & Razi, O. (2016). Investigating Nigerian university students’ perception towards English language dominance over their indigenous languages. The Eurasia Proceedings of Educational & Social Sciences, 5, 206–213.
Andoh-Kumi, K. (1994). Topics in Ghanaian language education [Unpublished Thesis]. University of Ghana.
Baker, C. (1992). Attitudes and language. Multilingual Matters.
Bamgbose, A. (1991). Language and the nation: The language question in Sub-Saharan Africa. Edinburgh University Press for the International African Institute.
Boadi, L. A. (1971). Education and the role of English in Ghana. In J. Spencer (Ed.), The English language in West Africa (pp. 49–65). Longman.
Coulmas, F. (2006). Sociolinguistics: The study of speakers’ choices. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511815522
Creswell, J. W. (2003). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (2nd ed.). Sage.
Crookes, G., & Schmidt, R. W. (1991). Motivation: Reopening the research agenda. Language Learning, 41(4), 469–512. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-1770.1991.tb00690.x
Dakubu, M. E. K., & Dolphyne, F. A. (1988). The Volta-Comoe languages. In M. E. K. Dakubu (Ed.), The languages of Ghana (50–90). Kegan Paul International.
Gardner, R. C. (1985). Social psychology and second language learning: The role of attitudes and motivation. Edward Arnold.
Gardner, R. C., & Lambert, W. E. (1972). Attitudes and motivation in second language learning. Newbury House.
Guerini, F. (2007, May 29–July 2). Multilingualism and language attitudes in Ghana: A preliminary survey [Paper presentation]. International Symposium on Bilingualism 6, Hamburg, Germany.
Guerini, F. (2008). Multilingualism and language attitudes in Ghana: A preliminary survey. Ethnorema: Lingue, Popoli e Culture, 4, 1–27.
Jaggi, S. (2010). Descriptive statistics and exploratory data analysis. Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute. https://wwwusers.ts.infn.it/ ~milotti/Didattica/StatisticaAvanzata/DataVisualization.pdf
Kissau, S. (2006). Gender differences in second language motivation. Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 9(1), 73–96.
Magwa, W. (2015). Attitudes towards the use of indigenous African languages as languages of instruction in education: A case of Zimbabwe. Journal of Educational Policy and Entrepreneurial Research, 2(1), 1–16.
Owu-Ewie, C., & Edu-Buandoh, D. F. (2014). Living with negative attitudes towards the study of L1 in Ghanaian senior high schools. Ghana Journal of Linguistics, 3(2), 1–25. https://doi.org/10.4314/gjl.v3i2.1
Sackey, J. A. (1997). The English language in Ghana: A historical perspective. In M. E. K. Dakubu (Ed.), English in Ghana (pp. 126–139). Black Mask Publishers.
Sarfo, E. (2012). Ghanaian university students’ attitude towards English. International Review of Social Sciences and Humanities, 4(1), 86–99.
Tahaineh, Y., & Daana, H. (2013). Jordanian undergraduates’ motivations and attitudes towards learning English in an EFL context. International Review of Social Sciences and Humanities, 4(2), 159–180.
Twumasi, R. A. (2021). Attitudes of students towards the study of Ghanaian languages in University of Cape Coast. International Journal of Research in English Education, 6(2), 71–88. https://doi.org/10.52547/ijree.6.2.71
Yang, X. (2012). Attitude and motivation in L2 learning among UM master students. International Journal of Management and Sustainability, 1(1), 13–22. https://doi.org/10.18488/journal.11/2012.1.1/11.1.13.22
Zanghar, A. (2012). Instrumental and integrative motivation among undergraduate Libyan students of English as a foreign language [Master’s thesis, Colorado State University]. Mountain Scholar. https://mountainscholar.org/items/11e4ab3f-cb3b-492d-817f-e72187b63e15
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 John Nyame
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work’s authorship and initial publication in this journal.
