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COOU Journal of Arts and Humanities (CJAH) Vol. 5 No. 3, 2020

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Abstract 
This study investigated problems of teaching and learning English language in Onitsha North 
Local Government Area. English is the dominant language in Nigeria and it has become 
almost a necessity for people to learn English language if they are to enter a global workforce. 
The teaching and learning of the English language, however, has not been so easy due to some 
difficulties experienced by the teachers and students.  Descriptive survey research was 
adopted for the study. The area of the study was Onitsha North Local Government. The 
population consisted of 15 male teachers, 35 female teachers, 15 male students and 35 female 
students making it 100 teachers and students from public secondary schools. Purposive 
random sampling technique was used for the study. Two research questions guided the study. 
The instrument for data collection was a questionnaire developed by the researchers. Data 
collected were analysed using the mean rating. Results showed that English language 
teachers and students are facing numerous challenges such as inaccessibility to educational 
technologies, inadequate professional training and inability to write or speak the English 
language. The study, therefore, concluded that the challenges encountered by teachers and 
students of English language are caused by mother tongue interference and low interest to 
study a second language. Based on the findings, the study recommended, among others, that 
teachers should be acquainted with classroom management and utilise their skills in ensuring 
that students develop interest in learning the English language. This will enhance effective 
teaching and learning of the English language.

Keywords: English Language, teaching, learning, teachers, students

Background to the Study
Language is one of the most important things in the life of man, “it is an indispensable tool 
used for communication, transmission of culture and socialisation” (Udoye, 2019, p. 207).  
However, in the absence of language, signs and symbols are used, though they seldom 
communicate the exact meaning like language. Undoubtedly, language has a strong binding 
force of unifying different linguistic groups. Throughout the world, language is one of the 
important features that is used to distinguish people from others. In Nigeria, for example, there 
are many languages in use; this is as a result of different ethnic groups that make up Nigeria 
(Fatiloro, 2015). However, English is the central and official language in Nigeria (Amadi & 
Amadi, 2015).

More so, English language has gained worldwide recognition because it is not only the 
language of scientific, technical, political, educational and literary researches; it is also the 

IFEOMA EMMANUELA UDOYE
AND

ALIA EZINNE CHITURU
Department of English

Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University  Anambra State

PROBLEMS OF TEACHING AND LEARNING ENGLISH 
LANGUAGE IN ONITSHA  NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, 

ANAMBRA STATE



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COOU Journal of Arts and Humanities (CJAH) Vol. 5 No. 3, 2020

native tongue of the British Isles, the United States of America, parts of Canada, New Zealand 
and Australia. In addition, it is the second language of all former British colonies, including 
Nigeria, Gambia, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Uganda, Kenya (Nnamdi-Eruchalu, 2012). 
This is why English continues to “hold sway as the language of development in most 
developing nations of the world, and even in some developed nations where it is learned and 
used as a foreign language” (Muhammad, Ya'u, Aliyu & Hassan, 2018, p.10). 

Also, English is useful in all spheres of life, particularly in the development of 
education in Nigeria. It is the language of instruction in all institutions of learning in Nigeria 
and it is only learned in schools where it is taught as a subject (Nwanyanwu, 2017). The 
English language is an end in itself for students because a student who does not attain a 
reasonable degree of competence in English language will not make any remarkable progress 
in his or her studies; hence, English is a vital medium of knowledge delivery in schools. 
Besides, millions of reading materials such as books, and journals are written in English; even 
newspaper articles and magazines discuss all the problems, events of this country, 
international issues and practices in English.

Furthermore, English language, as a second language in Nigeria has remained a very 
important tool for national development, diplomacy, international communication and other 
activities since the days of colonization. In addition, the early Christian missionaries 
introduced formal education in Nigeria. English was adopted as the official language by the 
colonial masters to facilitate communication (Akujobi & Chukwu, 2012). Gobir (2018) 
observes that Nigeria has benefitted immensely from the adoption of English as the official 
language; this has not only put Nigeria on the world map, it has also helped in modern 
education, and advancement in science and technology. 

For effective communication, one needs to have a mastery of the five components of 
the language which include: grammar, composition, comprehension, orals which deal with 
speech, lexis and structure. A student, who has a good knowledge of English language 
commands respect (Umera-Okeke, 2019). Therefore, teachers at all levels of education must 
pay special attention to their teachings, so that students would emulate the correct form of 
pronunciation of words and grammatical constructions of sentences. Akujiobi and Chukwu 
(2012) rightly pointed out that “learning the English language equips Nigerians to confidently 
meet other people from other English-speaking nations of the world for all transactions” 
(p.59). 

However, the teaching of English as a foreign language in Nigeria always demands 
expertise for many reasons: socio-cultural, economic, psychological, philosophical, 
educational and pedagogic enlightenment. The knowledge of the above-mentioned factors 
will help the teacher to be productive in his work. Nevertheless, the job of teaching and 
learning, especially the English language comes with its difficulties. This sometimes makes 
some teachers quit their jobs while the prospective ones show no interest. This study, 
therefore, attempts to examine the challenges teachers and students face in the teaching and 
learning of English language in senior secondary schools in Onitsha North Local Government 
Area. 

Statement of the Problem
Gobir (2018) observed that Nigeria had greatly benefitted from adopting English as the 
official language. This, he noted, not only put Nigeria on the map, but also contributed to the 
advancement of science and technology in modern education. It was further demonstrated that 
the five language components which include grammar, composition, comprehension, orals, 



lexis and structure must be mastered for effective communication. Several factors ranging 
from socio-cultural, pedagogical, economic, psychological, physiological and educational 
issues have been linked to problems of teaching English as a foreign language because it needs 
expertise. This condition has led some teachers to leave their jobs and those who remain show 
little interest. Therefore, the problem of the study is to find out the challenges that teachers and 
students face.

Purpose of the Study
The main purpose of this study is to find out the challenges facing the teaching and learning of 
English language in Anambra state. Specifically, the objectives are to:
1. Identify the challenges teachers and students face in the teaching and learning of English 

language in senior secondary schools in Onitsha North Local Government Area.
2. Determine the effects of these challenges on the teachers' performance in the teaching of 

English language in senior secondary schools

Research Questions 
The study is guided by the following research questions: 
1. What are the challenges teachers and students face in the teaching and learning of English 

language in senior secondary schools in Onitsha North Local Government Area?
2. What are the effects of these challenges on the teachers' performance in the teaching of 

English language in senior secondary schools?

Review of Related Literature
In recent years, there has been an increasing amount of studies on English language. Erdem 
and Tutkun (2016) carried out research on problems in English language teaching according to 
secondary school students. The goal of the research was to identify the problems faced by 
secondary school students in teaching and learning English and to evaluate the degree of 
difference in the perceptions of the problems of the students in this respect. The research 
population is 24,850 high school students in Sultanbeyli, Istanbul, while the survey size is 
1,261 high school students. Among other things, Erdem and Tutkun (2016) discovered that 
“teachers get angry at the errors of students” (p.268) and there is no significant difference 
between the opinions of the students on the problems encountered in English teaching and 
learning in private or private secondary school, and the occupation and family income of the 
parents. The study by Erdem and Tutkun (2016) and the present study are related because both 
are trying to find out the challenges faced in the teaching and learning of English language. 
However, the two studies differ to an extent in that the present study dwells on the problems the 
teachers and students face in Onitsha North Local Government Area while, the study by Erdem 
and Tutkun (2016) is only interested in the problems of the students in learning the English 
language in Sultanbeyli, Istanbul. 

Obiegbu (2016) examined the challenges of teaching English language in Nigeria. The 
purpose of the study was to examine some of the challenges the teacher faces in the classroom 
ranging from decline in reading culture, lack of adequate attention in the classrooms, cultural 
and psychological background of the learners, poor motivation of the teachers, lack of 
exposure to modern teaching methods and teachers' inadequacy in teaching effectively. The 
findings of the study showed that problems such as mother tongue interference, lack of reading 
culture, inadequate teaching and learning facilities, lack of instructional materials and 

COOU Journal of Arts and Humanities (CJAH) Vol. 5 No. 3, 2020

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COOU Journal of Arts and Humanities (CJAH) Vol. 5 No. 3, 2020

ineffective teaching are the major challenges of teaching English Language in Nigeria.  The 
present study and that of Obiegbu (2016) share similarities as both works are based on finding 
the challenges in teaching of the English language. Nevertheless, there are some 
dissimilarities such as the fact that the present study dwells on problems that teachers and 
students of senior secondary schools face in the teaching and learning of English language in 
Onitsha North Local Government Area while the study by Obiegbu dwells on the challenges of 
teaching English language in Nigeria.

Similarly, Hossain, Nessa and Kafi (2015) examined the challenges of English 
language teaching at primary level schools in Bangladesh. The study explores the challenges 
of teaching English language in primary schools in the context of Bangladesh. Data were 
collected using interview, classroom observation and questionnaire. The results of the study 
revealed that students are weak in English language due to lack of skilled and trained teachers; 
who are trained in modern methods and inadequate teaching materials. The study by Hossain 
et al. (2015) and the present study are related in that both studies are interested in the problems 
faced in teaching the English language as a second language. The two studies, however, differ 
in some cases such as the fact that the present research covers teachers and students in Onitsha 
North Local Government Area while the research by Hossain et al. (2015) covers only primary 
schools in Bangladesh. 

In a related study, Muhammad, Ya'u and Aliyu (2018) examined teaching and learning 
of English language in Nigerian Schools, its importance and challenges. The purpose of the 
study was to highlight the importance and challenges of teaching and learning English in 
Nigerian schools. They discovered that learner's perspective, teacher's attitude, language 
transfer, and lack of interest are the mitigating factors against effective teaching and learning 
of English in Nigeria. The study is insightful and it provides the basis for the present work. 
However, it is different from the present work because it looked at all the schools in Nigeria 
while the present work deals with secondary schools in Onitsha North Local Government 
Area.

Finally, Akujiobi and Chukwu (2012) investigated the challenges of effective English 
language teaching in Nigerian secondary schools. They discovered that poor attitude of 
students towards the study of English language, few teaching periods, lack of motivation and 
incentive, poor teaching method, mother tongue interference and inexperienced teachers are 
the challenges of teaching English language in Nigeria. The work is similar to the present 
work; however, it differs from the present work in theory and context.

Theoretical Framework
The study is anchored on BF Skinner and Glasser's Classroom Management Theory. 
Classroom management theory shows the conditions in which learning best occurs; generally, 
this means structured environment, demonstration, observation, and classroom activities that 
focus on team work and behavioral management help the teacher to effectively carry out 
his/her work without much challenge arising. Classroom management theory is constantly 
evolving; two key theorists stand out when it comes to modern education. Throughout the 20th 
and 21st centuries, experts like B.F. Skinner, and William Glaser revolutionized the ways that 
teachers deliver education. 

In Skinner's operant conditioning model, teachers strongly guide learner's behaviour 
to reach desired outcomes. Within the context of classroom management, behaviourism is 
firmly established in practice. While the Glasser choice model views the role of teachers as 



helpers of those in their learning environment. The idea behind it is that all behaviour is an 
issue; teachers should merely serve to facilitate the making of good decisions and choices.  
According to Praveen & Alex (2017) understanding the theory lets educators identify their 
management strategies in the classroom and determine how to better handle students' 
experiences and reduce the obstacles they encounter in learning. This theory is very relevant in 
the present study as it provides ideas on how the challenges teachers and students face in 
teaching and learning can be ameliorated.

Methods
The research design adopted for this study was descriptive survey. This was chosen because it 
studied people's attitudes, belief system, opinions and other behavioural manifestations. The 
population of the study consisted of 35 female teachers and 15 male teachers; 35 female 
students and 15 male students from Onitsha North Local Government area making it 100 
senior secondary school language teachers and students. Purposive random sampling 
technique was adopted. A self-developed structured questionnaire for data collection 
captioned “Problems of English Language Teaching and Learning (PELTL)” made up of 10 
items was used. The questionnaire has sections A and B. Section A covers personal data of the 
respondents, while section B provides answers to the research questions raised for the items on 
a modified Likert type scale of Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree and Strongly Disagree. Mean 
rating was used for data analysis. Items that attracted a mean rating of 2.5 and above were 
accepted.

Results
Research question 1: What are the challenges teachers and students face in the teaching and 
learning of English language in senior secondary schools in Onitsha North Local Government 
Area?

Table I: Respondents' mean rating on the challenges facing teachers and students in the 
teaching and learning of English language in senior secondary schools Onitsha North 
Local Government Area

COOU Journal of Arts and Humanities (CJAH) Vol. 5 No. 3, 2020

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S/N ITEMS DESCRIPTION                                    Decision

1. Some teachers and students 358 3.6    Agree
find writing and speaking the English 
language difficult.

2. Students do not show interest in 303 3.0   Agree
learning the second language.

3. Mother tongue influences the 275 2.8   Agree
teaching and learning of English 
language.



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COOU Journal of Arts and Humanities (CJAH) Vol. 5 No. 3, 2020

4. Teachers do not have access to 282 2.8         
educational technologies for teaching 
and learning.

5. Lack of conducive environment for 315 3.2        Agree
teaching and learning.

Agree

Grand Mean 3.1       Agree

Table 1 above focused on the challenges teachers and students face in the teaching and learning 
of English language. Five items were presented to the respondents with the mean scores of 3.6, 
3.0, 2.8, 2.8 and 3.2 respectively, all above the cut-off mean. The findings further show that the 
respondents accepted that there are challenges facing teachers in the teaching and learning of 
English language in senior secondary schools in Onitsha North Local Government Area.
Research question 2: What are the effects of these challenges on the teachers' performance in 
the teaching of English language in senior secondary schools?

Table II: respondents' mean rating on the effects of challenges on the teachers' 
performance in the teaching and learning of English language in senior secondary 
schools

S/N ITEMS DESCRIPTION                                    Decision

6. The teachers lose interest in their work 290 2.9     

7. There is a poor quality of teaching 333 3.3    Agree
and learning of English language

8. The teachers do not make efforts ` 301 3.0    Agree
to improve themselves 

9. The teachers easily get annoyed at 354 3.5    Agree
students when they make mistakes

10. The teachers cannot compete favourably 301 3.0   Agree
with their counterparts in developed countries.

Agree

Grand Mean 3.1       Agree

 Table II above revealed the effects of the challenges on teachers' performance in the teaching 
of English language in senior secondary. It reveals that items 6,7,8,9 and 10 have the mean 
scores of 2.9, 3.3, 3.0, 3.5 and 3.0 respectively, all above the cut-off mean. This shows that the 
respondents accepted that there are challenges teachers face, and these challenges have effects 



COOU Journal of Arts and Humanities (CJAH) Vol. 5 No. 3, 2020

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on their performance in the teaching and learning of English language in senior secondary 
schools. 

Findings
1. The challenges teachers and students face in teaching and learning the English 

language include difficulties in writing and speaking the English language, lack of 
interest, mother tongue interference, inaccessibility to educational technologies for 
effective teaching and learning and unconducive environment.

2. The effects of the challenges on teachers' performance in the teaching and learning of 
English are loss of interest in professional improvement, inadequate teaching and 
annoyance at the students when they make mistakes and teachers' inability to compete 
with counterparts in developed countries.

Discussion 
The study revealed the challenges teachers and students face in teaching and learning the 
English language namely: difficulties on the part of teachers and students to write and speak 
the English language, lack of interest, mother tongue interference, unconducive environment, 
and inaccessibility to educational technologies for effective teaching and learning. The 
findings agree with the earlier findings of Obiegbu (2016); Akujiobi and Chukwu (2012) who 
noted that mother tongue interference and lack of students' interest are the major factors 
affecting the teaching and learning of English language in the areas where it is used as a second 
language. Teachers of English language who want to succeed in their jobs would need to 
enlighten the students on the problems of mother tongue interference and other basic 
educational skills. This is in line with Glasser's choice model which noted that teachers 
strongly guide learners to reach desired performance level. Eighty per cent of what the student 
becomes in the future can be shaped by a teacher. Apparently, it can be deduced that, here, the 
duty of an English language teacher does not stop at teaching the language, it includes making 
the learners learn and appreciate the language.

Also revealed were the effects of the challenges on the teachers' performance in the 
teaching of English language in senior secondary schools, they are mainly: loss of interest in 
professional improvement, annoyance at the students when they make mistakes and teachers' 
inability to compete with counterparts in developed countries. Such influences certainly make 
the teaching of the English language cumbersome to the teachers. The findings are supported 
by Erdem and Tutkun (2016); Muhammad et al. (2018) earlier findings that teachers get angry 
at students when they make mistakes which is among the problems teaching and learning of 
the English language faces. It suffices to say that a teacher who wants to inculcate knowledge 
in the student must learn behavioural management as proposed by Classroom Management 
Theory. Behavioural management helps the teacher to effectively carry out his/her work 
without many challenges. Behavioural management is one of the standards that should qualify 
one as a teacher. Nigerian public secondary school is poised unendingly with teachers' low 
professional standards which affect their abilities for personal modification, production, 
innovation and social placement. These problems are caused by the challenges the teachers 
face within and outside the school.



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COOU Journal of Arts and Humanities (CJAH) Vol. 5 No. 3, 2020

Conclusion
This study has tried to draw attention to the challenges teachers and students face in the 
teaching and learning of the English language. The study examined various factors that hinder 
the teaching and learning of the English language. It was discovered that some factors such as 
constant use of mother tongue in communication by students, inaccessibility to educational 
technologies for teaching and learning of the English language, unconducive environment for 
teaching and learning, students' low interest in learning the English language, and others were 
largely responsible for ineffective teaching and learning of the English language in secondary 
schools in Onitsha North Local Government Area. Based on the above, it is therefore 
concluded that the challenges facing teachers and students, especially those at the basic level 
of education are a national issue as the problems arising from such challenges affect the 
nation's educational development

Recommendations
The following recommendations are made based on the findings:
i. Government should provide adequate funds; train English language teachers and 

provide adequate facilities for learning. This will help reduce the challenges that 
teachers face in their jobs.

ii. Teachers should be acquainted with classroom management and utilise the skills in 
ensuring that the students find interest in learning the English language. The skills will 
make their jobs easier and make the students concentrate and learn fast.

REFERENCES

Akujobi, O. S., & Chukwu, E. (2012). Challenges of effective English language teaching in 
Nigeria secondary schools. An International Journal of Arts and Humanities, 1(4), 57 
– 68.

Amadi, D.C., & Amadi, A. I. (2015). The challenges of teaching English in extra-mural classes 
in Owerri municipal council, Imo state, Nigeria. Journal of Humanities and Social 
Science, 20(6), 21-24.

Erdem, S., & Tutkun, O.  (2016). Problems in English language teaching  a c c o r d i n g  t o  
secondary school students.  Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology. 
(December)268 -275.Retrieved from 

 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/312450234_Problems_in_english_language_teac
hing_according_to_secondary_school_students.  

Fatiloro, O.F. (2015).Tackling the challenges of teaching English language as a second 
language (ESL) in Nigeria. Journal of Research and Method in Education, 5(2), 26 – 
30.

Glasser, W. (1997). Choice theory: A new psychology of personal freedom. New York: Harper.
Gobir, M.T. (2018). English language in Nigeria: A diachronic survey.  The Journal of 
Communicative English, 18, 131-140.



COOU Journal of Arts and Humanities (CJAH) Vol. 5 No. 3, 2020

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Hossain, M., Nessa, M., & Kafi, M. (2015). Challenges of teaching English language at the 
primary level schools in Bangladesh. Banglavision Research  Journal, 15(1), 7 – 18.

Muhammad, H.A, Ya'u, S., Aliyu, U., & Hassan, M. (2018). Teaching and learning English 
language in Nigerian Schools: Importance and challenges. Teacher Education and 

Curriculum Studies, 3(1), 10- 13.
Nnamdi – Eruchalu, G. (2012). The place of English language in the development of Nigeria. 

The Nigeria Academic Forum, 22(1), 1-7.
Nwanyanwu, A. (2017). Effective teaching of the English language in multicultural l2 

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Obiegbu, I. (2016).  The challenges of teaching English in Nigeria. Journal of Modern 
European Languages and Literature, 5, 53-60.

Praveen, M., & Alex, A.(2017).Class management: A theoretical overview. Scholarly 
Research Journal for Humanity Science & English Language, 6 (29), 8089-8102.

Skinner, B. F. (1979). The shaping of a behaviourist: Part two of an 
autobiography. New York: New York University Press.

Udoye, I.E. (2019). Challenges of teaching and learning the Igbo language at Chukwuemeka 
Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Nigeria. International Journal of Linguistics, 
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