Concord Errors And Effective Communication Among Students Of College Of Education

CONCORD ERRORS AND EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

AMONG STUDENTS OF COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

ABSTRACT

This study examined concord errors and effective communication among students of college of Education, Afaha Nsit. Three Research questions were posed to give the study direction. A Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study was made up of all the English Language students in the 2016/2017 academic session and the sample size comprised One Hundred (100) students randomly sampled from five English combinations in the college. The Instrument for the data collection was a structured questionnaire on Concord Errors and Effective Communication. Data obtained were analyzed using simple percentages. Results of the findings indicated that violation of number concord, abuse of pronoun-antecedent concord and misuse of collocational concord impedes effective communication in English Language. However, it was recommended among other things that lecturers of English Language should treat concordial relations with great care. Also, activities such as debates, quiz and essay-writing competitions should be given top priority in primary and secondary schools. In addition, students, especially those in the Departments of English, should take their use of English courses with all amount of Seriousness.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1      Background to the Study

        Communication is central to human growth and development. Every human society, from the most primitive to the most advanced depends on some form of communication for survival, integration, peaceful coexistence and social control.

 Communication is the process of transmitting, receiving and acting upon information (message) through mutually-agreed understandable codes or symbols. It is basically used to “inform, entertain, instruct, educate and persuade” in a given discourse.

Shannon and Weaver (2009) perceive communication as the act of conveying intended meanings from one individual or group to another through the use of mutually-understood signs and rules. It is the process by which meaning is assigned and conveyed in an attempt to create shared understanding.

According to NCE/DLS course book(1990), Communication is the process of using words, sounds, signs and behaviors to express and exchange information, ideas, thoughts or feelings between individuals in a given society. It is a channel whereby one mind may affect another.

 Interestingly, Communication occurs when the sender transmits (shares) a message through a medium and the receiver decodes (interprets) the message with ease. The essence of communication is the natural desire of man to express his/her opinions to others.

 Hence, the basic purpose of this social activity is to bring changes in the behavior and attitude of the receiver.

 Bamgbose (2001) points out that in every human communication, there are always two participants-the sender and the receiver of the message. The message is utterance, usually in the form of sentences (sounds or words), used to convey the idea. In this regards, the process of communication is initiated in the brain-this is the stage of ideation when the sender formulate something one wants to say in the form of thought-frame. These ideas are then converted into grammatical sentences before they are uttered orally or in writing.

Moreover, Language and communication are inseparable. Language is surely the most indispensible tools for social interaction that human beings have at their disposal. This is because it is language that permits people to communicate.

 In Nigeria, English is officially recognized as means of communication among people from the diverse socio-cultural, ethnic, religious and linguistics background. As a language of national unity, it is expedient for Nigerians to speak and writes English intelligible. Therefore, it is against, and based on this belief that the present study is undertaken to remedy the grammatical blunders common among student of College of Education Afaha Nsit.

1.2      Statement of the Problem

Nigeria, the giant of Africa is blessed with more than four hundred languages spoken by the different ethnic groups that make up the country.

Consequently, there is need for a common language that would adequately satisfy the communicative needs of the diverse people. The English language, though a colonial legacy is formerly adopted to fulfill this needs. It is a language of communication in education, government, mass media, law, business, and religion. In facts, one is greatly admired and respected if one writes and speaks English impeccably and fluently.

Nyarks (2002) argues that it is not only important to think about what to say but also how to say it. This implies that to communicate effectively, it is not enough to have well-organised ideas expressed in clear sentences; but how the information will make meaning to the listener or reader. Even with the ability to communicate, misunderstanding usually occurs.

The researcher observes that communication in the English language posses a big challenge to many Nigerians, especially students, irrespective of their literacy attainment. This may not be unconnected to learning by analogy, ignorance, carelessness, inadequate exposure to the intricacies of the language and faulty application of grammatical principles.

   In a nutshell, the problem which has necessitated this study is the lack of harmony in the use of English structures among Nigerian students in institutions of higher learning.

1.3   Purpose of the Study

The primary aim of this study is to examine concord errors and effective communication among students of college of education, Afaha Nsit. The general aim is encapsulated in the following specific objectives, which are to:

i)            determine the extent to which violation of number concord affects effective communication among college of education student;

ii)          determine the extent to which abuse of pronoun-antecedent concord affect effective communication among college of education student;

iii)        determine the extent to which collocational concord affects effective communication among college of education students.

1.4   Significance of the Study

The study is significant for the following reasons:

i)            it will help to improve the use of English for communication among students and the general public;

ii)          it will bring to the awareness of English language lecturers the need to treat concordial relations with the attention it deserves;

iii)        it will enlighten parents on the importance of enrolling their children in schools that offers qualitative education in the area of arts;

iv)         it will enable the government to re-train teachers and lecturers of English through seminars and conferences to keep them abreast with developments in the field of language education;

v)           it will serve as a reference point for other researchers who might investigate the same variables.

1.5      Research Questions

The following research questions are posed to direct the study:

i)            Does violation of number concord affect effective communication among students?

ii)          Does abuse of pronoun-antecedent concord affect effective communication among students?

iii)        Does misuse of collocational concord affect effective communication among students?

1.6      Scope of the Study

The study is delimited to concord errors and effective communication among students of college of education, Afaha Nsit. The variables under investigation are errors associated with number, pronoun/antecedent and collocational concord. In addition, only level 200 students in the department of English will be used as respondents for the study.

1.7      Limitation of the Study

In conducting a research of this magnitude, limitations are inevitable. These include insufficient fund, time constraint, reticence on the part of the respondents etc.

1.8      Definition of Terms

The following terms are defined as used in the study:

i)      Concord: This refers to grammatical harmony or agreement between different elements or words in sentences.

ii)     Error: This refers to the misapplication of rules that should be applied due to ignorance or failure to master the grammatical principles of the language.

iii)    Communication: This refers to the process of sharing information with the use of words, sounds and symbols.