The major problem investigated in this study is the difficulties senior high school students encounter in the use of concord in English grammar. The purpose of the study was to identify these concord learning challenges, find out why those challenges exist and find appropriate ways to help the students. The instruments used to collect data were intervention tests. The research design included pre-intervention, intervention and post-intervention.
The study discovered that most of the students could not apply the rules of concord correctly. They had very serious problems with subject-verb concord. Most students applied concord rules correctly to a very large extent after they were taken through the rules guiding concord in the intervention procedure. In conclusion, this research has proved that an intervention procedure is very important in assisting students to overcome their concord learning challenges.
Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Background to the study
1.2 Statement of the problem
1.3 Purpose of the study
1.4 Research objectives
1.5 Research questions
1.6 Limitations of the study
1.7 Delimitations of the study
1.8 Significance of the study
1.9 Organization of the study
1.10 Theoretical Framework
2.0 Introduction
2.1 Attitudes towards Grammar instruction
2.2 Student expectations on grammar instruction
2.3 The use of grammatical terminology
2.4 Concord
2.5 Aspects of concord and their underlying principles
2.6 Difficulties of studying concord
2.7 English grammatical concord in perspective
2.8 Summary
3.0 Introduction
3.1 Research Design
3.2 Population of the study
3.3 Sample
3.4 Instrumentation
3.5 Using the research instruments
3.6 Validity and Reliability
3.7 Demographic Characteristics of the research participants
3.8 Conclusion
4.0 Introduction
4.1 Difficulties SHS students encounter in studying concord
4.2 Performance analysis of concord learning difficulties among students
4.3 Why SHS students encounter difficulties in studying concord
4.4 How SHS students can be helped to overcome their problems in studying concord
4.5 Performance analysis of students in intervention tests
4.6 Overall performance index
4.7 Summary
5.0 Introduction
5.1 Summary of findings
5.1.1 What difficulties do senior high school students encounter in studying concord in English ?(Research Qn. one)
5.1.2 Why do senior high school students encounter difficulties in studying concord in English ? (Research Qn. two)
5.1.3 How can senior high school students be helped to overcome difficulties in studying concord in English?(Research Qn. three)
5.2 Recommendations
5.3 Summary
Research Objectives and Themes
The study investigates the difficulties encountered by second-year senior high school students in Ghana regarding English concord and seeks to identify underlying causes and effective remedial intervention strategies.
- Difficulties in subject-verb, verb-verb, noun-pronoun, and point-of-time-past concord.
- Impact of mother tongue (L1) interference on English language acquisition.
- Efficacy of intervention-based teaching models in improving grammatical proficiency.
- The importance of subject identification and rule application in writing.
- Feasible teaching strategies for senior high school level students.
Excerpt from the Book
1.0 Introduction
Without grammar, English-and all other languages-would be gibberish. Grammar- the art of writing and speaking correctly by adhering to usage standards and rules- allows people to communicate.
Without common form and structure and left to their own devices, people would not understand each other’s word order or sentence construction. According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the prescriptive approach to grammar, in which rules had to be memorized and sentences parsed, has been replaced with a descriptive approach, in which analysis and observation are key concepts of language change and development. When learning a foreign language, it is imperative to study the grammar to understand how it is structured, that is, whether it is generally descriptive or prescriptive by nature. In concord analysis, rules are clearly spelled out and grammatical accuracy is measured by ones adherence to these rules (prescriptive grammar).
This study sought to dig deep into the problems that learners of concord in English come face to face with in their academic exploration. The study further questioned why these learning challenges exist and winded up on feasible measures to reduce, if not eliminate, these challenges.
Summary of Chapters
CHAPTER ONE: Provides an introduction to the study, defining the importance of grammar and concord, and establishing the research objectives and questions.
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW: Examines existing literature on grammar instruction, student attitudes, and various aspects of concord and their underlying principles.
CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY: Details the research design, including the use of intervention exercises, the population, and the sample selection of students.
CHAPTER FOUR: DATA ANALYSIS: Analyzes the data collected from the intervention tests to identify specific concord difficulties faced by students.
CHAPTER FIVE: FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: Synthesizes the findings of the study and provides actionable recommendations to improve the teaching and learning of English concord.
Keywords
Concord, Agreement, English Grammar, Senior High School, Subject-verb Concord, Verb-verb Concord, Noun-pronoun Concord, Point-of-time-past Concord, Language Interference, Intervention Teaching, Action Research, Grammatical Accuracy, Linguistic Competence, Dependency Grammar, Educational Assessment.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this research?
The research focuses on the difficulties senior high school students in Ghana encounter when applying English concord rules in their writing and speech.
What are the main thematic areas of concord covered?
The study categorizes concord into four main areas: subject-verb, verb-verb, noun-pronoun, and point-of-time-past-verb concord.
What is the central research question?
The study aims to identify the specific concord challenges students face, the reasons for these challenges, and how intervention procedures can help overcome them.
Which scientific method is employed?
The research uses a qualitative action research design involving pre-intervention, intervention, and post-intervention testing phases.
What does the main body of the work address?
It provides a theoretical review of concord, details the methodology used, presents a comprehensive analysis of the test results, and offers recommendations based on the findings.
Which keywords characterize this work?
The key themes include concord, English grammar, senior high school, language interference, and intervention-based education.
Why did the researcher focus on senior high school students?
The researcher targeted second-year students because this stage is considered critical for academic progression in the Ghanaian educational system.
How significant is mother tongue (L1) interference in this study?
The study identifies L1 interference as a significant factor, showing that differences in linguistic structure between native languages and English can lead to specific concord errors.
- Quote paper
- Justine Bakuuro (Author), 2015, Concord in English Grammar. Problems and Recommendations for Senior High School Students, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/931496
