Institute of Languages and Cultural Studies
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://dspace.njala.edu.sl/handle/20.500.144402/144
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Item An Analysis of the Grammatical Errors in the Written English Compositions of JSS 1 Pupils in Five Junior Secondary Schools in Bo City, Southern Sierra Leone(Macrothink Institute, 2023-04-16) Libbie, Josephus K. L.This study focuses on the grammatical errors in the essays written by JSS1 pupils in five junior secondary schools in Bo city. It aims at identifying the errors occurring in the use English grammar by pupils, classifying the errors, determining their frequency levels and their sources. The descriptive survey design was used in this study, where out of a population of 853 pupils, 250 pupils were used a sample for this study. Each of the pupils was asked to write an essay, and the scripts were marked to identify all grammatical errors made by the pupils. From this study, it was discovered that out of 250 scripts, 32% of the pupils were not able to communicate their thoughts meaningfully. Out of the comprehensible scripts the following errors were identified and their frequencies: wrong use of tense 29.54%, errors in spelling 24.67%, errors in the choice of words 13.13%, wrong use of prepositions 7.79%, verb addition errors 5.84%, preposition addition errors 4.87%, pronoun addition, subject-verb agreement errors, wrong use of pronouns, plural and verb omission errors all received 1.62% each. The study further revealed that a good number of errors discovered from students’ writings were intralingual errors.Item ESL Oral Proficiency Inapt in Senior Secondary School Learners(Scientific Research Publishing, 2025) Stevens, John PaŋƆniThis study aims at determining sociolinguistic strategies that effectively correct ESL oral proficiency inapt in senior secondary school learners. The objectives are: ascertaining speaker’s L1 background and L2 proficiency level connection and how sociocultural sensitivity affects L2 learning. A random sampling technique was used to ensure that the sample is representative of the overall population of the respondents which is a systematic random sampling in a mixed research method to select respondents with questionnaires and interviews used to collect data from 100 students. The data were analyzed and presented in percentages and tables as against the study variables. Results showed that over 70% students during speaking exercises made conspicuous errors in pronouncing English words. However, the findings validated how the use of traditional teaching methods (grammar translation and rote learning) contributed to the decline in English Language fluency and proficiency among learners. Conclusively, students in cites relatively performed better than the interiors, denoting students do not employ good English sentences (spellings, pronunciations, subject verb agreements and similar ailments) when speaking or writing is alarming. These methods prioritized the teacher over students and largely relied on textbooks to transfer knowledge. Teachers involving ESL learners in classroom participation, interactions, and public speaking activities are recommended.Item A Sociolinguistic Study of Home Language Influence on English Language Proficiency in Mɛnde and Kàthemnɛ Regions(International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology, 2025-08-04) Sheriff, Abu BakarrSierra Leone is a multilingual nation with English serving as the official language of instruction and administration. Despite this, indigenous languages like Mɛnde (Southern and Eastern provinces) and Kàthemnɛ (Northern Province) exert notable influence on students’ spoken English. This study investigates the comparative influence of phonological interference from Mɛnde and Kàthemnɛ, two major indigenous languages of Sierra Leone on English pronunciation among senior secondary school pupils. Using a qualitative dominant mixed-methods design, it analyzes how vowel shifts, consonant substitution, syllable structure, and intonation patterns impede English proficiency. Data from 640 pupils and 60 teachers in Bo and Mile 91 were gathered through oral reading tasks, recorded speech samples, questionnaires and structured interviews. Findings reveal distinct interference patterns corresponding to each language, with implications for intelligibility, fluency, and academic performance. It concludes that the interaction between L1 and L2, particularly phonological interference, complicates second language acquisition. This research explores the extent, nature, and educational implications of these interferences. Recommendations include phonologically informed pedagogy and contrastive phonetics integration into the curriculum.Item Speaking Paucity Among Learners of English in Sierra Leone(European Scientific Institute, 2026-08-31) Stevens, John E.The study examined sociocultural and linguistic strategies for cultivating English as a second language (ESL) oral proficiency among learners of English in Sierra Leone. It aimed to determine the relationship between learners’ bi/multilingual backgrounds and their English adeptness. It also examines the influence of societal and cultural temperateness on language learning. A systematic random sampling technique was employed within a mixed-methods design, and data were collected from 1000 learners using questionnaires, discussions and interviews, with results analysed using SPSS and presented. Findings showed that over 85% of the learners made noticeable pronunciation errors during speaking activities. The study also revealed that traditional teaching methods, such as grammar translation and rote learning, contributed significantly to the decline in fluency and overall language proficiency. Furthermore, learners in urban areas performed better than those in rural settings. Many learners demonstrated weaknesses in spelling, pronunciation, and subject-verb agreement in both spoken and written communication. These outcomes were linked to teacher-centred, traditional teaching methods and exam-orientated approaches that relied heavily on textbooks. The study recommended increased learner participation through interactive strategies such as open discussions, debates, peer learning and public speaking. From the perspective of authenticity theory, the findings indicated that oral fluency development depended not only on linguistic knowledge but also on meaningful, real-life language use with a focus on society and culture. Learners who engaged in authentic speaking activities showed greater confidence, improved enunciation and enhanced ESL use. In contrast, fluency remained limited where instruction focused mainly on rote memorisation and examination drills, highlighting a gap between academic achievement and communicative competence.Item Pedagogical Approaches, Implementation Factors, and Outcomes of Peace Education in Higher Education Institutions in Post-conflict Sierra Leone(Science Publishing Group, 2026-08-27) Challay, SaiduThis study examined the pedagogical approaches, implementation factors, and perceived outcomes of peace education in higher education institutions (HEIs) in post-conflict Sierra Leone. Situated within the country's enduring peacebuilding project following the 1991–2002 civil war, the study is guided by three complementary theoretical frameworks: Galtung's Positive Peace Theory, Novelli, Lopes Cardozo, and Smith's 4Rs Framework (Reconciliation, Recognition, Redistribution, and Representation), and Lederach's Sustainable Peacebuilding Model. A mixed-methods descriptive survey design was employed, drawing on structured questionnaire data from 43 academic and administrative staff respondents drawn from five HEIs University of Makeni, Eastern Technical University, Njala University, University of Sierra Leone (Fourah Bay College), and Every Nation College supplemented by qualitative data from 30 Focus Group Discussions with 240 students and 16 Key Informant Interviews with university administrators and national peacebuilding practitioners. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Spearman rank-order correlation, while qualitative data were thematically analysed. The findings reveal that peace education is formally embedded in university curricula and that content substantially reflects local conflict dynamics (mean = 4.41; 90.2% agreement). However, pedagogical delivery remains predominantly lecture-based, with limited integration of participatory, experiential, and competency-based approaches. Assessment systems inadequately capture peace-related competencies (mean = 3.52; 61.9% agreement). Regarding implementation, political and social sensitivity arising from the civil war history constitutes the most significant barrier (mean = 3.59; 68.3%), followed by inadequate infrastructure, resource constraints, and instructional material shortages. Spearman correlations indicate that teaching materials, local curriculum relevance, monitoring frameworks, and institutional political will are closely interconnected. Peace education was perceived to produce meaningful outcomes, including fostering tolerance among diverse students (mean = 4.24; 85.7%), promoting peaceful coexistence (mean = 4.25; 85.0%), and influencing institutional policies toward inclusion (mean = 4.19; 85.7%). Correlational analysis confirms that impact dimensions are mutually reinforcing, with the strongest association between tolerance and policy influence (ρ = 0.874, p < 0.001). Qualitative findings substantiate these patterns while highlighting gaps in community engagement, institutional leadership commitment, and the depth of local contextualization in curricula. The study recommends transitioning peace education pedagogy from lecture-based delivery toward participatory and experiential approaches; strengthening institutional monitoring and evaluation systems; deepening curriculum contextualization around Sierra Leonean conflict history and transitional justice processes; and building structured partnerships between HEIs and national peacebuilding institutions.Item An Evaluation of the Lesson Plan Manual for Language Arts in Junior Secondary Schools in Southern Sierra Leone(2026-03-11) Libbie, Josephus K. L.Questions continue to be raised about the effectiveness of the Lesson Plan Manual (LPM) because pupils’ performance in Language Arts remained low. Thus, it became necessary to evaluate the LPM to determine whether it is aligned with lesson planning best practices around the world. The research questions raised in the study are: Are the language contents of the LPM clear in terms of examples given, guided and independent practice activities? Does the LPM respond to diversity issues in the Language Arts classroom? Does the LPM have in-built classroom management strategies? Is the LPM flexible enough to deal with changing situations in the classroom? The convergent mixed-method design was used. Out of a population of 458 Language Arts teachers, 210 were used as the sample for quantitative data collection, and Language Arts teachers with at least three years of teaching experience were selected for qualitative data collection. Quantitative data were collected using a self-developed questionnaire. For the collection of qualitative data, a focused group discussion question guide was used. Findings revealed that teachers viewed the LPM as a very useful tool in lesson delivery; the content of the LPM addressed diverse issues in the classroom; the LPM allows teachers to be flexible in adjusting their lessons to the classroom environment and to change their teaching strategies to meet the needs of learners. It is recommended that the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education conduct symposia for Language Arts teachers to share experiences with the LPM and conduct refresher training regularly on its effective use.Item A Sociolinguistics Survey of Language Diversity, Attitude, and Use in Bo District, Southern Sierra Leone.(Journal of Advanced Multidisciplinary Studies, 2026-09-03) Stevens, John PahoniSierra Leone has English as a heritage of British Colonial rule (1808-1961) that continues to serve as her only official language and language of the elite to-date. The Mende and Krio languages are the dominant languages of the District and have their origin in the slave trade and its abolition. The Mende language is a combination of several African Languages and European Languages. The ultimate purpose of this study is to provide a more recent work on the Sociolinguistic survey of language Diversity, attitude and use in the Bo District, Southern Sierra Leone. The survey suggests that the government, through the Ministry of Education provides learning Institutions with modern indigenous language teaching and Learning facilities to foster a good example of nationalism. The general methodology involved the application of three major kinds of field research methodology-survey to select the sample population, interviews and administering of questionnaire. Two hundred (200) questionnaires were equally administered to the five chiefdoms (40 questionnaires each). It is concluded that although Sierra Leone is a language diversified society with no standardized indigenous language, yet the citizens maintain linguistic tolerance. The recommendation is that Government and line Ministries should improve on literacy, modern language teaching and learning materials with regular seminars on language issues.