Socio-Economic Status as Determinants of Students’ Performance in English Language in Secondary Schools in Tanzania

Gilman Jackson Nyamubi

doi:10.11648/j.edu.20190803.14

Abstract

This paper examined how parents’ socio-economic status determined students’ performance in English language in Tanzania secondary schools. Two research questions and two research objectives guided the study. The study was conducted in two randomly selected Regions in Tanzania Mainland. It employed a cross-sectional survey design to collect data from 350 students in sixteen secondary schools. Data was collected through a questionnaire and achievement tests and was analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics to get frequencies, means, percentages, as well as Pearson’s correlation and regression coefficients. It was found that students in Tanzania secondary schools had varying backgrounds in English language, which was determined by the type of primary school they had attended and the class at which they started to learn English language. The regularity of English language usage at home and school enhanced students’ performance in English language together with parents’ encouragement as well as material and moral support. It is recommended that parents’ socio-economic status should not inhibit learners’ exposure to English language learning. Also, parents, schools and government should protract English language teaching and learning through providing current textbooks as well as providing a favourable environment to learn and use English.

Highlights

English is an important language in individual learner’s success in the globalizing world [1]
This study focused on how students’ background in English as well as their parents’ social-economic status determine learners’ performance in English language at the secondary school level
The findings are in alignment with those by Batibo

Summary

Introduction

English is an important language in individual learner’s success in the globalizing world [1]. In Tanzania, the language has the wider usage as the medium of communication. It is the medium of instruction in secondary schools and the tertiary level. In this way, English is very vital in learning, it paves the way to students’ performance in all subjects taught through this medium. English is very vital in learning, it paves the way to students’ performance in all subjects taught through this medium This academic demand makes English language learning significant, especially in developing students’ procedural knowledge and conventions of the language [2]. It is believed that knowledge of English is urgent to make learners progress in life and work because it provides them with higher social status and job opportunities [1]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion