The Impact of Globalisation on the Oral and Written Communication of Students in the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta (Funaab)

Abstract

Globalisation has become a compelling force dragging nations into the mainstream global system. It has led to an integration of cultures, economies, markets, pol itical systems and technologies among nations today . Any nation operating outside the global system willy-ni lly does so at its own peril. Among the impacts of globalisation on African nations, nay Nigeria, are the impetus towards Westernisation and Anglicisatio n. English has become the lingua franca or official language s poken for business, governance and education. However, it is yet to be seen how globalisation can facilitate the effective oral and written communication of studen ts in tertiary institutions in Nigeria. Literature abounds that raises doubts and complaint s about the inability of Nigerian students and grad uates to effectively engage in oral and written communicatio n. This puts a threatening pall on the educational system and as a consequence makes it difficult for many Nigeri an students facing this weakness to compete favoura bly as global citizens. It is therefore germane to look at the gains of globalisation and harness them in fav our of enhancing the oral and written communication of stu dents in tertiary institutions in Nigeria. In this study, questionnaire forms were administered to all the ac ademic staff of the Department of Communication and General Studies and to 80 randomly selected final y ear students belonging to 4 colleges at the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta (FUNAAB) out of which 53 were retrieved to examine whether or not globalisatio n has helped to improve their oral and written communicat ion, identify the challenges they face in their que st to engage in effective oral and written communication and suggest solutions that can address these challe nges and enhance their communication proficiency.