CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1   Background to the Study

Within organizations where the policy of success is purely target oriented, employee and employers only look at the result and measure success in quantity, prospects are given as to time frame for achievements and employers are motivated, among other things mostly by failure and success. With a project that factors in many things, it is the end result which may be in the form of clients or sales, etc, that is numbered to note high performance or low performance and determine most of rewards given to employees. And apart from recognition of work attitude and diligence, the rest of the criteria that go into shaping the reward system of a company are all result based. The questions asked are usually in the form of “how much?”, “who many?”.

This policy of success and failure has been introduced in schools down to the kindergarten levels so that the children are divided between those who fail and those who succeed according to the yardstick of measuring these things. Attention is hardly given to other more complicated varieties of learning and learning speed of the children. The convolution of differences are collapsed into the system of measurements designed by educator to make teaching possible at that public rate.

What is more is that these policies don’t give into consideration the nature of the knowledge taught. Even drawing and fine art generally at kindergarten and primary school level are judged by the same tools and bear upon with other subject in determining success or failure.

1.2   Statement of the Problem

A question could be asked as to where the notions of effectiveness, result, success or failure come from and if it is seen that it is domicile in organisations that are target and result driven, one may also want to ask if these form of goal setting is also applicable to all other establishments and institutions whose mandates may not share the same clear notions of the meanings of success and that of failure. The present research aims at collapsing the academic gap to study the implementation and policies of success and failure on the English language subject among primary and secondary school students of Nigeria.

1.3   Research Questions

1.3.1      what are the aims and objectives of such policies that are made to emphasize success and failure in subjects especially the English language.

1.3.2      What has been the impact of this policy and its implementation in the overall learning of the English language among primary and secondary school students and on the learning of other subjects in general.

1.3.3      What are the feasible ways children can be motivated to learn without the system of success and failure as we have it currently without the disadvantages that come with the present policy.

1.4   Objectives of the Study

A research such as this with relevance in educational policy making and teaching of the English language should have a clearly articulated objectives that will no doubt determine its academic and none academic significance. Such objectives include:

• The identification of the policy of success and failure of students of primary and secondary schools in Nigeria concerning their performance in English language learning. As we see that most times written examination and sometimes a one time continuous assessment.
• The comparison of the policy of success and failure in English language with those made for other subjects such as mathematics and biology or primary science.
• The critique of the policy as it relates to the general perception of the students all through their academic careers.

1.5   Significance of the Study

The importance of this research work would be felt in the area of academic policy making as it would shed the much needed light on the advantages and disadvantages of the policy and its implementation on the students. Not only on the students grades and performance through school but through their academic careers and beyond. Much of the students found in our universities are grade conscious because of this policy so that they graduate with little real knowledge of the object of their study.

1.6   Research Hypothesis

The assumption on which this work is born is one that sees a remarkable impact on the students of English language left by the implementation of the policy of success and failure.

1.7   Scope of the Study

The focus of this research work will be on the impact of the implementation of the policy of success and failure on students of English language in Nigerian secondary schools. The study will focus on a selected Nigerian secondary schools and will emphasize the negative implications of this policy and its implementation.

1.8   Limitations of the Study

Time factor and resources has been the major limitations of this present research work.

1.9   Definition of Terms

Policy

This refers to the rules and guidelines governing an organisation's internal and external actions on particular situations.