Relationship between the Performance of Students in English Language and Literature-in-English at Senior Secondary School Certificate Level

Abstract

English language is an important legacy bequeathed us by the colonial master. It has since become an important subject in school curriculum. Researchers have been keenly interested in its teaching and learning and proffering suggestion for improvement. The relationship between English Language and Literature-in-English as always been a controversial issue. To this end, this research is set to empirically establish the relationship, if any, between the performance of student in English Language and Literature-in-English at senior school certificate level. One senior school certificate results of student in English language and literature in English from seven secondary schools in Ikere Local Government of Ekiti State within five were used. Pearson (r) was used to analyze the data. The results indicated that there was high positive relationship between scores in English language and Literature in English in all selected schools.Conversely there was no significant relationship between the subjects’ scores in English Language and Literature in English language in the mixed schools. Likewise, there was positive significant relationship between students scores in English language and literature in English in the boys’ school, no significant relationship exist in the girls’ school.It is therefore recommended that students should be encouraged to develop interest in literature by reading novels. Teachers should also be interested in the teaching of literature as a integral part of language. The policy makers should make literature a compulsory subject in upper classes as obtained in junior secondary schools.