CAUSES OF POOR PERFORMANCE IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE

English language is the instrument of communication in our post primary institutions, higher institution well as the official languageofthe country. Therefore, secondary school students need effectiveEnglish to function properly or perform better. Fema, (2003) wasof theview that “a person is functionally literature when he requiredtheknowledge and skills in reading and writing which enables himtoengage effectively in all those activities in which literacy is normallyassumed in his culture of group”. English language normally has fourbasic skills, namely listening, speaking, reading and writing. It is themedium of instruction in our schools and compulsory subject that mustbe passed at all levels of education in Nigeria (Danladi, 2008). However,it is disheartening to note that the poor performance of studentsin English at public examinations in recent times has been explainedasamajor cause of decline in the general academic performanceandstandard of education in Nigeria. Oluwole, (2008) was of theviewthat“having difficulty in grasping fully the contents and concepts of thevarious subjects of the curriculum taught in target language seemtobeone of the most serious problems that English as a first languagestudents face in their particular course of study.