Informal English usage among students in tertiary institutions: the case of National Teachers' College in Uganda

Abstract

The study examined the use of informal English among students in Tertiary institutions in Uganda. Specifically, it examined the factors that account for the usage of informal English and the effect of the use of informal English on both students‟ proficiency in English and their academic performance with specific reference to National Teachers‟ Colleges. This study was guided by three specific objectives; to establish the factors for the use of informal English by students in NTCs, to establish the effect of the use of informal English on students‟ English proficiency and to examine the effect of informal English usage on the students‟ academic performance in NTCs. The study employed both qualitative and quantitative research approaches using a descriptive survey research design. Questionnaires were administered to 334 student respondents, two focus group discussions and document analysis method was also used. Stratified and simple random sampling techniques were used to select the student respondents while the lecturers were chosen purposively. Responses from qualitative data were interpreted through thematic analysis and the responses from quantitative data were tabulated, analyzed and put in frequencies and percentage form. Results revealed that social interactions, social background, peer influence, and school environment are the major factors for the use of informal English in NTCs. It was further established that informal English negatively affects both speaking and writing skills of English proficiency. The results finally revealed that personality traits and assessment were the major elements of academic outcomes negatively affected by the use of informal English in National Teachers Colleges. The research concluded that the use of informal English is prevalent in both informal and formal situations among students in National Teachers Colleges. It was therefore concluded that the negative effects of the usage of informal English on National Teachers Colleges students may consequently affect their academic and professional performance and spill over to their overall quality as teachers. The study recommends that education stakeholders take interest in the prevailing usage of informal English in Tertiary Institutions especially NTCs which train teachers who are supposed to be role models to the learners they teach. In their planning, they should pay attention to measures of curbing the use of informal English in formal situations if left unchecked this vice would degrade the quality of teachers produced by NTCs and the spillover effect may even be disastrous to the whole nation especially given the fact that English is Uganda‟s official language and language of instruction in schools and institutions.