THE PROBLEMS OF TEACHING POETRY IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page ……………………………………………………       i

Certification …………………………………………………       ii       

Approval Page  ………………………………………………      iii

Dedication  ………………………………………………….        iv

Acknowledgement ……………………………………………     v

Abstract  …………………………………………………             vi

Table of Contents ………………………………………………  vii

CHAPTER ONE

1.0            Introduction ………………………………………………  1

1.1     Background of the Study ………………………………… 1

1.2     Statement of the Problem ………………………………... 3

1.3     Purpose of the study ……………………………………    3

1.4     Research Questions …………………………………….    3

1.5    Hypotheses ……………………………………………..      4

1.6     Significance of the study………………………………..    4

1.7     Scope and Limitation of the Study ………………………  5

1.8     Operational Definition of Terms………………………..    5

CHAPTER TWO

2.0            Literature Review ……………………………………….  6

2.2     Problems of Artistic Elements of Poetry……………….    7 

2.3    Problem of Critical Appreciation of poetry ………….   8

2.4     Problems of Wrong Selection of Poems ……………     8

2.5     Problems of Wrong Method in Poetry teaching ……     9

2.6     Teachers and Students Lack of Interest in Poetry ….    12

2.7     Approaches and Techniques to Literature/Poetry Teaching 12

CHAPTER THREE

3.0   Introduction ………………………………………….……   15

3.1   Research Design …………….……………………………    15

3.2   Population of the study…………………………………       15

3.3   Sample and sampling Technique…………………………   16

3.4   Research Instrument ……… ……………………………… 17      

3.5  Procedure for Data Collection ……………………     17

3.6  Method of Data Analysis ………………………..     17

CHAPTER FOUR

4.0    Data Analysis …………………………………….   18

CHAPTER FIVE

5.0   Summary ………………………………………………        25

5.1   Conclusion ……………………………………………         25

5.2   Recommendation ……………………………………..         27

REFERENCE …………………………………………….            28

APPENDIX  …………………………………………. ….            29

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study, titled problems of teaching poetry in secondary schools is to conduct an investigation into the problems of poetry teaching in the SSS classes in Bida Local Government Area of Niger State. The instrument used for the collection of data is made up of sets of questionnaire for the teachers in the selected secondary schools. The following hypothesis were formulated for this study.

1.     That poetry teachers encounter problems in their teaching assignment because majority of the students are not well exposed.

2.     Some of these problems of poetry teaching are caused by students linguistic incompetence.

3.     That advanced poems selected for students to study is one of the major problems affecting the teaching of poetry.

4.     That advanced poems encounter these problems because of their use of wrong methods

5.     Those students do not have interest in poetry because they find the language of poetry too difficult.

To these numerous problems, the study addressed itself and proffered suggestions to arresting these problems, inclusive of more effective methods of teaching awakening and sustaining students’ interest in poetry and generating a keener awareness of the dignity and beauty of poetry.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1            BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The term “Literature” is a term of art which is known as imaginative writing in the sense of fiction-writing which is not literally true. Literature has also been described as a creative work of art, involving as aesthetic reordering of experience in order to communicate it more or accurately. Literature is any imaginative work of art that is written, sung, spoken or chanted. That has a specific message and is conveyed in beautiful and woven language with the aim of entertainment. In other words, literature is concerned with beauty, invention and the creative use of language artistically designed to give pleasure and enjoyment while passing message.

          Literature is also seen as written works which are rendered as subject for study; they are drama, prose and poetry. In writing or study, we are going to concentrate on poetry. According to written works of  Words Worth, ‘poetry is the imaginative expression of strong feeling, usually rhythmically the spontaneous over flow of powerful feelings recollected in tranquility.

Poetry is a form of literature; it is a record of the writer’s feelings about events which could be physical or otherwise. The subject of poetry could be supernatural (example J.P. Clark’s Abiku) or simply natural (example Lucys poem). Poetry is a term that applies to many forms in which man expresses himself rhythmically. This is why poetry is a term of literary art that is easily distinguishable from prose by the predominance of rhythm. Rhythm is an integral part of nature and consequently existence, since everything in the world responds to rhythm. Poetry is a special form of writing or composition involving in the use of imagination, emotion and intellect in the experiments or in the interpretation of human consciousness and existence with unique structure and technical fitness.

Poetry is life because it deals with realities; it has to do with man’s imagination feelings, his impression on and around him and the relationship between the world and himself; it is the most personal in all aspects of literature.

Poetry is more completed in the use of language than that of the prose because it is usually short and very direct to the point.

Poetry has beauty in its language and dignity in its compressed form. It is also unique in that it contributes to the stone of human experience and many facts of life. There are three main types of poetry, warmly, lyrical, poems are usually short and song like reflective lyric and descriptive lyric.

Narrative poems tell stories and examples are ballad, epic, dramatic, monologue.

Dramatic poems tell their stories through the speech of their characters. Examples are epic, satiric poem criticize, ridicule and correct, for example ballads and sonnet. The study of poetry is training of the emotion and poetry aims at providing aesthetic satisfaction and shaping of individuals mind through critical appreciation. But despite this aim, poetry teaching and learning have created enormous problems of poetry teaching and learning is by a complete orientation, a revision of ideas and the general attitude towards poetry.

1.2            STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

This study attempts a critical examination of the problems of teaching poetry in Senior Secondary Classes in Bida Local Government Area, Niger State. Assessment of teachers, teaching methods the students interest in the learning of poetry.

1.3            PURPOSE OF  THE STUDY

The purpose of this study is to conduct an investigation into the problems of teaching poetry in secondary schools in Bida Local Government Area of Niger State. In doing this, an attempt is made to examine;

1.     The problems involved in teaching poetry and

2.     Student’s attitude to poetry lessons.

1.4            RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1.     Do student often substitute prose for poetry?

2.     Do senior student easily forget verse in literature?

3.     Should teachers be specially trained to teach poetry separately?

4.     Do teachers often teach poetry as a subject in the school?

1.5            HYPOTHESES

For the purpose of this study, the following hypotheses have been formulated.

1.     That poetry teacher in Bida Local Government Area encounters problems in their teaching assignment because majority of them are not deeply exposed to poetry.

2.     That some of these problems of poetry teachers caused problem by the linguistic of the students.

3.     That advanced poetry selected for students to study is one of the problems of poetry teaching.

4.     Those teachers of poetry encounter these problems because of their use of wrong method.

5.     That, students do not have interest in poetry because of its complex nature.

1.6            SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

It is hoped that this study will proffer suggestions that will be offered towards the improvement of the art of teaching poetry with a view of solving the problems encountered by teaching of poetry and also students will demonstrate a better appreciation and understanding of poems. This study will also help to state schools management board in recruiting trained teachers of English and literature to ameliorate the teaching problems.

1.7            SCOPE AND LIMITATION

This study is limited to some secondary schools in Bida Local Government Area of Niger State. Some of the problems that were encountered in the course of carrying out these research works are: there is shortage of funds to embark on large scale study of secondary schools in Bida Local Government Area. In addition, the time available for this study makes it humanly impossible to cover all the schools.

          This research study is limited to some selected senior secondary schools in Bida Local Government Area of Niger State, which focus on the problems and relevance of teaching and how this problem can be completely eradicated.