International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume VI, Issue V, May 2022 | ISSN 2454–6186

Gender Difference in Students’ Attitude Towards English Language in Selected Senior High Schools in the Sunyani Municipality of the Bono Region of Ghana

Hawa-Kullu Mohammed
English Language Teacher, Presbyterian Senior High School, Bechem

Abstract: This study investigated into the attitude of the Senior High School (SHS) students in the Sunyani Municipality towards the English language. Stratified sampling was employed to select 4 Senior High Schools for the study. Students and teachers of English were randomly selected from each school for the study. The data of this study was collected through a questionnaire. The data collected was subjected to both qualitative and quantitative analysis using SPSS Version. 22. The study findings reveal that the students have positive attitude toward English language However, girls had a more positive attitude towards English than boys while Single-sex schools were more positively disposed to English than mixed-sex ones. Efforts should be made to encourage students regardless of sex, to develop a more positive attitude to their study of English.

Keywords: Student’s Attitude, English Language, Gender, High School

I. INTRODUCTION

Second language learning is a demanding task. Apart from other requirements, such as the investment of time and effort, and a proper learning environment with qualified teachers, learners need to possess a positive attitude to ease and expedite learning. In a general sense, positive attitude is an excellent driving force that creates an urge in humans to perform certain tasks (Sounders, 2021). Globalization has now become a motivation for many individuals all over the world to learn the English language. The world has become a global village (Fantini, 2018), thus there is a basic need for the people around the world to learn English to meet their cultural, political, and economic needs. In other words, the English language currently enjoys the standing of an international language (Afrifa et al. 2019). English is the most commonest foreign language that has been used as the medium of communication and for exchanging ideas among different nations and societies of the world, and it also enjoys wide use among different societies and cultural/ethnic groups living within the same country, such as the UK; therefore, this language can be considered a lingua franca (Temple et al. 2018; Su et al.). This phenomenon is supported by the fact that the number of non-native English speakers is three times that of native speakers (Afrifa et al. 2019).
Moreover, a multitude of international organisations, for example, the United Nations (UN) and its different institutions use English as one of their official languages. Similarly, different countries also use English at the national level in different ways. Advancements in technology such as the