FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE SECONDARY THREE STUDENTS' CHOICE OF CODE IN INFORMAL SETTINGS IN SCHOOL

Abstract

This study focusses on the language environment of secondary schools in Singapore. The study seeks to address a problem faced by many secondary schools, namely, the failure to establish an English-speaking environment. The school environment can be described as 'acquisition-rich' if pupils speak English which is the medium of instruction in all Singapore schools. However, it has been observed that in most secondary schools, Mandarin, which is taught as a second language in schools, is the dominant language used among Chinese peers. It is not surprising then, that schools, especially those whose pupils are weak in English, are concerned that the absence of an 'acquisition-rich' environment might hamper their efforts in producing good English Language results. This is especially true at present since a more stringent oral English examination will be set in 1992. There are two main objectives for this study. The first is to demarcate the language environment in informal settings in secondary schools. This will reveal the extent of the problem. The second objective is to identify factors that might influence the pupils' choice of language in the informal settings in schools. An understanding of what these factors are, may help schools in their attempts to establish an English-speaking environment. A total of eleven schools were surveyed in this study and the sample size was 425 pupils. The instrument used in the study was the attitudinal questionnaire. The 5-point Likert scale and a 7-point rating scale were used for data gathering. The analysis of data was done with the SAS (Statistical Analysis Software) and the Rasch Hodel computer programmes. One significant finding is that only 7.5% of the pupils from schools with average English language results claimed that they spoke English with their Chinese peers in informal settings in school. The study also identified and tested three variables that might influence the subjects' language choice. The three variables are (1) students' perception of their competence in English (2) students' sense of group solidarity and (3) students' perception of the importance of English. The three hypotheses were tested and it was confirmed that only the first two variables, namely, perceived competence and sense of solidarity, are likely to have an influence on language choice.