A critical discourse analysis of grade 12 pupils’ poor performance in the english language examinations in selected districts of the Copperbelt province in Zambia.
Loading...
Date
2025
Authors
Mwesa, Lucy
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The University of Zambia
Abstract
Performance in English Language has been a source of concern for a long time in Zambian secondary schools. The Examinations Council of Zambia reports from 2014 to 2021 have indicated that many learners perform poorly in English. For this reason, the study endeavoured to investigate the reason behind pupils’ poor performance in English. The research was directed by four objectives:(1) To analyse the quality of Grade 12 English examination questions; (2) To analyse the performance of Grade 12 pupils in English; (3) To examine teachers’ and pupils’ views of factors that contribute to Grade 12 pupils’ poor performance in English examinations; and (4) to suggest strategies that can be used to improve Grade 12 pupils’ performance in English. Rooted in an interpretivist framework and using a qualitative research, interviews, focus groups and document analysis were conducted to collect data. Data was collected from 8 Heads of Departments (2 females and 6 males), 24 teachers (14 females and 10 males), 13 administrators, 5 national examiners, 80 current pupils, 16 alumni, 16 parents, and 2 ECZ officials. The sample size was 164. Results regarding the quality of examination papers revealed both favourable and unfavourable viewpoints. While participants acknowledged that examinations were set by trained professionals, were syllabus-aligned, and tested critical thinking, concerns were raised over ambiguous wording, and limited awareness among stakeholders regarding examination standards. Performance analysis of 164,503 candidates over six years indicated that, 56,816 (G7- G9) pupils performed poorly, 58, 273 fell in G4-G6 category which was the average performance category and only 49, 414 fell in the high performance category (G1-G3) highlighting a discrepancy in achievement levels in the Copperbelt Province. Equally the eight schools that were sampled showed performance below average for the six year period reviewed. Insights from teachers and examiners revealed that pupils faced difficulties in grammar structures, composition writing, reading comprehension and summary writing because of a lack of practice, restricted vocabulary, and minimal exposure to reading materials. Contributing factors were divided into four categories: (1) teacher-related factors, encompassing absenteeism, low motivation, insufficient lesson preparation, incomplete syllabus coverage and inconsistent feedback; (2) School-related factors included over-enrolment, resource scarcity, inadequate monitoring, limited professional development opportunities; (3) Learner-related factors such as absenteeism, inability to read and write, informal language use, poor conduct, lack of parental involvement, lack of role models in community, long distance to school and (4) Policy-related factors, highlighted were the elimination of English as a mandatory passing subject at Grade 9 level, abolition of cut-off points at Grade 9
and flaws in the Re-Entry Policy (REP). To improve the English language proficiency and performance, the research suggested boosting teacher motivation, expanding infrastructure, employing additional teachers, enhancing monitoring, creating functional libraries in schools, and providing access to free online additional resources for literacy enhancement. Furthermore, it supports changes in policy, such as making English a mandatory passing subject again at every examination level and re-assessing the REP. The research is based on self-efficacy theory, expectancy theory and critical
discourse analysis theory providing a comprehensive insight into the difficulties faced by Grade 12 pupils in English. The results offer essential perspectives for educators, policy makers, and stakeholders aiming to enhance English language teaching with the view to improving English examination performance in Zambia.
Key words: Grade 12, examinations, poor performance, proficiency, quality, critical discourse, Copperbelt Province
Description
Thesis of Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Linguistics.