Investigating the preference for pidgin instead of Standard English by students of English as a foreign language

The claim of Ghani, Ataman & Egele (2012, p.321) that "students' common language of discourse, interaction and entertainment is always Pidgin . . . never Standard English generated the curiosity to undertake this study. The purpose of the study was to determine the factors responsible for students' preference for pidgin English with a view to come up with the strategies to minimize if not eradicate the factors in order to pave way for a better mastery of Standard English. The study engaged the survey design involving the administration of a set of questionnaire on students. Data obtained were interpreted using frequency counts and context analysis. The findings suggest that majority of students come from backgrounds where Pidgin English dominates. A further finding was the inadequacy of the time allocated to the teaching of Standard English in schools. The discussions of the study noted that the factors identified in the findings are difficult to tackle because they are beyond the control of learning institutions since students are mostly none residents and it is impossible to impose rules pertaining to students' language of communication beyond the classroom. The conclusion was that although difficult, the problem should be resolved. Recommendations made included the increase in the time allocation for English language teaching in schools, establishment of adult literacy centres and hosting of sensitization workshops in schools to create awareness of the situation and ways to restore Standard English. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.