Table de matières
The present chapter is the most important chapter of this studying since et discusses and interprets the data (findings) based on answers to the research questions and our confirmation or rejection of the hypotheses.
After the calculations, the findings have revealed that the majority of our respondents’ age, i.e. secondary school girls in Fizi territory was of less than twenty and their percentage was of 62.1 as indicated in table1. From there it can be deduced that these girls are still young enough to learn the English language and no reason of age can be provided to explain their demotivation and lack of interest in learning English. However, more recently research has focused on a number of different factors that affect individuals’ language learning, in particular stately use social and societal influences’, personality, motivation, and anxiety. The relationship between age and ability to learn languages has also been a subject of long-standing debate. The issue of age was first addressed with the conical period hypothesis. The strict version of this hypothesis states that there is a cut off age at about 12 years old, after which learners lose the ability to fully learn a language. This strict version has since been rejected for second language acquisition, as adult. Learners have been observed who reach native-like levels of pronunciation and general fluency. Moreover in general, adult learner of a second language rarely achieves the native-likes fluency that can display dispute of progressing faster than them in the initial stages. This hasted to speculation that age is indirectly related to other, more central factors that affect language learning.
To the question of the medium of instruction at primary school, table2 indicates that 100% of our respondents have confirmed having done their primary school in French. This is where one of the hearts of the problem lies. If the foundation is not strong enough the building will cannot stand. That is why the researcher has been led to assert that this is one of the negative factors which contribute to the demotivation of these girls for they do not have opportunities to learn the English language from the very beginning. All these girls had not gone to nursery school and her place where they would have been initialed to the English language as it is the case of some African countries. Both nursery and primary schools are places where scholars are certainly initiated to a number of subjects including English but it is not the case in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in general and South Kivu province in particular, especially in Fizi territory.
About the medium of instruction at secondary school, table 3 testifies that 100% did their secondary school in French as well. This is absolutely another negative factor which has weakened the ability of these girls in being motivated and interested in learning the English language. As stated learner, one could imagine if he were to build a house on the sand without a solid foundation, how would they expect to have a durable house? It is also obvious that English is taught in DRC as a whole and in Fizi territory in particular as one of the subjects at secondary school. None of the schools has taught it as one of the fields of study ultimately to serve as a lot of communication. That is why a lot of pupils have been studying it for utilitarian interest only, i.e. to get marks in order to get access to a higher class or level.
Nevertheless, other pupils at secondary school neglected the English classes despite the fact that it is subject but they were present of other subjects, related to their fields of study and this cannot be denied or rejected by English teachers who have been experiencing it. For example, at the sixth hour, the English teacher, in a classroom of 45 regulars pupils will remain with less than the half of the class and he rest will go away for the sake of negligence and ignorance mainly due to disinterestedness and demotivation, failure in English or teacher’s bad behavior and methodology.
In addition, in the area of language-teaching, demotivating factors are understood as essential factors which negatively influence the learner’s attitudes and behaviors and hence lead to undesired learning outcomes. Although there may be numerous demotivating factors, the researcher found the following to be the heart of the matter and encapsulated them as follows.
For the particular case of the investigation conducted in Fizi territory, it was surprising to realize that there were no even unqualified English teachers in some secondary schools. The English course was scheduled but no one to teach it. That proves to a great extent that the English language is unlikely to be learnt in Fizi territory because it is obvious that where there is no teacher, there cannot be a learner and vice-versa.
When we look at the figures of table4, the fact that a great number of these girls, was enrolled mainly in pedagogical field is another factor which should not be neglected in the sense that it weakens the learning environment of these girls because it does not provide them with opportunities of being exposed to English since the basis of learning practice is grounded in neither linguistics nor in language-learning.
The language to be learnt can be a good variable to consider in the assessment of learners’ motivation and interest. He is even the starting of the task to carryon. The love or hatred one bears towards it is already is a sign for potential success or failure in language learning. It will lead to a failure if the environment is not enriched with appropriate remedies. That is why the researcher is of the opinion that there is no question that the government has its share in this matter because when it registers schools, its full implication is not noticed in such away that everyone incepts whatever fields of study they wish even though some of them are not the real solution to the real-life identified problems related to language use and language teaching in Fizi territory.
The results from table5 indicate that the participants had general pedagogy as major field of study, 48%, 16% had technical field, 11.5% had math-physics, 8.9% preferred biochemistry, 7% social sciences and only 5.7%had literary option as major field of study. All these respondents’ information is the clear evidence that their attitudes, motivation and interest are affected in the selection of the fields of study in their respective schools.
To the question of knowing the current language use with people, the findings in table 6 clearly indicate that the language most often spoken by Fizi territory girls to communicate with their fathers is the heritage (local) language (95.1%), rarely in French (4.8%) and never in English (0%) and none was confused (0%). In order to communicate with their mothers, the heritage (local) languages are used more (98%), rarely in French (1.9%) and never in English (0%) and none was confused (0%). With siblings, the heritage languages are used only (100%). English and French have no place and no confusion about the question was observed (0%). With the relatives, the results in table 6 continue to show that local languages are the preference of the participants (100%), French is never used (0%). English has never been involved (0%) and no confusion was noticed.
To communicate with co-workers heritage/local languages are mostly used (93.2%) but some French still used (6.7%). No English is involved (0%) and the question brought no confusion (0%). With friends at school, it is shown that heritage languages are mostly spoken (56%) than French (40%) or English (3.8%) and no confusion was pointed out (0%).
Outside the school, the participants showed that they chiefly use their language to communicate with friends (80.7%), French is involved to some extent (12.5%) and the use of English is seldom (6.7%) and no confusion figured out (0%). With people in the shopping all (market) most participants (80.1%) use local languages along with French (19.8) and no English is involved (0%) nor was any confusion about the question remarked (0%). With doctors and/or hearth care agents, it has been discovered that local languages are mostly used (96.6%) the French language is occasionally used (3.2%) and no English is involved (0%) and no one was confused about the question (0%).
From all the above findings on the current language use with people, the study dearly showed that the English language is almost never used in Fizi territory. Heritage/local languages are mostly used in all the opportunities that these ladies have in order to interact with people. Knowing that the family is the basic, primary and very pivotal environment where a language should be learnt and mastered, it is absolutely difficult for these girls, to be interested and motivated to learn English in their families where almost everybody does not know it. In other words, the English language is not in use in Fizi territory. Therefore, the fact that no one uses it, it is difficult if not impossible for interest and motivation to be borne since they are stuck to their local languages. Hence, Fizi territory is gradually or eventually rising into a local language predominant environment. It is true that one should keep or preserve their culture, beliefs, traditions and customs, but with regard to the present reality a local language will not help one further their studies, get a job and get involved in international business considering that the world is getting to be globalized and the language of globalization is undoubted by English. The figures shown above demonstrate the poor practice of the English by the girls in Fizi territory not in use, an aspect or factor that would influence the acquisition of the language, the motivation of the female pupils in Fizi territory cannot be sustained and their interest cannot be increased either.
About the question of wanting to know the language most often used for the following cultural activities:
The results from table 7 reveal certainly that the majority of the participants mostly use heritage/local language (94.2%) to listen to radio some French is used (5.7%), no English is involved (0%) and no confusion about the question was noticed (0%). The reading of newspapers is mainly carried out in French (100%), never read in English (0%), heritage/local languages either (0%) and no confusion raised (0%). Most girls watch television programs in heritage/local languages (94.2%); French is also being in use (5.7%). No English languages in use (0%) and there was no confusion about the question was pointed out (0%). Communication through internet is conducted in French by the majority of the participants (97.7%), English is scarcely involved (2.2%), heritage/local languages are neither used (0%) and no confusion raised (0%). Magazines are mostly read in French as well (100%) both English and heritage/local languages have never been used for this end (0%) and no one got confused about the question (0%).
The reading of books for pleasure shows a predominance of French (57.6%) a small readership in English (1.6%), the preference of local languages comes in the second place (40%) and no confusion was en courted (0%). Another activity such as going to the movies is greatly conducted in French (48.7%), the unreal emerging of English in the movies going is also observed (12.1%) heritage/local language are considerably preferred (39.1%). Live shows and theatres are predominantly presented in French (55.7%) no viewing is done in English (0%) and the local languages are still well positioned (44.2%) and no confusion was raised (0%). Listening to music is chiefly done in heritage languages (49%), the importance of French in this activity is noticeable (32%), the use of English with caption is pretended to rise (18.9%) and no confusion was pointed out (0%). During sport activities, heritage/local languages are the mostly used languages (60.5%) the English language is being used (6.4%) as well as French which is still regarded as important (33%) and no confusion was noticed (0%).
There is no question that obviously both heritage/local languages and French are predominantly used by Fizi territory girls in all cultural activities which they should have grasped instead, to practice English in the daily life because it is said that practice makes perfect.
Furthermore, Fizi territory schooled ladies, as stated previously, have shown an unreal emerging of English in the movie going in the sense that they are interested in the movies in English which have been interpreted or automatically translated into French or Kiswahili.
Fizi territory being part of South Kivu province surrounded by the East African community countries, many of the movies preferred by these girls are the ones produced in Kiswahili. The movies which are in English without being interpreted or having caption are unlikely to be consumed in Fizi territory.
Nevertheless, apart from demotivation and uninterestedness, the research thoroughly looked into the problem and understood it to another dimension that Fizi schooled girls are not only among other things, demotivated and disinterested, but also amotivated. French and the heritage languages are predominantly used in all these opportunities which could expose or stimulate them to the English language. This implies that there is still a lot to be done in Fizi territory in order to ignite and arouse the interest and motivation of the learners. The sign of the emergence of English in Fizi territory is still engulfed in the fact of not knowing the importance of the English language and not practicing it at different opportunities provided in their cultural activities.
Besides, the researcher found out that in the context of language-learning, motivation to learn a language is sustained by the interest that one has in learning a given language. Although these girls have confirmed that during the reading of books for pleasure they rarely use English one would wonder if there are book shops and libraries in Fizi territory which are replete with English books. In the researcher’s opinion it is challenging to have enough teaching materials in the schools while a so called English teacher is still using old lecture notes which are not consistent with the national program of English in the DRC.
Imagine that if teachers do not have the program as the instrument of their guidance it means that they are teaching by groping for what to teach. One typical example is that there was an English teacher who introduced the entitled text ‘The Football Match’ at the beginning of the school year and whenever he would enter the classroom for English class, he only had the same text as subject. With such a teacher, how can the learners be motivated and interested? Another typical example is in the selection of texts: An English teacher taught about an entitled text ‘An ice cream’. The text created a disturbance in such a way that they spent one and a half months without understanding what the text was about.
As for the question of the future uses of languages to continue studies in after secondary school, the results from table8 clearly indicate that the majority of the participants (52.5%) prefer French, 31.4% prefer English, 16% prefer mother tongue and the ‘I don’t know’ response does not account (0%). This continues to prove that these girls cannot prefer to pursue their tertiary education where English is being used as medium of instruction. Because they don’t need. Consequently, their alternative preferred medium of instruction is their heritage/local languages. As a result, the hope of the emergence of English in Fizi territory continues to fade. Above all these girls ignore that English has become a global language needed or imposing itself in all domains such as socio-economic, science, technology, literature, politics, religion, medicine, etc.
With regard to table 9 which reports the frequencies on a language preferred to be used at one’s work place, it has been proved that 65.3% French, 19.5% like English 15% prefer mother tongue and the “I don’t know’ response did not account. Despite the fact of not practicing the English language, as the researcher here is persuaded to argue, English is getting imposing itself as a real linguistic needs of these girls from Fizi territory. In this particular case we understand that more they get exposure of creating English Speaking environment, the more they improve and enjoy the beneficial opportunities which are and will be widely open to them in the present-day world which is promoting women in all aspects.
The results from table 10 about the preferred place to be lived in 10 years are as follows: 8% like in Kivu, 11.2% in one’s country of origin (DRC), 10.2% elsewhere in DRC, 49.3% in the USA, 19.2% in another country and none responded by ‘I don’t know’. These results have proven that many of the participants want to live in the USA, but we wonder how these girls would live in the USA without having the English language their tool of communication since it is known that Americans regard themselves as belonging to the same speech community. The choice made by our respondents and informants is not totally bad in such a way that it reveals how much eager they want to go and live in a place where English is greatly spoken because they are totally convinced that by living either in Kivu, i.e. in DRC they cannot enhance their linguistic competence in the English language. But what is evident and more possible is that if themselves to learning English here in DRC; they will get accustomed to it and will surely know it since a human language must be acquired or learnt. Although children unconsciously acquire competence in a language, in some stages in the process of internalizing the language they must be taught by their parents, siblings or teachers. Any communication system that is throughout acquired instinctively is not a human language. For example, a donkey will bray, a sheep will bleat, a dog will bark and a fog will croak anywhere in the world in the same way without any formal lessons or imitations.
Regarding able11 which is about respondents’ self-evaluation on French, use, we have the results below: 46.7% speak French perfectly, 38.4% speaks it well, 13.7% somewhat, and 0.9% a little. It has been noticed that Fizi territory girls cannot speak, understand, read and written French perfectly. One can infer that if French is not spoken, understood, read and written perfectly as the language they have started learning from primary school through secondary and later at university how will they be skilled in a language they are not accustomed to? It would be assumed that the more French is preferred the more proficient these girls would be.
Moreover, table 12 about respondents’ self-evaluation on English, indicates that the majority of the participants (48%) can speak somewhat English, 41.6% can speak a little English, 5.4% can speak well, not at ll (4.8%) and none was able to speak it perfectly. Other language skills such as understanding, reading and writing present the same results. This should not be surprising due to the fact that it can be anticipated, it has been noticed that the participants do not have a perfect mastery of their mother tongue either. Knowing that a language is one of cultural elements which identify a person, these girls are tending to lose both their identity and their native language-Ebembe.
About participants’ self-evaluation on mother tongue use, table 13 indicates, that most of the participants (45.5%) can speak their mother tongue well, 39.4% can speak it perfectly, 15% somewhat, but not at all and a little were not involved (0%). The same table shows that the same results are applied to rest of language skills (understanding, reading and writing). What is clearly known is that the most characteristic quality of man is probably his ability to speak his language. Man is the only animal who uses communication symbols. No other animals have ever developed such a complex system of symbolic communication as designed by man. Thanks to language; man can preserve his culture and pass it on from generation to generation. Our education at home, school, in all kinds of associations is taking place via language.
Taking all these facts into account it has been presumed that linguistic future of the school girls in Fizi territory is deteriorating due to the fact that as future mothers, they are unable to master a language which they learnt to speak as children and this became their nature language. By observation, intuition and experience. It has been found out in south Kivu province as a whole and Fizi territory in particular, very often young people are not used to identifying themselves by speaking their native language mostly when they are in town because they are ashamed of being identified and wrongly think that anyone who speaks his native language perfectly is the least civilized of the world. Even if the findings have shown that these ladies speak local languages for the majority of activities and opportunities but what is aimed at is the perfect mastery. Contrary to popular beliefs they speak it in private. This is contrary to boys (men) from Fizi territory who are proud of loudly using their local vernacular almost everywhere. Based on the communities within the territory, Kiswahili is resorted to as lingua franca but is the second language.
As far as the frequencies on the importance and attitudes towards English for the following activities are concerned, table14 provides us with the results below:
This implies that these girls from Fizi territory are not unanimous in mastering the English language for all the above activities. They are beginning to understand a little bit the importance of the English language and its benefits in the DRC simply for employment purposes. The fact that English is not considerably considered as an important language, the processes of sustaining their motivation and increasing their interest will have a slow pace.
About the frequencies on the importance of the mother tongue, here the opinions are divided as revealed in table15:
As for the attitude towards multilingualism in general, the frequencies shown in table 16 on agreement and disagreement with the statements reveal that 63.4% completely agree on the fact of being trilingual, 36.5% agreed, none disagreed and none completely disagreed. It has also been shown, however, that the factor of learning three languages encourages creativity. That view has been completely agreed. By 63.4% of the participants, agreed by 36.5% while none disagreed nor completely disagreed. People who speak three languages can have more friends than those who speak one. The view has been completely agreed by 65.3%, agreed by 34.6%, none disagreed or completely disagreed.
In fact, it is to be noted that Fizi territory girls have demonstrated their need of being polyglot or multilingual for the sake of the benefits which are provided by the fact of learning and speaking many languages.
As for the question of respondents’ English learning experience, the results from table 17 reveal that it was argued by all the participants (100%) that it was disappointing to see that their English teachers in whom they had confidence were struggling like them. This heralded the preconceived assumption by the researcher that the teachers were unqualified. It was also revealed that an over whelming majority (89.7) of the participants learnt much of the English they know at secondary school 10.2% learnt it at an English training centre while none learnt it at primary school. The feeling about English learning experience is that the great majority (84.9%) of the participants did not want to learn it, 15% wanted to learn it. The cause of such feelings is due to the fact that the importance of the English language was not known to most of the participants. Another fact is that 25.6% argued that the English teacher did not know English and 23.7% argued that they had interest contrasted by 82.3% who had no interest at all. About the appreciation of English in relation to other languages, English was regarded as easy by 15.7%, difficult by 64.4%, neither easy nor difficult by 19.8%. What makes English difficult has been found out as being due to the fact of not learning it from primary school by 39.4%, due to being taught by unqualified teachers by 57.6% and 2.8% was not able to identify the reason.
In other words, these results are consistent with what has been preconceived as negative factors influencing on the effective learning of English in Fizi territory. Among other factors, it has been noticed that there are no English training centres, many did not want to learn it, its importance was not known, and there has not been interest in learning. Furthermore, English is viewed as a difficult language to learn and what makes it difficult has been the fact of not starting learning it from primary school and mainly being taught by unqualified teachers.
However, the table 18 about teachers’ data set on qualification has proved that indeed, there has been neither a single undergraduate nor a graduate in English as English teachers active in Fizi territory. This shows how much the learning of English in ineffective in Fizi territory since the learning is hampered because the teaching is done in a language in which neither the teacher nor the learners have an appropriate level of mastery. English is taught by anyone who has got a diploma in any area of study. These so called English teachers naturally encounter language teaching methodology problems. Based on the findings above, it is not inevitable to say that there are no real or competent English teachers in Fizi territory. In one word, Fizi territory lacks and is in need of English teachers.
In this chapter, findings of the study have been discussed and interpreted. A number of social, affective, cognitive, biological, aptitude, personality, input, and instructional negative factors were found affecting the motivation and interest of the learners of English in the selected Fizi territory secondary schools. The next chapter details the summary of the whole study, formulates the conclusion and suggests recommendations.
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