The Effect of Role-Play Instructional Package on Upper Basic Students’ Learning outcomes in Oral English in Kwara State, Nigeria.

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of the Role-Play Instructional Package (RPIP) 
on students' learning outcomes in Oral English in Kwara state in comparison to 
traditional lecture methods. The diverse tribes and languages in Kwara State 
create interference to effective language skills learning. The study also examined 
the influence of attitude of students towards oral English learning. Utilizing a 
quasi-experimental design, the research involved 100 students divided into 
experimental and control groups. The experimental group received instruction 
through RPIP, while the control group experienced traditional lectures. Two sets 
of research instruments were used to collect data for the study. These were 
questionnaire on student attitude towards Oral English (QOSATOE), English 
Language Speech Sounds Performance Test (ELSSP). The questionnaire on 
students’ attitude QOSATOE consisted of 15 items. The ELSSP consisted of 40 
questions. The 40 items were all derived from NECO question papers. The face 
and content validity were carried out through experts in the Faculty of Education, 
Ekiti State University. The reliability of the instruments were ascertained in a 
pilot testing that was carried out in schools outside the study sample. The data 
collected for the study were analysed using the descriptive and inferential 
statistics, t-test was used for the experimental group. Hypothesis was tested at 
0.05 level of significance. The findings on attitude of students towards Oral 
English before treatment, revealed that majority of the students had negative 
attitude towards Oral English before treatment. Results indicated a significant 
improvement in the learning outcomes of students taught with RPIP, with the 
experimental group showing a substantial mean gain in post-test scores, whereas 
the control group showed no significant change. The study underscored the 
potential of RPIP as an effective instructional strategy that can be broadly applied 
across diverse student demographics. It is recommended that RPIP strategy is a 
student-centered approach and effective learning strategy adequate for teaching 
oral English and cater to diverse language pronunciation defects in Oral English. 
Future research should explore the long-term impacts of RPIP and its 
effectiveness across various subjects and educational level.