Empirical analysis of challenges in learning the Russian language in the University of Nigeria

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University of Nigeria, Nsukka

Empirical analysis of challenges in learning the Russian language in the University of Nigeria

Abstract

Learning a new language comes with its own set of challenges, even the brightest students can find the new language to be difficult to understand. Looking at the progress already made in the field of studying Russian in Nigeria in the last fifty-nine years, the language presents some noticeable challenges. This paper is aimed at examining the difficulties of learning the Russian language in the University of Nigeria. A descriptive method was used, and the data were collected as a result of the survey of 36 students studying Russian.

The findings revealed that different social and economic factors affect Russian language learning in Nigeria. Also, there was no significant difference in the answers of male and female students about the difficulties in learning the Russian language in Nigeria. Based on the findings of this study, it was concluded that different factors (especially level of education, parents' occupation and level of income) are among the major difficulties of learning Russian in Nigerian universities. Thus, the study recommends that Nigeria government should encourage the respective universities to teach Russian with better funding and sponsorship of some programs, such as conferences and seminars.

Keywords: the Russian language, difficulties of learning, university, Nigeria

Аннотация

Общий анализ объективных проблем обучения русскому языку в Университете Нигерии

Эзеохе Глори Окоедион, Уго Чукс Околье

Изучение нового языка связано с определенными трудностями, даже самые способные ученики находят новый язык сложным и трудным для понимания. Несмотря на прогресс, уже достигнутый в области обучения за последние пятьдесят девять лет, русский язык в Нигерии сталкивается с некоторыми значительными проблемами. Это и обусловило цель данной работы - исследование проблем обучения русскому языку в университетах Нигерии. Использовался описательный метод, данные, полученные посредством опроса 36 студентов, изучающих русский язык, были проанализированы и выражены в процентном соотношении.

По результатам исследования не было обнаружено значительной разницы в средней оценке студентов мужского и женского пола предполагаемых сложностей изучения русского языка в Нигерии. Сделан вывод о том, что одними из основных, влияющих на обучение русскому языку в нигерийских университетах, являются институциональные, студенческие и семейные социально-экономические факторы (особенно уровень образования, профессиональный статус и уровень доходов родителей). Таким образом, исследование рекомендует правительству Нигерии, среди прочего, поощрять соответствующие университеты за счет лучшего финансирования и спонсорства некоторых программ, связанных с преподаванием и изучением русского языка, проведением конференций и семинаров.

Ключевые слова: русский язык, трудности обучения, университет, Нигерия

Introduction

Learning foreign languages involves learning several components, such as language proficiency, communicative competence and information about native and foreign countries. It is indisputable that gaining knowledge of conventions -which may include customs, systems of beliefs - as well as system of meanings is also an integral part of foreign language learning. At the age of globalization, there is an increasing demand for intercultural communication competence, which enables people to interact efficiently with each other irrespectively of cultural and social differences (Wagaba, 2010). On a personal level, learning a foreign language takes people out of their imprinted mindset and exposes them to customs and traditions of an entirely different group of people. Their view of the world expands beyond blurbs on the nightly news and into a deeper understanding of how other people think. In terms of community, learning a foreign language will also increase understanding and compassion for other cultures. This becomes a powerful tool in fighting with stereotypes and bigotry (Akporherhe, 2002).

Studying the Russian language in Nigeria dates back to 1960, when the University of Nigeria, Nsukka was established. Like some other newly introduced courses, it started as a minor course but later became a full-degree course. And as a new discipline, it started with only six students who were bold enough to explore into this seeming `strange' area of study. This is because, hitherto, only English and French were familiar languages studied in primary and secondary schools respectively. It is important to note that Nigerian students benefited immensely from cooperation with Pushkin State Russian Language Institute and Volgograd State Technical University. Apart from one-year program for undergraduates, Pushkin Institute succeeded in training several Nigerian students at master's and doctorate levels. These Nigerians presently constitute the bulk of Russian language teaching staff both at the universities of Lagos and Ibadan (Chukwube, 2010).

In the context of globalization and challenges of multilingualism, the roles and functions of the Russian language in the context of Nigeria continues to be essential. Language learning is considered to be principally instrumental. According to W. Wagaba (2010), language is understood as an essential element of thought processes of human beings, their perceptions, attitudes, self-expression and worldview. Language can be used as a means of dominance, discrimination, exclusion, inclusion and as a tool for political and economic empowerment. Language can also be used as a powerful instrument of development in creating functional and sustainable knowledge networks.

The Russian language is used in international context in the area of diplomacy, business, media and scholarship. Therefore, the ability to speak Russian can be an asset, while inability of learning Russian may be costly, for instance, when communities or countries lack mediators who are proficient in foreign languages. It is especially important in a multilingual environment where access to information on business, education, science and technology is impossible without speaking foreign languages. The imperatives of studying Russian in modern Nigeria cannot be overemphasized. Nigeria needs to be an integral part of the global village where multilingualism is sine qua non. Moreover, considering the leadership role that Nigeria has to play in international politics and diplomacy, by virtue of its population, natural resources, economic and political power, we cannot relegate the importance of major European languages in the curriculum of Nigerian universities, whose central objective is to prepare and provide the much needed manpower for the development of the country and also for the sustenance of its administrative machinery (Chukwube, 2010).

The Russian language, as the Lingua Franca of the former Soviet Union, is a world language whose impact on international politics and diplomacy, scientific research, technology, industrial development is universally acknowledged.

Few studies in Nigeria and some African countries, first of all Ghana and Uganda, have been carried out to identify and analyze the challenges of teaching and learning foreign languages, especially Russian, in Africa. C. Chukwube (2010) listed the following difficulties of learning Russian in Nigeria: lack of qualified lectures, astronomical cost of educational program in Pushkin Institute, Nigerian government's inability to sponsor lecturers for refresher courses in Pushkin Institute in Moscow, absence of Russian cultural center in Nigeria, lack of motivation among lecturers and students. I. Csajbok-Twerefou (2013) with S. Chachu and P.T. Viczai (2014) listed lack of motivation, students' attitude to the quality of teaching and the studying the Russian language, students' social background and local language interference as major challenges in learning Russian in the University of Ghana.

According to Wagaba (2014), the absence of affordable and accessible learning materials, inappropriate teaching methods and approaches, lack of interest in the language, students' learning strategies, lack of institutionalized tools and mechanisms to evaluate and assess teaching and learning styles as well as the performance of foreign language students on a regular basis, the absence of a common framework of reference for languages and the decrease in demands of language services in the Ugandan job market constitutes major challenges of teaching and learning European languages in Ugandan. E.G. Okoedion (2019) mentions government attitude to languages, lack of awareness and interest, inadequate provision of teaching aids and self-evaluation mechanisms, lack of lecturers and extinction of Russian cultural center in Lagos. As a result, students who study the course sometimes feel ashamed to identify with the course and often claim to be studying other courses instead.

The aim of the paper

The empirical analysis of the noticeable challenges of learning Russian in the University of Nigeria, Nsukka is the aim of this study. Therefore, the objective of this study is to answer the following research questions:

1. What are the institutional, students' and parental socio-economic factors affecting learning of the Russian language in the University of Nigeria?

2. Is there any difference in the mean rating of respondents on the perceived institution factors that affect learning the Russian language in the University of Nigeria?

3. Is there difference in the mean rating of respondents on the perceived students factors that affect learning the Russian language in the University of Nigeria?

4. Is there difference in the mean rating of respondents on the perceived socioeconomic factors that affect learning the Russian language in the University in Nigeria?

Materials and methods

The study which is both empirical and theoretical draws its argument from primary and secondary data. A descriptive method was used and the data were collected during a survey of 36 students (both regular and elective students) learning

Russian in the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Out of 36 questionnaires distributed, 33 were retrieved and analyzed, giving us a response rate of 91.7%. Out of the 33 respondents, 25 were female and 8 were male. The data were analyzed using percentage, mean and z-test at 0.5 levels. The questionnaire was divided into five sections. The first section presented the respondents' demographic information, the second one contained reasons for learning the Russian language, while the third, the forth and the fifth ones focused on institutional, students' and parental socioeconomic factors that affect learning Russian in the University of Nigeria, Nsuk- ka. The following null hypotheses were formulated for the study and tested at 0.05 levels of significance:

Hi - there is no significant difference on the mean rating of male and female students on the perceived institutional factors that affect learning Russian in the University of Nigeria;

H2 - there is no significant difference on the mean rating of male and female students on the perceived students' factors that affect learning Russian in the University of Nigeria;

H3 - there is no significant difference on the mean rating of male and female students on the perceived parental socio-economic factors that affect learning Russian in the University of Nigeria.

Results of the survey

Gender. The table 1 shows that the majority of the respondents are female - 25 making it a total of 75.8% of the respondents. Male respondents were 8, consisting 24.2%.

Age of respondents. Age group of 21-25 years which comprises of 14 (42.4%) accounted for the majority of respondents. The remaining respondents which fell into age group of 26-30years, accounted for 9 (27.3%), 6 (18.2%) and 4 (12.1%) respectively.

Marital status of respondents. All the respondents, representing 33 (100.0%) are single.

Current year of study. Most respondents, representing 13 (39,4%) are first-year students.

Academic achievement of respondents. Most students with CGPA of 3.50-4.49 which comprised of 21 (63.6%) accounted for the majority of respondents.

The table 2 shows that majority of the students over (75%) did not choose Russian language as their course of study.

With the respect to the question whether the students were pleased to be offered the Russian language, the responses indicated that most students which comprised 26 (78.8%) were pleased to be offered the course (table 3).

To affirm their answers, the students were asked to give reasons for being pleased or not pleased to be offered the Russian language (table 4). The responses are essential for the researchers in that they showed some difficulties that students meet in studying the Russian language in Nigeria.

All the respondents were pleased with the quality of teaching (table 5). However, for us it was essential to know the disadvantages of the lecturers and how to develop new strategies to improve teaching. Unfortunately, no students gave reasons for not being pleased with the quality of teaching the Russian language in the university.

All the students responded that they would like to learn Russian songs. To understand why these responses were given, let us look attentively at some of the reasons shown in the table 7.

Table 1

Respondents' demographic information

Table 2

Did you choose Russian language as your course of study?

Table 3

Are you pleased to be offered the Russian language?

Source: the researchers' survey, 2019.

Table 4

Reasons of being pleased or not pleased to be offered the Russian language

Source: the authors' survey, 2019.

Table 5

How do you find the quality of teaching

Table 6

Would you like to learn Russian songs?

Table 7

Reasons for interest in learning Russian songs