ABSTRACT                                                                                                                                                                                         

          The purpose of this study, titled “the problems affecting the teaching of poetry in Junior Secondary Schools” is to conduct an investigation into the problems of poetry teaching in the JSS classes in Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area of Edo State. The instrument used for the collection of data are made up of sets of questionnaires for the teachers in the selected secondary schools. The following hypotheses were formulated for the purpose of this study.

1.            That poetry teachers encounter problems in their teaching assignment because majority of the students are not well exposed

2.            Some of these problems of poetry teaching are caused by student’s linguistic incompetence.

3.            That advanced poems selected for students to study is one of the major problems affecting the teaching of poetry.

4.            That advanced poems encounter these problems because of their use of wrong methods.

5.            That student does not have interest in poetry because they find the language of poetry too difficult.

To these numerous problems, the study addressed itself and proffered suggestions to arresting these problems, inclusive of more effective methods of teaching awakening and sustaining students’ interest in poetry and generating a keener awareness of the dignity and beauty of poetry.     

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter One        

Introduction

Statement of problem

Purpose of the study

Significance of the study

Hypothesis

Limitations of the study

Delimitation of the study

Chapter Two       

Literature review

Chapter Three     

Methodology

Population sample

Research instrument

Collection of data

Procedure

Oral interview

Analysis of data

Chapter Four       

Data Analysis

Chapter Five        

Summary, Conclusion and Recommendations

Summary

Conclusion

Recommendations

References

Questionnaires

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

          The term “literature” is a term of art which is known as imaginative writing in the sense of fiction-writing which is not literally true. Literature has also been described as a creative work of art, involving an aesthetic reordering of experience in order to communicate it morefully or accurately. Literature is any imaginative work of art that is written, sung, spoken or charted. That has a specific message and is conveyed in beautiful and woven language with the aim of entertainment. In other words, literature is concerned with beauty, invention and the creative use of language artistically designed to give pleasure and enjoyment while passing across message

Literature is also seen as written works which are rendered as subject for study; they are drama, prose and poetry. In writing or study, we are going to concentrate on poetry. According to written words worth, ‘poetry is the imaginative expression of strong feeling, usually rhythmically the spontaneous over flow of powerful feelings recollected in tranquility.

Poetry is a form of literature it is a record of the writers feelings about events which could be physical or otherwise. The subject of poetry could be supernatural (example J. P. Clark’s Abiku) or simply natural (example Lucys Poem). Poetry is a term that applies to many forms in which man expresses himself rhythmically. This is why poetry is a term of literary art that is easily distinguishable from prose by the predominance of rhythm. Rhythm is an integral part of nature and consequently existence, since everything in the world respond s to rhythm. Poetry is a special form of writing or composition involving in the use of imagination emotion and intellect in the communicate of experiments or in the interpretation of human consciousness and existence with unique structure and technical finesse.

Poetry is life because it deals with realities it has to do with man’s imagination feelings, his impression on and around him and the relationship between the world and himself it is the most personal in all aspects of literature.

Poetry in more completed in the use of language than that of the prose because it is usually short and very direct to the point.

 Poetry has beauty in its language and dignity in it’s compressed from. It is also unique in that if contributes to the stone of human experience and many facts of life. There are three main types of poetry, warmly, lyrical, poems are usually short and song like reflective lyric and descriptive lyric.

Narrative poems tell stories and examples are balled, epic, dramatic, monologue.

Dramatic poems tell their stories through the speech of their characters.

          Examples epic, static poem criticize, ridicule and correct, for example ballads and sonnet. The study of poetry is training of the emotion and poetry aims at. Providing aesthetic satisfaction and shaping of individuals mind through critical appreciation. But despite this aim, poetry teaching and learning have created enormous problems of poetry teaching and learning is by a complete orientation, a revision of ideas and the general attitude towards poetry.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

          This study attempts a critical examination of the problem affecting the teaching of affecting the teaching of poetry in Junior Secondary Schools Classes in Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area, Benin City, Edo State. Assessment of teachers, teaching methods the students interest in the learning of poetry.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

          The purpose of this study is to conduct an investigation into the problems affecting the teaching of poetry in secondary school in Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area of Edo State. In doing this, an attempt is made to examine;

1.            The problem involved in teaching poetry and

2.            Student’s attitude to poetry lessons.

SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY   

          It is hoped that when this study is conducted, suggestions will be offered towards the improvement of the art of teaching poetry with a view of solving the problems encountered by teaching of poetry and also students will demonstrate a better appreciation and understanding of poems.  This study will also help to state schools management board in recruiting trained teachers of English and Literature to ameliorate the teaching problems.

HYPOTHESIS

          For the purpose of this study, the following hypothesis are formulated.

1.            That poetry teacher in Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area encounter problems in their teaching assignment because majority of them are not deeply exposed to poetry.

2.            That some of these problems of poetry teachers caused by the linguistic of students.

3.            That advanced poetry selected for students to study is one of the problems of poetry teaching.

4.            Those teachers of poetry encounter these problems because of their use of wrong method.

5.            That students do not have interest in poetry because is too difficult.

DELIMITATION

          This research study is limited to some selected Junior Secondary Schools in Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area of Edo State, which focus on the problems and relevance of teaching and how this problem can be completely eradicated.