ABSTRACT
This study was designed to investigate the influence of the Nigerian Pidgin English on the academic performance of adult learners in Egor local government area of Edo state. Four research questions were raised to guide the study. This study employed the descriptive survey design. Survey research requires the systematic collection of data and information from sample of a population through the use of questionnaire.The total population of this study was four hundred and fifty six (456), using a simple random sampling technique, a sample size of one hundred and ten (110) from five literacy centres.A questionnaire was used to collect information from respondents. The questionnaire
which was designed by the researcher comprised two sections (A and B). The section A was designed to generate personal information of respondents that is demographic data such as sex of respondents while section B comprised items on the topic under the study .The items were formulated based on the research questions raised. The questionnaires contained items requesting YES or NO response and the respondents were required to tick from the given box . Decision rule states that 0-39 is low, 40-69% (l), is consider moderate(M),70-100% is considered high (H) .
The data collected with the instrument for the study were analyzed with the use of frequency count, and simple percentage.
From the analyzed data, it was formed that Nigerian Pidgin English can be utilized in subjects beyond English, including mathematics, social studies, civic education, and health education, without hindering retention. In fact, its use is encouraged. However, it also highlights that relying heavily on Nigerian Pidgin English can impede adult learners' ability to construct proper spoken and written English. This leads to difficulties in recognizing sounds, forming sentences, spelling, maintaining grammatical consistency, and using appropriate vocabulary. Nevertheless, the study underscores that incorporating Nigerian Pidgin English can enhance the comfort and understanding of adult learners, leading to better retention and a sense of accomplishment in their learning journey.
