SOCIO-CULTURAL CORRELATES OF STUDENTS INTEREST IN ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

English is the official language in Nigeria and a ubiquitous part of teaching and learning in the educational ecosystem. However, English as a second language in Nigeria has been fraught with many challenges. The purpose of this present study was to examine the sociocultural correlates of students interest in ESL. Two hundred and thirty secondary school students (n=230) were conveniently selected from rural and urban schools in the Anambra States as the respondents. Data for the survey was collected using a self-report measure assessing interest in ESL. Linear regression analysis was conducted on the data, and the result showed that sociocultural context statistically significantly predicted interest in ESL. The study concludes that the sociocultural environment is a significant determinant of students interest in ESL in Anambra State.