EFFECT OF MOTHER TONGUE ON STUDENTS ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE
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- 1-5 Chapters
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- Reference Style: APA
- Recommended for : Student Researchers
- NGN 3000
Background of the study
It is impossible to place enough emphasis on the significance of learning English as a foundational skill necessary for achieving mastery in one's other academic pursuits. The importance of knowledge on a country's educational system, economy, and overall national growth cannot be overstated.
The significance of the English language as a topic taught in schools stems mostly from its utilitarian value to the greater Nigerian community. English is the language that is used in official settings, such as business and government, and it is the primary language used in scientific research. Most importantly, Aladeyomi (2017) has stressed the significance of the USC of the English language in enhancing communication across the many different ethnic groups that exist in Nigeria. In addition, he emphasized the need of elevating the level of English language proficiency among school-aged children, both orally and in writing.
On the other hand, one of the most pressing educational issues of public concern right now is the low level of academic success, particularly in public exams (Amuseghan, 2017). This issue of low academic success among students in schools has persisted in many different subject areas, including English, Mathematics, and Science (Bamgbose, 2019). It's possible that a lack of a strong foundation in English Language at the primary school level is to blame for this low level of proficiency across a variety of academic areas. Ineffective use of language is inevitably associated with subpar academic achievement, according to the findings of a number of studies, which provide credence to the aforementioned position (Bamgbose, 2016). It should come as no surprise that in today's world, according to Bhela (2019), a great deal of emphasis is placed on the passing of English language at credit or distinction level in addition to other subjects in order to enable any candidate to gain admission into any Nigerian Higher Institution of learning or to be placed well in a good white collar job. As a result of the government's awareness of the significance of the English language to both the improvement of individuals' educational attainment and their capacity for effective communication, the English language was designated as a mandatory subject (Brown, 2016).
Students are required to have earned credit in the English language prior to enrolling in a university. This requirement cannot be waived. This helps to explain why so many parents go above and above to ensure that their children get a passing grade of credit or higher in English language coursework. The usefulness of the English language to Nigerian society as a whole is the primary source of the English language's significance as a subject in Nigerian schools. The business world and government both use English as their primary medium of communication. It is the primary language used in scientific research. Above all else, Boyer,(2016) has underlined the significance of making use of the English language in order to improve communication amongst the many different ethnic groups that make up Nigeria. In addition, he emphasized the need of elevating the level of English language proficiency among school-aged children, both orally and in writing.
On the other hand, one of the most pressing educational issues of public concern right now is the low level of academic success, particularly in public exams. This persistent issue of low academic success among school-aged children has been seen in a wide variety of academic fields, including mathematics, English, and science. It's possible that a weak foundation in English language learning in elementary school is to blame for this low level of proficiency across a variety of academic areas. Additionally, there are a number of study findings that provide credence to the viewpoint that ineffective use of language inevitably contributes to low academic achievement.
According to Aladeyomi (2017), the issue of low levels of accomplishment among primary school pupils in Nigeria was a severe one. This was the case despite the fact that Nigeria had established targets for boosting the minimal level of learning by 1995. Aladeyomi's findings may be found here. The author had made the observation that several indications of low performance are still detected even as the students advance through the system. In light of this, an investigation was carried out to determine the degree to which Amuseghan, (2017)'s remark is applicable to elementary school English. The future of language beyond the year 2000.
Some of the shortcomings that have been identified in the English language accomplishment and abilities of learners may be attributable, at least in part, to the manner in which the English language is taught in schools and universities. Amuseghan (2017), Brown (2016), and Boyer (2016) were among those who voiced their disapproval of the standard instructional approach that is often used in English language classes. Boyer (2016) said that the use of conventional teaching strategies was to blame for students' poor understanding of fundamental writing abilities. Bamgbose (2019) has previously referred to this instructional method as a game of hits and misses. Bhela (2019) had opposed the authoritarian approach of conventional teaching methods, which she said made students unengaged in the classroom. As a result, he suggested using an activity classroom as a venue for education, particularly at the elementary school level, in which students may make learning fun: These types of educational pursuits may include studying using physical items, artifacts, images, videos, and so on.
It was also revealed by Aladeyomi (2017) that the performance of the elementary school students in the English language was quite bad. They emphasized further that the standard was poor due to a number of other reasons, such as: 1. The use of tribal language in the lower classes of the primary school; 2. The fact that some students do not understand the grammar because their teachers themselves do not know it; and 3. The fact that the majority of the time, English language teachers in the senior primary schools resort to those of mother tongue to teach and explain the English language, even up to the secondary school level.
These scholars are of the opinion that the language policy of education has to be subjected to a critical examination. The evaluation, according to them, should include suggestions that would make it possible for students to be exposed to the topic relatively early on, starting with elementary school. This should be the case regardless of the benefits associated with speaking their native language. They went on to advise that the teaching and learning of English should be made more practical in our schools, and that the amount of years spent studying and the amount of time spent teaching should both be raised. Last but not least, resources for education on the topic have to be made available.
When we get to this point, maybe we will have found a solution to the issue of doing poorly in the topic. Therefore, a strong foundation in the English language is very necessary for improved performance. Aladeyomi (2017) has a somewhat different stance on the need of teaching young children English throughout the first few years of elementary school. In his opinion, using one's mother tongue in the process of teaching and learning in one's formative years not only helps to conserve and cherish one's culture but also helps to expand one's vocabulary in a culturally appropriate manner. The author believes that the usage of English language in early primary school makes it impossible for the typical primary school kid to be adequately literary in either their home tongue or in English language. He was of the opinion that the usage of English at that level would cause the children to do a mental translation of the a1l ideas that were taught in English language to their mother tongue in order to acquire an adequate interpretation of the concepts that were presented. The researcher is of the opinion that a person who is literate, even if it is just in their own language, will be fully prepared to live a life that is beneficial in a world that is always changing.
Therefore, encouraging the use of one's mother tongue as the major language of teaching in schools should be a priority if permanent literacy is to be pushed forward in primary education settings. Aladeyomi (2017) looked at whether or not there are significant gender inequalities in the academic performance of boys and girls in New Zealand's schools. According to the findings of a research that used a large sample size of 5300 students, the academic success of female students in the English language was much greater than that of male students, in terms of both the mean amount of curricular covered and the test learning results. In spite of this, the findings revealed that male students performed noticeably better in mathematics than their female counterparts. The findings also demonstrated that there was no discernible gap in the levels of success attained by males and females in the field of science. According to Amuseghan (2017), the English language and literary accomplishments of students in Nigerian junior secondary schools are relatively low. The academic performance of primary pupils in the age range of (6–1 years) has to improve, or at the very least, the number of students who reach the minimal standard needs to increase. This objective has not yet been accomplished.
Despite the fact that the English language continues to have a preeminent place in the educational system. Delivery method the use of the is the primary focus of Nigeria's educational language strategy at the present time. Pre-primary and elementary education should be conducted in either the student's mother tongue or the language spoken by the local community. It is interesting to note that private educational entrepreneurs only provide pre-primary instruction in the English language to their students. Fewer than twenty of Nigeria's languages are used for teaching students in elementary schools via the mother tongue medium. This practice is widespread throughout the nation. At both the junior and senior levels of secondary school education, the only language that is ever used for instruction is English. The Federal Ministry of Education, in collaboration with other educational statutory agencies, included in the National Policy on Education published in 1977 and revised in 1981 the use of mother tongue as a medium of educating pupils at the pre-primary and primary level throughout the country. This was done in recognition of the importance and contributions of mother tongue to education. According to the National Policy on education published in 1977 and revised in 1981, Section 2(u) which stated that "Government will ensure that the medium of instruction will be principally the mother tongue or the language of the immediate community" also in section 3 of the same National Policy on Education stated that: "Government will see to it that the medium of instruction in the primary school is initially the mother tongue of the immediate community and at a later stage, the medium of instruction in the primary school will be either the mother tongue of the immediate community or It is emphasized in this part that the use of the Nigerian language in the instructional process is very important.
"The government, in addition to understanding the significance of language in the educational process and as a method of maintaining the culture of the people, believes it to be an important means of promoting cultural diversity.
It is in the greatest interest of our country's cohesiveness that every youngster be encouraged to study one of the three main languages in addition to their native tongue.
Therefore, the Nigerian mother language is a component of the Nigerian culture; it communicates or transmits culture, and it is itself susceptible to attitudes and ideas that have been conditioned by culture. The positive results of the experiment in Mother Tongue Medium in Yoruba that was carried out at the then University of Ife empirically demonstrated the great advantages, of mother tongue in primary education for scholastic attainment (Bamgbose, 2019), and even in the successful mastery of English as a second language. (Bamgbose, 2019) At this moment, it is of the utmost importance to investigate whether or not kids' mother tongues have any influence on the level of English language proficiency they achieve in secondary school. It is essential to bring awareness to the fact that the issues exist and, on the basis of the information that will be uncovered, provide suggestions on what may be done to mitigate their effects in the event that they cannot be eliminated entirely.
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