MOTHER’S TONGUE AND STUDENTS ACHIEVEMENT IN PHYSICS IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN MKPAT ENIN LGA

MOTHER’S TONGUE AND STUDENTS ACHIEVEMENT IN PHYSICS IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN MKPAT ENIN LGA

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Background of the Study

Language is a powerful means of communication which has enabled us to be more developed in comparison to other creatures so far found in the world. It is the principal means used by human being to communicate with one another. It is that divine gift for human being, that has enabled us to enjoy the pleasure available in the world (Davition, 2017). Language is basically a system of communication where sound or signs convey objects, actions and ideas. The history of language dates back to many thousands of years. Language is primarily spoken not written. But the development of the writing medium and later the printing system went along way is the dissipation of knowledge and without which humans would have remained in the dark about the ways of life and the thought processes of their ancestors (Gogoi, 2015). Language is a sign system fulfilling the cognitive and communicative functions in the process of human activity. The term cognitive as the process of acquiring knowledge by the use of reasoning intuition or perception. One of the critical concerns of schooling is whether linguistic development determines the cognitive development of a child (Beka, 2016). There is a debate among applied linguist and educational psychologist on the issue, nonetheless, we can claim that if the former has a beneficial role for the development of latter then, mother tongue instruction becomes a crucial topic for discussion (Beka, 2016). One of the psycho-linguist, Bruner suggests that the school is a very important determiner of the use of mother tongue to facilitate cognitive growth and assists child’s problem-solving skills which can then be transferred to a range of situations. Mother tongue instruction may have two connotations; teaching mother tongue itself and imparting formal education in the first language of students. But while we talk about the mother tongue instruction we take the second meaning of the term (Khan, 2015). There is debate on whether students are to be taught in their mother tongue or in the language that has international recognition. Both of the arguments may have their own rationale and theoretical back up. If we analyze them from different people’s perspectives we may draw various conclusions (Beka, 2016). However, more people are motivated towards mother tongue instruction in the world today, one of the world organizations advocating mother tongue instruction is United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). However, these attempts have not got whole-hearted success. Although UNESCO has encouraged mother tongue instruction in early childhood and primary education since 1953, mono-lingualism in the official or dominant language is still the norm around the world (Arnold et al) as cited in (UNESCO, 2017). In Sub-Saharan Africa, according to Ouane (2006 there are between 1, 250 and 2,100 languages. However, school children in this region very rarely have chances to receive their education in the mother tongue. Many African countries still use colonial languages as a medium of instruction at different learning levels. Kuper (2017) reports that in 22 out of 39 African countries primary education still uses one of the colonial languages. Only three Countries-Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Tanzania-employ the mother tongue for the whole duration of primary education. Hence, foreign language became a barrier in teaching and learning process in our schools. Communication through a mother tongue can become paradoxically a barrier when students are not familiar with the school language and this impacts negatively on their studies (Malone, 2022); as well as a bridge through the mother tongue (MT) to facilitate learning. International organizations like UNESCO have always promoted mother tongue education which is a powerful way to fight discrimination. An international Hearing on the Harm done in Schools by the Suppression of the MT took place in Mauritius. The hearing consisted of a jury panel comprising of professionals from the education sector and researchers such as (Phillipson 2018; Skutnabb Kangas 2019). Evidence gathered from 47 witnesses relates to 'the trauma' encountered by children whose MT is excluded from schools. Dekker (2022) indicate that the prevailing educational models (Holistic model) in developing countries mostly those that were former European and British colonies, rely on the use of 'exogenous' or inherited colonial languages such as English (Cameroon, Mauritius, Nigeria), French (Mali, Senegal) and Spanish (Guatemala) as the primary medium of instruction in the early years of formal schooling and it is also true that many young learners entering classrooms for the first time do not speak and understand those languages. Salami, (2018) are of the opinion that children need to learn in the Mother Tongue (MT) until the age of 12 before switching to a second language because at 12 they have sufficiently mastered concepts in the MT and acquired MT awareness and consciousness that make them apt enough to transfer knowledge into the second language. Habits, conducts, values, virtues, customs and beliefs are all encapsulated in the mother tongue and it also defines an individual's cultural identity and an individual can have one or several first languages. Mother tongue (MT) is foremost considered by education experts like Malone (2022), Beka (2016), as a crucial factor for developing the intellectual, physical and moral aspects of education in earlier years of schooling; grounded on their previous researches, the above experts believe that if initial formal instruction is dispensed in the MT for at least five/six years or throughout the whole of primary level, a strong 'bridge' is thus laid for Nigeria is a multilingual and multicultural country where the inclusion of the MT as the medium of instruction in formal education is a politically controversial issue (Mahmud 2017). Several concerns converge on the issue of using local or minority languages in formal education. One of these has to do with increasing awareness of the value of the world’s linguistic and cultural diversity. Many of the world’s languages and cultures are in danger of disappearing in the coming decades for a variety of political, economic and social reasons. For those concerned by this phenomenon, the challenge is to slow it down or stop it by promoting respect for linguistic and cultural rights, peaceful co-existence in multicultural societies and the preservation of our bio-cultural heritage (Singh, & Mishra, 2015). Therefore, it became a great concern to the stake holders in the education at both the national and local levels. Therefore, this study examines mother’s tongue and students achievement in physics in secondary schools in Mkpat Enin LGA.

​​​​​​​Statement of the Problem

It is clear at local and national levels when communities, parents, local education officers and national authorities recognize that the longstanding language-in education policies they have been relying on to usher in economic and social progress have simply not worked. Parents may wonder why they are investing so heavily in an education that yields no employment; teachers spend their careers attempting to communicate knowledge in an international language to students who cannot assimilate it; education officers in rural areas despair of ever improving the national standing of their schools when most of their students fail final exams; and national education authorities meet with their international counterparts and realize that in effective national schooling exists in other countries as well (Koseoglu, 2015). Each of these concerns can be addressed in some measure by explicitly including local languages in formal education systems. The research evidence today clearly shows that using the learners’ mother tongue is crucial to effective learning.In summary, nations like Europe and Asia have kept pace with the national development on both continents, while these nations involve their mother tongues in their development enterprises and succeed, black nation of Africa like Nigeria rather withdrew their own languages from this very vital enterprise and development eludes them (Dada, 2020). However, the problem of poor achievement by Nigerian students in physics has been of concern to all physics teachers in the country. These could be seen in the introduction of different teaching strategies and reforms to arrest the situation which has all been in vain. This is why the researcher observed that physics education in Nigeria is still in a deplorable state at various levels of Nigerian educational system. The achievement of Nigerian students in physics both in internal and external examinations has shown a considerable and progressive deterioration. At the school certificate level the West African Examination Council, chief examiners’ reports from 2012 to 2017 confirm these observations. The situation seems to be getting worse, up to the point that Nigeria has started taking as low as second to the last position in achievement of students in school certification in physics examinations among the eleven English speaking West African countries. Thus, this study will examine mother’s tongue and students achievement in physics in secondary schools in Mkpat Enin LGA.

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