Teacher and Students Attitude Towards the Use of Mother Tongue in Teaching Mathematics in Nigeria Primary School : Implications for Guidance Counselling
CHAPTER ONE
Significance of the Study
Mathematics has been identified as a tool for both scientific and technological advancement by the Nigerian Government. Apart from the huge sum of money sunk for the up-liftment of mathematics teaching and learning, outcome are yet to yield the expected result required for the development of the nation. This study will help mathematics educators in assisting pupils to learn to organize facts, seeing relationship or pattern using mother tongue. The study would show the effectiveness of using mother tongue in teaching mathematics in primary schools. The findings would be used as a guide to the government in planning and improving mathematics in schools.
This study would be helpful to other stakeholders in mathematics education in their efforts towards development of mathematics materials that will stimulate and arouse the interest of the pupils, thereby correcting pupils’ negative attitude. The study would also prove useful to the students and scholars of mathematics as a reference material especially where they engage in research of similar nature. The findings of the study would also encourage scholars in other disciplines to engage in research of similar nature.
CHAPTER TWO
Review of Related Literature
Literature would be reviewed under these headings: Theoretical Framework (Constructivism Theory), Conceptual Literature Review (Mathematics and its area of applications, Benefits and Challenges of Mother-Tongue Base Education, Mathematics and Mother Tongue as a Language of Instruction, Attitudes and the Teaching of Mathematics), Empirical Studies and Appraisal of Literature Reviewed.
Literature on pupils’ attitudes when learning mathematics through the mother tongue reveals many diverse- and sometimes incompatible-definitions of the notion of attitude (Hannula, 2002). For this reason, the perspective adopted by this study in order to examine the attitude of parents, teachers and pupils’ to the use of mother tongue in the teaching of mathematics needs to be clarified.
Theoretical Framework
Constructivism Theory
This theory was propounded by John Dewey in 1992, which states that it was time that we subordinate subject matter to the learner and the needs and interest of learners must be considered by recognizing that learners bring their language (mother tongue), bodies, emotions (attitude) and spirits to school as well as their minds. Constructivist like Dewey, believe in democracy even in the classroom so that there are no authoritarian practices at school and in classrooms. The classroom should be a free environment in which any individual child’s differences and growth is seriously taken care of. This includes the language the child would feel comfortable to use especially in mathematics so that they could be heard. The mathematical content and language should be close to the child’s real life situations hence the cliché; “Education is life and learn by doing” (Dewey, 1992).
The basic assumptions of the Constructivism theory is that,
- Learning environments provide multiple representations of reality.
- Multiple representations avoid oversimplification and represent the complexity of the real world.
- Learning environments emphasize knowledge construction using appropriate language.
- Learning environments emphasize authentic tasks in a meaningful context rather than abstract instruction out of context.
- Learning environments provide learning environments such as real-world settings or case-based learning instead of predetermined sequences of instruction.
- Learning environments encourage thoughtful reflection on experience.
In line with the above theory, the fundamental question as related to this study is; how can children learn to do mathematics in a language they are struggling to understand? In line with this, Mavhunga (2008) says that there is urgent need to realign our education system so that it addresses the real needs by the Africans themselves. Siyakwazi (1999) in Mavhunga (2005) quoting the Phelps-Stokes Commission report of 1924 warned that artificially and irrelevant elements of the content of a school curriculum that originated in distant parts of the world tended to confuse the mind of the African child. The above statements by Siyakwazi (1999) and Mavhunga (2005) aptly summarize constructivist thinking that curriculum decisions especially on language should put the child at the centre by making use of the child’s language in educational settings most especially subjects that are abstract in nature like mathematics.
The idea of the above theory is important in school teaching and helps in a general way to explain children’s positive or negative attitude towards school, attitude that may have arisen originally from difficulties in learning specific school subjects such as mathematics which has manipulation. Attitudes are seen as cognitive and affective orientations or dispositions towards an object, idea, person, situation, among others (Fiski & Taylor, 2008). The attitude exhibit by the learners, parents and even the instructor (teacher) while engaging in such activities especially using the mother tongue may jeopardize the outcome of the process. This study investigates the kind of attitude either positive or negative that the pupils, parents and teachers have towards the use of mother tongue in teaching mathematics.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Introduction
The chapter gives point by point inquire about methodologies. It likewise introduces the exploration techniques and methodology associated with accomplishing the set targets of the examination. The examination configuration is clarified and delineated. The objective populace and the investigation region are portrayed and additionally Information gathering techniques, information accumulation instruments, and strategies for information investigation are additionally included.
Research Design
The researcher utilized the descriptive survey design (cross section technique). This method was used as it illustrates the cause-effect relationship between the independent and dependent variables. The study also adopted this method because of time and resource constraints. The insights from the study were applied to other secondary schools within Ogun. Kumar (2005) notes that a descriptive survey enables one to draw conclusions from the revealed facts. It also reduces error in the analysis of data collected.
Target Population
Target population alludes to the whole gathering of individuals, occasions, or things of intrigue that the analyst wishes to investigate. The objective populace in this examination was 1860 respondents from Yewa south, Ogun state.
Instrumentation
The essential information required for the investigation was gathered utilizing an organized survey. The survey was by and by regulated to chosen respondents in the schools that shape the example populace. The survey involved both open-ended and close-ended inquiries. Respondents were asked to tick the option they deemed best. The researcher also used interviews.
CHAPTER FOUR
Data Analysis and Discussion
Introduction
This chapter deals with the presentation and analysis of data collected by the researcher using the questionnaires (PAMTQ, MAMTQ and TAMTQ) designed to investigate teachers, parents and pupils’ attitudes to the use of mother tongue in the teaching of mathematics. Data were collected from primary school teachers, pupils and their parents to retrieve demographic information and their attitudes to the use of mother tongue in teaching mathematics. First, the chapter presents the analysis of the demographic information obtained followed by the percentage analysis of their responses. The analysis of the data obtained was employed to answer the research questions raised for this study.
Presentation and Analysis of Data
A total of two hundred and ten (210) questionnaires were printed and administered to teachers, pupils and mother at the six (6) randomly selected primary schools in Yewa South Local Government Area of Ogun State. Ninety-nine questionnaires (PAMTQ) and ninety-nine questionnaires (MAMTQ) were administered to the primary three pupils and their parent respectively while twelve questionnaires (TAMTQ) were administered to the teachers. All the 210 questionnaires administered were recovered with complete responses.
CHAPTER FIVE
Summary, Conclusion and Recommendation
This chapter provides the summary of the study, the conclusions and list of recommendations based on the findings.
Summary
This study was designed and conducted to identify and investigate the attitude of teachers, pupils and parent to the use of mother tongue in teaching mathematics at the lower primary schools in Yewa South Local Government Area of Ogun State. Six (6) Primary Schools (three public and three private) were randomly selected from the total of one hundred and forty five (145) Government approved primary schools in this local Government to obtain a total of 210 subjects that participated in the study.
Data was collected using three sets of questionnaires namely “PAMTQ”, “MAMTQ”, “TAMTQ” administered to primary three pupils, parents and their teachers respectively. The data collected from the three questionnaires was analyzed using percentage.
It was discovered that primary school pupils have positive attitude to the use of mother tongue in teaching mathematics and that there is no difference in the attitude of male and female pupils to the use of mother tongue in teaching mathematics because they both have positive attitudes, although, public primary school pupils have positive attitude to the use of mother tongue in teaching mathematics but private primary school pupils have negative attitude. Mothers have positive attitude to the use of mother tongue in teaching mathematics while teachers have negative attitudes to the use of mother tongue in teaching mathematics.
Conclusion
On the basis of the investigation, it can be concluded that, lower primary school pupils (both male and female) have positive attitude to the use of mother tongue in teaching mathematics. Public primary school pupils have positive attitude while private primary school pupils have negative attitude to the use of mother tongue in the teaching of mathematics at lower primary schools.
Also, it was discovered that, primary school pupils’ mothers have positive attitude to the use of mother tongue in teaching mathematics at lower primary schools while teachers at lower primary schools in Yewa South Local Government Area of Ogun State have negative attitude to the use of mother tongue in teaching mathematics.
Recommendation
In line with the findings of this study, the following recommendations are made:
- Government should develop a curriculum and provide relevant primary school textbooks of mathematics written in mother tongue.
- Teacher training institutions in Nigeria especially the department of Primary Education Studies should train students on how to use mother tongue to teach mathematics before they graduated from the institution so as to facilitate easy discharge of their duty effectively especially at lower primary school level.
- There should be dictionary of mathematics in mother tongue for lower primary schools to enable the teachers to discharge their duty effectively.
- The Government should make follow up and if possible place sanction on schools (especially private) and teachers that fails to comply with the use of mother tongue as a language of instruction at the lower primary school.
- Teachers should be encouraged to participate in in-service training, attend seminars, workshops and participate in professional training so as to improve their teaching method and use of language.
- Schools in conjunction with government and other stakeholders in the community should organize orientation programme for parents, teachers and other individuals in the society on the importance of using mother tongue to teach mathematics at the lower primary schools.
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