The Impact of Mother Tongue on Children’s Learning at the Lower Level of Primary Education (A Case Study of Some Selected Primary Schools in Sokoto Metropolis)
Chapter One
Objective of the study
The main objective of this study is to investigate the impact of the mother tongue on children learning at the lower level of primary education. However, other specific objectives include
- To find out ways by which pupils could be helped to solve the problem they have in learning new things in other languages (English)
- To find out whether the language teachers are applying the children’s mother tongue in the process of teaching and
- To find out ways of motivating the pupils towards the use of their mother tongue in communicating with their colleagues and teachers in primary one to
- To find out ways of helping pupils develop their linguistics competence as they are growing in life
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
INTRODUCTION
As earlier mentioned in the introduction, mother tongue being the first language of instruction, is an essential tool in Whatever field we may find ourselves. Without the mother tongue, any meaningful form of intellectual pursuit will be hindered. In this sense, however, this chapter of the research project will take into consideration the meaning of mother tongue, dialect, mother; tongue education and why mother tongue is important for education.
AN OVERVIEW OF MOTHER TONGUE
The word mother tongue means different things to different people. But before this, let us consider the meaning of tongue. Tongue according to the Sharter Oxford English Dictionary can be defined as the speech or language of a people, a race, or that of a particular class or locality. It can also be defined as a principal organ of speech in the faculty of speech that is, voice, words and language.
The word mother tongue is universal to all languages; every country in the world, including Nigeria has their own language, which is being referred to as their mother tongue. Mother tongue widely means the language of the immediate environment. Some people define it as our language or the language we speak.
Every normal human child can acquire his first language or mother tongue in any given environment. In this sense, mother tongue implies the language being spoken in one’s immediate environment. Mother tongue is the language learned by children and passed from one generation to the next.
According to a journal on mother tongue, it is being described as the yearly periodical of the Association for the Study of Languages in Pre-History (ASLIP).
Mother tongue can also be seen as the first language learned at home in childhood and still understood by the individual at the time of the census. (http://stason.org) Mother tongue is also the language which a person uses best and which is usually used for communication in
One’s family (household) (www.elemography- lab.pred.uth.grl.european-census). It is the first dialect a language spoken by a person in his earliest childhood. The Sharter Oxford English Dictionary describe it as the original language from which others spring.
Mother tongue, sometimes can also be seen as the language in which a person is as proficient in as a native inhabitant of that’s base community. The user’s proficiency in the use of mother tongue dominates the proficiency in using other languages.
Sometimes, it can be used as the language that a person learnt at home (usually from his parents).
The term mother tongue should not be interpreted to mean that it is the language of one’s mother. In same partner societies, the wife moves with the husband and thus may have a different first language or dialect than that local language of the husband.
The children are likely going to pick up with the local country where they grow up rather than the language of their mother’s speech country. In some countries such as Kenya and India, mother tongue is used to indicate the language of one’s ethnic group (ethnic tongue).
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
INTRODUCTION
The study of the role of mother tongue in relation to child education at lower level of primary schools, that is primary one to three intend specifically to find out the actual causes of children in ability to perform excellently in their study.
In view of this, questions will be asked on the causes of children poor performance and how this problem can be solved.
Also we will find out whether their teachers, when teaching them do make use of their mother tongue.
The selection of the respondents will be randomly done by researchers to ensure fair representative of the people. This is so because use it is impossible to collect each person’s views or opinions.
Also because of the large number and nature of the population and also the financial and time factor involved.
RESEARCH DESIGN
The type of research design used in this project work is descriptive survery approach. In use of this design allow the use of questionnaire and participates as direct source of data.
POPULATION
According to Benneth etal (1984) population is any group of people or observation which includes all possible members in that category. For the purpose of this study, five (5) schools were selected within Sokoto metropolis. These schools include
- Muhammed Bidda Model PrimarySchool
- Muhammed Bankanu Model PrimarySchool
- Sultan Ibrahim Dasuki Model PrimarySchool
- Sarki Adar PrimarySchool
- Labbo Dogon-Dagi Model PrimarySchool
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA ANALYSIS
INTRODUCTION
The presentation and analysis of the data collected for the study is divided into two sections. The first section is based and centered on the information collected from members of the teaching staff and the second section is based on the responses on the views of the educational administrators. Therefore, the analysis of the data in the section is based on the responses to the questionnaires distributed to both the teachers and educational administrator within the selected schools in Sokoto metropolis is to help us find out through the educational administrator and teaching staff the roles that mother tongue play in the performance of pupils in lower primary schools, that is, pupils in primary one to three in the selected schools.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
SUMMARY
This research project was conducted to investigate the impact of mother tongue on children learning at the lower level of primary education using some selected primary schools in Sokoto metropolis as case study.
The research was conducted with a view to find solution to the problem of mass failure of our primary school children which may perhaps be connected with teacher’s refusal to make use of the language of the immediate environment for instructional delivery at the lower classes of primary schools, as prescribed in the National Policy on Education (NPE)
CONCLUSION
Based on the information provided in the previous chapters of this research, it is clear that mother tongue as a medium of instruction in our schools should not be overemphasis mother tongue as a medium of instruction should continue to be given support by government, institutions both private and public, individuals and even by our teachers not only at primary school level but up to the tertiary institutions.
SUGGESTION/ RECOMMENDATION
From what has been said so far in the previous chapters of this research project with regards to the impact of mother tongue in education especially to the beginners. That is, the pupils at lower classes level of primary school (pry 1 to 3) in order to enhance their better performance in all subjects, we are suggesting or recommending that first of all
- Pupils should be encourage to learn thought their own mother tongue so that they will be able to have solid foundation for
- Their teachers also should be encourage to always use the language of the Immediate environment when teaching, the lower classes of primary schools this will facilitate effective teaching and active participations of the
- Government and other institutions of learning should continue to support mother tongue education at various levels. Language books should be produce and encourage to be used both by teachers and
- Teachers who cannot speak the language of the immediate environment should not be allowed to teach in the lower classes, doing so will continue to create problem in the process of
- Teachers should not passively accept children’s linguistic and cultural diversity in the school rather they must be proactive and take initiative to affirm children linguistic identity by having posters in the various languages of the community around the
REFERENCE
- Baker C. (2000). A Parent’s and Teacher’s Guide to Bilingualism. 2nd Edition Clevedon, England: Multilingual Matters.
- Bennett .N. etal (1974). The Open University Press, Walton Hall Milton Keynes; London.
- Cummins J. (2000). Language, Power and Pedagogy. Bilingual Children in the Crossfire. Clevedon England: Multilingual Matters.
- Leeper S.H (1979). Good Schools for Young Children. Collier Macmillan, London. Leeper S.H (1979). Good Schools for Young Children. Collier Macmillan, London. Margaret G. (1968). Schools Methods with Younger Children: Evans Brothers Limited; Great Britain.
- Savery, (1967). Sample of comparative science nomenclature
- Scutnabb (2000). Linguistic Genocide in Education or Worldwide Diversity and Human Rights. Malwal NJ. Lawrence Eulbaum Associates.
- Stan (1992). Yoruba Metalanguage (Ede Iperi Yoruba), Lagos, Nigeria Educational Research Council.
