PERFORMANCE OF TEACHERS AND NOMADIC PUPILS IN READING COMPREHENSION AND GRAMMAR TESTS IN FULFULDE AND ENGLISH IN ADAMAWA AND TARABA STATES

PERFORMANCE OF TEACHERS AND NOMADIC PUPILS IN READING COMPREHENSION AND GRAMMAR TESTS IN FULFULDE AND ENGLISH IN ADAMAWA AND TARABA STATES

Abstract:

The study was designed to examine the implementation of language education policy and practice at the primary school level. Specifically, it assessed educational achievement, particularly in grammar and reading in two languages, Fulfulde and English, of Fulfulde – speaking pupils and teachers in nomadic primary schools in Adamawa and Taraba states. A broad-based approach to data collection was adopted involving a combination of observation and survey methods. The researcher used tests as the instrument for the investigation. She also used structured anecdotal notes to measure the conditions that prevailed in the situation examined. The study sample was drawn from two groups made up of pupils and teachers from Adamawa and Taraba states using a purposive sampling approach. Two sets of language proficiency tests and a reading comprehension test in Fulfulde and English were administered on 312 pupils in class five and on 84 teachers drawn from 23 selected nomadic primary schools. Qualitative data was also collected using anecdotal notes made by the researcher to capture the attitudes and perceptions of policy makers and implementers of the Fulfulde Mother Tongue Medium (FMTM) policy in the two sampled states. The researcher set up some null hypotheses that served as the bases for quantifying the obtained results and their various levels of significance. Data collected on test performance were analyzed using frequency tables, t-test and X the Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient. Similarly, descriptive analysis was used especially for the research questions covering areas of language difficulties. The summary of the findings of this study showed low levels of achievement in both reading comprehension and grammar tests among teachers and learners. The subjects were found to be performing at two years below their chronological and ability levels. Teachers and pupils from the Taraba schools had higher mean scores than those from Adamawa State. The study also revealed that the teachers’ level of achievement was low, suggesting the possible inability of the teachers to teach reading and grammar effectively. Furthermore, specific areas of difficulties in vocabulary, structure and spelling, phonology and reading were also noted. Qualitative data derived from the anecdotal notes copiously made by the researcher on the attitudes and perceptions of problems in using Pulfulde as MI revealed generally favourable attitudes. Responses also showed the dearth of suitable instructional materials and the inadequacy of the teaching/learning environment as some of the major constraints to the realisation of the goals of FMTM instruction. The findings of this study showed the major weaknesses in the implementation of the Fulfulde Mother Tongue Medium policy in Adamawa and Taraba states. These findings brought to the fore the unsatisfactory nature of a curriculum implementation effort. Based on these findings, suggestions and practical recommendations for addressing these problems were made

PERFORMANCE OF TEACHERS AND NOMADIC PUPILS IN READING COMPREHENSION AND GRAMMAR TESTS IN FULFULDE AND ENGLISH IN ADAMAWA AND TARABA STATES

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