THE EFFECTS OF MOTHER TONGUE INTERFERENCE IN THE STUDY OF BIOLOGY IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN ENUGU NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF ENUGU STATE

 

ABSTRACT

This study sought to find out the effects of mother tongue interference in the study of biology in secondary schools in Enugu north local government area of Enugu state. Simple random sampling and  purposive sampling techniques were used to sample 191 students and 8 teachers from selected schools in the area. he study used cross-sectional survey design. Questionnaires were used to collect data from students and teachers. Quantitative data was summarized using descriptive statistics and presented using tables and bar graphs while qualitative data was put under themes and presented in narratives. The study found out that use of mother tongue had a negative influence in learning biology in public  secondary schools in Enugu North LGA. Among other recommendations, the study   suggests that this research should be replicated in other states where students do not perform well in Biology to corroborate findings on how mother tongue influences learning biology.

 

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION:

1.1 Background of the Study

Biology as one of the science subject is defined as the study of life and structure of living things. Biology is the study of living things and concerns itself  with the study of the structure, behaviour, distribution, the origin of plants and animals and their relationship with their environments. Abugu (2007) stated that biology is a natural science in which we study living organisms – plants and animals. Furthermore Iloeje (1981) viewed Biology as the science in which we study living things. Based on the above statement, man lives in a novel world, there are animals, plants, rivers, oceans, deserts, mountains, and so on, all round him. Being a curious being, man takes delight in exploring his world, the seeks to have a world view of the universe, the strives to investigate all matter around him – their origin, nature, characteristics and other features, the inquires in his inquiry, he asks a lot of questions and in his search for answers to such questions, he needs to be systematic and unbiased. To achieve his goal, he engages in experimentation and observation, which are fundamental to science. Like other science subjects, biology in secondary schools is composed of practical activities. In all the sciences, biology geared towards simplifying the theoretical content, so as to enhance effective instruction and learning of the subject. Allan, Rob and Jonathan (2000), stated the reason for emphasizing practical activities in biology like a realization of practical; work to be predecessor to real science knowledge.

On the other hand, mother tongue is a language that a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. In some countries, the term native language or mother tongue refers to the language of one’s ethnic group rather than one’s first language (Love and Umberto, 2010). Children brought up speaking more than one language can have more than one native language, and be bilingual or multilingual. By contrast, a second language is any language that one speaks other than one’s first language.   Language is a creation which every human being is endowed with or blessed; a unique gift of language is used naturally as one tool of expression consisting of different sub skills. Mother tongue is one’s native language. A language besides being the major distinguishing phenomenon between man and other creatures is evidently the most enduring of every people’s cultural heritage. It reflects the culture of a people and it is in extricable bound up with it. Language is an important tool that enhances human communication and interaction. It is a vital instrument in cultural transmission and preservation of a social group. It is in a fundamental sense, a crucial tool in the preservation and propagation of the human species. An examination of the linguistic content of a particular speech community can provide information about the life style, occupation etc. of a given people.

Mother tongue as the first language of instruction in schools is an essential tool in whatever field we may find ourselves, without it any meaningful form of intellectual pursuit will be hindered. As we all know that most children who begin their education in their mother tongues make a better start as they demonstrate increased self confidence, and continue to perform better than those who start school in a new language (English). (Cummins,2000). The outlook of the education is brighter when the school builds on the foundation of mother tongue in teaching a second language.It is therefore important that one understand the functions of mother tongue, particularly students learning through it as a-medium of     instruction in   school.    The mastery of mother tongue assists in the understanding of other subjects like Art, Social Studies and Primary Science etc. The numerous studies in all parts of the world shows that the effective use of mother tongue tends to the better knowledge of a second or foreign language when it is acquired in a comparative short time. (Skutnabh, 2000)

It is commonly known that children who lack the knowledge of mother tongue, that is children who only know how to speak English language as their first language without the knowledge of the language of their immediate environment, usually perform lower in academic work. (Baker, 2000). As a result, this paper intends to examine the effects of mother tongue interference in the study of biology in secondary schools in Enugu north local government area of Enugu state

1.2 Statement of the Problem.

Before the advent of British traders, missionaries and colonialists, indigenous Nigerian language defined every aspect of the speech community from its religious, cultural, political, Economics, social to whatever else that can be through of the language functioned effectively to deal with every thing relating to the  existence of the people. The arrival of the British, concomitant with the introduction of new sets of ideas, concepts and values. As a result,  indigenous local language which had previously been self-sufficient, became inadequate to deal with the new concepts introduced by the British, particularly in the areas of formal education, Western law etc. the result was the initial subtle and later blatant intrusion & influence of biology on domains that were the exclusive preserve of indigenous language.

 

1.3 Research Questions

• What is the prevalence of the use of mother tongue in Enugu North LGA public Secondary Schools?
• What is the perception of teachers and students on the influence of mother tongue on learning biology?
• What are the measures taken to curb the use of mother tongue in schools?

 

• Aims and Objectives

The general aim of this study is to examine the   effects of mother tongue interference in the study of biology in secondary schools in Enugu north local government area of enugu state. The specific objectives include:

• To determine the prevalence of the use of mother tongue in Enugu North LGA public Secondary Schools.
• To determine the perception of teachers and students on the influence of mother tongue on learning biology.
• What are the measures taken to curb the use of mother tongue in schools.

 

• Significance of the Study

This study will help to expose the numerous factors that influence the interference of the study of Biology by the mother tongue or native languages. It will also identify the effects of this interference on other study area that are based on the use of the Biology as the basic communication.

This study will also as additional literature for future studies.

1.6 The Scope of the Study

This research is on the effects of mother tongue interference in the study of biology in secondary schools in Enugu north local government area of enugu state.   This study covered students and teachers in Enugu North Local Government Area.

1.7 Organization Of the Study

The study is organized into five chapters. Chapter one is the introduction of the study and it includes the background description, problem definition, objectives of the study, significance of the study, scope, limitations of the study and research methodology. Chapter two is the literature review of the study and the theoretical framework. This reviews relevant literatures of authors and other researchers relating to the research topic. Chapter three deals with the research methodology which looks at methods adopted in carrying out the study. Chapter four focuses on data presentation and analysis whiles chapter five presents a summary of the study, findings and conclusions drawn from the findings and recommendations of the study.

• Definition of Terms:

It is imperative to properly defined the terms that make the heading of the research topic under study. This will go along way at giving direction to the research work.These includes:

Mother Tongue: The native language one first learns to speak before other language. Mother tongue is a language which a person acquires in early years and which normally becomes their instrument of thought.  In this paper, I am going to consider mother tongue as the language of the catchment area since in the context under study, the vernacular used is also the mother tongue.

Interference: In this context, interruption of a language by another especially in pronunciation and intonations.

Mother TongueInterference: The error native made by carrying over the speech habit of the native language or dialect into second language. The interference can be made noticed in features of pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary when a person is learning to master the pattern of second language.

Academic Achievement: This is regarded as the display of knowledge attained or skills, shown in the school subjects such achievements are indicated by test scores or by marks assigned by teachers. It is the school evaluation of students’ classroom work as quantified on the basis of marks or grades.

Teacher: An individual who teaches, instructs and facilitates the learning of students.

 THE EFFECTS OF MOTHER TONGUE INTERFERENCE IN THE STUDY OF BIOLOGY IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN ENUGU NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF ENUGU STATE

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