Literacy and Language of Instruction in Nigeria: A Case Study of Integrated Science Teaching in Selected Primary Schools
Main Article Content
Abstract
Research has proven beyond a reasonable doubt that children can acquire knowledge better in their mother tongue (MT) or language of immediate environment (LIE) rather than in the second language (L2), which is often a colonial master’s language, but also the recognized official language in the country. The present paper explores the functions of both the Indigenous language or mother tongue (e.g., Yoruba) and the official language (English) in the dissemination of education, particularly in the primary schools in Nigeria. It also discusses the policy statements on the two languages and their social realities or practices in the educational set‐ups operating in the country. Using six private and public primary schools as a case study in Southwestern Nigeria, we found that codeswitching between English (L2) and Yoruba (MT) could be more effective than either of the languages alone, and that the MT or LIE should never be jettisoned in the education of the child, especially in teaching subjects other than English, such as Integrated Science.
Downloads
Article Details
The International Journal of Literacy, Culture, and Language Education (IJLCLE) (the “Publisher”) and the Author(s) agree as follows:
- Publication and Promotion: In consideration of the Publisher’s agreement to publish the Work, Author hereby grants and assigns to Publisher the non-exclusive right to print, publish, reproduce or distribute the Work throughout the world in all possible formats by any method now known or hereafter developed, including electronic and print formats, and to market or sell the Work or any part of it as Publisher sees fit. Author further grants Publisher the right to use the Author’s name in association with the Work in published form and in advertising and promotional materials.
- Copyright: Copyright of the Work remains in Author’s name.
- Prior Publication and Attribution: Author agrees not to publish the Work in print or electronic form prior to publication of the Work by the Publisher. Author agrees to cite, by author, title and publisher, the original International Journal of Literacy, Culture, and Language Education (IJLCLE) publication when publishing the Work elsewhere.
- Author Representations: The Author represents and warrants that the Work: (a) is the Author’s original Work and that Author has full power to enter into this Agreement; (b) does not infringe the copyright or property of another; (c) is accurate, and that any research or investigation conducted for the purpose of the Work abides by the guidelines and regulations of the Institutional Review Board and/or the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee; (d) contains no material that obscene, libelous, defamatory or previously published, in who or in part, except when written permission for reprinting is provided from another publisher. Author is responsible for requesting and providing such permission to the Publisher. Author shall indemnify and hold Publisher harmless against loss of expenses arising from breach of any such warranties.
- Licensing and Reuse: Unless another option is selected below, reuse of the published Work will be governed by a Creative Commons Attribution – NonCommercial NonDerivative 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0). This license lets other use contents of the Work without revision, although new works must acknowledge the original International Journal of Literacy, Culture, and Language Education (IJLCLE) publication and be non-commercial; they do not have to be licensed on the same terms.