The pedagogical advantages of mother tongue instruction in the formative years of schooling

Abstract

Abstract provided by author:

The purpose of this study was to determine how mother tongue instruction influences the basic skills of reading as opposed to those Khoekhoegowab-speaking learners who are instructed through the medium of English in the formative years of schooling. The study focuses on the learners' abilities as well as on the teachers in this phase. Data was collected through reading tests, questionnaires and classroom observation over two months

It was found that Khoekhoegowab teachers lack academic qualifications and are mostly unqualified or under-qualified in the lower primary phase. The need for in-service training for the teachers was also identified as a necessity

Reading is a major problem in Namibian schools and was detected both in learners starting with English as well as with those who receive instruction through the medium of Khoekhoegowab. What was significantly different was that learners instructed through the medium of Khoekhoegowab had a higher level of understanding of the passages they read than those instructed through the medium of English. It is concluded that the knowledge of the language by the learner contributes to the learner possessing vocabulary that enables him or her to cope with the content

The study suggests the need for more subject advisory support to teachers and that more stringent measures be applied after the situation was thoroughly assessed of a particular school before change-over to a medium other than the mother tongue of the learners is considered. It has also become clear from this study that national programmes should be put in place to address the problematic area of the teaching of reading in schools, and especially in the formative years of schooling, as all future learning is based on this fundamental skill

The use of the mother tongue in supposedly English medium classroom warrants in-depth research