Open AccessUsing Mother-Tongue in Teaching of Science and Technology: Reference to the North-East and North-West Geo-Political Zones, Nigeria
Author(s) -
Saidu Yahaya Ojoo,
Mudassir Ismaila Moyi
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
scholars international journal of linguistics and literature
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2617-3468
pISSN - 2616-8677
DOI - 10.36348/sijll.2022.v05i04.002
Subject(s) - politics , work (physics) , first language , north west , north east , sociology , geography , mathematics education , psychology , social science , political science , linguistics , socioeconomics , engineering , physical geography , mechanical engineering , philosophy , law
This work conducted a study of language medium and the teaching of science and technology through the medium of mother-tongue in North-East and North-West Geo-Political Zones, Nigeria. a case study research design was used in collecting data for the study. We investigated some selected public primary school students in the two geo-political zones of the North-East and North-West. There are an estimated 100,000 primary school students in the two zones. Each zone is stratified along with the component. 18 schools were selected at random for the study from each geo-political zone. A minimum of 30 students were equally selected at random from each school from the zone under investigation. Questionnaires, oral interviews, and informal interactions were employed simultaneously to elicit information. The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis which holds that our thoughts are shaped by our native languages; and that speakers of different languages, therefore, think differently was used as the theoretical framework of analysis. The work discovered among other things that the science and technology learning area has various challenges as pointed out by the participants. On the whole, the work concludes that the people’s language is not only part of their socio-cultural heritage; it is the natural medium of thought, expression, and communication within that culture.