Effect of Mother Tongue on Junior Secondary School Students’ Performance in Mathematics in Moba Local Government Area, Ekiti -State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of mother tongue (Yoruba language) on junior secondary school students’ performance in Mathematics in Moba Local Government Area of Ekiti State, Nigeria. The study adopted a quasi-experimental pretest–posttest control group design comprising 72 Junior Secondary School Two (JSS II) students, with 32 assigned to the experimental group taught using Yoruba and 40 to the control group taught using English. A researcher-designed Mother Tongue Mathematics Performance Test (MTMPT) with a reliability coefficient of 0.84 was used to collect data. Two research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. Data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, and independent samples t-test. The results revealed a significant difference in the post-test performance of students exposed to instruction in Yoruba and those taught in English, with the experimental group outperforming the control group. The study also found no significant gender difference in the performance of students taught Mathematics using the mother tongue, indicating that both male and female students benefitted equally from Yoruba instruction. The findings suggest that the mother tongue enhances comprehension, reduces linguistic barriers, and supports better performance in Mathematics. The study concludes that Yoruba language is an effective medium for improving students’ understanding and achievement in Mathematics. It recommends the integration of mother tongue instruction into Mathematics classrooms, teacher training to support this approach, and curriculum review to accommodate indigenous language-based instruction for improved learning outcomes.