THE PROBLEM OF MOTHER-TONGUE INTERFERENCE AMONG URHOBO SPEAKERS OF ENGLISH

ABSTRACT

The study examined the extent of use of instructional material in the teaching and learning of chemistry in senior secondary schools in Egor local government area, Edo State. The method of data collection was drawn through the aid of questionnaire. A Sample size of hundred (100) was drawn purposively from the population from two schools in the clan, respectively; Korori grammar school and Isiokolo secondary school. The sampling technique that was adopted is Purposive sampling technique. Based on the findings, the following recommendations were made that: teachers should cultivate a positive perception towards the use of English in school. They should be role models to the students and encourage them to converse in English, schools management should come up with a reward punishment system to encourage use of English and discourage use of mother tongue, teachers should come up with teaching methods that are interactive to ensure that students are given opportunity to interact with each other in English so that students can have good communication skills, the government should strive to introduce adult education and compulsory mass literacy programme, this will help improve home and linguistic backgrounds of the pupils. Also, only qualified teachers should be engaged to handle the subject as this will help a lot, to curb the use of mother tongue, proper measures need to be put in place; language policies can reduce the use of mother tongue if they are implemented in the right way. An established mechanism that ensures students are rewarded and punished in equal measure can help to deter the use of mother tongue and encourage use of English. It was thus concluded that teachers reward for students who use English and punishment for those who use mother tongue is important to encourage students to converse.