You have no items in your shopping cart.
ABSTRACT
The study investigated the problems of mother tongue interference in the learning and use of English language in adult literacy centresin Oredo local government area of Edo state. The research instrument used for this study is the questionnaire. The questionnaire was divided into section A and B. The questionnaires were administered to one hundred and twenty (120) adult learners from 4 literacy centers in Oredo local government area of Edo State.
The result from the data gathered showed that adult learners tend to make noticeable errors when they encounter articles in English language due to mother tongue interference. It was also discovered that there are predominant features of code-switching mother tongue interference in the course of learning English language by adult learners. Furthermore, the findings of the study revealed that there is a high level of mother tongue interference in learning spoken English language among the beginners’ adult learners; as such, they find it difficult to communicate their thoughts properly. Finally, the study revealed that beginners’ class adult learners exhibit difficulties in spelling English words due to mother tongue interference.
Based on the findings of this work, it was recommended that beginners’ class in adult literacy programmes be improved upon by discouraging learners from communicating in their mother tongue especially during English lessons. Also, adult learners’ life experiences should be used in teaching-learning process for them to connect to what they have experienced already in the process of learning English language. furthermore, the literacy programmes should be restructured in a more favourable way to make up for the difficulty in learning English language by recruiting qualified facilitators in English language in the literacy centre to help beginners class adult learners to improve in learning English language.
