POSITIVE IMPACTS OF LEARNERS’ MOTHER TONGUE IN TEACHING A FOREIGN LANGUAGE
Keywords:
mother tongue, language acquisition, code switching, second language, performance, interference, benefit, implementers.Abstract
This article sought to find out the influence of use of mother tongue on learners’ performance of English. Literature from across the globe, regionally and locally was reviewed to provide various perspectives regarding the use of mother tongue in school and its influence on performance in English. The literature reviewed highlights how first language affects second language. It discusses both content in favour of use of mother tongue and content against the use of mother tongue among other issues. Among other recommendations, the article recommended that teachers should come up with teaching methods that are interactive in the English curriculum so as to ensure that learners are given an opportunity to interact with each other in English. Finally, the article suggests that this research should be replicated in other districts where learners do not perform well in English to corroborate findings on how mother tongue influences performance of English.
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References
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