CHAPTER 1 REFERENCE

CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Language in the Educational
system has made its significant
part
in the characteristic forms of
Childhood development. It is
believed to
play a central role in
developing the learning of
students and academic
achievement (Bashar, 2017).
However, the use of Mother
Tongue in the
Educational system has been a
highly debated policy where
people are
concern about its long-term
effect on students,
especially on this
globalized world where
English is the standard
language (Namanya,
2017).
In the present Educational
system where majority of
the
countries all over the
world uses Mother Tongue
as medium of
instruction, multilingual
students in a classroom is
really inevitable.
Choosing what medium of
instruction is a challenging
factor for the
teachers because it is still
unclear if it would be based on
the majority
of the students using the same
first languages (Nyika, 2014).
Countries entire the world
have their own
characteristics of
language where through
this they can understand
each other and
communicate effectively.
Some may call it as their home
language or
1
native language, but it is
commonly known as Mother
Tongue (L1).
Mother Tongue refers to the
learners’ dominant language,
a certain
language that they first learned
in their existence, rather than
learned
at school or as an adult.
The language used in teaching
affects learner’s opportunity
and
ability to participate and
learn. Moreover, academic
achievement
depends on other factors
such as curriculum
contents, types of
pedagogy and how its
implementation (Daby, 2015).
This decision is
often made without prior
notice to studies for their
implications for
learning outcomes. Sadly,
mother tongue is often
dismissed as a
political or national issue like
in the case of Abkhazia,
Georgia where
publicizing mother tongue is
not guaranteed for their
ethnic groups
because of political and
economic factors that
influence negatively the
process of reforming its
educational system particularly
in the use of
mother tongue-based and
multilingual education
(Tabatadze, 2018).
However, success in
learning in the different
subjects through
the use of mother tongue as
medium of instruction has
been proven
worldwide (Saphari et al.
2015. Vankova, 2017.
Vuckovic, 2014). A lot
of studies have proven that
those countries where mother
tongue is
used as medium of instruction
are likely to perform well
academically
particularly in Mathematics.
Mohammed (2016) found
out that
2
students performed well in
Mathematics through mother
tongue-based
instruction with the emphasis
of culture-based materials.
Several researches pointed out
that the effectiveness of
mother
tongue-based instruction in
education should start at
early level of
education. If later,
according to Sidhu (2017),
they will unlikely to
struggle to learn a certain
language. Thus, learners
should be
instructed in a language they
understand. Consequently, it
will develop
their strong foundation in all
the domains of learning to
participate in
class. This continuing
development of the first
language will lead to
better acquisition of the
succeeding languages (L2-
L3) (Krashen,
2015).
Kioko et al. (2014) pointed out
the reality of publicizing
mother
tongues particularly in the
case of Africa. They
concluded that to
preserve mother tongues,
everyone must be willing to
change their
attitude towards the same.
One’s identity is also
characterized by
one’s own mother tongue
and it should always be
taken into
consideration. There are
positive effects when one is
optimistic at the
world from his or her own
perspective rather than looking
at it from the
colonial perspective.
In addition, preserving mother
tongues is also part of culture
that
is important for the future
generation. Making the
people in the
3
CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Language in the Educational system has made its significant part

in the characteristic forms of Childhood development. It is believed to

play a central role in developing the learning of students and academic

achievement (Bashar, 2017). However, the use of Mother Tongue in the

Educational system has been a highly debated policy where people are

concern about its long-term effect on students, especially on this

globalized world where English is the standard language (Namanya,

2017).

In the present Educational system where majority of the

countries all over the world uses Mother Tongue as medium of

instruction, multilingual students in a classroom is really inevitable.

Choosing what medium of instruction is a challenging factor for the

teachers because it is still unclear if it would be based on the majority

of the students using the same first languages (Nyika, 2014).

Countries entire the world have their own characteristics of

language where through this they can understand each other and

communicate effectively. Some may call it as their home language or

1
native language, but it is commonly known as Mother Tongue (L1).

Mother Tongue refers to the learners’ dominant language, a certain

language that they first learned in their existence, rather than learned

at school or as an adult.

The language used in teaching affects learner’s opportunity and

ability to participate and learn. Moreover, academic achievement

depends on other factors such as curriculum contents, types of

pedagogy and how its implementation (Daby, 2015). This decision is

often made without prior notice to studies for their implications for

learning outcomes. Sadly, mother tongue is often dismissed as a

political or national issue like in the case of Abkhazia, Georgia where

publicizing mother tongue is not guaranteed for their ethnic groups

because of political and economic factors that influence negatively the

process of reforming its educational system particularly in the use of

mother tongue-based and multilingual education (Tabatadze, 2018).

However, success in learning in the different subjects through

the use of mother tongue as medium of instruction has been proven

worldwide (Saphari et al. 2015. Vankova, 2017. Vuckovic, 2014). A lot

of studies have proven that those countries where mother tongue is

used as medium of instruction are likely to perform well academically

particularly in Mathematics. Mohammed (2016) found out that

students performed well in Mathematics through mother tongue-based

instruction with the emphasis of culture-based materials.

Several researches pointed out that the effectiveness of mother

tongue-based instruction in education should start at early level of

education. If later, according to Sidhu (2017), they will unlikely to

struggle to learn a certain language. Thus, learners should be

instructed in a language they understand. Consequently, it will develop

their strong foundation in all the domains of learning to participate in

better acquisition of the succeeding languages (L2-L3) (Krashen,

2015).

Kioko et al. (2014) pointed out the reality of publicizing mother

tongues particularly in the case of Africa. They concluded that to

preserve mother tongues, everyone must be willing to change their

attitude towards the same. One’s identity is also characterized by

one’s own mother tongue and it should always be taken into

consideration. There are positive effects when one is optimistic at the

world from his or her own perspective rather than looking at it from the

colonial perspective.

In addition, preserving mother tongues is also part of culture that

is important for the future generation. Making the people in the