Impact assessment of the use of the l1 to support the teaching and learning of English among primary three learners in the Okai Koi North Municipality

Abstract

Teaching and learning English as a second language has over the years proven to be a very difficult task for both teachers and learners of English in Ghana. Authors and researchers around the globe have proposed several seamless modes through which the second language can be taught and learned effectively. One of such modes is the use of L1 (Mother tongue) in teaching and learning different aspects of L2 (English language) in the classroom. This present study, therefore, sought to assess the impact of the use of L1 (Ga) in the teaching and learning of L2 (English language) among primary three pupils in the Okai Koi North Municipal Assembly (ONMA) of the Greater Accra region of Ghana. In essence, the study aimed at exploring the extent to which primary three teachers and pupils use the Ga language in the English language classroom, the impact of the use of L1 in the L2 classroom and some challenges that confront both teachers and pupils in their attempt to use the Ga language during English language lessons. Underpinned by the pragmatists’ paradigm, this study employed the mixed method approach and the sequential explanatory design. Data was collected using questionnaires, interviews, and observation. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and that of the qualitative was analyzed using the thematic approach. A total of fifty (50) respondents, made up of ten basic three teachers and forty basic three pupils formed the sampled population for the study. These participants were sampled using census, stratified, and simple random sampling techniques. The findings of the study provided an indebt information on the extent of L1 use in the L2 classroom by both teachers and pupils in the ONMA as well as the impact and challenges existent when the L1 is used in the L2 classroom. The recommendations in this study were done specifically to inform the Ministry of Education (MOE), Ghana Education Service (GES) and other stakeholders on the effectiveness of the L1 use in the L2 classroom in Ghana.