International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) |Volume VI, Issue X, October 2022|ISSN 2454-6186

The Effect of Mother Tongue on Grade 4 Learners when Learning English as a Second Language: Case Study of Kavango East Region in Namibia

 Natalia S. Intja*, Arminda D. Henda, Secilia N. Kangodi
Department of Intermediate and Vocational Education, University of Namibia, Namibia
*Corresponding Author

Abstract: The study examined the effects of mother tongue on the academic achievement of Namibia’s senior primary school learners in grade 4 studying English as a Second language who also speak Rukwangali, Rumanyo and Thimbukushu. Language is a significant phenomenon without which it is impossible to successfully educate learners in a classroom. The study focuses on Namibian learner’ English Second language learning. English was adopted in Namibia as an official language in 199o, since then, English has been the country’s recognised official language. In Namibia’s primary and secondary schools, English is a required subject as well as a medium of instruction from senior primary to higher institutions of learning. The usage of English in learners’ interactions in the classroom today is not enforced with much effort. Mother tongues (Rukwangali, Rumanyo and Thimbukushu) may have an impact on how well learners learn English. From several schools in Namibia’s Kavango east region, three groups of 60 senior primary learners with three different mother tongues: Rukwangali, Rumanyo and Thimbukushu were randomly chosen. The null hypothesis is maintained by CHI-SQUARE ANYLYSIS. The analysis demonstrates that no mother tongue has a distinctive impact on the process of learning English.

Keywords: Mother Tongue, Grade 4, English Second Language, Namibia, Kavango East Region

I. INTRODUCTION

Learners who are admitted in Namibian schools especially in the Kavango East region of Namibia in junior and senior primary basic education mostly come from homes where the language of communication is either Rukwangali, Rumanyo and Thimbukushu. Moreover, all state schools in Namibia instruct in the medium of mother tongue in the junior primary phase except for a few classrooms in the junior primary phase of which the medium of instruction is English. Therefore, such learners are faced with numerous challenges to distinguish between their mother tongues and the medium of instruction. As a result, learners tend to perform poorly. MBESC (2003) articulates that the grade 4 classroom in Namibia is a transitional grade where learners transit from the medium of mother tongue to the medium of English and mother tongue as a subject (Kirchner & Mostert, 2017). This change is a ticking concern amongst the teachers and learners. Teachers have to ensure that learners comprehend the content being taught in English and learners have to ensure that they develop the skills of English as a Second language. Whether or not mother tongue influence has any effect on English second language learning