The Impact of Dual-Language Instruction on Academic Achievement in English Language Arts and Reading and Science in Primary School Pupils in Nigeria

Background: Although Nigeria’s official language is English, many students speak a local language as their first language thus making them English Learners (Els). However, this factor is not considered in educating these students resulting in poor academic performance on examinations. This is particularly evident on the high school exit examination. Based on the success of the use of mother tongue (or first language, L1) for bilingual education in the United States and other countries, the use of first language instruction in Nigeria could result in improved academic performance. Research Questions: The primary focus of this study is on determining the impact of providing dual-language instruction (DLI) on academic outcomes. The research questions to be addressed are as follow: To what extent are there differences in academic performance in ELAR for Yoruba or Hausa proficient second grade students who have been taught using dual language instruction or English only? To what extent are there differences in academic performance in Science for Yoruba or Hausa proficient second grade students who have been taught using dual language instruction or English only? Methods: The study analyzed data from pilot studies involving Yoruba and Hausa proficient Primary Two (2nd grade) students in Oyo and Niger States, Nigeria. Data from approximately 100 students were utilized. These students were randomly assigned into two instructional groups (per language cohort) for five weeks. There were two cohorts: Yoruba and Hausa. Within each cohort, there were two groups. One group within each cohort was taught using English only, while the other group was taught using dual-language instruction. All the groups of students were given pre- and post-tests in ELAR and Science content areas in order to examine any changes that could be attributed to the intervention. Data on the ELAR and Science outcome measures were analyzed using ANCOVA in order to take into account the pre-test scores and determine whether significant differences exist between groups on the post-test. Results/Findings: The scores for the Yoruba cohort for 3 out of 5 weeks showed a statistically significant difference (p<0.05) between the English-only and DLI groups in ELAR but no statistically significant difference between the groups for any of the 5 weeks for Science. On the other hand, the scores for Hausa cohort showed a statistically significant difference for each of the 5 weeks across both content areas of ELAR and Science. Conclusion: Based on the results, the method of instruction affects academic outcomes. DLI results in improved academic performance than English-only instruction. A limiting factor for this improvement would be lack of adequate L1 vocabulary in subject areas like Science for languages like Yoruba. DLI only results in academic gains when L1 has the depth of vocabulary to support academic content.