Educational Practice

Although this study does not focus on mother tongue issues, this section tried to relate it to the beneficial effects of the mother tongue on second language learning (English). A mother tongue is perceived by many as the language that a child learns from birth. It is a language that a child hears at home, picks up and starts to speak.

As the world evolved, people needed to trade, they needed to communicate. How would they communicate if people did not know each other’s languages? At this point, the second language came in. There are many languages that can be regarded as second languages around the world but for this specific study, it is English.

Al-Harbi (2010) defines mother tongue (L1) as a language that is learned first while a second language (L2) is learned later in life. Al-Harbi (2010) further says research has shown that adult L2 learners do not acquire a new language as readily as children usually do. Unlike young children who pick up their first language naturally in a cultural and linguistic environment, adults learn a second language sometimes in isolation from the appropriate cultural-linguistic environment. Al-Harbi (ibid) asserts that based on the growing body of evidence, it is believed that learners with a strong mother tongue are far more successful in learning and functioning in another target language than those who continue to develop. Keeves and Darmawan (2007) concur with Al- Harbi (2010) and think that an adequate level of competence in the learning of the mother tongue L1 is achieved before any formal learning of a second language takes place through classroom instruction. The questions are: can a

person learn a second language the way he/she learnt the first language? What are the implications of learning a second language? How does the mother tongue help or hinder the learning of English in Namibia? Taylor and Coetzee (2013) argue that the mother tongue instruction in lower grades such as Grade 1, 2 and 3 leads to better English learning in the long run and it also strengthens the teaching of English as a subject in these grades, which would help to facilitate the transition to English in Grade 4. Jansen (2013) concurs with Taylor and Coetzee that instruction in English from as early as possible is the best way to become fluent in English. However, linguists such as Butzkamm (2003) Guvercin (2012) disagree with Jansen and argue that when it comes to learning a second language it is crucial to first have a solid foundation in one's first language. These theories predict that several years of mother-tongue instruction will lead to better second- language acquisition than being instructed in that second language from the first day of school. Krashen (2004:2-4) argues that research has shown that many skills acquired in the first language can be transferred to the second language. Krashen (2004:2-4) gives an example that if a child has developed good skills in Korean, he/she is likely to be able to apply these skills when reading English. Two skills apply here: one is the ability to guess the meaning of unfamiliar words from the context. Another one is the ability to decide which new words in a text are important to look up in the dictionary and which can be ignored.

Butzkamm (2003:1) believes that “we learn to think, we learn to communicate and acquire an intuitive understanding of grammar, and therefore, the mother tongue is the greatest asset people bring to assists in second language learning and provides a Language Acquisition Support System”. In addition to what Butzkamm (2003:1) believes, Krashen (2004:2-4) says that the skills of being able to plan out a piece of writing or develop an argument in a persuasive essay can be applied in the second language once they have been learned in the mother tongue. In view of these theories, it seems that a second language learner first thinks in a mother tongue and transfers what he/she thought to a second language. Butzkamm (ibid) further mentions that mother tongue is the master key to second, third and even fourth languages, the tool which gives people the fastest, surest, most precise, and most complete means of accessing a second language. Butzkamm (2003:4) goes on to say that the mother tongue as a cognitive and pedagogical resource is more important for learners of seven or eight years. By this time, the mother tongue has taken root and will be more in evidence in the conventional classroom, where exposure to a second language is inevitably restricted.

Wolfaardt (2001:243) advises that if the mother tongue is not the official language and English is used as the medium of instruction, it should be taught competently by proficient teachers in order for learners’ language to develop sufficiently. In support of Wolfaardt (2001:243), Oluwole (2008:48) researched the role of the mother tongue in learning English as a second language and discovered that there are factors that contribute to students’ poor performance in English. These include the use of mother tongue, poor teaching methods, lack of textbooks, language background and lack of professional growth and development of teachers.

Kolawole (2002) in Oluwole (2008:42) confirms this and points out that the performance of primary school learners in English language was very poor due to a number of other reasons such as the use of tribal languages in the lower classes of the primary school; some learners do not understand the grammar because their teachers do not know it, and in most cases English language teachers from the senior primary school level up to the secondary school level resort to the use of mother tongue to teach and explain the English language. Oluwole (2008:49) therefore recommends that teachers and students should endeavour to improve their proficiency in the language.

Oluwole further recommends that schools should organise debate and essay competitions among students within and outside their schools. Students should also be given the opportunity to explain points and express views in class discussion and any error made should be corrected by the teacher without any intimidation as these will enhance a proper evaluation of learners’ performance or progress in English language. Proper methods of teaching and appropriate instructional materials should be adopted to complement teachers’ knowledge. This would influence the teaching and learning of the English language. Material(s) selected should be related to the maturity of students.