IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/injoed/v109y2024ics0738059324001342.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Language of instruction policy in Nigeria: Assessing implementation and literacy achievement in a multilingual environment

Author

Listed:
  • Obiakor, Thelma Ebube

Abstract

In this study, I evaluate adherence to Nigeria's Language of Instruction (LOI) policy, which mandates that primary school students be taught in indigenous language. Using multivariate regression analysis and data from round 6 of the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS6), I assessed disparities in adherence between school types (public and private schools) and location (urban/rural areas) and regions. The results reveal private schools exhibit lower implementation rates than public schools, while urban areas lag behind rural areas, and the southern region trails the north. This highlights the challenges of enforcing a uniform LOI policy in Nigeria's linguistically diverse setting. I also examine the relationship between LOI and literacy outcomes using regression and propensity score matching anaysis. Contrary to prevailing notion that teaching children in an indigenous language improves learning outcomes, my findings show that students taught in English outperformed their peers taught in indigenous languages. This departure from the norm underscores the need to reassess generalized conclusions derived from less lingustically diverse contexts, as they might not apply settings like Nigeria. It also calls for a nuanced understanding of how LOI influences learning outcomes in diverse contexts, emphasizing the importance of tailoring educational policies to local realities.

Suggested Citation

  • Obiakor, Thelma Ebube, 2024. "Language of instruction policy in Nigeria: Assessing implementation and literacy achievement in a multilingual environment," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:injoed:v:109:y:2024:i:c:s0738059324001342
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ijedudev.2024.103108
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0738059324001342
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2024.103108?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Seid, Yared, 2016. "Does learning in mother tongue matter? Evidence from a natural experiment in Ethiopia," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 21-38.
    2. Orenstein, Daniel G JD, MPH & Glantz, Stanton A PhD, 2018. "Public Health Language for Recreational Cannabis Laws," University of California at San Francisco, Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education qt05d5g5db, Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, UC San Francisco.
    3. Adeniran, Adedeji & Ishaku, Joseph & Akanni, Lateef Olawale, 2020. "Is Nigeria experiencing a learning crisis: Evidence from curriculum-matched learning assessment," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    4. Godwin C. S. Iwuchukwu & Rita Ngozi Iwuchukwu, 2018. "Sociolinguistics and Language Education in Nigeria," Global Journal of Social Sciences Studies, Pacharapa Naka, vol. 4(1), pages 13-22.
    5. Godwin C. S. Iwuchukwu & Rita Ngozi Iwuchukwu, 2018. "Sociolinguistics and Language Education in Nigeria," Global Journal of Social Sciences Studies, Online Science Publishing, vol. 4(1), pages 13-22.
    6. Carter, Emma & Sabates, Ricardo & Rose, Pauline & Akyeampong, Kwame, 2020. "Sustaining literacy from mother tongue instruction in complementary education into official language of instruction in government schools in Ghana," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    7. Jiajun Zhu & Yuqing Wan & Yain-Whar Si, 2018. "A Language for Financial Chart Patterns," International Journal of Information Technology & Decision Making (IJITDM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 17(05), pages 1537-1560, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Edwin Chukwuemeka Idoko & Chukwunonso Oraedu & Christian Chidera Ugwuanyi & Stephen Ikechukwu Ukenna, 2021. "Determinants of Smart Meter on Sustainable Energy Consumption Behavior: A Developing Country Perspective," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(3), pages 21582440211, July.
    2. Opare-Kumi, Jennifer, 2024. "English medium instruction in multilingual contexts: Empirical evidence from Ethiopia," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 105(C).
    3. van Pinxteren, Bert, 2022. "Language of instruction in education in Africa: How new questions help generate new answers," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    4. Kim, Janice H., 2022. "Preschool participation and students’ learning outcomes in primary school: Evidence from national reform of pre-primary education in Ethiopia," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    5. Wittmer, Josie, 2021. "“We live and we do this work”: Women waste pickers’ experiences of wellbeing in Ahmedabad, India," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    6. Chicoine, Luke, 2019. "Schooling with learning: The effect of free primary education and mother tongue instruction reforms in Ethiopia," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 94-107.
    7. Luke Chicoine, 2021. "Free Primary Education, Fertility, and Women’s Access to the Labor Market: Evidence from Ethiopia," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 35(2), pages 480-498.
    8. Leonardo Bonilla-Mejía & Eduard F. Martínez-González, 2017. "Educación Escolar para la Inclusión y la Transformación Social en el Caribe Colombiano," Documentos de trabajo sobre Economía Regional y Urbana 263, Banco de la Republica de Colombia.
    9. Mauro Mediavilla & María-Jesús Mancebón & José-María Gómez-Sancho & Luis Pires Jiménez, 2019. "Bilingual education and school choice: a case study of public secondary schools in the Spanish region of Madrid," Working Papers 2019/01, Institut d'Economia de Barcelona (IEB).
    10. Ramachandran, Rajesh, 2017. "Language use in education and human capital formation: Evidence from the Ethiopian educational reform," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 195-213.
    11. Azubuike, Obiageri Bridget & Browne, William J. & Leckie, George, 2024. "State and wealth inequalities in foundational literacy and numeracy skills of secondary school-aged children in Nigeria: A multilevel analysis," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 110(C).
    12. Leonardo Bonilla-Mejía & Eduard F. Martínez-González, 2019. "Educación escolar para la inclusión y la transformación social," Chapters, in: Jaime Bonet & Diana Ricciuli-Marin (ed.), Casa Grande Caribe, chapter 1, pages 1-50, Banco de la Republica de Colombia.
    13. Sabates, Ricardo & Carter, Emma & Stern, Jonathan M.B., 2021. "Using educational transitions to estimate learning loss due to COVID-19 school closures: The case of Complementary Basic Education in Ghana," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    14. Lee Worden & Rae Wannier & Nicole A Hoff & Kamy Musene & Bernice Selo & Mathias Mossoko & Emile Okitolonda-Wemakoy & Jean Jacques Muyembe Tamfum & George W Rutherford & Thomas M Lietman & Anne W Rimoi, 2019. "Projections of epidemic transmission and estimation of vaccination impact during an ongoing Ebola virus disease outbreak in Northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, as of Feb. 25, 2019," PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(8), pages 1-20, August.
    15. Mireku, Dickson Okoree & Bervell, Brandford & Dzamesi, Prosper Dzifa, 2024. "Examination malpractice behaviours in Higher Education (EMALBiHE) in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    16. Parinduri, Rasyad & Ong, Kian, 2018. "The effects of mediums of instruction on educational- and labor market outcomes: Evidence from Malaysia," MPRA Paper 87560, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    17. Yared Seid, 2021. "Do illiterate mothers learn from their literate kids? Evidence from maternal nutritional knowledge," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(2), pages 677-693, May.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:injoed:v:109:y:2024:i:c:s0738059324001342. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/international-journal-of-educational-development .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.