Examining the Importance of Ghanaian Languages as a Medium of Instruction at the Early Years of the Child’s Schooling
Keywords:
Early grade education, Ghanaian languages, school, studentsAbstract
Various researches and literatures have revealed that, the use of Ghanaian languages in early grades education has led to an established and improved knowledge acquisition. This article, however, examined the importance of using Ghanaian languages as a medium of instruction at the early year of a child development. It’s believed that learning other languages with a basic knowledge is quite vital as it promotes a comparative understanding of the cross-linguistic approaches. The data for this study was collected through questionnaire, interviews and general observation which targeted both parents and students of colleges. Desktop study was also employed on the existing literatures regarding Ghanaian languages. The results revealed that attitudes of both parents and students towards learning of Ghanaian language in schools has made students not to have a firm foundation in the language which in turn affect the students at the college level. The study concluded that foreign languages lack authenticity thus, the policy makers should consider the importance of the child’s mother tongue or language which is familiar to the child and use it as a medium of instruction in early years and even above, the child will grow to become a responsible citizen.
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