Effect of Mother's Tongue on Secondary School Students' Achievement in Mathematics in Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja

The study investigated the effect of mother’s tongue (Yoruba Language) on the academic achievement of secondary school students in mathematics in Gwagwalada Area Council, Abuja. The study had four (4) research questions from which four (4) null hypotheses were formulated, which were tested at 95% level of confidence. The study employed survey and experimental research designs. The target population comprises all secondary school students who speak Yoruba as their first language. Out of the 356 students involved in the study, one hundred and fifty-four (154) students were purposefully selected as experimental group. The instrument for data collection was Mother Tongue Mathematics Achievement Test (MTMAT). The instrument had been validated by experts and professional mathematics educators, from which a reliability coefficient of 0.867 was obtained. Data collected were analyzed using mean, standard deviation and t-test statistic. The results of the findings showed that mother tongue had a significant effect on the achievement of both junior and senior secondary school students taught mathematics but no level of significance was recorded based on the students’ gender. It was therefore recommended that Yoruba language be used in teaching mathematics at the secondary school level to Yoruba speaking students, and by implication, teachers and parents should encourage the children to put more focus in the learning of their mother tongue.