Perceptions of Preschool Stakeholders on the Impacts of English as the Dominant Language in Early Childhood Education and Care Centers in Yoruba-Speaking States, Nigeria

Abstract

The study investigated the perceptions of stakeholders on the assumed impacts of English as a dominant language in some selected ECECC in Yoruba-speaking states. 617 stakeholders, 247 preschool teachers, 204 School owners/heads, and 166 parents and community members across the seven states, were randomly selected for the study. Four research questions were raised and answered. A validated questionnaire titled 'Perception of Preschool Stakeholders on the Impacts of English as Dominant Language in ECECC was used to elicit information from the respondents. Data was collected and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Findings revealed that above-average parents and community members (64%) believe that using English in ECECC will prepare children for future educational activities and global relevance. A notable number of school owners/heads (89%) opined that using English in ECECC prepares children for external examinations and competitions, 86.5% indicating that English language instruction boosts school enrollment. A significant proportion of ECCDE teachers (65%) believe that important educational concepts from local languages can lose their meanings when taught in English. And the majority (183) of the ECCDE teachers in the states indicated that only English is used for classroom activities. It is obvious that all the stakeholders who participated in the study placed a high level of worth on the use of the English language due to the assumed impacts. There is a need to re-orientate stakeholders on the fact that children have more to gain when their mother tongue is used in the preschool classroom during the teaching and learning activities.