Mother-Tongue Instructional Strategy and Senior Secondary School Students’ Academic Achievement in Mathematics Word-Problems in Oyo South Senatorial District, Nigeria

The persistent underachievement of students in Mathematics word problems across secondary schools in Nigeria remains a major concern, largely due to ineffective teaching methods, language-related challenges, and a limited focus on critical thinking. This study examined the effect of mother-tongue instructional strategy on the academic achievement of Senior Secondary School students in Mathematics word problems within Oyo South Senatorial District, Nigeria. One hypothesis was tested at the 0.05 level of significance. The study adopted a pretest–posttest quasi-experimental design involving 140 SS II students selected from two randomly chosen schools. A validated self-structured Mathematics Word Problems Achievement Test (MWPAT) (KR-20= 0.89), was used for data collection. Data were analyzed using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). The findings revealed a significant effect of mother-tongue instructional strategy on students' achievement in Mathematics word problems (F(1; 137) = 26.903; p < 0.05). The study concluded that teaching through the mother tongue notably improved students’ academic achievement in Mathematics word problems. The study recommended the adoption of mother-tongue instructional strategy as an effective strategy for enhancing students' comprehension and success in Mathematics word problems.