Assessing Teachers’ use of oral tradition in teaching Igbo language in secondary schools in South east, Nigeria

Oral tradition has long been a cornerstone of Igbo cultural heritage, serving as a medium for transmitting language, values, and societal norms across generations. In the context of education, integrating oral tradition into classroom instruction offers opportunities to make learning more engaging, culturally relevant, and effective. Using purposive sampling, 500 teachers actively engaged in Igbo language instruction participated. Data were collected through structured questionnaires assessing teacher perceptions of oral tradition, including its impact on teaching competency, student engagement, cultural integration, and learning outcomes. Analysis involved descriptive statistics and inferential statistics (ANOVA) using SPSS version 26. Oral tradition positively impacted student learning, boosting confidence (Mean = 3.30; SD = 1.017) and lesson interest (Mean = 3.16; SD = .972), though vocabulary comprehension was lower (Mean = 2.00; SD = 1.234). Major challenges included lack of resources (Mean = 3.44; SD = .865) and student interest (Mean = 3.45; SD = 1.009). ANOVA showed gender significantly influenced integration (F = 129.148, p = .000), impact (F = 20.852, p = .000), and perceived effectiveness (F = 4.886, p = .028), but not challenge severity (F = 3.833, p = .051). The study concluded that oral tradition is a culturally significant and effective pedagogical tool, recommending enhanced support, resource provision, and teacher training to maximize its benefits in Igbo language education.