Adopting Mother Tongue in Teaching TVET Students Speaking Skills

Abstract

Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) aims to enhance the job opportunities for skilled employees. Here, English language speaking skill is one of the requirements TVET graduates need to enhance their employment prospects. This paper highlights on the concepts of TVET, employability, and adoption of mother tongue (MT) in teaching TVET students speaking skill. The paper discusses how MT can be adopted in teaching speaking skills, with insights from Bachman & Palmer's (1996) framework. The paper gave a sample of how the criterion for consonants description (place of articulation) can be taught using Yorùbá language. The paper suggests that students can be taught how to pronounce consonant sounds by specifying the place of articulation , and by giving them the interpretation of the concepts in Yorùbá language. For example: bilabial (afètèpè), labiodental (afeyínfètèpè), alveolar (aferìgìpè), among others. In terms of rhythm, the students must know that while English language is a stressed timed, Yoruba is a syllable timed. The paper concludes that speaking skill challenges can be overcome by students' willingness to learning, adequate provision of teaching equipment, teachers training, and seriousness on the part of the students.