An Assessment of Igbo Language Teaching Methods in Public Primary Schools in Calabar, Cross River State

This study assesses the effectiveness of Igbo language teaching methods employed in public primary schools in Calabar, Cross River State, South South Nigeria. Calabar, as a predominantly Efik and Ibibio cultural environment, presents a unique linguistic challenge for Igbo-speaking pupils enrolled in schools where Igbo is a minority language of instruction. The study focuses on the alignment between mandated language teaching methodologies and actual classroom practice across ten selected public primary schools. A mixed-methods approach is adopted, incorporating classroom observation checklists, teacher questionnaires administered to thirty-five Igbo language teachers, and pupil performance reviews based on end-of-term assessment records. Findings reveal significant methodological discrepancies, with most teachers defaulting to rote recitation and grammar-translation methods despite curriculum guidelines advocating communicative language teaching approaches. Resource scarcity, including the absence of Igbo language textbooks in more than half of the sampled schools, is identified as a key structural barrier. Pupil performance data indicate below-average Igbo proficiency outcomes in schools where rote methods predominate. The study recommends urgent textbook supply interventions, structured teacher professional development in communicative methodology, and the establishment of Igbo language learning corners in South South primary schools. Keywords: Igbo language teaching, primary schools, Calabar, language methodology, mother-tongue education.