Study of Language of Instruction and Concept Development in Pre-Primary Schools in Enugu State

Language medium of instruction in early childhood significantly affects how children acquire foundational concepts, and examining the impact of mother-tongue versus English-medium instruction in Enugu State pre-schools generates evidence for language policy decisions. This study examined the influence of Igbo versus English-medium instruction on concept development among children aged 4 to 5 in government and private nursery schools in Enugu North and Igbo-Etiti Local Government Areas, Enugu State. A comparative design assessed 80 children in Igbo-medium classrooms and 80 in English-medium classrooms using the Concept Assessment Battery for Preschoolers adapted into both languages. Teacher practice was observed in 20 classrooms to confirm fidelity to the stated medium. Results showed that children in Igbo-medium instruction scored significantly higher on mathematical concept assessments (p < 0.01) and spatial reasoning (p < 0.05). Teacher comfort and use of child-familiar examples were higher in Igbo-medium sessions. No significant difference was found in scientific concept understanding. The study concludes that mother-tongue instruction in early childhood supports deeper concept understanding even in domains not directly linguistic. Recommendations include reviewing Enugu State's language of instruction policy for ECDE, providing Igbo-language curriculum materials, and training teachers in code-switching to support transition to English literacy across grade levels. Keywords: language of instruction, concept development, pre-primary schools, Enugu State, mother-tongue education