Effects of Bilingual and Peer-Tutoring Instructional Strategies on Pre-Service Teachers’ Learning Outcomes in Yoruba Translation

Abstract

English-Yoruba translation, which is a compulsory course for pre-service teachers in colleges of education is an important aspect of Yoruba language studies. However, reports show that there is a gross student under-achievement in it. This has been traced to ineffective strategies adopted in teaching translation to the pre-service teachers; hence the need to adopt strategies that can cater for these deficiencies. Two of such strategies are bilingual and peer-tutoring which are learner-centred and activity-based. The strategies had been employed in the teaching of Social Studies and Mathematics without considering their effects on pre-service teachers learning outcomes in English-Yoruba translation. The moderating effects of pre-service teachers‟ gender and verbal ability were also examined.The pretest-posttest, control group, quasi-experimental research design was adopted. The participants were 300 pre-service teachers in intact classes from six purposively selected colleges of education in Southwestern Nigeria who were randomly assigned to treatment and control groups. Treatment lasted eight weeks. English-Yoruba translation Achievement Test (r = 0.73). Pre-service Teachers‟ Attitude to English-Yoruba Translation Questionnaire (r = 0.76), Verbal Ability Test (r = 0.72) and Instructional Guides for the three strategies were the instruments used. Seven null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 significant level. Data were analysed using Analysis of Covariance and Scheffe post-hoc.Treatment had a significance main effect on achievement in (F (2,228) = 23.78; Ƞ2 = .15) and attitude to (F (2,281) = 112.41; Ƞ2 =.44) English-Yoruba translation. Those exposed to bilingual strategy had higher achievement mean score (=80.83) than those in peer-tutoring (= 77.60) and conventional (=64.40) strategy groups. Verbal ability had a significant main effect on achievement (F (2,281) = 4.10; Ƞ2 =.03) and attitude (F (2,281) = 17.68; Ƞ2 = .11). Students in medium verbal ability group had a higher post-achievement means scores (= 76.52) than those in low (= 73.88) and high (= 67.75) groups. Also, students in medium verbal ability group had a higher post-attitude mean score (= 74.73) than those in low (= 73.55) and high (= 71.68) groups. Gender had no significant main effect on achievement and attitude. Treatment and verbal ability had a significant interaction effect on achievement (F (2,251) = 2.47) and attitude (F (2,481) = 25.03). There was a significant interaction effect of treatment and gender on achievement (F (2,281) = 3.49) and attitude (F (2,281) =4.54). There was no significant interaction effect of verbal ability and gender on achievement and attitude There was a significant interaction effect of treatment,verbal ability and gender on achievement (F (4,281) = 3.07; Ƞ2 =.04) and attitude (F(4,281) = 3.77;Ƞ2 =.05).Bilingual and peer-tutoring instructional strategies were effective in facilitating pre-service teachers‟ accurate English-Yoruba translation. Hence, English-Yoruba translation teachers incolleges of education should adopt the strategies in teaching it