p- ISSN: 2708-2113 e-ISSN: 2708-3608 L-ISSN: 2708-2113 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.31703/gesr.2020(V-IV).05 Citation: Khushnuma, Choudhary, F. R., & Durrani, R. (2020). Mother Tongue as Medium of Instruction for Effective Communication and Science Learning at Elementary Level. Global Educational Studies Review, V(IV), 42-50. https://doi.org/10.31703/gesr.2020(V-IV).05 Mother Tongue as Medium of Instruction for Effective Communication and Science Learning at Elementary Level Khushnuma * | Farkhunda Rasheed Choudhary † | Rukhsana Durrani ‡ Vol. V, No. IV (Fall 2020) | Pages: 42 – 50 | DOI: 10.31703/gesr.2020(V-IV).05 Abstract: In most of the developed countries, science is being taught in the native language. However, the situation is not the same in other countries. This quasi-experimental study was designed to find the effect of communication using native language on student’s learning of science subject at the elementary level. The sample of the study consisted of 50 Pushto speaking female students of Swabi KPK, Pakistan. The results of the study indicated that in the post-test, scores of the experimental and control groups were significantly different. The study concluded that in fostering student’s science learning, teaching science through mother tongue is found effective at the elementary level as it enables students to communicate with teachers and other fellow students and enables them to discuss ideas, experiences, and problems faced during the learning process. It is suggested that this investigation should be repeated in other districts where pupils do not perform well in other science subjects. Key Words: Application, Comprehension, Knowledge, The medium of instruction. Introduction The debate of medium of instruction always remained a point of serious discussion for curriculum developers and implementors. It is believed that to get success in education, there is a need to promote mother language as success in education is associated with language (Patrick, 2013; Patrick, et al. 2014). In this subcontinent, the English language was introduced in the 17 th century; after 1857, English became the official language in the subcontinent. English is an important subject at the primary and secondary level in Pakistan. Efforts are being made to use English in daily communication with students in school. The use of native languages such as Urdu & Punjabi, Saraiki can impact the learning of the English language. A majority (91.62%) of people of Pakistan speak their mother tongue at their home but do not use the same languages in education institutions. The mother tongue is a language that every person speaks in his/her home. It is transferred from his/her parents (Yadav 2014). A mother tongue is a language the child can speak fluently before going to school. It may or may not be the language spoken by both parents, but it is one in which the child can operate confidently in all domains relevant to the child's life. In this sense, the bilingual child has two mother tongues (Dyken, 1990 p.40, cited in Akinnaso, 1993 p. 27, cited by Bloch, 2002). It is the language, first learned by a child either is spoken by a mother or father side. In Pakistan and many Asian countries, women adopt the lifestyle and language of their spouse, and therefore their children learn the tongue of the father, in some double language situation when both mother and father have distinct communication backgrounds, and they can communicate in a third language with their kids. In Pakistani urban areas, this situation is very common, where both mother and father speak Urdu or English with their children while they are from Punjabi and Pashto background. Thus, the situation * Primary School Teacher, Elementary and Secondary Education, KP, Pakistan. † Assistant Professor, Faculty of Education, Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad, Pakistan. Email: Farkhunda.rasheed@aiou.edu.pk ‡ Lecturer, Faculty of Education, Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad, Pakistan.