Inquiry into the role of english-medium nursery schools in building learners’ english language competence in Tanzania

This dissertation investigates the effectiveness of English language teaching in English- medium nursery schools and the extent to which pupils acquire linguistic competence at the end of nursery school education which might be useful for their future learning. The study therefore, examined the quality and experiences of teachers, the content taught, the teaching/learning resources used and their availability, the methods used in teaching English and the linguistic competence of the pupils at the end of nursery school. The study was conducted in Morogoro municipality and it involved four schools which were Fransalian, Nguzo, St. Ann’s and Bernard Bendel. The data were collected through; questionnaire, interview, observation and achievement test.The research findings revealed that English-medium nursery schools teach English language effectively due to qualified and experienced teachers who use various methods and techniques in teaching English language. They also have all the necessary teaching/learning resources. It was also revealed that at the end of nursery school education pupils acquire some basic knowledge of English. However, their linguistic level is still too low to enable them learn other subjects efficiently using English language. But if the language skills acquired at this level are maintained and developed, they may act as a stepping stone towards acquiring more complex linguistic inputs.