An Assessment of Fresh 105.9FM ‘Mind Your Language’ Programme among Senior Secondary School Students in Ijebu North Local Government Area, Nigeria

Abstract

English is Nigeria’s official language and a major medium of instruction, yet concerns persist about students’ proficiency in vocabulary and correct language use. Educational radio provides an accessible and low-cost supplementary learning channel, but limited evidence exists on the educational value of Fresh 105.9FM’s Mind Your Language programme at the local-government level. This study assessed students’ listenership, monitoring, perceived relevance and usefulness of the programme, as well as challenges affecting their participation, in Ijebu North Local Government Area (LGA), Ogun State. Guided by Social Learning Theory and Constructivist Learning Theory, the study adopted a descriptive survey design involving 400 SS1–SS3 students from seven secondary schools selected through multistage sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire, whose reliability was established through a pilot test, and analysed using descriptive statistics. Findings showed that 95.0% of respondents listened to the programme at least once monthly (M = 3.50, SD = 1.07), while programme monitoring was similarly high (M = 3.52, SD = 1.04). Perceived relevance (3.07–3.12) and usefulness (3.08–3.14) exceeded the scale midpoint. School activity clashes and unstable electricity supply were the leading challenges. The study concludes that students viewed the programme favourably, while recommending repeated broadcasts, improved access to radios and electricity, and stronger school–broadcaster collaboration.