Per Linguam

Preface

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Welcome to the first issue of 2024, and our 40^th anniversary! I would like to thank all our reviewers, language editors and, of course, the authors for their hard work, particularly in finalizing the articles for publication.

This issue centres around multilingual education and problems with the teaching and use of English. It includes submissions from Uganda and Ghana. As always, the problem is in using English as the language of learning and teaching, with predictable problems in meaning making. What is noticeable in all these articles is the importance of teacher education and training, particularly as far as the role of language in all aspects of schooling is concerned.

Perceptions of Grade 11 Setswana home language learners regarding English as the language of learning and teaching in a rural South African school

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South African learners are amongst millions globally who learn English as a second language and also use it as the language of learning and teaching (LoLT) at various levels of their educational careers. The literature abounds with views from language and education experts confirming that proficiency in the LoLT is a prime factor determining the academic success of learners. Conspicuously absent are the voices of learners on a matter that so intimately touches them. This study, therefore, investigated the perceptions of Setswana Home Language (SHL) learners about studying English as a subject and using it as the LoLT. The study was conducted with Setswana Home Language (SHL) Grade 11 learners in a rural public secondary school in the Bojanala Education District, North-West Province, South Africa. Second language acquisition theory and the concepts of Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) and Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) as espoused by Cummins informed the single case qualitative study. Data were collected through a questionnaire with one purposefully sampled Grade 11 English First Additional Language (EFAL) class and analysed qualitatively. In the findings, learners confirmed that they did not have a thorough understanding of English; lacked confidence when speaking English; had poor speaking and writing skills in English; preferred to have Setswana as the LOLT; were exposed to the use of both the home language (HL) and English in the classroom; and lacked sufficient access to English in their home environments.

“Matayo is what in English?” On experiences of English medium instruction in rural Ugandan classrooms

2024-06-26T14:12:34+00:00

The question of using English as a language of learning and teaching (LoLT) has been around for some time, but limited studies have been conducted in Africa’s multilingual context to understand the challenges involved. In this paper, I attempt to demonstrate the difficulties in the classroom interactions between teachers and learners in four rural primary schools in which the mother tongue is the LoLT for the first three years of primary school, followed by a transition to English as the LoLT during the fourth year and English only from the fifth year onwards. Based on fieldwork conducted in two private and two public schools in Kyotera District, Uganda, this paper investigates classroom practices related to the use of English as the LoLT. Data were collected through questionnaires, classroom observations and interviews and were analysed using a triangulation approach to determine disparities between what the teachers report in the questionnaires and interviews and what the language policy and curriculum require of their classroom practice. The findings demonstrate that both teachers and learners struggle with the English language in negotiating learning. Moreover, learners are mostly comfortable responding to questions posed to them in English in their mother tongue. Teachers’ involvement of learners in the learning process is largely by cues, calling for only a word in English—an indication of learners’ inefficiency in the language. The paper discusses the implications of these findings.

Key words: Mother tongue education, transition, classroom practices, English medium education, Luganda, Uganda

The application of language games in teaching and learning the English language in lower secondary schools: a case of the Meru district council (Tanzania)

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Language games are one of the significant techniques appropriate for teaching and learning a foreign language. This paper examines how language games are applied in teaching and learning the English language in lower secondary schools: a case of Meru District Council (Tanzania). The paper is guided by the Communicative Language Teaching Approach. This study was qualitative; hence, data were collected from eight secondary schools through interviews and observations and then analysed thematically. Thirteen English language teachers were involved in data collection. The findings show that the majority of English language teachers do not use language games in language classes. The reasons for this are that many such teachers have had little exposure to a variety of games and lack awareness of language game instruction being among the techniques for teaching and learning the English language; hence, they lack the knowledge, skills, and competencies to apply such games in the language class. This study recommends that capacity building for English language teachers is needed, particularly in the language games technique.

Physical Science teachers’ use of reading strategies in a South African context

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Teaching in global multilingual societies requires a change of instruction concerning reading comprehension, as many learners are not instructed in their home language. Reading comprehension skills are lacking in South Africa and are discernible in subjects like physical sciences, where the text requires high levels of cognitive thinking. This study focused on improving reading comprehension using strategies like vocabulary, syntactical awareness, and text recognition, among others. An interpretative qualitative approach was chosen to determine to which extent reading strategies are used and taught in the physical sciences classroom. Semi-structured interviews and non-participant teacher observations were conducted to determine the participants’ knowledge of and ability and skill in using reading strategies. The study found that the use of reading strategies in physical sciences classrooms was limited, and the participants (physical sciences teachers) were unable to integrate many strategies to assist with reading comprehension.

Performance of L1 and L2 grade 6 South African learners on an assessment of core academic language skills

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This study investigates the relationship between the linguistic background/s of South African Grade 6 learners and an instrument measuring Core Academic Language Skills (CALS). The learners’ (n = 89) results were divided into two groups based on their most commonly spoken language (either English, L1 or a language other than English, L2). All learners in the study (and indeed the overwhelming majority of South African learners) attend school in an English language immersion setting, where English is the sole language of learning and teaching. The groups were assessed on the CALS-I-ZA, an instrument developed to measure CALS that has been validated in the South African context. This study found that in both the L1 and L2 groups, the CALS-I-ZA showed a strong association with both the provincial Maths Common Examination (r = 0.642) and the provincial Natural Sciences and Technology Examination (r = 0.650). Surprisingly, the home language variable either does not correlate or correlates only very weakly with the other variables, suggesting that L1 or L2 status alone is a weak or increasingly irrelevant predictor of academic success. This research concludes that the strong association between CALS and schooling results remains robust, regardless of L1 or L2 status, and thus, there is compelling evidence to begin deploying the construct as an instructional tool in South African classrooms.

Leveraging text recall ability through translanguaging

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This paper explores the effects of translanguaging on learners’ ability to recall information when reading texts in isiXhosa as their home language and English as their first additional language. The study engaged a Solomon four quasi-experimental design with four groups of participants: two experimental groups and two control groups. Four rural Grade 4 schools comprising 215 learners aged between nine and 12 participated in the study. The results show a positive correlation between translanguaging techniques and learner performance on the ability to recall information in their home language. Regarding English, the results display a regressed but statistically non-significant performance. The study responds to concerns about the substandard reading abilities of African (Black) learners in elementary grades in South Africa and suggests an alternative multilingual approach, translanguaging, to enhance the reading abilities of multilingual learners. It demonstrates that substantial gains can be obtained in reading development in elementary grades when translanguaging techniques are exploited.

Multilingualism: An African reality

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A plethora of studies, locally and internationally, concur that multilingualism is a global phenomenon. Multilingualism has become ubiquitous even in parts of the world where a monolingual stance has been prevalent. However, the hegemony of English is maintained in countries historically colonised by the British Empire. This paper examines the various reasons why multilingualism is not taken into account, especially in South African institutions of higher learning. The qualitative study discussed in this paper utilised only one respondent stationed at a university in South Africa as its participant. Data were collected through a strategic conversation analysis with the student. The results show that the multilingual student treasures his inherent multilingualism and enjoys acquiring more languages into his repertoire. In addition, the results debunk some researchers’ scepticism towards promoting multilingualism for fear of language interference. The findings further indicate the need to recognise the reality of multilingualism in South Africa and Africa, which should be treated as such.