Per Linguam https://perlinguam.journals.ac.za/pub <p><em><strong>Per Linguam</strong></em> is a peer-reviewed and accredited academic journal published by the University of Stellenbosch and managed by the Department of Curriculum Studies in the Faculty of Education. The journal<em>&nbsp;</em>welcomes previously unpublished articles on topics of interest to teachers, researchers, academics, language practitioners or anyone involved in applied language studies.</p> <p>The journal focuses on topics related to language learning and applied linguistics, as well as issues related to multilingualism and educational psychology.</p> <p><em><strong>Per Linguam</strong></em> accepts articles that are data-driven, using qualitative and quantitative analytical tools. We will also consider conceptual articles if they are based on the analysis of documents (like curricula, policies, etc).</p> <p>Literature surveys or purely argumentative articles will <em><strong>not</strong></em> be considered.&nbsp;</p> Stellenbosch University en-US Per Linguam 0259-2312 <p>All articles are published under the <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND 4.0</a> license; copyright is retained by the authors. Readers may download articles and share them with others as long as they credit the author(s), but they cannot change the articles in any way or use them commercially.</p> <p>Published articles are openly accessible online and therefore reprints are not provided.</p> Preface https://perlinguam.journals.ac.za/pub/article/view/1181 <p style="font-weight: 400;">Welcome to the first issue of 2024, and our 40<sup>th</sup> 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.</p> <p style="font-weight: 400;">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.</p> Christa van der Walt Copyright (c) 2024 Per Linguam https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0 2024-06-26 2024-06-26 40 1 10.5785/40-1-1181 Perceptions of Grade 11 Setswana home language learners regarding English as the language of learning and teaching in a rural South African school https://perlinguam.journals.ac.za/pub/article/view/1164 <p>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.</p> Joseph Azagsiba Tintswalo Manyike Copyright (c) 2024 Per Linguam https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0 2024-06-26 2024-06-26 40 1 1 17 10.5785/40-1-1164 “Matayo is what in English?” On experiences of English medium instruction in rural Ugandan classrooms https://perlinguam.journals.ac.za/pub/article/view/1065 <p style="font-weight: 400;"><em>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.</em></p> <p><strong>Key words: </strong>Mother tongue education, transition, classroom practices, English medium education, Luganda, Uganda</p> Medadi E. Ssentanda Copyright (c) 2024 Per Linguam https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0 2024-06-26 2024-06-26 40 1 18 42 10.5785/40-1-1065 The application of language games in teaching and learning the English language in lower secondary schools: a case of the Meru district council (Tanzania) https://perlinguam.journals.ac.za/pub/article/view/1093 <p style="font-weight: 400;"><em>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. </em></p> PERIDA MGECHA Copyright (c) 2024 Per Linguam https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0 2024-06-26 2024-06-26 40 1 43 55 10.5785/40-1-1093 Physical Science teachers’ use of reading strategies in a South African context https://perlinguam.journals.ac.za/pub/article/view/1082 <p style="font-weight: 400;"><em>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. </em><em>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. </em></p> Sonica Swart Maryna Reyneke Salome Romylos Washington Dudu Copyright (c) 2024 Per Linguam https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0 2024-06-26 2024-06-26 40 1 56 74 Performance of L1 and L2 grade 6 South African learners on an assessment of core academic language skills https://perlinguam.journals.ac.za/pub/article/view/1084 <p style="font-weight: 400;"><em>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.</em></p> Marco MacFarlane Copyright (c) 2024 Per Linguam https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0 2024-06-26 2024-06-26 40 1 75 92 10.5785/40-1-1084 Leveraging text recall ability through translanguaging https://perlinguam.journals.ac.za/pub/article/view/915 <p class="paragraph"><span class="normaltextrun"><em><span lang="EN-US">This paper explores the effects of&nbsp;</span></em></span><span class="spellingerror"><em><span lang="EN-US">translanguaging</span></em></span><span class="normaltextrun"><em><span lang="EN-US">&nbsp;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&nbsp;</span></em></span><span class="spellingerror"><em><span lang="EN-US">translanguaging</span></em></span><span class="normaltextrun"><em><span lang="EN-US">&nbsp;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.&nbsp;</span></em></span><span class="eop"><em><span lang="EN-ZA">&nbsp;</span></em></span><span class="normaltextrun"><em><span lang="EN-US">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,&nbsp;</span></em></span><span class="spellingerror"><em><span lang="EN-US">translanguaging</span></em></span><span class="normaltextrun"><em><span lang="EN-US">, to enhance the reading abilities of multilingual learners. It demonstrates that substantial gains can be obtained in reading development in elementary grades when&nbsp;</span></em></span><span class="spellingerror"><em><span lang="EN-US">translanguaging</span></em></span><span class="normaltextrun"><em><span lang="EN-US">&nbsp;techniques are exploited.</span></em></span><span class="eop"><em><span lang="EN-ZA">&nbsp;</span></em></span></p> Vukile Desmond Mgijima Copyright (c) 2024 Per Linguam https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0 2024-06-26 2024-06-26 40 1 93 108 10.5785/40-1-915 Multilingualism: An African reality https://perlinguam.journals.ac.za/pub/article/view/1064 <p class="pf0"><em><span lang="EN-ZA">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. </span></em><span class="cf01"><em><span lang="EN-ZA">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.</span></em></span><em><span lang="EN-ZA"> Data were collected <a name="_Hlk127104944"></a>through </span></em><span class="cf01"><em><span lang="EN-ZA">a strategic conversation analysis with the student. </span></em></span><span class="cf01"><em><span lang="EN-ZA">The </span></em></span><em><span lang="EN-ZA">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.</span></em></p> Vimbai Mbirimi-Hungwe Copyright (c) 2024 Per Linguam https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0 2024-06-26 2024-06-26 40 1 109 119 10.5785/40-1-1064