Per Linguam

Preface

Sat, 09 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

We end this year with a bumper issue! I would like to thank all our reviewers and, of course, the authors for their hard work, particularly in finalizing the articles at this stage.

Unravelling professional identity: a narrative exploration of early-career English Second Language teachers in a rural setting

Thembinkosi Ephraim Mabila, Buliswa Msana — Sat, 09 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

This article delves into the intricate process of how early career English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers construct their professional identities (PI). By qualitatively examining the role of teaching experiences within the ESL classroom, we seek to understand how these educators shape their professional selves. Our study involves four ESL teachers, each with a maximum of three years of teaching experience, all of whom received their education from South African universities. Employing a narrative research design, we provided these teachers with a platform to share their individual stories and experiences during interview-based data collection. The study's findings reveal a noteworthy development in the way these teachers perceive and shape their PI. Through meaningful reflection, the participants began to see themselves primarily as professionals in the field of ESL education. This reflection led us to draw three key conclusions regarding the PI of early career ESL teachers. First, the personal and professional experiences of these educators play a pivotal role in shaping their understanding of professional identity. Second, this conceptualisation holds significant potential to influence their classroom effectiveness and teaching abilities. Lastly, the utilisation of a storytelling approach in our research has proven to be a valuable method for comprehending the PI of early career ESL teachers.

Understanding the pedagogical content knowledge of teachers in teaching isiZulu reading: a case study of two rural primary schools in KwaZulu-Natal

Millicent Ngema — Sat, 09 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Teaching reading in the Foundation Phase is a challenging issue since most South African learners struggle to read at their grade level. Learners in rural areas suffer the most as they are from disadvantaged homes that do not have sufficient resources for the promotion of a literate environment. The study aimed to understand the teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge in teaching reading in isiZulu. A qualitative approach framed within an interpretive paradigm was undertaken. Seventeen Foundation Phase teachers in King Cetshwayo District, KwaZulu-Natal, participated in two focus group discussions. The data obtained from transcripts were analysed using a thematic approach. The findings revealed that teachers seemed to have misconceptions and inadequate knowledge of how to develop basic foundational reading skills. It was evident that the teachers lacked the capacity to choose appropriate strategies for teaching reading that suited the learners’ individual needs. Thus, the study recommends multisensory and multimodal approaches to teaching reading to accommodate the different learning styles of learners.

Methodology lecturers’ pedagogical strategies used to prepare pre-service Intermediate Phase isiZulu teachers for teaching inclusive reading

Chief Ntshangase, Lindiwe Tshuma — Sat, 09 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

There is overwhelming evidence in the South African education context regarding reading challenges in schools. While the majority of studies conducted in the last decade focus heavily on learners’ inadequate age-appropriate reading skills, very few studies focus on teachers’ or teacher educators’ facilitation of effective reading comprehension skills, particularly for at-risk readers. In this study, the term at-risk readers refers to learners with reading difficulties in mainstream schools. Since pre-service teacher preparation is a responsibility of university teacher education departments, at the university level, effective pedagogical strategies for teaching inclusive reading to at-risk readers should be taught by university lecturers. The current study aims to analyse the pedagogical strategies used to prepare pre-service Intermediate Phase (IP) isiZulu teachers to teach inclusive reading in mainstream schools. This qualitative study is guided by the simple view of reading, which integrates word reading, language skills and reading comprehension for holistic literacy development. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with seven isiZulu methodology lecturers purposively selected from five South African universities. The researcher analysed the qualitative data through thematic analysis. The unit of analysis in this study was pre-service lecturers’ strategies used to prepare IP isiZulu teachers to teach inclusive reading. Findings reveal that university teacher education departments do not adequately equip pre-service IP teachers with the necessary pedagogical skills to teach inclusive reading to at-risk readers in mainstream schools. This study aims to extend the debate on teacher pedagogical content knowledge required for developing inclusive reading in mainstream schools.

Explicit teaching strategies used to enhance comprehension skills of a second language learner

Sebenzile Mbambo-Marimirofa, Heather Nadia Phillips, Janet Condy — Sat, 09 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

South Africa has a high number of low-achieving learners in reading literacy: 78% of South African learners who took part in the PIRLS study in 2016 could not read for meaning. This study proposes ways of improving literacy in South Africa and elsewhere in an affordable, realistic and short-term manner. The purpose is to show which instructional practices, which include explicit strategies, can be applied to develop sound higher-order comprehension skills. A case study was conducted at a mainstream, non-fee public school. A 12-year-old, second language, Grade 7 learner and two Grade 7 language teachers were purposively selected. Data were collected from various sources: observations, a pre-test, an intervention programme, and post-test and semi-structured interviews. The results of the study suggest that the learner struggled to answer higher-order comprehension skills, particularly inferencing. This research shows how teachers can improve learners’ higher-order comprehension skills with the use of explicit teaching through instructional strategies. The study identified explicit teaching strategies for teaching higher-order comprehension skills to a Grade 7 second language learner and successfully deployed them to improve the learner’s comprehension skills. Teacher education curricula should include the explicit teaching of higher-order comprehension skills to equip pre-service teachers with the expertise necessary to develop critical thinking processes.

Echoes from the motherland: Heritage language transmission within the Malawian community in South Africa

Rockie Sibanda — Sat, 09 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

This paper explores heritage language transmission among immigrant families in South Africa. Such research is essential to maintaining language for educational purposes and family interactions. This is a very important topic in a multilingual and multicultural country such as South Africa, and it adds new knowledge to the current research on family language policies and heritage languages. Family interactions are central to language transmission. The available literature shows family units as central to language maintenance and sustenance among immigrant families. Research on immigrant language practices in South Africa is sparse, with available research mainly focusing on school experiences. No available research specifically addresses heritage language transmission within Malawian immigrant families in South Africa, which this study aimed to investigate. The research employed a sociolinguistic approach to explore the language transmission of Chichewa within Malawian immigrant families. The theoretical framework positions Chichewa as mainly used in family circles and less at religious and social gatherings. Data were collected through interviews and observations at family and social gatherings. The study finds that the family context is the main domain within which children are exposed to parental heritage language to a consequential degree, whereas social gatherings contribute to a lesser extent. The data show that parental efforts at transmitting heritage language are insufficient for sustainable levels. Although parents wish to preserve some elements of their identities and culture, a signifier of ethnic identity, their children seem not keen to do so. The study uncovered two major reasons for children’s disinterest: fear of anti-foreign sentiments and a lack of attachment to the parental home country. The paper concludes with the identification of an emerging ‘indelible’ heritage language speaker, a phenomenon that could motivate further research in this field.

Attending to the voice of people at all levels involved in mother tongue education – a case of two minority languages in Ethiopia

Anna Johanna Hugo, Mesfin Zeme — Sat, 09 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

This paper reports on a qualitative research study conducted to obtain opinions about mother tongue education from members of two minority language communities in Ethiopia and other stakeholders. The study sought the opinions of representatives from the Ministry of Education, lecturers at teacher training colleges, as well as parents, community members and teachers. Six major themes arose from the research, which provided insight into reasons why mother tongue education could be either successful or unsuccessful.

Emojis as a novel way to communicate using WhatsApp

Collbin Nyakana, Corle Gertruida Smith, Lorna Mphahlele — Sat, 09 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

This study sought to discover the possible effects of emoji use on WhatsApp communication. Students make use of WhatsApp groups when studying and the correct use of emoji use is thus important in teaching and learning. The rise in emoji use is noticeable in online conversations; emojis are often used in combination with text to communicate emotions and context and has become a universal language in South African informal conversations, especially on social media. Messages are characterised using emojis for that extra impetus or effect, yet they can lead to confusion between the sender and the recipient of the text message. In this mixed-methods study a questionnaire was used to test responses (n = 50) to a selection of emojis and twelve (12) participants participated in semi-structured interviews on their perceptions of emoji use. It was found that most of emoji users understood the true meaning of these pictures and agreed with the denotative meaning. However, certain emojis were misinterpreted and emoji education seems necessary to inform Internet users of the emojipedia meanings.