Code-switching as a pedagogical strategy in classroom settings: the case of township schools in a South African Metropolitan Municipality
- Authors: Marawu, Sithembele
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Code switching (Linguistics) , Multilingual education -- South Africa , Education, Bilingual -- South Africa , Language and languages -- Study and teaching -- Bilingual method , English language -- Social aspects -- South Africa , Language and education -- South Africa , Language and education -- Social aspects -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/62406 , vital:28173
- Description: The purpose of this study was to explore the use of code-switching as a pedagogical strategy in bi/multilingual classroom settings. It was prompted by the widespread use of codeswitching (CS) in classrooms, particularly in South African rural and township schools. This study highlighted that learners from disadvantaged backgrounds struggle to learn through the medium of English but aspire to acquire it because of its association with socio-economic advancement. However, poor proficiency in English excludes them from being part of the country's economy. Research studies show that there is a shift from the old orthodoxy which perceived CS as undesirable in classrooms to a new orthodoxy that acknowledges its academic contribution in classrooms. Although more research on classroom CS has been done, this study identified the need for development of new strategies on how to use CS effectively in classrooms as a linguistic and pedagogical resource. In line with critical classroom ethnography, qualitative interpretation of data was used to understand the teachers' discourse behaviour. Additionally, non-probability sampling - specifically purposive sampling - was used to collect data. These methods and approaches assisted in the analysis of the discourse of the three teachers who served as units of analysis in this study. These teachers relied on CS to impart the content of their subjects to the learners. It transpired from data analysis that teachers use CS in classrooms to achieve various functions like social and pedagogical functions. Another finding is that the switches teachers make do not affect the syntactic structure of the matrix language. Moreover, CS enhances understanding of the subject matter. This study concludes by stating that as learners are emergent bilinguals, additive bilingualism would be more ideal in the South African situation than subtractive bilingualism which parents and learners seem to prefer. Lastly, there is a need to harness CS as a communicative and pedagogical resource in classrooms.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Marawu, Sithembele
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Code switching (Linguistics) , Multilingual education -- South Africa , Education, Bilingual -- South Africa , Language and languages -- Study and teaching -- Bilingual method , English language -- Social aspects -- South Africa , Language and education -- South Africa , Language and education -- Social aspects -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/62406 , vital:28173
- Description: The purpose of this study was to explore the use of code-switching as a pedagogical strategy in bi/multilingual classroom settings. It was prompted by the widespread use of codeswitching (CS) in classrooms, particularly in South African rural and township schools. This study highlighted that learners from disadvantaged backgrounds struggle to learn through the medium of English but aspire to acquire it because of its association with socio-economic advancement. However, poor proficiency in English excludes them from being part of the country's economy. Research studies show that there is a shift from the old orthodoxy which perceived CS as undesirable in classrooms to a new orthodoxy that acknowledges its academic contribution in classrooms. Although more research on classroom CS has been done, this study identified the need for development of new strategies on how to use CS effectively in classrooms as a linguistic and pedagogical resource. In line with critical classroom ethnography, qualitative interpretation of data was used to understand the teachers' discourse behaviour. Additionally, non-probability sampling - specifically purposive sampling - was used to collect data. These methods and approaches assisted in the analysis of the discourse of the three teachers who served as units of analysis in this study. These teachers relied on CS to impart the content of their subjects to the learners. It transpired from data analysis that teachers use CS in classrooms to achieve various functions like social and pedagogical functions. Another finding is that the switches teachers make do not affect the syntactic structure of the matrix language. Moreover, CS enhances understanding of the subject matter. This study concludes by stating that as learners are emergent bilinguals, additive bilingualism would be more ideal in the South African situation than subtractive bilingualism which parents and learners seem to prefer. Lastly, there is a need to harness CS as a communicative and pedagogical resource in classrooms.
- Full Text:
Implementation of multilingualism in South African higher education : exploring the use of isiXhosa in teaching and learning at Rhodes University
- Authors: Gambushe, Wanga
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Language and education -- South Africa , Multilingual education -- South Africa , Native language and education -- South Africa , Education, Higher -- South Africa , Language policy -- South Africa , Cytology -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- South Africa , Xhosa (African people) -- Education (Higher)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3649 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017890
- Description: This study explores the implementation of multilingualism at Rhodes University (RU), by examining the teaching and learning practices of lecturers, demonstrators and students within the Cell Biology module, offered by the Biological Sciences and Botany departments at RU. This examination is in line with RU’s Language Policy (2005/2014), which recognises multilingualism and the development of isiXhosa as an academic/scientific language. The study and the choice for the location of the study within RU was motivated by what seemed to be a pattern of under achievement of LOTE speaking students studying Cell Biology. This pattern necessitated a further inquiry into the language aspect of the teaching and learning of Cell Biology. The goals of this research were to investigate spaces where LOTE students use their home languages and the motivations behind their usage of those languages. Due to the varying proficiencies of LOTE students in their mother tongue, this study sought to investigate the language capabilities of LOTE students in their home languages. The perceptions of the main role players in the Cell Biology module were sought, in order to get an idea of what students, lecturers and demonstrators thought about multilingualism in teaching and learning practices in the Cell Biology module. This study has discovered that there is a disparity in achievement between LOTE and English speaking students, with English students outperforming LOTE students consistently in the period investigated. On the language capabilities of LOTE students in their mother tongue, it was discovered that they have enough linguistic capital for a mother tongue intervention to succeed. There were mixed views about the use of LOTE in HE, but students were mostly in favour of the use of LOTE. A number of recommendations are made as to how multilingualism can be implemented in Cell Biology. In this study I argue that there is a need to use the mother tongue of LOTE students in order to support learning, the mother tongue intervention is supported by scholars such as Paxton (2007, 2009; Madiba 2011, 2012, 2014). The use of the mother tongue to support learning should be a short-term measure while the process of the development of African languages is underway, because languages develop as they are used, and form follows function (Madiba 2008). Ultimately, African languages should be developed and use as academic languages in HE not only in order to fulfil the legislative imperatives such as the Constitution and the Language Policy Higher Education but also to increase access and success among LOTE students.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Gambushe, Wanga
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Language and education -- South Africa , Multilingual education -- South Africa , Native language and education -- South Africa , Education, Higher -- South Africa , Language policy -- South Africa , Cytology -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- South Africa , Xhosa (African people) -- Education (Higher)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3649 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017890
- Description: This study explores the implementation of multilingualism at Rhodes University (RU), by examining the teaching and learning practices of lecturers, demonstrators and students within the Cell Biology module, offered by the Biological Sciences and Botany departments at RU. This examination is in line with RU’s Language Policy (2005/2014), which recognises multilingualism and the development of isiXhosa as an academic/scientific language. The study and the choice for the location of the study within RU was motivated by what seemed to be a pattern of under achievement of LOTE speaking students studying Cell Biology. This pattern necessitated a further inquiry into the language aspect of the teaching and learning of Cell Biology. The goals of this research were to investigate spaces where LOTE students use their home languages and the motivations behind their usage of those languages. Due to the varying proficiencies of LOTE students in their mother tongue, this study sought to investigate the language capabilities of LOTE students in their home languages. The perceptions of the main role players in the Cell Biology module were sought, in order to get an idea of what students, lecturers and demonstrators thought about multilingualism in teaching and learning practices in the Cell Biology module. This study has discovered that there is a disparity in achievement between LOTE and English speaking students, with English students outperforming LOTE students consistently in the period investigated. On the language capabilities of LOTE students in their mother tongue, it was discovered that they have enough linguistic capital for a mother tongue intervention to succeed. There were mixed views about the use of LOTE in HE, but students were mostly in favour of the use of LOTE. A number of recommendations are made as to how multilingualism can be implemented in Cell Biology. In this study I argue that there is a need to use the mother tongue of LOTE students in order to support learning, the mother tongue intervention is supported by scholars such as Paxton (2007, 2009; Madiba 2011, 2012, 2014). The use of the mother tongue to support learning should be a short-term measure while the process of the development of African languages is underway, because languages develop as they are used, and form follows function (Madiba 2008). Ultimately, African languages should be developed and use as academic languages in HE not only in order to fulfil the legislative imperatives such as the Constitution and the Language Policy Higher Education but also to increase access and success among LOTE students.
- Full Text:
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