Attitudes of isiXhosa-speaking students at the University of Fort Hare towards the use of isiXhosa as a language of learning and teaching (LOLT)

The present work presents and discusses the results of a survey of a sample of isiXhosa-speaking students at the University of Fort Hare (Alice campus) and their attitudes towards the possible introduction of isiXhosa as a medium of instruction at this institution. More specifically, the research focuses on, among other things, the students’ attitudes towards English and isiXhosa and their opinions and beliefs about the introduction of dual-mediumship and its possible consequences. The survey methods used are a questionnaire survey as well as follow-up interviews, supplemented by on-campus observation. The results are first analysed as a whole, and then split into different categories according to a set of background variables (gender, year of study, subject studied etc). This analysis indicates that, while English is recognised as the dominant language in South Africa and, more specifically, in the domain of education, some categories of respondents acknowledge the usefulness of isiXhosa as an additional medium of instruction. This survey clearly shows that it makes little sense to present isiXhosa-speaking students with a rigid choice between the existing English-medium and a dual-medium (English and isiXhosa) policy. If dual-mediumship is ever to be implemented, respondents seem to consider the use of isiXhosa as a medium of instruction more appropriate in the first years of study, for selected subjects and in some domains within the academic context rather than others. This study is part of a growing set of surveys on the attitudes of university students towards the use of African languages in education, and can be fruitfully compared with similar research at other institutions. Moreover, the results of the present research can be used to inform future decisions regarding language policy at the University of Fort Hare

Attitudes of isiXhosa-speaking students at the University of Fort Hare towards the use of isiXhosa as a language of learning and teaching (LOLT)

The present work presents and discusses the results of a survey of a sample of isiXhosa-speaking students at the University of Fort Hare (Alice campus) and their attitudes towards the possible introduction of isiXhosa as a medium of instruction at this institution. More specifically, the research focuses on, among other things, the students’ attitudes towards English and isiXhosa and their opinions and beliefs about the introduction of dual-mediumship and its possible consequences. The survey methods used are a questionnaire survey as well as follow-up interviews, supplemented by on-campus observation. The results are first analysed as a whole, and then split into different categories according to a set of background variables (gender, year of study, subject studied etc). This analysis indicates that, while English is recognised as the dominant language in South Africa and, more specifically, in the domain of education, some categories of respondents acknowledge the usefulness of isiXhosa as an additional medium of instruction. This survey clearly shows that it makes little sense to present isiXhosa-speaking students with a rigid choice between the existing English-medium and a dual-medium (English and isiXhosa) policy. If dual-mediumship is ever to be implemented, respondents seem to consider the use of isiXhosa as a medium of instruction more appropriate in the first years of study, for selected subjects and in some domains within the academic context rather than others. This study is part of a growing set of surveys on the attitudes of university students towards the use of African languages in education, and can be fruitfully compared with similar research at other institutions. Moreover, the results of the present research can be used to inform future decisions regarding language policy at the University of Fort Hare

Celebrating authentic bodies: Instagram (self)representations of models

South African society is characterized by a historical legacy of institutionalized segregation and oppression along racial and, to a lesser extent, gender and (dis)ability lines. While social media can be considered a relatively elite phenomenon, it has the potential to challenge stereotypes and reshape public discourse. Beauty contests, fashion shows and modelling parades represent offline as well as online sites of struggle over aesthetic canons, aspirational looks, and ideal bodies. At the same time, they offer opportunities for alternative, marginalized and stigmatized bodies to "step into the light", as it were. Due to the primacy of the visual element, a platform like Instagram offers a rather unique opportunity to affirm that racialized, gendered and disabled bodies are not only normal, but authentically beautiful. In this paper we adopt an intersectional lens to investigate Instagram profiles by South African models with disabilities. Five women who differ in terms of ethnic affiliation as well as impairment were selected for an in-depth qualitative critical visual analysis and an ethnographic content analysis. In a South African context still largely shaped by patriarchy, sexism and ableism, we found (self)representations on social media are intimately intertwined with resistance, advocacy and social change. Self-representations by models with disabilities include sharing authentic aspects of self, affirmation, and role modellin

Multilingualism and ICT education at Rhodes University: an exploratory study

In South Africa, the linguistic hegemony of English over the African languages in the academic field reproduces unequal power relationships between their speakers. The present study shows that an intervention shaped by a counterhegemonic ideology can change the attitudes of Black university students, key players in spearheading social change. Usign statistical analysis and survey methodologies, this research explored the hegemonic role of English as the only language of learning and teaching (LoLT) in the discipline of Computer Science (CS) at Rhodes University. The study found that those speakers of an African language who are the most disadvantaged by the use of English as LoLT are also the most likely to resist a more extensive use of their mother tongue as an alternative. A group of such students were involved in the development and use of an online glossary of CS terms translated, explained and exemplified in an African language (isiXhosa). This experience increased the support for the use of African languages as additional LoLT, even in the Englishdominated field of study of Computer Science. This is an initial step towards promoting linguistic equality between English and African languages and social equality between their speakers

Multilingualism and ICT education at Rhodes University: an exploratory study

In South Africa, the linguistic hegemony of English over the African languages in the academic field reproduces unequal power relationships between their speakers. The present study shows that an intervention shaped by a counterhegemonic ideology can change the attitudes of Black university students, key players in spearheading social change. Usign statistical analysis and survey methodologies, this research explored the hegemonic role of English as the only language of learning and teaching (LoLT) in the discipline of Computer Science (CS) at Rhodes University. The study found that those speakers of an African language who are the most disadvantaged by the use of English as LoLT are also the most likely to resist a more extensive use of their mother tongue as an alternative. A group of such students were involved in the development and use of an online glossary of CS terms translated, explained and exemplified in an African language (isiXhosa). This experience increased the support for the use of African languages as additional LoLT, even in the Englishdominated field of study of Computer Science. This is an initial step towards promoting linguistic equality between English and African languages and social equality between their speakers

An intercultural approach to implementing multilingualism at Rhodes University, South Africa

The work of intercultural communication theorists such as Ting-Toomey (1999) and Gudykunst (2003) has informed curriculum design and teaching methodology of the courses developed for teaching isiXhosa for vocational purposes to second language (L2) learners. This seems to be an appropriate theoretical paradigm within multilingual South Africa, where intercultural communication is becoming a daily reality for a growing portion of the population. We make use of this theory to introduce and develop experiential understanding of multilingualism at Rhodes University in various departments and, more generally, on campus

Why care about sharing?: Shared phones and shared netowrks in rural areas: African trends

Tomi Ahonen, credited with introducing the concept of mobile as the seventh mass media, notes that the arrival of the mobile phone was a God-send for advertisers, as it is the only mass medium where the audience can be accurately identified. Conversely, the pervasiveness of location-aware, multi-sensor, permanently on and constantly connected devices raised privacy concerns about carrying "little brother" in your pocket at all times. One of the distinctive characteristics of mobile phones, setting them apart from all previous media, is the fact that they are personal devices: 60% of married users would not let their spouse access their mobile phone and, not surprisingly, teenagers are even less inclined to let their family members have a look at their device. Things have not always been so. In South Africa, research conducted among university students revealed that for many a hand-me-down phone the size of a brick and shared with siblings was their first mobile device

Uma Perspetiva Decolonial Sobre Discursos dos Média Online no Contexto da Violência Contra Pessoas com Deficiência na África do Sul

As one of the most violent and unequal societies globally, South Africa is still profoundly shaped by a legacy of segregation and oppression. While race, gender and socio-economic status receive much attention, (dis)ability is an important yet often neglected dimension of inequality. In this article, I adopt a decolonial perspective in discussing online media articles about violence against people with disabilities. By focusing on stories related to issues that received extensive media coverage (e.g. mental health, police brutality and gender-based violence), I problematise the Eurocentric human-rights discourse informing public and scholarly discussions. I also explore the link between current understandings of (dis)ability and the legacy of a violent colonial and apartheid past. As a result of the intersectional nature of (dis)ability, many of the stories involve multiple layers of inequality and different forms of oppression. An explicit focus on extreme forms of institutional and physical violence, while restricting the scope of enquiry, brings the brutality of western modernity and its effects on the people affected into sharp focus. Legal recurse appears to lead to incomplete reparation at best while its failures perpetuate a cycle of marginalisation and oppression. Rather than problematising these structural failures as a result of western modernity and neoliberalism, the media inadvertently obfuscates such links by performing its normative, that is, by identifying and exposing individual culprits or by blaming contextual factors.Como uma das sociedades mais violentas e desiguais do mundo, a África do Sul ainda é profundamente moldada por um legado de segregação e opressão. Embora raça, género e status socioeconómico recebam muita atenção, a deficiência é uma dimensão importante, mas muitas vezes negligenciada, da desigualdade. Neste artigo, adoto uma perspetiva decolonial ao discutir artigos dos média online sobre violência contra pessoas com deficiência. Ao concentrar-me em histórias relacionadas com questões que receberam ampla cobertura dos média (por exemplo, saúde mental, brutalidade policial e violência baseada em género), problematizo o discurso eurocêntrico de direitos humanos que informa discussões públicas e académicas. Também exploro a ligação entre os atuais entendimentos da deficiência e o legado de um violento passado colonial e do apartheid. Como resultado da natureza interseccional da deficiência, muitas das histórias envolvem múltiplas camadas de desigualdade e diferentes formas de opressão. Um foco explícito em formas extremas de violência institucional e física, enquanto restringe o escopo de investigação, traz a brutalidade da modernidade ocidental e os seus efeitos sobre as pessoas afetadas. O recurso jurídico parece levar, na melhor das hipóteses, a uma reparação incompleta, enquanto as suas falhas perpetuam um ciclo de marginalização e opressão. Em vez de problematizar essas falhas estruturais como resultado da modernidade ocidental e do neoliberalismo, os média inadvertidamente ofuscam esses vínculos ao realizar o seu normativo, ou seja, identificando e expondo culpados individuais ou culpando fatores contextuais