The Rwandan teachers’ and learners’ perceived speaking proficiency in both Kinyarwanda and English after 2008-2011 consecutive language-in-education policy shifts

While several studies on speaking proficiency are found in various languages worldwide, there is a paucity of studies that investigated the learners’ and teachers’ speaking proficiency after language policy shifts. This article investigates the perceived speaking proficiency in English and Kinyarwanda among Rwandan lower primary school learners and their teachers after experiencing two consecutive language policy shifts, that is the shift from French-dominant medium to English-only in 2008 and the shift from English to Kinyarwanda medium in 2011. An attitudinal survey was administered among 324 learners and teachers, selected in six schools in both rural and urban settings of Rwanda. Interpreted within the lens of language preference model and integrative theories of communication competence, the main finding is that both urban and rural teachers and learners perceived themselves to have high proficiency in speaking Kinyarwanda; while their perceived proficiency in speaking English is unbalanced. The paper argues that Rwandan learners’ and teachers’ characteristics, circumstances, exposure and endoglossic ideology have all led to uneven levels of proficiency in both English and Kinyarwanda, after the two consecutive policy shifts.Keywords: Language-in-education policy shifts; teachers’ and learners’ perceived speaking proficiency; endoglossic country; Rwand

Every Supervisor tells me his or her own things: a personal lived experience with working with two PhD Supervisors

Various studies have explored PhD supervision worldwide, but with a paucity of studies on experiences with two supervisors. This paper recounts the personal lived experience with working with two supervisors at the PhD level to inspire fresher PhD candidates locally, regionally and globally. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis framework, the paper retells both positive and negative experiences, focusing on three ambivalent types of experience with working with two PhD supervisors: (i) balanced attitudes and perseverance with seniority,(ii) matching the supervisors-supervisee working pace, and (iii) handling two supervisors’ diverging content orientations, which led to timely completion of PhD studies. The paper argues that experience with two PhD supervisors is both enjoyable and challenging, but candidates have to be equipped with strategic interpersonal skills. It informs fresher PhD candidates about tips on strategies to deal with two supervisors and lessons for timely completion of PhD journey.Keywords: Personal lived experiences, PhD supervision, two supervisors, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, University of Rwand

An evaluation of the Rwandan trilingual policy in some nursery and primary schools in Kigali City

This research study aims to evaluate how the trilingual policy (Kinyarwanda, French and English) is implemented in Kigali City’s nursery and primary schools in terms of facilitating learners’ cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP) development, in both the pre-2008 and post-2008 language policies. It is an exploratory-qualitative-interpretative research study, which analyses the language preference, the age of change-over and the multilingual models adopted and how they contribute to learners’ CALP development. It also analyses the implications of the post-2008 policy. The findings indicated that initial bilingualism, initial trilingualism, early total immersion and gradual transfer models were implemented in the pre-2008 policy; while the post-2008 policy implements early total immersion. The learners’ CALP in both the MT and the AL could be more developed in public schools under the pre-2008 policy due to exposure to Kinyarwanda instruction from the start but it may not be developed fully under the post-2008 policy, because English is used as MOI from the onset of education.Linguistics and Modern LanguagesM.A. (Applied Linguistics

Gender Identity Construction Through Traditional and Modern Lenses: Rwandan Narratives and MDGs Perspectives

While there is an on-going debate about what constitutes current policies and practices on gender equality between men and women in Rwanda, there is general agreement that Rwandan traditional beliefs and cultural norms have produced a patriarchy ideology and unequal power relations between women and men. Such traditional beliefs are not only observed in Rwanda, but in different parts of the world as well; and it is still problematic to assess a framework in which current gender policies are redesigned to allocate equitable power between women and men. This study focuses on the analysis and comparison of issues of gender identity and power relations as embedded in the Rwandan short narratives and in the Millennium Development Goals on gender equality. More specifically, this study investigates the design and redesign of the issues related to power relations and their effect on gender identity conception and assumption. Analysed from Marxist theories of power and Thompson’s modes perspectives, the findings suggest that Rwandan traditional narratives view men as more powerful than women and the society expects more from men in terms of responsibilities. As for the Millennium Development Goals, they focus on women empowerment only and thereby create a new imbalance between men and women. The paper recommends equality in terms of a maleness and femaleness ideology from policy to legislation and other domains

Foundation phase learners' and teachers' attitudes and experiences with the Rwandan language-in-education policy shifts

THESIS Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Language and Literacy Education Faculty of Humanities School of Education University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South AfricaThis study entitled “Foundation Phase Learners’ and Teachers’ Attitudes and Experiences with the Rwandan Language-in-Education Policy Shifts” is a contribution to the field of language-in-education policy. It focuses on the Rwandan foundation phase (i.e. lower primary school) learners and teachers. It examines their attitudes and experiences towards the Rwandan unfamiliar consecutive language-in-education policy shifts whereby the former trilingual medium shifted to initial English medium (initial submersion) in 2008, and then switched to Kinyarwanda medium (sudden transfer) in 2011, in the Rwandan lower primary schools. While several language attitudes studies in the existing literature have mainly concentrated on attitudes to individual languages, there is dearth of attitudes research studies which uncover the true nature of attitudes towards different language types, such as exoglossic or endoglossic languages within the African context (Adegbija, 1994, p. 52) or attitudes to balanced bilingualism (Baker, 1992, p. 3). Thus, this study contributes to addressing these gaps by investigating the learners’ attitudes and experiences towards initial submersion they started with English medium in grade 1, and then shifted to sudden transfer with Kinyarwanda medium in grade 2 and 3; within an African endoglossic and unicultural country. Drawing insights from the “Concurrent Embedded Strategy” of the mixed methods (Creswell, 2009, p. 210), qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection and analysis were used. This study was conducted among a sample of 324 informants which comprised 300 learners, 18 teachers and 6 principals, who were selected from 6 lower primary schools in Rwanda. The striking finding is that in addition to the universal preference for English medium, the Rwandan rural school learners and teachers showed more positive attitudes towards the shift to an African endoglossic language (Kinyarwanda), which debunks the folklore in the existing literature that exogenous languages are preferred over indigenous languages

A reflection on the need for a language management scheme at the university of Rwanda’s college of education

oai:sloap:article/28The issue of language policy and management has been tackled by various scholars worldwide, but gaps are observed in studies that explored the language management schemes in schools, particularly in institutions of higher learning. This paper contributes to filling this gap by reflecting on the need to design a language management scheme for the University of Rwanda’s College of Education to promote language proficiency and quality education. Using Gundersen’s language management model as a theoretical framework and drawing from an analytical approach, this article explores the urgent need for developing the language management scheme at the University of Rwanda – College of Education. It highlights the enablers and challenges for developing and implementing such a language management scheme and recommends some strategies to capitalize on those enablers to solve language problems at the College. Throughout the paper, our argument is that a language management scheme is needed for the promotion of the proficiency in all five languages used at the College generally, and in English particularly, which is used as a medium of instruction

Learning to teach writing through a distance education programme : experiences of Rwandan secondary school English teachers

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From an African Oral Tale to an English Picture Book: Rwandan Teachers’ Experience with Online Translation of South African Institute of Distance Education’s African Storybooks

Research findings pertaining to language education and distance education point to the lack of online reading materials written in African languages and reflecting African contexts. Such a shortage is a challenge to literacy skills development in Africa. In Rwanda, although there are some graded readers to support the teaching of reading in Kinyarwanda, there is a shortage of enjoyable storybooks on which children can practice their reading skills. This paper contributes to addressing this challenge by investigating the partnership between the University of Rwanda-College of Education and South African Institute of Distance Education’s (Saide) African Storybook Initiative, which provides a website of digital storybooks in Kinyarwanda and other languages for early grade reading. Data were collected from 32 Rwandan teacher educators who participated in a workshop. Participants created online picture storybooks in Kinyarwanda, translated some from other languages and published them on the African Storybook website. The researchers firstly observed their activities during the workshop, then, all participants filled in the questionnaire and ten teachers were interviewed on opportunities offered and challenges encountered during the translation process. The key finding is that teachers’ experiences with translation revealed differences in story reading levels between the original Kinyarwanda folktales and English translated versions. They found special features of African agglutinating languages in determining reading levels, and foreignization of translated stories based on cultural clashes. Differences in length between the original and the translated stories were observed, as well as the specificity of English versions in reinforcing more critical thinking than the translated Kinyarwanda versions. The paper recommends teacher educators and translators to bear in mind that adaptation to African languages requires care and a high level of ability to maintain the meaning and moral lesson of the original tale and make it enjoyable for children. Translating and adapting stories from English into agglutinative African languages have implications for early grade reading interventions in African schools since children stories on African storybook website are available in more than 100 African languages.

Eclectic Traditional Value Hub Model or four-in-one: An Innovative Booster of Community Quadriliteracy among Adults in Rwandan Rural Communities

Various studies on literacy have been conducted worldwide, but there is paucity of studies that explored adult literacy from the perspectives of African traditional values. Many African communities, including Rwanda, still experience a low level of literacy in the 21st century. As a contribution to address this literacy gap, an innovative model coined “Eclectic Traditional Value Hub Model” is being implemented in selected Rwandan rural communities to promote quadriliteracy, community literacy and digital literacy among adults with limited literacy. The newness of this model is twofold: firstly, it draws from a range of African and Rwandan traditional values; secondly, it boosts parallel literacy practices in four languages, namely Kinyarwanda, English, French and Kiswahili, by which it is described as “Four-in-One”. This study reports on one year’s implementation of this model, exploring its level of success in accelerating quadriliteracy and community digital literacy and numeracy among Rwandan communities. Participants include University of Rwanda lecturers who initiated the model, graduates from secondary schools who are literacy trainers in their local communities and trainees who are citizens with limited literacy including motorists, street vendors, small-sized business people and others who strive to uplift their literacy levels. The successful stride of this model is that about ten thousand community members from Eastern province are accelerating their literacy practices through translingual and cross-lingual practices. We recommend the application of this model to other African settings with more African traditional values and assess its impact in minimising the high illiteracy rate reported in various corners of Africa