Local languages: good for the informal marketplace but not for the formal classroom?

The maxim that ‘Languages develop through use, particularly in high domains such as education and the courts’ was propagated by Neville Alexander. He was committed to ‘intellectualising African languages’. In the spirit of his legacy, this article makes a case for using local languages, also referred to as mother tongues, as mediums of instruction. In making this case, two interrelated perspectives on the role of African languages in the broader society, are critiqued. The first perspective argues that languages evolve on their own, and calls for a multilingualism from below. The second perspective is critical of the term ‘mother tongue’, and by implication mother-tongue education. The article also critically examines language in education developments in South Africa, in particular the 1997 Language in Education Policy. It argues that one of the reasons for poor learner performance is current language practices, where the language of instruction shifts abruptly to English at the beginning of Grade 4. Examples of learner performance are given from a study the author conducted in Khayelitsha in the Western Cape. The term ‘mother tongue’ is defined in relation to these critiques. The article concludes by stating that current practices in South Africa continue to privilege English- and Afrikaans-speaking pupils. Drawing on the work of Alexander and others, it argues that linguistic practices from below, regardless of how innovative they are, cannot change power dynamics in unequal societies such as South Africa. It is only when languages are used in high domains such as education that they develop fully.Web of Scienc

A case for mother tongue education?

Philosophiae Doctor - PhDThe question as to which language should be used as a medium of instruction in schools in multilingual societies is a controversial one. In South Africa, the question is often posed in binary terms: Should the medium of instruction be a familiar local language such as Xhosa or a language of wider communication like English? This study is an attempt to answer the above question. The study profiled the writing abilities of Grade 4 and Grade 7 pupils at Themba Primary, a school located in Khayelitsha in the Western Cape, in both their mother tongue, Xhosa, and in English, their official medium of instruction at school since Grade 4. Three written tasks, which consisted of a narrative piece of writing, a reading comprehension exercise, and an expository piece of writing, were administered to the pupils in English and Xhosa. The purpose of the exercise was to examine some of the implications for educational language policy of the differences in performance in the two languages. All the tasks were authentic, in that they were based on aspects of the pupils' curriculum and written in the formal academic language pupils were expected to be exposed to in their respective grades. All the tasks were graded systematically under controlled conditions.South Afric

COMPARE Forum: The idea of North-South and South-South collaboration

The idea of having a Compare Forum focusing on the above title was first discussed with one of the Editors of Compare during a PhD defence in Oslo in 2011. The PhD dissertation itself was linked to a larger project in which researchers from the North (Norway) and the South (South Africa) had been collaborating in educational research for over 10 years. Despite the fact that North-South collaboration is not a new issue on the agenda (King 1985) it is still a timely topic to explore, particularly given the recent growth and moves towards North-South-South collaboration or even South-South Cooperation in Education and Development (Chisholm and Steiner-Khamsi 2009). Thus, any discussion of research collaboration, whether North-South or South-South, is seen as an ideal topic for comparative education, particularly when exploring why there should be collaboration at all and if so what are some of the challenges. While it may be argued that the difference between North-South and South-South collaboration may simply be a question of geography, King (1985) reminds us that collaboration is not necessarily between equals and that collaboration at times ‘appears to be a process initiated in the North, and in which the South participates, as a counterpart’ (184). Ultimately, the differences go beyond simple geographic location to issues of funding and power, something that each of the contributions will touch upon in their own way. While cooperation may mean working with someone, it does suggest that one partner provides information or resources to the other, while collaboration suggests a more equal partnership in which researchers work alongside each other. For the majority of our contributors, we use collaboration as opposed to cooperation, although the literature is not always so clear on this distinction.Web of Scienc

Acknowledging diversity: The need to promote African languages

Multilingualism has become fashionable. However, the complexity of the concept is not widely recognized. Multilingualism is best addressed by extending the use of African languages beyond the fourth year at school. However, it is possible that this could frustrate learning, since at present it is difficult to develop CALP abilities in the L2 via the Ll, because of facts such as the low status of its speakers. Research should be done into the BJCS and CALP abilities of the pupils concerned at std 4 and std 9 level to determine the factors which influence language proficiency. Multilinguisme het 'n modewoord geword, maar die kompleksiteit van die konsep word nie allerwee begryp nie. Die beste manier om multilinguisme aan te spreek is om die gebruik van Afrikatale te verleng tot na die vierde skooljaar. Dit is egter moontlik dat so 'n stap leer kan belemmer, aangesien dit tans moeilik is om kognitiewelakademiese taalbevoegdheid deur middel van die eerste taal in die tweede taal te ontwikkel omrede faktore soos die lae status van sy sprekers. Die kognitiewe/akademiese taalbevoegdheid en basiese interpersoonlike kommunikasievaardighede van die betrokke leerlinge op st 4- en st 9-vlak behoort nagevors te word om vas te stel watter faktore taalbevoegdheid bei"nvloed

Enabling policies, disabling practices

We often receive positive comment from overseas on the new South African language pol~Icy which acknowledges eleven official national languages. This article critically explores the effect of this policy within the confines of education. Three areas are investigated: importJnt shifts in language policy since 1994; language medium practice in a grade 4 class inl a primary school in a predominantly black Western Cape urban area; the discrepancy betwe,en the intentions of the policy makers and (the negative effects on educational practice. The I argument is presented that ultimately the issues surrounding implementation will determine whether or not language policy will be successful or not. The case study used shows that thJre is a need to make language practice such that itfacilitates rather than frustrates the learnihg process. Vanuit die buiteland word dikwels positiewe kommentaar gelewer oor die nuwe Suid- Afrikaanse taalbeleid wat elf amptelike landstale erken. In hierdie artikel word 'n kritiese ondersoek gedoen van die uitwerking van hierdie beleid binne die kader van die onderwys. Drie areas word ondersoek: Belangrike skuiwe in taalbeleid sedert 1994. Die praktyk van taalonderrigbeleid in 'n G':aad 4 klas in 'n laerskool in 'n oorwegend swart Wes-Kaapse stedelike woongebied. Die diskrepansie tussen die beoogde bedoelings van die taalbeleidmakers en die neerslag in die onderrigpraktyk. Dit word beweer dat dit op die ou end die kwessies rondom imp limentering sal wees wat die sukses al dan nie van taalbeleid sal bepaaL Hierdie gevallestudie toon duidelik dat die behoefte bestaan om taalonderrigpraktyk so in te rig dat dit die leerproses eerder sal fasiliteer as frustreer

Reflections on the development of a pre-service language curriculum for the BEd (Foundation Phase)

The initiative of the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) in South Africa to strengthen foundation phase teaching has resulted in the development of new foundation phase (Grades R–3) programmes at institutions that did not previously offer them. In this article we reflect on the conceptualisation and development of a pre-service language curriculum for one such programme. We base our discussion on principles that underpin teacher education programme development for early childhood education and on issues and insights about appropriate language curriculum content for a foundation phase teacher. Whilst awaiting the outcome of our accreditation, the authors, as two of the persons who assisted in the design of the language curriculum, thought it appropriate to subject the curriculum to an internal scrutiny whilst we prepare to offer the programme. This internal dialogue is informed by the literature on early language development, particularly in multilingual contexts such as in South Africa

Exploring the injustices perpetuated by unfamiliar languages of learning and teaching : the role of multi-angle, learner-focused research

This paper argues for the importance of foregrounding learners' experiences in language-in-education research, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and other postcolonial contexts where there is an unfamiliar language of learning and teaching. Standing firmly on the shoulders of decades of research that compellingly demonstrates a range of ways in which the use of an unfamiliar language is detrimental to classroom practice and learning outcomes, we suggest that there are yet further negative consequences that are currently under-researched. We argue that combining observation of learners with methods that create space for learners to explain their experiences in their own words enables important new insights into how epistemic injustices intersect with broader structural injustices in learners' lives. Our proposition is informed by our work and research in a variety of contexts but draws most heavily from qualitative research conducted with young people in primary and secondary schools in Tanzania, Rwanda and South Africa. Our conclusions demonstrate how learner-focused research could importantly and beneficially extend the evidence base that is available to support calls for changes to language-in-education policy and practice