This paper examines the effectiveness of linguistic analysis in developing scientific thinking
skills and scientific attitudes. It reports on a project established at a South Africa university
in South Africa which engaged students in the analysis of code-mixed data. Students who
participated in the project showed gains in being able to analyze linguistic data using
problem solving skills. While transfer of such skills to mainstream science teaching was not
investigated, the study confirms the effectiveness of linguistic analysis in engaging students
in the activities associated with the development of skills for science
