Classroom Interaction in Kenyan Primary Schools

Ackers, Jim; Hardman, Frank

doi:10.1080/03057920120053238

Cited by 56 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Another strand has focused on teacher effectiveness, with researchers identifying as key factors lesson clarity, instructional variety, use of teacher time and high levels of pupil engagement (Creemers 1994;Ackers and Hardman 2001). These studies tend to suggest that the quality of teacher-pupil classroom interaction is the single most important factor accounting for wide differences in outcome measures using the same curriculum materials and, purportedly, the same teaching methods (Ackers and Hardman 2001).…”

Section: Previous Studies Of African Educationmentioning

confidence: 97%

Home and school literacy practices in Africa: listening to inner voices

Ngwaru

Opoku-Amankwa

2010

Language and Education

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The voices of the main stakeholders in literacy and schooling -pupils and parentshave seldom been given adequate space in studies of school and classroom discourse in sub-Saharan Africa. The present paper attempts to redress this imbalance by presenting the voices of pupils from a multilingual urban primary school in Ghana and of parents from a rural bilingual school in Zimbabwe. The Ghanaian study highlights challenges associated with using an unfamiliar language, English, as the medium of instruction, selective teacher treatment in the classroom that leaves some children lacking confidence to participate and the strong influence of the home environment and other socio-economic conditions. The Zimbabwean study highlights what happens when parents are allowed a voice in their children's education. It is argued that pupil and parent perspectives can validate the findings of existing research, deepen our understanding of classroom interaction and, in some cases, challenge conventional wisdom.

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Section: Previous Studies Of African Educationmentioning

confidence: 97%

Home and school literacy practices in Africa: listening to inner voices

Ngwaru

Opoku-Amankwa

2010

Language and Education

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“…English-only, exam-focused language ideologies in Kenya have led to rote learning that lacks or precludes learner meaning-construction and leads to extensive silencing and the exclusion of students from participation (Ackers and Hardman 2001;Kiramba 2017a;Ogechi 2009;Pontefract and Hardman 2005). These factors exacerbate epistemic exclusion and dropout rates alike (Alidou 2003; Bamgboṣ e 2000; Qorro 2009) among students whose MT is different from the LOI.…”

Section: Silencing/exclusion: Monolingual Habitus In Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

Language ideologies and epistemic exclusion

Kiramba

2018

Language and Education

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Research in educational linguistics is now challenging the efficacy of monolingual approaches that often dominate educational practices in multilingual settings. In most African nations where multilingualism is the norm, there remains a persistent reluctance by educational stakeholders (principals, teachers, parents, and students) to embrace multilingualism in education or to reposition local languages as resources in classrooms. This article draws on qualitative data from a multilingual, rural, fourth-grade classroom in Kenya to interrogate the articulated ideologies and their effects on communicative practices as voiced by the participants and by observing actual classroom practices. Bourdieu's notions of habitus, legitimate language, and symbolic power serve as analytic lenses for enhancing our understanding of the power of language ideologies. From the data, "monoglossia" emerged as the key operating ideology, with time-on-task pedagogical practice helping to consolidate these monoglossic practices. The most visible effect of this ideology was silencing student engagement in the classroom. I argue that an awareness of these articulated ideologies and their observable effects on students' learning and language-use behaviors is important for challenging the subordination of home languages and the epistemic exclusion of the children who speak marginalized languages. Ideological awareness may open spaces for alternative and inclusive educational approaches.

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“…But SEN specialists would do well to consider, in addition, some of the research on the classroom conditions of 'regular schools' in the low-income countries, which shows pedagogy and resource allocations that are anything but inclusive. Examples for African countries are the studies by Omokhodion (1989), Fuller (1991), Sebatane, Chabane and Lefoka (1992) and Ackers and Hardman (2001). Building on the previous research, Moloi, Morobe and Urwick (2008) identify pedagogy in Lesotho that is restrictive towards students' learning and particularly unhelpful for 'slow learners'.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%