Community support - the missing link in indigenous language promotion in South Africa?

Ke, Yu; Dumisa, S.

doi:10.5785/31-1-588

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…English is the default language on most digital platforms and software, but its dominance is adversely affecting education in South Africa, as noted by Ndimande-Hlongwa and Ndebele (2017) and Yu and Dumisa (2015). The study found that English serves as a gatekeeper to learning and technology, as African languages are being side-lined in key sectors of the economy and academia (Ndebele, 2014).…”

Section: English Use On Digital Platformsmentioning

confidence: 82%

Exploring Teachers' Perceptions of the Relevance of African Languages in the Digital Space

Khumalo,

Moodley

2023

IDEAS

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Digital learning is the future of education within the African context, and thus it is important to provide equitable access to educational content for all African language speaking students. By so doing, the quality of education and the relevance of African languages will be enhanced. This study aimed to explore the perceptions of teachers towards the relevance of African languages in the digital space. The study adopted a mixed methods technique and chose a sample of 10 language teachers from four high schools for the online survey and semi-structured interviews. The online survey data was analysed using descriptive statistics, whilst the interview data was analysed using thematic analysis. The study’s key findings showed that while the teachers were happy to see African languages being used on a digital platform, they advocated further for the empowering of African languages. However, there was a sentiment amongst majority of participating teachers that while African languages are important, they are however not relevant in the 21st century and that their integration onto digital platforms might be nice-to-have, but in the larger scope of things they will not prepare students for the 21st century. The findings were explained against the theory of Colonial Mentality.

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Section: English Use On Digital Platformsmentioning

confidence: 82%

Exploring Teachers' Perceptions of the Relevance of African Languages in the Digital Space

Khumalo,

Moodley

2023

IDEAS

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“…Language planning in South Africa was one of the critical obligations undertaken after 1994 to rebuild national pride and to restore the values of integrity, respect to cultures and races, and to recognise the importance of diversity. To implement this mandate, practical measures to grow the status of African languages were sought and language policies were developed (Department of Basic Education (DBE), 2010; Yu & Dumisa, 2015). Agencies, policies, and bodies, for example the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB), were also established to develop and promote African languages.…”

Section: Language Planning In South Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

Dialects matter: The influence of dialects and code-switching on the literacy and numeracy achievements of isiXhosa Grade 1 learners in the Western Cape

Mtsatse¹,

Combrinck²

2018

Journal of Education

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Historically, African languages have been in a disadvantaged position and issues related to dialect are not fully understood and acknowledged. In this study, we examined the influence of dialects and code-switching on the literacy and numeracy achievements of isiXhosa Grade 1 learners with Multilevel Modeling (MLM), when controlling for other factors, such as between-school variance, socio-economic status, and sex. The project used stratified random sampling to select Afrikaans, English, and isiXhosa schools in three districts in the Western Cape. A total of 2 497 learners were assessed, of whom 768 were in isiXhosa schools. Dialects and codeswitching had a significantly negative influence on both literacy and numeracy scores of isiXhosa learners. The findings highlight the importance of investigating dialectic issues in isiXhosa and the implications that dialects have for decolonisation. African language decolonisation requires the development of classroom resources for these languages, increased African educational research, and finding ways to address the complexities of dialects in pedagogical frameworks.

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“…

One of the crucial imperatives that was taken on by the South African government in 1994 was language planning. In this regard, as a way for the government to carry out this responsibility, the Department of Basic Education agreed to draft linguistic policies and identify strategies to improve the state of African languages (Department of Basic Education 2010;Yu & Dumisa 2015). In order to promote and develop African languages, the Pan-South African Language Board (PanSALB) was subsequently established.

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mentioning

confidence: 99%

Eleven Grade 1 teachers’ understandings of mathematical language in a South African context

2023

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Background: Fluency in mathematical language is essential for learning mathematics. Teachers must understand and use their diverse mathematical knowledge, including language and communication difficulties inherent to mathematics instruction. According to recent South African research, Grade 1 teachers are not equipped to utilise learners’ linguistic skills for efficient learning of mathematics.Objectives: This research investigates South African Grade 1 teachers’ mathematical language perceptions, experiences, and feelings. These Grade 1 teachers’ transcripts were analysed to discover their understanding of the language of mathematics.Method: Exploratory, descriptive, and contextual research designs were used in conjunction with an adapted interactive qualitative analysis technique. Focus group interviews, individual interviews, and lesson observations, together with a purposive sampling technique, were used to gather the data from both public and private primary schools.Results: The results showed that Grade 1 teachers view mathematics as a separate language with its own vocabulary and register. The findings highlighted the need to simplify the language of mathematics to enhance understanding.Conclusion: This research concluded that language is essential to mathematics learning and that mathematics has its own register, which is acquired like any other additional language. To help isiXhosa learners understand mathematics in English, scaffolding strategies must be aligned with their linguistic demands.Contribution: This article provides important recommendations for teachers who need to recognise the reality that English is the lingua franca and ensure isiXhosa home language-speaking learners receive the necessary support to acquire actual proficiency in the academic register of English for mathematical language learning.

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Community support - the missing link in indigenous language promotion in South Africa?

Abstract: Literature on the challenges facing indigenous languages in South Africa

Cited by 3 publications

References 29 publications

Exploring Teachers' Perceptions of the Relevance of African Languages in the Digital Space

Exploring Teachers' Perceptions of the Relevance of African Languages in the Digital Space

Dialects matter: The influence of dialects and code-switching on the literacy and numeracy achievements of isiXhosa Grade 1 learners in the Western Cape

Eleven Grade 1 teachers’ understandings of mathematical language in a South African context

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