English Second Language Learners’ Challenges in Comprehending Physical Sciences Concepts

Abstract

"Physical Sciences is a complex subject with many abstract concepts. This complexity is magnified by the learners’ lack of the linguistic capacity to comprehend the concepts and engage actively in the teaching and learning process. Previous studies have alluded to the fact that science is a language on its own, which therefore makes it even more difficult for learners whose home language is different from the medium of learning and teaching. Previous research indicated that learners who are English second language speakers perform poorly in Physical Sciences because the majority of learners particularly from townships and rural areas are only exposed to English in the classroom, and once they get out of the classroom, they start communicating in their home languages. It is against this background that the current study sought to determine challenges English second language speakers face in comprehending Physical Sciences concepts. In a quantitative and qualitative methodology, five grade 12 Physical Sciences teachers and 51 learners in their Physical Sciences classrooms were randomly selected from public schools in Johannesburg. To establish English second language learners’ challenges in comprehending Physical Sciences concepts, a questionnaire was administered to the selected learners. The teachers were interviewed using a structured interview schedule to explore how they assisted English second language learners to overcome language challenges when learning Physical Sciences. Quantitative data was analysed and descriptive statistics were obtained and a regression analysis was done to find the correlation between these learners’ marks in the subject English First Additional Language and their Physical Sciences marks. Qualitative data from teachers’ interviews were analysed using content analysis. Findings from the learner questionnaire showed that 78% of the learners indicated that language plays an important role in them understanding high school Physical Sciences concepts and as such they failed to meaningfully understand the Physical Sciences terminologies and jargon used for each specific topic. They also indicated that they perform badly in Physical Sciences assessments as they struggle to engage in meaningful classroom discussions due to their poor proficiency in English, the medium of instruction. The analysis showed a positive correlation between learners marks in English as a subject and their Physical Sciences marks. Amongst others teachers indicated that they mostly used code switching as a strategy to assist learners understand concepts. The findings have implications on South African education policy makers to consider the use of home languages in teaching and learning."