Learning through the medium of English in multilingual South Africa: enabling or disabling learners from low income contexts?

Desai, Zubeida

doi:10.1080/03050068.2016.1185259

Cited by 44 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…BAIs quickly realised that Afrikaans and local ALs were the high-prestige language resources in the contexts where they lived. This contrasts with the broader national view of Afrikaans as a language associated with apartheid and the hegemony of English synergistically tied to economic success (Desai, 2016) and ALs not valorised. Juju, a former high school English teacher in Zimbabwe and now a street vendor in SA, had always assumed that his English proficiency was an asset.…”

Section: Rescaling English Vis-à-vis Local Als and Strategic Use Of Hmentioning

confidence: 82%

Constructing multilingua franca scales

Makoni

2020

Journal of Multilingual Theories and Practices

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Using notions of scale and space, this study explores how Black African immigrants (BAIs) experience communication and negotiate, shape and reshape their social identities through language use in Johannesburg (South Africa) – a city characterised not only by complex multilingualism but also by quotidian violence. Drawing from qualitative interviews and group discussions, an analysis of BAIs’ metalinguistic discourses on their communicative practices as they move across spaces suggests that they view Johannesburg as a layered space characterised by dissimilar scales of interaction. Utilising negotiation strategies predicated on variegated scales, BAIs make space for home and host nation language varieties using forms that function as ‘multilingua francas,’ thereby resisting and unsettling the dominant local scales based on regimented ethnolinguistic boundaries.

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Section: Rescaling English Vis-à-vis Local Als and Strategic Use Of Hmentioning

confidence: 82%

Constructing multilingua franca scales

Makoni

2020

Journal of Multilingual Theories and Practices

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“…The South African school system is to blame for poor English language and literacy skills because the context in which many children in South Africa acquire English does not favour the African child. Realistically, one cannot expect, for example, an approach used to teach a middle class child in a former 'White' suburb like Rondebosch in Cape Town to be the same as that employed to teach a poor working class child in a township like Khayelitsha in Cape Town (Desai, 2016). This is particularly the case because the socio-economic and cultural background of students has an influence on their learning needs and further shapes their learning habits.…”

Section: Literacy Development As An Approach Of Curbing Plagiarismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Demystifying student plagiarism in academic writing: Towards an ‘educational’ solution

Ndebele

2020

CriSTaL

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Plagiarism has become a recurrent challenge in higher education institutions, threatening the integrity of universities and their academic standards. The exacerbation of this issue can be largely linked to the escalating presence of online resources, which are easily accessible to knowledge and information communities worldwide. Many universities have thus instituted reactive measures that focus on detecting and policing plagiarism with little consideration of proactive and educational measures that can address the primary reasons for plagiarism and foster a community of academic integrity on their campuses. The purpose of this paper is, therefore, to interrogate the treatment of plagiarism in universities, and provide recommendations for better educational approaches to address this issue in proactive ways that also acknowledge the complex, contextual background of the South African higher education landscape. Understanding the primary reasons students plagiarise is critical in finding educational rather than punitive solutions to address the issue.

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“…One outcome of this situation could be that teachers become less committed, an attitude which could affect student performance, potentially resulting in early school exit without qualifications. According to Desai (2016) and McKay (2012), students with higher proficiency levels and greater fluency in the language of instruction have the advantage of developing content and language knowledge simultaneously and with less difficulty. Desai (2016) also notes that learners limited or lack of exposure to the English language, coupled with a lack of support at home, contributes to their struggle to grasp the content of subjects taught through English as a medium of instruction.…”

Section: Contexts Of Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…According to Desai (2016) and McKay (2012), students with higher proficiency levels and greater fluency in the language of instruction have the advantage of developing content and language knowledge simultaneously and with less difficulty. Desai (2016) also notes that learners limited or lack of exposure to the English language, coupled with a lack of support at home, contributes to their struggle to grasp the content of subjects taught through English as a medium of instruction. All these shortcomings have an adverse effect on academic performance (Makgato, 2014).…”

Section: Contexts Of Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Derived Knowledge and Lived Experiences of Teachers Working in Resource-Constrained Multilingual Classrooms

Omidire

2020

TETFLE

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Due to global migration, multilingual classrooms are currently a common feature not just in postcolonial contexts but also in developed economies. The perceived challenges created by multiple languages in single classrooms have been well documented, and all stakeholders have to be involved in finding strategies to overcome these challenges and change perceptions. Using a case study design and sociocultural theory as lens, this study explored the perspectives and experiences of teachers with teaching and learning in resource-constrained multilingual classrooms. The participants were teachers (N=67; female n=51; male n=16) from nine schools in Gauteng Province of South Africa. The findings suggest that the participants were divided in their perceptions and experiences of multilingual classrooms. While some viewed multilingualism as a constraint to effective teaching and learning; others wanted more to be done to accommodate learners. It is evident that teachers prioritise the necessity for pre-service teacher education that focus on teaching pedagogy appropriate for the multilingual context they work in every day. In addition, the teachers emphasised a range of support strategies they currently use. It is argued that structured variations of the teachers' strategies be developed and distance education employed for the professional development of in-service teachers working in multilingual contexts.

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Learning through the medium of English in multilingual South Africa: enabling or disabling learners from low income contexts?

Cited by 44 publications

References 15 publications

Constructing multilingua franca scales

Constructing multilingua franca scales

Demystifying student plagiarism in academic writing: Towards an ‘educational’ solution

Derived Knowledge and Lived Experiences of Teachers Working in Resource-Constrained Multilingual Classrooms

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