“Speak English!” A prescription or choice of English as a lingua franca in Ghanaian schools

Edu-Buandoh, Dora F.; Otchere, Gloria

doi:10.1016/j.linged.2012.06.003

Cited by 12 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Davis et al (2013), for example, show how Ghanaian students prefer being taught mathematics through English, despite difficulties in speaking, reading and understanding the language because they feel that this will help them to succeed in the world (see also Edu-Buandoh and Otchere, 2012). There is also significant pressure from parents, who generally want their children to speak English, on the assumption that this will provide them with greater opportunities for the future (James and Woodhead, 2013 for India;Norton, 2012;Probyn, 2009;Tembe and Norton, 2011 for Africa).…”

Section: Research Into Perceptions Of Language and Language Policymentioning

confidence: 99%

Medium of instruction policies in Ghanaian and Indian primary schools: an overview of key issues and recommendations

Erling

Adinolfi

Hultgren

et al. 2016

Comparative Education

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While the MDGs and SDGs seek to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education, they rarely address the issue of Medium of Instruction (MOI). Increasing attention is being paid to appropriate and feasible language-in-education policies in LMICs and evidence which demonstrates the benefits and challenges of various policy options. Research in this field, though, tends to be diversified, with a range of small-scale empirical studies scattered among a number of disciplinary contexts. There is therefore a need to consolidate and systematically identify the extent to which this diverse body of literature has evaluated the various languagein-education policy options. To this end, this paper reports on a rigorous literature review of MOI-related research on Ghana and India, whose language-in-education policies represent two contrasting models of use of local languages and the development of competence in English. The paper begins by briefly overviewing the language-in-education policy in these two countries and sets out the methodological approach underpinning this review. It then turns to the initial findings, which are discussed in two parts: The first categorises the three areas of research explored in the empirical studies reviewed, namely the effectiveness of language-in-education policies, problems hindering the implementation of these policies, and attitudes to these policies. The second provides an overview of the recommendations for how, given the obstacles in implementing the current policies, to better ensure the effectiveness of language-in-education policies in Ghana and India. Together these findings show that similar 2 issues arise that contribute to challenges of providing equitable, quality education, and similar recommendations have been put forward as a result. This paper thus provides a valuable overview of key issues in the role of language-in-education policies in improving equity and quality in education in LMICs. [283 words]

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Section: Research Into Perceptions Of Language and Language Policymentioning

confidence: 99%

Medium of instruction policies in Ghanaian and Indian primary schools: an overview of key issues and recommendations

Erling

Adinolfi

Hultgren

et al. 2016

Comparative Education

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…In Davis and Agbenyegah (2012), for example, school leaders were flexible in practice with the national language-ineducation policy that required Ghanaian languages for K-3 schooling. However, also in the literature, we see that even though teachers might alter certain pedagogical practices (Owu-Ewie & Eshun, 2015, the national curriculum content and assessment policies are strictly adhered to by most educators (Edu-Buandoh & Otchere, 2012;Opoku-Amankwa, 2009a) because of national assessments. As such it is important to examine the language of the curriculum in its entirety regarding the place of English and Ghanaian languages in education.…”

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 75%

“…Because schools prescribe English and classroom practices largely favor English, students learn that their own languages and literacies in Ghanaian language although diverse are not valued in education (Opoku-Amankwa, 2009a, 2009b. What is unique about Edu-Buandoh and Otchere's (2012) self-reported choice of students is that, we learn that sixty-eight out of the eighty say that in their last school attended English was the only prescribed language while seventy-five students report that English is the prescribed language in their present school (Edu-Buandoh & Otchere, 2012). As a result of former schools prescribing English, it is not surprising that some of these students have learned to choose English "voluntarily" because policies and practices have forced them to.…”

Section: Ghanaian Languages Improve Learningmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Additionally, through my examination of decades of research across formerly colonized multilingual countries, I argue that policymakers and educational leaders across the region have themselves learned discourse in favor of English through their own schooling, and this perhaps explains why policies supporting native languages are often poorly implemented and enforced (Davis & Agbenyegah, 2012;Edu-Buandoh & Otchere, 2012). As a result, this study also specifically examines the discourses of educational leaders about what should be included/excluded in the educational curriculum.…”

Section: Rationale For the Studymentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Ghanaian students as well learn that the knowledge and competencies they have in their local Ghanaian languages are invisible when they enter the Ghanaian classroom (Opoku-Amankwa, 2009a, 2009b. Like Okyeame Kwame recognized, when students are denied the opportunity to bring their languages into the classroom as part of the learning process, they fall behind (Collison 1974); the curriculum forces them to see the English language as the only way to succeed in education even if they do not understand the content they are learning in English (Davis & Agbenyegah, 2012;Edu-Buandoh & Otchere, 2012;Owu-Ewie & Eshun 2019), and as a result they acquire little literacy in both English and Ghanaian languages (Opoku-Amankwa, 2009a, 2009b.…”

Section: Chapter One: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Deconstructing dominant English language discourses in the Ghanaian curriculum : reimagining a curriculum centered on Ghanaian languages and literacies

Bonney¹

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Decades of research in language-in-education policies in Ghana can be summed up in the statement: "Ghanaian languages matter but they matter only as tools for learning English." Although researchers continue to call to include more content delivery in Ghanaian languages in schools, educational policies and practices in Ghana continue to prioritize English education inherited from Ghana's colonial past while devaluing and deprivileging Ghanaian languages and cultures (Dei and Asgharzadeh, 2001). Scholars continue to call for stakeholders to decolonize the curriculum by centering Ghanaian languages, culture, and knowledge in schools (Dei, 2005). This study heeds that call. Grounded in studies and theories of English linguistic imperialism and critical literacy, I first examine the discourse of the newly implemented 2019 K-6 primary school curriculum and public discourses of educational leaders to learn how curricular policies, content, assessment, and teaching and learning activities continue to center English-centric language practices and policies. Second, I reimagine how to center Ghanaian languages in education. I found that the curriculum does not resist English language dominance or question it but treats it as normal and aspirational for Ghanaian students. The topic of Ghanaian languages is absent in the public discourse of educational leaders including when they are addressing how to make education more equitable for students. This study is significant because it shows how formerly colonized spaces like Ghana through their own educational curriculum might be silencing and devaluing their own indigenous languages (and cultures) and it also demonstrates the role of educational leaders in shaping public discourse.

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“Speak English!” A prescription or choice of English as a lingua franca in Ghanaian schools

Cited by 12 publications

References 7 publications

Medium of instruction policies in Ghanaian and Indian primary schools: an overview of key issues and recommendations

Medium of instruction policies in Ghanaian and Indian primary schools: an overview of key issues and recommendations

Deconstructing dominant English language discourses in the Ghanaian curriculum : reimagining a curriculum centered on Ghanaian languages and literacies

Macro Perspectives

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