Talking Science in Multilingual Contexts in South Africa: Possibilities and challenges for engagement in learners home languages in high school classrooms

Msimanga, Audrey; Lelliott, Anthony

doi:10.1080/09500693.2013.851427

Cited by 50 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…These results correspond to Salameh's (2011) finding that multilingual students who receive instruction in both first and second languages develop more paradigmatic relations, than students who only receive instructions in their second language. The result is also in line with a study from South Africa, which shows that learners' use of home languages is a resource to create conceptual understanding in science (Msimanga & Lelliott, 2014).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

“…In the first phase of the analysis, all the collected data were carefully reviewed, and the content-related situations when students and teachers use both languages (Swedish and Arabic) in interactions were selected for further analysis (approximately 10 h). In the second phase, the situated function of using both first and second languages were analysed and compared to similar situations in other studies (Baker, 2011;García & Kano, 2014;Msimanga & Lelliott, 2014;Reath Warren, 2016;and Stevenson, 2013). This part of the analysis revealed a pronounced complexity of the students' use of both first and second languages and suggested the use of several different functions simultaneously (Rampton, 2014).…”

Section: The Analytic Proceduresmentioning

confidence: 93%

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Multilingual students’ use of translanguaging in science classrooms

Karlsson

Larsson

Jakobsson

2018

International Journal of Science Education

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This study describes multilingual students' authentic use of their first and second languages in a translanguaging science classroom, from a sociocultural perspective. The study is ethnographic, and has followed some lessons each month in a translanguaging science classroom at a primary school for three years. The observed lessons were documented by four video cameras and four audio recorders, while field notes and different types of students' texts and other teaching materials were also collected. In order investigate how language operates, and to realise the meaning semantically, we analysed the students' use of both first and second language to tie paradigmatic relations, and how they move in linguistic loops between languages and discourses. The results illustrate the ways in which a translanguaging science classroom constitutes a resource in joint negotiations of the scientific content and its related language for multilingual students, and benefits the students' ability to relate and contextualise the science content to prior experience. The creation of translanguaging science classrooms, in which students' experiences and diverse cultural and linguistic resources interweave with school science, and in which multilingual students are enabled and encouraged to use all available language resources, has important implications for science education. ARTICLE HISTORY

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: The Analytic Proceduresmentioning

confidence: 93%

Multilingual students’ use of translanguaging in science classrooms

Karlsson

Larsson

Jakobsson

2018

International Journal of Science Education

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“…Future research should focus on developing new ways to support such students in their learning process. Although the most obvious option would be to invest in initiatives focusing on the language of instruction, the home language can also be brought into the learning process as a scaffold (Clark, Touchman, Martinez-Garza, Ramirez-Marin, & Drews, 2012;Msimanga & Lelliott, 2014). Content areas such as science can serve as a content vehicle, providing a rich source of input for learning (Cummins, 1986).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Students’ Home Language in Science Achievement: A multilevel approach

Laere

Aesaert

Braak

2014

International Journal of Science Education

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The present study aimed to identify the role of both student-and school-level characteristics in primary school students' achievement in the science curriculum. As societies become more culturally and linguistically diverse, many students enter the classroom with a home language that is different from the language of instruction used at school. This study takes into account both the home language and literacy in the language of instruction in relation to student achievement in science subjects. Questionnaires, reading performance tests, and science achievement tests were administered to 1,761 fourth-grade students from 67 schools across Flanders (Belgium). Multilevel hierarchical regression analyses show that the home language and literacy in the language of instruction play an important role in science achievement at the student level, next to gender and socioeconomic status. Students with a home language that is different from the language of instruction experience difficulties with science subjects. Moreover, the higher students' performance on reading comprehension and self-assessed proficiency in the language of instruction, the higher their score on science achievement tests. At the school level, a school's teachability expectations are one of the key factors related to students' science achievement. Limitations of this study and future directions for research are discussed.

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“…A relevant question to ask then is how to use other resources besides the language of instruction to support bilingual students (Hammond & Gibbons, 2005;Kamberelis & Wehunt, 2012). One important resource, for both bilingual students' linguistic development (Cummins, 2005), and learning in science (Msimanga & Lelliott, 2014), is their minority language (also called first language or mother tongue). However, in some geographic areas or countries, science classes are not bilingual, but rather multilingual.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Gesticulating science: Emergent bilingual students’ use of gestures

et al. 2017

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This article examines how emergent bilingual students used gestures in science class, and the consequences of students' gestures when their language repertoire limited their possibilities to express themselves. The study derived from observations in two science classes in Sweden. In the first class, 3rd grade students (9-10 years old) were involved in a unit concerning electricity. The second class consisted of 7th-grade students (13-14 years old) working with acids and bases. Data were analyzed by using practical epistemological analysis (PEA). When students' language proficiency limited their possibility to express themselves, using gestures resulted in the continuation of the science activities. Furthermore, both peers and teachers drew on the used gestures to talk about the science content. In some situations, the meaning of the gestures needed to be negotiated. Regardless, the gestures were always related to language. Both students and teachers participated in this process, but the teachers directed the communication toward the goal of the lessons: learning how to talk science. The study contributes to the field by showing the importance of paying attention to and valuing bilingual students' use of gestures as a way to express scientific knowledge. In addition, it demonstrates how teachers might draw on students' gestures to teach science and discusses the importance of creating multimodal learning environments. #

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Talking Science in Multilingual Contexts in South Africa: Possibilities and challenges for engagement in learners home languages in high school classrooms

Cited by 50 publications

References 34 publications

Multilingual students’ use of translanguaging in science classrooms

Multilingual students’ use of translanguaging in science classrooms

The Role of Students’ Home Language in Science Achievement: A multilevel approach

Gesticulating science: Emergent bilingual students’ use of gestures

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