Teaching and learning in two languages in African classrooms

Clegg, John; Afitska, Oksana

doi:10.1080/03050068.2011.541677

Cited by 69 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 21 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The literature that does exist focuses on teachers' challenges in implement-ing language-in-education policies (see, e.g. Clegg and Afitska 2011;Early and Norton 2014). The editors of this special issue took as a starting point that greater understanding of existing challenges for learners and educators and potential strategies that can support more effective teaching and learning in EMI classrooms can improve the quality of education in a range of postcolonial contexts.…”

Section: Editorialmentioning

confidence: 99%

English as a medium of instruction in postcolonial contexts: moving the debate forward

Milligan

Tikly

2016

Comparative Education

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Section: Editorialmentioning

confidence: 99%

English as a medium of instruction in postcolonial contexts: moving the debate forward

Milligan

Tikly

2016

Comparative Education

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…For example, Clegg and Afitska (2011) present an overview of studies that assess the pedagogic relevance of teaching and learning in two languages in African classrooms. They show that language practices such as codeswitching in the classroom in subSaharan Africa is a controversial issue as authorities often condemn its use and teachers do not accept its use in the classroom.…”

Section: Codeswitching In the Classroom In Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

The pedagogic relevance of codeswitching in the classroom: Insights from Ewe-English codeswitching in Ghana

Yevudey¹

2014

Ghana J. Ling.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Codeswitching as a code choice in the classroom has been a debatable issue among scholars interested in language of education, especially in Africa. Some studies promote the exclusive use of the L2 'target language' in the classroom, while other studies recommend a bilingual mode of communication such as codeswitching. Against this backdrop, this research explores the pedagogic functions of codeswitching patterns in both Ewe (L1) and English (L2) primary school lessons. The current language policy of education in Ghana, under which the classrooms being observed operate, is a bilingual literacy programme, NALAP, which stipulates that that the mother tongue of the pupils should be used as a medium of instruction while English is introduced as a second language with a transition to English medium of instruction from grade 4 onwards. The data for the research are recordings of classroom discourse, responses to questionnaire surveys and interviews conducted in the Volta Region of Ghana. This paper presents both a qualitative analysis of the data, which reveals that teachers and pupils use intersentential and intrasentential codeswitching to perform various functions in their classroom interactions, and a quantitative analysis of the data, which shows that teachers have predominantly positive attitudes towards codeswitching. Based on these results, it is argued that codeswitching between Ewe and English within the lessons enabled students to understand concepts in both languages and to participate actively during lessons.http://dx

show abstract

“…Literacy practices may appear complex due to unequal relationships between different languages (Asfaha & Kroon, 2011) and contextual compromise in standard language use (Pitt, 2005) leading to adaptation and mixing of languages. Clegg and Afitska (2011) show how a lack of fluency in a common language leads to 'creative bilingual practices' in order to enable communication between teachers and learners in African classrooms. Gorman (1968) assessed the importance of proficiency in English for social mobility and the role of educational provision in attaining proficiency in English in a multilingual environment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Challenges and Strategies for Teachers and Learners of English as a Second Language: The Case of an Urban Primary School in Kenya

Dhillon¹,

Wanjiru²

2013

IJEL

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

With over 40 spoken tongues in Kenya, English serves as a language of instruction in schools and is taught from the onset of schooling, making the language a significant factor in academic achievement and subsequent social mobility. This article draws on a case study conducted in an urban multilingual primary school in Kenya and focuses on the challenges and strategies for teaching and learning English as a second language (ESL) in primary schools. The findings are based on evidence gathered from teachers, through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, and from pupils, through learner diaries. The data show a strategic approach to teaching and learning English and reveal the tremendous effort invested by teachers and learners in grappling with the challenges of learning English in the context of an unresolved national language policy, interference from regional linguistic heritage languages and an examination-oriented education system. The strategies deployed by teachers to address these challenges include varied instructional approaches and creating a warm classroom climate to provide a non-threatening environment for learning and language acquisition. Data from pupils shows that group based interactions with their peers and individual reinforcement strategies, such as keeping vocabulary notebooks, are the most common learner strategies. The study shows how school-based research can give teachers and learners a voice in the development of successful language teaching and learning strategies for complex and challenging multilingual environments.

show abstract

Teaching and learning in two languages in African classrooms

Cited by 69 publications

References 21 publications

English as a medium of instruction in postcolonial contexts: moving the debate forward

English as a medium of instruction in postcolonial contexts: moving the debate forward

The pedagogic relevance of codeswitching in the classroom: Insights from Ewe-English codeswitching in Ghana

Challenges and Strategies for Teachers and Learners of English as a Second Language: The Case of an Urban Primary School in Kenya

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About