Testing Students’ Ability to Learn Through English During the Transition from Primary to Secondary Schooling

Qorro, Martha

doi:10.1163/9789460912221_012

Cited by 2 publications

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“…Many of the teachers surveyed also expressed concerns about students' English abilities, with about half of the teachers reporting that students' English level is insufficient for them to understand their class, forcing them to resort to using Kiswahili in class. This is consistent with Qorro's (, p. 72) findings, in which 72.7% of teachers felt that Form 1 students' English competence was insufficient for English‐only instruction at the secondary level. After testing the entry Form 1 students' English level, she also found that a mere 3.8% of students had the necessary English proficiency for English‐only instruction (p. 79).…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 91%

“…In addition, 75% of the teachers surveyed believed that many teachers in Tanzania need more English education and training. This is consistent with Qorro's survey which found that about half of the teachers had never attended an in‐service training course or had not attended one within the last 10 years (p. 82).…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 89%

“…This is consistent with the results above, in which more than half of the teachers reported using Kiswahili in class due to students' insufficient English skills. Qorro (), Vavrus (), and Brock‐Utne () have all commented on Tanzanian teachers' extensive use of Kiswahili in secondary classes, especially in subject area and lower level classes. However, the students surveyed were all in A levels, Form 5 or Form 6; therefore, it is surprising to note that not even the upper level students received English‐only education as the language policy in Tanzania dictates.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Tanzanian Students' Attitudes Toward English

Hilliard

2014

TESOL J

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Although much research has been conducted on language policy and its effects in Tanzania, few studies have focused directly on the attitudes and opinions of Tanzanian students and teachers. For this project, 153 secondary students and 28 secondary school teachers from three secondary schools in Dar es Salaam were surveyed. Overall, both students and teachers had positive attitudes about learning and teaching English in the school system and recognized English as an important tool for advancement in their careers and future studies. However, they also recognized the necessity for more English language education and training if English continues to be the medium of instruction for both secondary and postsecondary education. The article suggests that if Tanzania cannot dedicate more resources to developing an appropriate foundation in the English language for both students and teachers and improving teacher training, either using Kiswahili as the medium of instruction or changing to a bilingual model may be more a viable option for the education system. However, these changes would also necessitate both a shift in the general populations' perceptions of English language instruction and a change in the economic benefits of English, making this a complicated and difficult issue to address.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Tanzanian Students' Attitudes Toward English

Hilliard

2014

TESOL J

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Exploring intercultural communicative competence among English language teachers in secondary schools in Tanzania: A postcolonial perspective

Biswalo¹

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<p>This thesis explores intercultural communicative competence (ICC) (that is ability to interact and communicate across cultures) from the perspectives of six teachers of English in the three secondary schools in the Dodoma Municipality in Tanzania. It also explores colonial legacies and power relations surrounding the constructions of English language teaching (ELT) practices in Tanzania. The study is underpinned by postcolonial theory and Southern theory as theoretical approaches, and uses Foucauldian discourse analysis as the methodological framework. Tanzania inherited the British colonial system after independence and, therefore, postcolonial theory in this study is used to identify the effects of colonialism, particularly in ELT practices in Tanzania. Postcolonial theory provides a framework for understanding the complex context in which the research took place. English, which was imposed on Tanzania during the colonial period, is now both a compulsory subject and the medium of instruction (the MOI) in secondary education. Foucauldian discourse analysis is employed in this study as a methodological approach for exploring and analysing the concept of power relations surrounding ELT practices in Tanzania. As a theoretical tool, Foucauldian discourse analysis is useful because it provided me with a lens to understand the complexities of power relations within ELT practices in Tanzania. Southern theory is employed to extend current understandings of ICC and to suggest ways of making ICC more responsive to Southern contexts. This post-structural and postcolonial work involved two phases of data collection and analysis. In phase one, I analysed the government documents― the policy and the syllabus― while in phase two the data from semi-structured interviews and stimulated recall with teachers, and my reflective diary were analysed. The findings indicate that despite its important role in effective communication and interaction in this global age, teachers who participated in this study seemed to be unaware of ICC. Secondly, the findings reveal some evidence of colonial legacies which were inherent in ELT practices in English language classrooms in Tanzania. Thirdly, the thesis reveals the discursive effects of the Ministry of Education’s power in shaping the ELT curriculum in Tanzania. This results in the generation of multiple and complex subjectivities for teachers. Finally, the study demonstrates the ways in which Western theories need to be re-read and extended through postcolonial theory in order to understand ELT in Southern contexts. The thesis generates and contributes knowledge to the area of ELT in secondary schools in Tanzania by emphasising the importance of students gaining ICC for effective global interaction and communication. It also presents a unique contribution to the scholarship of ICC by proposing Southern theory to explore how people in the Southern contexts, such as Tanzania, interact across cultures. Lastly, the study contributes to the theoretical and methodological frameworks in the studies of ELT in non-Western contexts. A combined approach that uses Foucauldian analysis as well as postcolonial theory is unusual in this field. The study also has implications for teachers and policy makers for the development of both teachers’ and learners’ ICC for effective communication and interaction with other speakers of English globally.</p>

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Testing Students’ Ability to Learn Through English During the Transition from Primary to Secondary Schooling

Cited by 2 publications

References 0 publications

Tanzanian Students' Attitudes Toward English

Tanzanian Students' Attitudes Toward English

Exploring intercultural communicative competence among English language teachers in secondary schools in Tanzania: A postcolonial perspective

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