At present, there is an emphasis in South African education on promoting multicultural classrooms in schools. This thesis examines the classroom culture of a South African English-medium school, where the majority of the learners are Second Language English learners. It first describes, in the form of a case-study, how two teachers have constructed the culture of their foundation phase classrooms. It then considers why the two teachers have constructed their classrooms in such ways by exploring their knowledge and understanding of, and attitudes towards, multiculturalism, second language acquisition and multilingualism. The study also briefly considers whether teacher training has sufficiently prepared these teachers for the challenges of a multicultural classroom. The data is discussed in terms of education and second language acquisition theory and South African education and language policies. The results of this study indicate that for the most part the classroom culture is distinctly Western and that the teachers have two fundamental assumptions that underpin their action and classroom construction. The first is that a lack of exposure to English is the primary cause of language problems for L2 learners and the second is that the L1 does not need to be maintained or promoted in the school environment because learners are sufficiently exposed to their L1 in the home. The thesis concludes that shortcomings in training and information encourages these two assumptions to take root and that more in-service training that focuses specifically on the nature of second language acquisition and multiculturalism is necessary.

South Africa is a complex multilingual country. In the majority of schools in the Eastern Cape, a province in South Africa, the teachers and learners share the same home language, isiXhosa, but teach and learn mathematics in English. The purpose of this study was to encourage teachers to use the home language as a resource to teach mathematics in multilingual classes. The study follows a mixed method design, using both qualitative and quantitative data. Qualitative data were collected from a survey and poetry, which teachers crafted, in which they highlighted their perceptions about language in their lives. They also reflected on their practices and submitted pieces of contemplative writing. Quantitative data were collected from participating teachers who administered a pre-test to their learners as well as a post- test approximately nine months later after conducting an intervention. The results showed that where strategies, such as the implementation of exploratory talk and code switching which used language as a resource, had been introduced mathematical reasoning improved and classroom climate became more positive. The learners’ lack of confidence in being able to express their reasoning in English was prevalent throughout the reflective writing. By enabling learners to use isiXhosa in discussions the teachers felt that the learners gained in both confidence and mathematical understanding. This study has demonstrated that using the learners’ and teachers’ home language unlocks doors to communication and spotlights mathematical reasoning, but there is still an urgency to encourage learners to become fluent in Mathematical English. It is important to note that a positive classroom climate is essential for learners to build confidence and to encourage them to attempt to formulate sentences in English - to start on the journey from informal to formal usage of language as advocated by Setati and Adler (2001:250). My main conclusion is that an intervention that develops exploratory talk by using language as a resource can improve learners’ mathematical reasoning. I wish to emphasise that I am not advocating teaching mathematics in isiXhosa only, but the research has shown the advantages of using the home language as a resource together with English in Eastern Cape multilingual mathematics classes. Learners need to be able to express themselves in English, written and spoken, in order to achieve mathematically. This study therefore shows that teachers can gauge their learners’ improvement in mathematical reasoning after an intervention that develops exploratory talk in class by using the home language as a resource.

In theory, the South African government advocates additive bilingual education over subtractive bilingual education. However, this study shows that subtractive bilingual education supersedes additive bilingual education mainly because the official African languages of South Africa are being marginalised and not utilised as languages of teaching and learning in schools. The majority of isiZulu speaking learners in KwaZulu-Natal are underperforming academically under a subtractive bilingual educational system. The findings of this study acknowledge that there are numerous contributing factors to this problem, but the most obvious is that isiZulu speaking learners are compelled to write their examinations in English. This study employed a triangulation approach where various literary sources were consulted to illustrate how English has emerged as a dominant language on the local and global stage, and how this has affected the status and use of minority languages. Qualitative approaches were used to gather data from Grade 10 to 12 isiZulu speaking learners who attend the so-called 'Black schools' in the district of Pinetown, in KwaZulu-Natal. Questionnaires and experimental tests were used as the main instruments for gathering data from learners. One-on-one interviews were conducted with educators and other relevant stakeholders. The observation technique was also utilised to monitor the behaviour of isiZulu speaking learners in both affluent and previously disadvantaged schools. By examining Cummins’ interdependency hypothesis (1979, 1996 and 2000) as a theoretical framework, this research study has proven that the continued use of English as the only language of teaching and learning in South African ‘Black schools’ has a negative impact on the academic achievements of the KwaZulu-Natal isiZulu speaking learners. The study, therefore, calls for the introduction of a language policy that will promote dual bilingual education where both isiZulu and English are used as the languages of teaching and learning throughout the KwaZulu-Natal isiZulu speaking learners’ scholastic years. The study has proven that this approach to education will facilitate better understanding of the subject matter and thus curb the high failure rate, especially in the so called 'Black schools'. / African Languages / D. Litt. et Phil. (African Languages)

In theory, the South African government advocates additive bilingual education over subtractive bilingual education. However, this study shows that subtractive bilingual education supersedes additive bilingual education mainly because the official African languages of South Africa are being marginalised and not utilised as languages of teaching and learning in schools. The majority of isiZulu speaking learners in KwaZulu-Natal are underperforming academically under a subtractive bilingual educational system. The findings of this study acknowledge that there are numerous contributing factors to this problem, but the most obvious is that isiZulu speaking learners are compelled to write their examinations in English. This study employed a triangulation approach where various literary sources were consulted to illustrate how English has emerged as a dominant language on the local and global stage, and how this has affected the status and use of minority languages. Qualitative approaches were used to gather data from Grade 10 to 12 isiZulu speaking learners who attend the so-called 'Black schools' in the district of Pinetown, in KwaZulu-Natal. Questionnaires and experimental tests were used as the main instruments for gathering data from learners. One-on-one interviews were conducted with educators and other relevant stakeholders. The observation technique was also utilised to monitor the behaviour of isiZulu speaking learners in both affluent and previously disadvantaged schools. By examining Cummins’ interdependency hypothesis (1979, 1996 and 2000) as a theoretical framework, this research study has proven that the continued use of English as the only language of teaching and learning in South African ‘Black schools’ has a negative impact on the academic achievements of the KwaZulu-Natal isiZulu speaking learners. The study, therefore, calls for the introduction of a language policy that will promote dual bilingual education where both isiZulu and English are used as the languages of teaching and learning throughout the KwaZulu-Natal isiZulu speaking learners’ scholastic years. The study has proven that this approach to education will facilitate better understanding of the subject matter and thus curb the high failure rate, especially in the so called 'Black schools'. / African Languages / D. Litt. et Phil. (African Languages)

Educational challenges of immigrant children in South African schools include among others, poor English proficiency. This challenge poses a challenge of negative self-efficacy to teachers. I became aware of the immigrants’ challenges from the teachers’ complaints. The teachers complained about the immigrant learners’ poor English proficiency and behaviour. I also became aware that the immigrant learners isolated themselves from the local learners. They also did not participate actively during oral classroom activities. I sought to investigate the immigrant learners’ language challenges and how these challenges influence their behaviour in the learning environment. The question that arose is: How does the language challenge of immigrant children in the Foundation Phase classes of South African schools influence their behaviour in the learning environment? The study consists of six chapters. The literature reviewed provided psychological and sociological theories that explain the relationship between language and behaviour. Programmes that were designed by various education systems were looked at in order to ascertain how the language challenges and behaviour of immigrant school children have unfolded and dealt with in different countries. The qualitative research method was used. This was a case study of three schools situated in Tshwane North district. Sampling was purposive and data was collected by means of observations, focus group interviews, individual interviews and artefacts. Ethical considerations were also presented. The findings from the data indicate that immigrant learners experience a great deal of frustration, sadness, anxiety and stress relating to coping with prejudice and discrimination because of their poor English. Teachers were also distressed by their inability to assist these learners. A programme that integrates language teaching with social skills is suggested. The aim is to foster a positive learning environment by incorporating psychosocial content in language teaching. A positive learning environment promotes positive behaviour. / Psychology of Education / D. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the challenges in teaching IsiXhosa home language in rural secondary schools. Learners from Grades 8 to 12 perform poorly in IsiXhosa grammar, essay writing, literature and oral work. The researcher sampled 40 learners from each of two senior secondary schools, eight parents and eight IsiXhosa subject specialists (two district based and six school based) to take part in the research. Data for this study were collected during cluster moderations in one of the secondary schools by using document analysis, interviews and questionnaires. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used by the researcher to analyse IsiXhosa results from Grade 8 to Grade 12. Analysis of documents such as mark schedules and marks for formal and informal tasks gave evidence that learners perform poorly in grammar, literature, oral work and essay writing. Scarcity or non-availability of distinctions (levels 6 and 7) in Grade 12 final exams as well as in Grades 8 to 11 proves that the language demands special attention for its teaching and learning in the secondary classroom situation; the conclusions were therefore drawn and recommendations made. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Design and Development)