M.A. / This study seeks to formulate a rationale to overcome the negative perceptions many South Africa ethnic language parents have adopted towards the use of their children's mother tongue as the language of learning and teaching. With a view to considering the role both home and school can play in supporting South Africa's new language-in-education policy, underpinned by additive bilingualism, this study investigates three factors of bilingual education, viz. (1) language planning and policy-making, (2) research into bilingualism and bilingual education, and (3) language attitudes of parents of L2 learners in three distinctly-different Gauteng primary schools...

Bibliography: pages 181-186. / The study recorded in this dissertation was undertaken in the School of Education at the University of Cape Town (UCT) during the period 1986-1990. It was motivated by perceived anomalies in the administration of State regulations for endorsement of teachers' diplomas in respect of ability in English (E/e). The study commences with an analysis of the relevant requirements of the regulations for teacher bilingualism, as set out in sections 10 and 11 of Criteria for the Evaluation of South African Qualifications for Employment in Education, 1988. Theoretical and practical problems of evaluation and endorsement identified at UCT are considered in relation to the concept of test failure, as opposed to testee failure. Responses to a questionnaire sent to other teacher training centres indicate similar concerns elsewhere. Arising from a review of recent literature on language testing, and against the background of the multilingual target groups tested at UCT, a proposition is put forward for a distinction between communicative competence and language proficiency as criteria in language assessment, depending on whether English is the medium (communicative competence), or the subject (proficiency), of instruction. Assuming that English will remain a medium of instruction in a changing socio-political dispensation, at least in the short and medium terms, the study then focuses on test design, construction and scoring, where the objective is to test communicative competence in English, rather than proficiency. The role of English in the curriculum in a future South Africa is discussed briefly. It is concluded that current regulations for language endorsement are in urgent need of review. The following recommendations are made in this regard: that the relevant requirements for teachers in State schools be reformulated to account for one level, rather than two, of endorsement in English as the medium of instruction; that such endorsement be required only in the case of non-English medium graduates, thereby recognising the integrity of the English medium teachers' diploma itself; that procedures for assessment for the purpose of diploma endorsement be standardised; and that the State support further research in this area.

A research report submitted to the School of Literature, Language and Media, Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Publishing Studies, 2017 / This study has aimed to investigate what reading materials commercial publishers and education NGOs currently offer to Foundation Phase learners in the nine official African languages and also the extent to which these materials are marketed and made available to the general public by the publishers. It has been guided by two research questions. The first is as follows: What is available for early readers (learners) to read in their home languages? This question seeks to address the issue of what kind of reading material is available for Foundation Phase learners to use in early literacy, in the nine indigenous South African languages, ranging from readers, to fictional and non-fiction information books which are likely to develop their interest in reading and their literacy skills. In addition to what is available for learners, the second main question is: How do people find out about materials that are being published? How are the materials being marketed by the publishers? Who knows about them and how do they know about them? How would people get access to the materials if they wished to purchase them? The study is in two parts. The first part involved a survey of published reading materials and the second part was a personal investigation of accessibility, in terms of ease or difficulty of finding and/or purchasing these reading materials. One of the main findings is that outside the mainstream educational publishers there is reluctance on the part of many publishers to publish texts in African languages for young readers. At present, much of the reading material published by the mainstream educational publishers for Foundation Phase readers conforms to the requirements of the CAPS curriculum. The limited variety may discourage children from reading in their home languages. The limited availability to the general public of existing texts in African languages is another of the key findings of this study and the lack of information about freely available texts is third. One encouraging development is that education NGOs are finding creative ways to make interesting texts available to young readers in a range of languages. / XL2018

Multilingualism has always been a feature of South African Education. It is only in recent years that a particular form of linguistic diversity has become unmanageable for schools implementing the official English/Afrikaans bilingual model associated with the previous regime. The subject of this study is a remedial language enrichment or support programme instituted as a response to multilingualism in the junior primary section in a parallel medium primary school in the Western Cape.

The aim of this dissertation is to contribute towards research in the area of Second Language Learning and Teaching, with particular focus on English Second Language (ESL) Learning and Teaching in the context of a South African distance college. This report investigates the notion of 'best practice' in language classrooms and compares this notion with a sample of teachers' own views about what constitutes 'best practice' in language teaching. Included in this report are critical discussions regarding language teacher education and the pervasive influence of different language policies in South Africa with regard to the way such policies have influenced teachers' beliefs about their practice. There is also a focus on the debate surrounding the prescription of a single 'best practice' in teacher education. The investigative approach used in this research was essentially qualitative and this report includes details on the benefits and challenges of the narrative task as a research tool, as well as much authentic material in the form of student responses. This investigation found that while many teachers do support practices which are in keeping with official notions of 'best practice' as described in the South African language-in-education policy and Curriculum 2005, there are significant numbers of teachers who advocate practices for language teaching which seem to contradict the notion of 'best practice' including Subtractive Bilingualism, Audiolingual methodology, rote learning and even coersion. Based on these findings, recommendations for the upgrading of existing teacher education programmes and the development of new programmes include the following: • information on changing policies and practices. • credibility in change through practice. • enactment of a process syllabus. • skills development in general classroom practice. • language development as part of teacher education. • acceptance that there is no 'best method'. • the development of broad critical reflexive practice in teachers. / Thesis (M.A.) - University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2001.

Multilingualism has always been a feature of South African Education. It is only in recent years that a particular form of linguistic diversity has become unmanageable for schools implementing the official English/Afrikaans bilingual model associated with the previous regime. The subject of this study is a remedial language enrichment or support programme instituted as a response to multilingualism in the junior primary section in a parallel medium primary school in the Western Cape.

This research project begins by exploring the problems surrounding the implementation of the 1997 Language in Education Policy (LiEP), and offers insight into why some schools, despite the promotion of additive bilingualism, choose English as the primary medium of instruction. It is a comparative case study of two Grade 1 classes in different situational contexts, which highlights the teaching strategies and language practices of teachers who teach predominantly non-English speakers through the medium of English. Research carried out through this case study illustrates the use of a wide range of teaching strategies, which assist young learners when learning through an additional language. In School A, thematic linking between different learning areas to maximise vocabulary development in both the mother tongue and the additional language, as well as repetition, recycling, scaffolding and contextualisation of content were found to be important. In addition, the use of questioning to elicit understanding, as well as classroom organisation and code-switching were strategies which assisted both the teacher and learners in this multilingual environment. In School B, class size, group work and the inclusion into the timetable of a wide range of diverse activities over and above the main learning areas, which provided opportunities for language development, were important considerations. In addition, routine, predictability and an attention to detail, in keeping with a form-focussed approach, aided the children in understanding the mechanics of literacy and guiding them towards becoming phonologically aware.

In this study, it is argued that a bi/multilingual instruction is extremely beneficial for bi/multilingual students in higher education in South Africa. Since the adoption of democracy in 1994, cultural and linguistic diversity has become the norm in classrooms at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Port Elizabeth. The testing of bi/multilingual strategies in this study (i.e. translation and development of multilingual glossaries; code-switching by tutor and students during teaching and learning; code-meshing by students online; and reading, speaking and writing bilingually), is an attempt to pedagogically adapt the curriculum to students’ needs. The data was collected from students in their Tourism Communication tutorial. The study was conducted in order to demonstrate that students benefit from bilingual pedagogies, which mobilise isiXhosa and English as languages of learning. Data was collected from tests, a questionnaire and interview, summaries, online discussions, written assignments and reflective journals in order to determine to what extent students’ performance was enhanced by bilingual tuition.

Thesis (M. A. (Translation Studies and Linguistics)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / This study provides the guidelines for the implementation of a mandatory African language course for first-year students at the University of Limpopo. The study utilised a phenomenological design to help participants to understand the need for a compulsory language course. Most importantly, the study aimed to understand the meanings that the participants ascribed to the importance of the course on campus at large. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews from 8 participants from the University of Limpopo. The sample size comprised of postgraduate students studying African language modules at the university, lecturers in African language modules, namely, Sepedi, lecturers in Tshivenḓa, and in Xitsonga. This study tested Language Management Theory (LMT) by Neustupny and Jernudd (1970). The study clarifies the meaning of section 4 (4.8) of the University of Limpopo’s language policy. Furthermore, this study brought the concept of ‘multilingualism’, as used in the setting of the University of Limpopo, into critical focus. This study recommended language module content needed at the University of Limpopo. Finally, the findings of the study show how students benefit from completing an African language course. The researcher suggested a compulsory African language module for all first-year students as a means to promote the use of African languages in academia. Furthermore, the study recommended that the language chosen by the students should not be their home tongue.

This study aims at eliciting opinions and beliefs of isiXhosa-speaking students to revealtheir attitudes toward various languages of learning and teaching (LOLT) issues at RhodesUniversity, and to determine the influence of a number of variables (such as age, gender,schooling background, level of study and field of study) on these attitudes. Another aim of the study is to compare the findings of this research to the recent findings on isiXhosaspeaking students’ language attitudes at the University of the Western Cape (Dyers 1999) and the University of Fort Hare (Dalvit 2004). Qualitative and quantitative methods were used: data was gathered using a survey that employed a questionnaire and interviews (individual and focus group). The questionnaire data is analysed through using percentage scores as well as mean values coupled with Chi-square tests, while the interviews are analysed qualitatively to further confirm the results of the quantitative analysis. Results are also compared with other recent surveys at South African universities. The results reveal that respondents had a generally positive attitude toward English as LOLT, based mainly on instrumental motivations. More importantly, there was a positive attitude toward the use of isiXhosa alongside English. The motivations for the use of isiXhosa were both instrumental and integrative in nature. The majority of respondents who supported a bilingual arrangement did not, however, believe that a fully-fledged bilingual policy would be practical, mainly because of the multilingual nature of Rhodes University. They felt, however, that providing English and isiXhosa exam question-papers, bilingual tutor support and isiXhosa definitions of discipline-specific technical terms would facilitate learning. Most of the variables mentioned above had an influence on the relevant language attitudes, often confirming the findings of other studies. For instance, schooling background greatly influenced the language attitudes of respondents. Those from previously advantaged English-only schools showed very positive attitudes toward an English-only policy, while most respondents from formerly disadvantaged DET bilingual schools were favourably disposed toward a bilingual policy of English and isiXhosa at Rhodes University. A comparison of the findings of this study with those of recent findings on isiXhosa students’ language attitudes at other universities reveals that respondents at the University of Fort Hare were most favourable toward a bilingual policy, those at the University of the Western Cape were to some extent favourable toward a bilingual arrangement, while respondents at Rhodes University were least favourable toward a bilingual policy.