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The research project takes a hard look into the attitudes or perceptions of speakers of African languages towards the new language policy of South Africa. The question answered in this regard is, `What do people say?' The research project explores the extent of radical shift in African consciousness giving impetus to the resurgence of African languages so that they carry philosophical and scientific discourse to unprecedented heights. Maintaining the primordial language policy that is dominated by English and Afrikaans is like putting new wine into old skins. Thus, the research also seeks to establish strategies that could be implemented in order to ensure the revitalisation and rejuvenation of African languages so that all the languages take their rightful place. In other words, the research explores ways of injecting a new kind of consciousness that integrates language and content in schools so as to replace the primordial "telescopic philanthropy" type of approach existing currently in education and other major domains. / African Languages / D. Litt. et Phil. (African Languages)

The study sought to explore possibilities of using African languages and their literature to enhance socio-cultural and economic development in Zimbabwe. In broad terms the study considered empowerment through language. Basically the research was an exploration of the different linguistic patterns and attitudes that prevail in the African continent in general and Zimbabwe in particular. The descriptive survey research design was employed for its usefulness in exploratory studies. A total of 600 people participated in the research. Respondents were from across the breath of linguistic divides in the country. Questionnaires, interviews, observations and documentary reviews were used to gather data. Data gathered was subjected to both quantitative and qualitative analysis resulting in data triangulation for validation. Major findings of the research indicated a disparity in the roles and functions allocated to languages in Zimbabwe. English is preferred and over valued in administration, education and wider communication as a carrier of modern knowledge in science and technology Zimbabwe’s dependence on English provides selective access to socio-cultural and economic services that results in the exclusion of a majority of indigenous people. Zimbabwe’s dependence on English therefore limits adequate exploitation of potential in socio-cultural and economic development. The linguistic landscape of Zimbabwe is not adequately exploited. Zimbabwe is a multi-lingual and multi-cultural country without a clear defining instrument for the status and use of indigenous languages, (Gatawa, 1998; NLPAP, 1998 and Nziramasanga et al, 1999). A clear language policy that recognises that language is a resource is likely to be linguistically all-inclusive and facilitate socio-cultural and economic participation by all Zimbabweans Implementation of proposals for inclusion of African languages is retarded by centuries of linguistic marginalisation and fossilised attitudes in the belief that English carries modern knowledge, coupled with the lack of resources theory. Zimbabwe’s pursuance in the use of English is mainly for nationistic reasons.Proposals and recommendations to avoid reverse discrimination and come up with an all-inclusive multi-lingual policy that uplifts the status of indigenous languages and their literature without annihilating English were made. The level of development for English should illuminate and challenge the heights to which African languages can be developed. / African languages / D.Litt. et Phil.

This study analyses the perspectives of teachers on English as a language of learning and teaching in the context of government recommendations that Shona and Ndebele be used alongside English as languages of learning and teaching in Zimbabwean secondary schools. Through a questionnaire survey, open interviews and classroom observation, it was found that the teachers regard English as a language of learning and teaching in a positive way though they are aware of the difficulties associated with its use. There was a high consensus on the desirability of English among teachers as informants with various attributes obtained attitude, pedagogical beliefs and perceived difficulties scores that were, in the main, not statistically significant. It also emerged that government recommendations for the use of endoglossic languages as languages of learning and teaching (LoLT) have not been complemented by concrete measures and that the subsequent efforts to change the language-in-education policy have so far seemed insincere. / Linguistics / M.A. (With specialisation in Applied Linguistics)

The study sought to explore possibilities of using ChiShona as a medium of instruction in the teaching of Mathematics in primary schools. The aim was to compare the use of English as a medium of instruction with ChiShona as medium of instruction in the teaching and learning of Mathematics to Grade 4 class. The other objective was to examine the people’s attitudes towards the use of mother tongue instruction in the teaching and learning of Mathematics in Zimbabwe primary schools. A practical teaching experiment was used to investigate the feasibility of using ChiShona as medium of instruction in the teaching and learning of Mathematics to Grade 4 class. In addition a descriptive survey research design which used questionnaires and interviews as data collection methods was employed for its usefulness in exploratory studies. A total of 750 people participated in the research and these were 40 Grade 4 learners (used for teaching experiment) 260 teachers/lecturers, 250 parents and 200 college/university learners. Data gathered was subjected to both quantitative and qualitative analysis resulting in data triangulation for validation. Major findings of the research indicated that the use of ChiShona as a medium of instruction in the teaching of Mathematics to primary school children is possible and that the use of the mother tongue instruction (ChiShona) impacted positively in the teaching of Mathematics to Grade 4 learners. The use of ChiShona as a medium of instruction in teaching Mathematics was effective and comparatively the learners who used ChiShona performed better than those who used English as a medium of instruction. However the research further concluded that people preferred that English remain the only medium of instruction from primary up to university level as English offers them better opportunities for employment compared to ChiShona. The study concludes that the continued use of English as medium of instruction means that African languages such as ChiShona will remain underdeveloped and fail to find their way in the classrooms as languages of instruction in education. The study finally recommends the need for an all-inclusive multi-lingual policy that uplifts the status of indigenous languages and their literature without annihilating English. / African Languages / D. Litt et Phil.

En ce début de XXIème siècle, toutes les sociétés multilingues et multiculturelles, soit pratiquement tous les pays du monde, sont concernées par la politique linguistique scolaire. La gestion des langues de scolarisation, en particulier, est devenue l’affaire de tous les États soucieux (ou contraints) d’assurer le vivre-ensemble et de contribuer au développement humain, social, économique tout en ménageant des identités culturelles labiles et plurielles. Le XXème siècle a été celui de l’organisation des sociétés en unités étatiques sur fond d’utopie démocratique. Il a été celui d’une métamorphose du paysage politique avec l’apparition des organismes supranationaux et le réveil de la société civile. Dans un contexte global qui semble vouloir en finir avec la malédiction de Babel, nous tentons de problématiser la dimension concrète de la fabrique des politiques linguistiques scolaires. Nous soutenons dans ce travail qu’une politique linguistique scolaire est le résultat de l’interaction complexe entre une multitude d’acteurs au poids variable. En nous intéressant au cas mexicain et plus spécifiquement à celui de l’État du Jalisco, nous nous proposons d’interroger la fabrique de la politique d’éducation bilingue interculturelle mexicaine comme un espace de négociations au carrefour des recommandations globales, des choix étatiques et des revendications des populations indigènes.Cette thèse est une réflexion théorique et pragmatique sur la fabrique des politiques linguistiques scolaires. Elle est entièrement tournée vers l’objectif de prendre en considération la complexité inhérente à la conception des politiques linguistiques scolaires dans un monde glocalisé. / At this start of the XXIst century, all multilingual and multicultural societies, that is to say almost all countries in the world, are concerned with school language policies. In particular, schooling language management is a shared concern by all states involved in (or obliged to) ensure the living together and to contribute to the human, social and economic development while maintaining cultural identities both labile and plural. During the XXth century societies organised themselves into state units with a democratic utopia in the background. It was a century where the political scene got transformed with the appearance of supranational organizations and the reawakening of the civil society.In a global context that seems “to want” to finish with the Babel’s curse, we try to analyse the practical dimensions of schooling language policies’ construction.In this work we support that school language policies are the results of a complex interaction between numerous actors with variable power of action.With our focus on the Mexican case and more specifically on the case of the State of Jalisco, we try to analyse the construction of the intercultural and bilingual education policy - considering it as a space for negotiations at the crossroad between global recommendations, State choices and the expectations of the native populations.This thesis is a theoretical and pragmatic reflection on the “making” of schooling language policies. It is completely turned to the objective to take into consideration the inherent complexity in the conception of the school language policies in a glocalized world. / En esos principios del siglo XXI, cualquier sociedad multilingüe y multicultural, es decir casi todos los países del mundo, se debe de enfocar en una política lingüística escolar. El manejo de los idiomas de escolarización, en especial, se convirtió en un asunto central para todos los Estados preocupados (o forzados) por asegurar la convivencia y contribuir al desarrollo humano, social y económico, respetando a la vez identidades culturales cambiantes y plurales. El siglo XX vio las sociedades organizarse en entidades estatales en medio de una utopía democrática. Asimismo, vio el profundo cambio del paisaje político con la aparición de organismos supranacionales y el despertar de la sociedad civil. Dentro de un contexto global que parece querer ponerle fin a la maldición de Babel, tratamos aquí de plantear la creación / fabricación de las políticas lingüísticas escolares. En contra de cierta tradición en la investigación sobre política y planificación lingüística que se esmera en analizar una política a través de un análisis estático, sostenemos en el presente trabajo la idea que una política lingüística escolar es el resultado de una compleja interacción entre una multitud de actores de importancia variable. Enfocándonos en el caso mexicano, y en especial en el Estado de Jalisco, nos proponemos cuestionar la creación de la política lingüística escolar en México - política de educación bilingüe intercultural - como un espacio de negociaciones entre las recomendaciones globales, las elecciones de los estados, y las reivindicaciones de los pueblos indigenas. La presente tesis es una reflexión teórica y a la vez pragmática sobre la creación de las políticas lingüísticas escolares. Tiene como objetivo fundamental tomar en consideración la complejidad inherente a la concepción de esas políticas en un mundo glocalizado.

洪若震. / 論文(哲學博士)--香港中文大學, 2006. / 參考文獻(p. 273-285). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in Chinese and English. / Lun wen (zhe xue bo shi)--Xianggang Zhong wen da xue, 2006. / Can kao wen xian (p. 273-285). / Hong Ruozhen.

published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

The study interrogates the marginalisation of the Tonga language in the school curriculum of Zimbabwe. It explores the causes of marginalisation and what can be done by the Zimbabwean government to promote the Tonga language in the school curriculum at all levels in the education domain in Zimbabwe. In the study, the researcher uses a mixed method approach where qualitative and quantitative research techniques are used to corroborate data from different data gathering sources. The postmodernist theory is used in this research because of its encouragement of pluralism in society so as to enhance social cohesion. This is so because all languages are equal and they share the same functions and characteristics. There is no superior or inferior language in the eyes of the postmodernists. Participants for this study were drawn from district officials, selected primary and secondary school educators, primary and secondary school heads, all from Binga district of Zimbabwe and three university Tonga language lecturers, all purposefully selected. Focus group discussions, interviews, questionnaires, documents analysis and observations were used to collect data for this study. The data collected was then analysed using qualitative and quantitative analysis for triangulation purposes. The research established that the marginalisation of the Tonga language in Zimbabwe is caused by both exogenous and endogenous factors. The major factor is Zimbabwe‘s lack of a clear language policy exacerbated by attitudes of the different stakeholders which has also facilitated and enhanced the peripherisation of the Tonga language in Zimbabwe. The government of Zimbabwe has a tendency of declaring policies and not implementing them. Consequently, the government reacts to language problems as they arise. The study also reveals the importance of the Tonga language in the school curriculum in Zimbabwe. It also establishes that, for the Tonga language to be promoted there is need for the expeditious training of educators by the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development. There is need for the government of Zimbabwe to strengthen their language policy so that the status of Tonga is enhanced and uplifted. A strong language policy will compel different stakeholders to stick to their mandate thereby improving the place of the Tonga language in the school curriculum at all levels of the curriculum in Zimbabwe. / African Languages / D. Litt. et Phil. (African Languages)

The research project takes a hard look into the attitudes or perceptions of speakers of African languages towards the new language policy of South Africa. The question answered in this regard is, `What do people say?' The research project explores the extent of radical shift in African consciousness giving impetus to the resurgence of African languages so that they carry philosophical and scientific discourse to unprecedented heights. Maintaining the primordial language policy that is dominated by English and Afrikaans is like putting new wine into old skins. Thus, the research also seeks to establish strategies that could be implemented in order to ensure the revitalisation and rejuvenation of African languages so that all the languages take their rightful place. In other words, the research explores ways of injecting a new kind of consciousness that integrates language and content in schools so as to replace the primordial "telescopic philanthropy" type of approach existing currently in education and other major domains. / African Languages / D. Litt. et Phil. (African Languages)