The focus of this research is on implementing a professional development intervention aimed at improving the teaching practice of teachers teaching English as a subject at a rural high school in Lesotho. The study presents the way in which I as the principal researcher and my English teacher colleague facilitated learning, using innovative methods in our English classes in a way that promoted learner-centredness. In this study improvement of the teaching practice of teachers of English was intended to reduce the overuse of mother tongue in English classes to promote the teaching of English through English (Cook, 2005) and to improve learners’ proficiency in English as a subject. The study was conducted using an action research design. Action research was used as a professional development process with a view to improving educational practice; it enabled me as the facilitator of the professional development intervention and my colleague to rethink our approaches to facilitating learning of English in order to innovate our teaching. A mix of qualitative and quantitative approaches was used for collecting and analysing both qualitative and quantitative data in one study. These approaches were used to promote an in-depth understanding of the research problem under investigation. Open-ended interviews, observations, observation sheets, reflective journals and a questionnaire were used as data collection procedures that created a convergence of viewpoints, methods and conclusions. The conceptual and theoretical framework that guided the study emerged from the literature review. Findings of the study revealed that the innovative methods implemented in the English classes at a rural high school have contributed to the improvement in professional development and the teaching practice of teachers of English. Although learners preferred the use of both English and mother tongue in their English classes, findings of the study have revealed that there was an improvement in learners’ proficiency in English as a subject which was facilitated using English. The study recommends that the whole brain thinking model, multiple intelligences and action research as a constructivist approach be utilised daily in English classes and in all learning areas in Lesotho high schools as a basis for transformation and facilitation of learning that promotes learner-centredness. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Humanities Education / MEd / Unrestricted

The South African Language-in-Education Policy (LiEP) states that mother tongue should be the preferred medium of instruction in the Foundation Phase (grade R-3). Primary tuition is therefore currently offered in the 11 South African official languages. The challenge faced in South African schools that offer African languages in the Foundation Phase, is the fact that from grade 4 onwards, education is only available through the medium of English. This results in a vast number of learners having to make a transition in grade 4 to English as medium of instruction. In this qualitative study, I explored the experiences of teachers and learners in this transition. The context of this case study is a poverty-stricken and underdeveloped rural area. SiSwati is the language commonly spoken in this area and English is spoken, heard and read only in the classroom. Purposive sampling was done, including three grade 3 classes and their teachers, as well as the grade 4 learners and the teachers teaching siSwati, English and Mathematics. Data was collected through interviews, observations, document analysis and field notes. Conventional content analysis was conducted. Among the theoretical lenses adopted for the study was Krashen’s input-interaction-output model of second language learning. This informed the process grade 4 learners undergo in learning English as a second language and medium of instruction. The findings of this study revealed that the challenge regarding this transition is not the English language per se, but rather a deficient home language foundation and the quality of teaching offered. The learners’ age at the time of this transition also plays a significant role, as it affects their readiness to switch to another language. The implications of this study relate to the necessity of a solid mother tongue foundation and improved quality of teaching. It is suggested that the admission age in grade 1 be seven years and the actual point of transition prolonged. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Early Childhood Education / MEd / Unrestricted

Sverige är idag ett mångkulturellt samhälle, där många är flerspråkiga. Skolan blir därför en central plats där många språk möts samt en plats där de ska lära sig ett annat språk. Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur elevernas språkutveckling fungerar men även hur lärare och pedagoger arbetar för att utveckla elevernas språkutveckling samt vilka verktyg de använder sig utav. Jag har skickat ut en enkät till sju olika pedagoger som jobbar på en skola där majoriteten av alla barn som går på skolan är flerspråkiga. Studien är både kvantitativ genom enkätfrågor. Studien är framställd i Mellansverige på en skola som ligger i en låginkomsttagande stadsdel. På skolan är tvåspråkigheten stor och cirka 70 procent av eleverna som går på skolan är tvåspråkiga, vilka antingen är födda i Sverige eller har kommit till Sverige när de var små. Resultatet visar att mycket är beroende på elevens bakgrund samt att lärarna försöker utveckla språket genom olika hjälpmedel såsom till exempel bildstöd, datorer och dokumentkameror.

Introduction: The most common symptom of ankyloglossia is breastfeeding problems. Lately, more attention has been given to problems beyond infancy, like with speech and mobility. There is limited research done in that area though, and there is no research made comparing indication groups with each other.Aim: To investigate if there is a difference in the self-experienced benefit of the tongue-tie release, in relation to the indication for cutting the tongue-tie.Methods: A retrospective survey of all patients who underwent a tongue-tie release in Örebro county under a period of two years. The patient, or their caregiver if the patient was under 18 years old, were contacted for a telephone survey. 73 patients completed the survey.Results: The results demonstrated no significant difference in self-experienced benefit between the indication-groups. 88% of all patients included in the study experienced benefit, 98% of these patients had a primary (n=57) or secondary (n=6) symptom that got better. The remaining 2% (n=1) experienced benefit despite any symptom relief because of the possible future benefit. The 12% that did not experience benefit did not experience any symptom relief from the surgery.Conclusions: The self-experienced benefit after the tongue-tie release was high in general, without differences between the indication-groups. It turned out to be important to ask for other symptoms than just the primary to see the whole picture. More research with a larger study population is encouraged.

Thesis (M.Ed. (Language Education)) -- University of Limpopo, 2010 / This research study investigated subtractive bilingualism in teaching and learning through the medium of English without the support of the mother tongue. The aim was to investigate if it is possible for learners to acquire a second language (English) without totally losing their home language. This was done through: probing the reasons why the language policy is difficult to implement in schools as outlined by the constitution of South Africa; determining the causes of subtractive bilingualism in the school settings and; an emphasis of the rights and responsibilities of educators and parents to make a positive difference in the lives of bilingual and bicultural learners. This research was grounded on Cummins (1991) theory of second language acquisition. The literature review examined other theories of second language acquisition and learning (Krashen 1981). In particular, emphasis was placed on the following broad areas in the literature review: mother tongue development; language shift and language loss; language planning and language policy; language and culture; language and identity, attitudes and equity; language in education; the National Language Policy Framework; and multilingualism. This research was conducted using the qualitative research methodology. A case study design was employed. Three instruments were used for collecting of the data. These were: questionnaires, interviews and classroom observations. The data analysis strategy used in this research was interaction analysis which was done through transcriptions of observations and video and audio recordings of interviews and classroom observations. The following were some of the findings from this research study: learners were not happy with their educators who unduly force them to communicate in English as the educators themselves are also not proficient in the language; learners are afraid to take risks of communicating in English for fear of other learners intimidating them; and many learners now communicate only in English and cannot understand the greater details of their mother tongue. iv The recommendations of this study are: to reduce the extent of language loss, parents should establish a strong home language policy and provide ample opportunities for children to expand the functions for which they use the mother tongue; parents and care-givers should spend time with their children and tell stories or discuss issues with them in a way that develops their mother tongue vocabulary and concepts so that children come to school prepared to learn the second language successfully without being distracted; funding and resources must be made available for additional language acquisition; well-trained and dedicated teachers with similar linguistic backgrounds to the learners should be hired; and the new language policy should be adopted.

The aim of this Master thesis is to present language situation in relation to mother tongue of students of Czech school without borders (abbreviated as CSBH Paris). The thesis is divides into two parts -theoretical and practical. In the first part, we define terms such as mother tongue, the first language and the second (foreign) language. This thesis deal with bilingualism and multilingualism, which are important for determination of the target group of pupils of the CSBH Paris. With use of questionnaires applied on students and parents we can determine specific czech-french bilingualism of students of CSBH Paris. In the second part we analyze educational materials - textbooks that are used by teachers at CSBH Paris, and at the end we get to the subject of your practical research, outline specific teaching methods and design teaching materials that can be used in Czech language classes with regard to linguistic reality of pupils in the second grade of the Czech School without borders Paris. Key words: mother tongue, bilingualism, curriculum, Czech school without borders, teaching materials, textbooks

Studies on the incidence of socio-pragmatic competence in the teaching of mother tongues are very scarce. The aims of this qualitative study are two folded: First, we want to describe the teachers’ use of socio-pragmatics in the subject of Spanish as a mother tongue. In addition, we want to determine the degree of use of socio-pragmatics u in this specific subject. a mixed method was applied. The results were obtained by means of aclassroom’sssemi structuredsIt was assumed that there would be a sociopragmatic approach in the teaching of mother languages but it was found to be different in each class and it depended on the teachers’ academic training and on the teaching materials, which do not always met the requirements of the subject’s curriculum. The present study assumes that there is a big difference between what appears in the curricular plan and what happens inside the classroom. Sociopragmatic aspects are not sufficiently reflected in the pedagogical practice due to two main reasons: on the one hand, internal and external factors that affect teaching negatively; and, on the other, the fact that teachers are not sufficiently acquainted with socio-pragmatic views. The results show that in all classes the teaching of socio-pragmatic aspects works although mostly intuitively. The degree of employment of socio-pragmatics is different depending on the knowledge that the teacher has about socio-pragmatic competence. Finally, yet importantly, it was found that various internal and external factors affect mother tongue teachers. These factors have a big impact on the properly development of the subject and, specifically, on the teaching of socio-pragmatic competence.

The thesis focuses on mother tongue education in The Gambia, attempting to analyse factors affecting its implementation in public lower basic schools across the country. The work is based on a field study investigating the strategies and the controversies behind multilingual education, with reference to a project launched in 2015 and aimed at the introduction of the seven Gambian national languages beside English

Nästan en tredjedel av grundskolans elever har annat modersmål än svenska. De är berättigade en timmes undervisningstid på modersmålet per vecka trots att forskning visar att de tidiga språkfärdigheterna bör utvecklas på elevens starkaste språk. Syftet med föreliggande studie är att tillföra forskning genom semistrukturerade intervjuer om hur tre klasslärare och tre modersmålslärare beskriver sin undervisning och sin kommunikation sinsemellan för flerspråkiga elevers skrivutveckling. Sociokulturell teoribildning och transspråkande utgör studiens teoretiska ansats. Studiens resultat visar att klasslärarna beskrev skrivundervisning med fokus på semantiska och pragmatiska aspekter av språk medan modersmålslärarna fokuserade på fonologiska aspekter. Klasslärarna beskrev att flerspråkiga elever specifikt gynnas av att få samarbeta och få stöttning av klasskamrater. Fyra av deltagarna beskrev flerspråkighet som en resurs i lärandet och två av modersmålslärarna organiserar undervisning med flerspråkigt skrivande genom transspråkande. Modersmålslärarna var i högre grad nöjda med kommunikationen än klasslärarna. Klasslärarna önskade en förbättrad kommunikation och beskrev att kommunikationen påverkas av organisatoriska och tidsmässiga hinder. / Almost one third of elementary school students have a different mother tongue than Swedish. They are entitled to one hour of teaching time per week in the mother tongue, despite research showing that early language skills should be acquired in the student's strongest language. The aim of this study is to investigate through semi-structured interviews how three class teachers and three mother tongue teachers describe their teaching and their communication with each other for multilingual students' writing development. Sociocultural theory formation and translanguaging constitute the study's theoretical approach. The results of the study show that the class teachers described writing instruction with focus on semantic and pragmatic aspects of language while the mother tongue teachers focused on phonological aspects. The class teachers described that it is specifically beneficial for multilingual students to be able to collaborate and receive support from classmates. Four of the participants described multilingualism as a resource in learning and two of the mother tongue teachers organize instruction with multilingual writing through translanguaging. The mother tongue teachers were more satisfied with the communication than the class teachers. The class teachers wanted improved communication and described that communication is affected by organizational and time-related limitations.

The purpose of this examination is to study and have a deeper understanding about the different perceptions preschool teacher have regarding to the importance of the pedagogical environment, in relation to strengthening multilingual work and children's mother tongue. We also want to study preschool teachers' perceptions about the structure and organization of the indoor environment and how it can promote children's multilingualism.  The study used phenomenography as a methodological approach and the theory of variation as the theoretical starting point, based on semi-structured qualitative interviews. We have interviewed ten preschool teachers from three different municipal preschools and one special educator that works in one of the communes.  The results of our study show that there are different perceptions about the pedagogical environment in relation to multilingual work. The result high lighted a greater awareness from preschool teachers’ perceptions about the work with the pedagogical environment compared to the multilingual work. Experiences and knowledge about the pedagogical environment were also experienced more than the multilingual work, which the preschool teachers perceived as problematic as they have the majority of children who are multilingual in preschool.