Learner and teacher experiences and practices of using isiXhosa and english as languages of instruction in two grade four natural science classrooms in the Western Cape
| dc.contributor.author | Ziegler, Rosetta | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-08-21T10:24:42Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-08-21T10:24:42Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2014 | |
| dc.description.abstract | This study explores and analyses the experiences and practices of a Grade 4 teacher and her learners when they use English (their second language) and isiXhosa (their first language) respectively, as languages of instruction in two Natural Science classrooms. This study took place at a primary school in Khayelitsha, in the Western Cape. The school, which I named Bongolethu Primary, was also a participant in the Language of Instruction in Tanzania and South Africa (LOITASA) project. Grade 4, which is the start of the Intermediate Phase (Grades 4 to 6), is a particularly important focus in this study as it is at this critical stage that learners switch from learning through isiXhosa to learning all their content subjects in English. The assumption underpinning this study is that language is central to learning and that meaningful learning can take place more easily in a language that one knows best. Khayelitsha is predominantly an isiXhosa-speaking community and isiXhosa is the main language of the participants in this study. It is argued, against the background of constitutional and Language in Education Policy provisions, that the relevance of teaching and learning in English, in a context where the language of learners and teachers is isiXhosa, is questionable. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10566/20790 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | University of the Western Cape | |
| dc.subject | Language of instruction | |
| dc.subject | Mother tongue | |
| dc.subject | Intermediate Phase | |
| dc.subject | Pedagogical content knowledge | |
| dc.subject | Science literacy | |
| dc.title | Learner and teacher experiences and practices of using isiXhosa and english as languages of instruction in two grade four natural science classrooms in the Western Cape | |
| dc.type | Thesis |