Grade 3 learners’ metaphorical proficiency in isiXhosa literacy: Exploring the use of idioms in the teaching and learning of creative writing

Abstract

CT Many South African Foundation Phase learners perform poorly in literacy, especially in reading and writing. The Annual National Assessment (ANA) results show that many Grade 3 learners experience difficulties in reading and in writing sentences from pictures (Howie, Venter, Van Staden, Zimmerman, Long, Scherman & Archer, 2008). The learners also struggle to produce meaningful written sentences, even though they are taught through the medium of their own home languages, including African languages (Department of Basic Education, 2013). To enrich learners’ language and literacy skills, the Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) encourages the use of figurative and metaphorical language through the teaching of folklore. However, CAPS does not provide explicit guidelines on how folklore ought be taught to enhance learners’ literacy skills. This study was inspired by the dearth of research on folklore, specifically its use of idioms, which are conveyed through figurative and metaphorical language and have the potential to develop learners’ imagination and creativity. The idioms forming part of folklore are also not explicitly stated in the CAPS. The aim of this study, therefore, is to contribute knowledge on how to revitalise the use of isiXhosa idioms as a sociocultural and educational tool that may be used to enrich young learners’ language and literacy capabilities in their own home language. In light of the above, I examined how teachers currently incorporate idioms as part of folklore to enhance Grade 3 learners’ creative writing in isiXhosa. As a cognitive and sociocultural practice, writing reflects one’s identity and experiences, and stimulates thinking and reasoning which are significant components of meaningful learning. This study drew on the Social Constructivist Theory and the Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) (Vygotsky, 1978; Leont’ev, 1978, 1981) to gain insights into how idioms as linguistic and cultural tools could be used to enrich and support Grade 3 learners’ creative writing in isiXhosa. I used a qualitative and an exploratory case study research design, and an interpretive paradigm, as a guide for data collection and interpretation in this study. I played an active role in this study by developing materials that contained idioms and making these available to a sample of Grade 3 teachers, who used them to scaffold learners’ creative writing tasks. This approach enabled me to work collaboratively with the teachers to explore the feasibility of integrating idioms into the isiXhosa curriculum as part of literacy teaching and learning. I collected data by means of participant classroom observations, semi-structured interviews and documentary analysis. The study was conducted in two Grade 3 classrooms where isiXhosa was the medium of instruction and the home language of both teachers and learners. The findings of this study uncovered teacher language identities and their positive attitudes towards isiXhosa idioms; the teachers believed that the idioms played a crucial role in developing their learners’ writing and other language skills. As a result of the renewed focus on idioms brought about by my intervention, they incorporated a variety of learner-centred strategies into their class teaching, such as whole-class discussions, explanations, the question- and-answers method and roleplay, all of which enabled their learners not only to understand the figurative meaning of idioms, but also to apply them in their own creative writing. Through storytelling, learners were able to grasp the meaning of the idioms and use them in their own writing. The teachers also incorporated idioms by employing the process-genre approach involving shared writing, which scaffolded learners’ independent writing. This approach seemed to enhance the learners’ critical thinking and problem solving skills which are essential for a variety of real-life situations. The idioms were thus associated with a number of learning benefits such as enriched vocabulary, language fluency in isiXhosa and the development of other literacy skills such as listening and speaking. This study has contributed to fresh knowledge on the teaching and learning of creative writing which, according to the National Education Evaluation and Development Unit (NEEDU) (2013) existing literature, receives little attention in many schools in South Africa. It has implications for the implementation of the Foundation Phase literacy curriculum policy and for teacher development, since the findings demonstrate that teachers warm to the use of idioms but need to be trained on how to teach them effectively. The study also has implications for literacy development and instruction in African languages, as a proper understanding of idiom and metaphor enriches learners’ vocabulary, a crucial element of writing. Therefore, this study concludes that isiXhosa idioms are a significant cultural tool which develop learners holistically and could be used to revitalise the learning of the isiXhosa language, with the aim of resolving the persisting literacy crisis in African languages. The teaching of idioms could also be used to decolonise the Foundation Phase language and literacy curriculum as they induct young learners into African epistemology