LINGUIST List 17.2664
Tue Sep 19 2006
Diss: Socioling/Applied Ling: Holmarsdottir: 'From Policy to Practi...'
Editor for this issue: Hannah Morales
<hannahlinguistlist.org>
Directory
1. Halla
Holmarsdottir,
From Policy to Practice: A study of the implementation of the Language-in-Education Policy (LiEP) in three South African primary schools
Message 1: From Policy to Practice: A study of the implementation of the Language-in-Education Policy (LiEP) in three South African primary schools
Date: 18-Sep-2006
From: Halla Holmarsdottir <h.b.holmarsdottirped.uio.no>
Subject: From Policy to Practice: A study of the implementation of the Language-in-Education Policy (LiEP) in three South African primary schools
Institution: University of Oslo
Program: Institute of Educational Research
Dissertation Status: Completed
Degree Date: 2005
Author: Halla Bjørk Holmarsdottir
Dissertation Title: From Policy to Practice: A study of the implementation of the Language-in-Education Policy (LiEP) in three South African primary schools
Linguistic Field(s):
Applied Linguistics
Sociolinguistics
Dissertation Director:
Carol Benson
Birgit Brock-Utne
Desai Zubeida
Dissertation Abstract:
This thesis analyzes the LiEP in South Africa and the implementation inorder to better understand the effectiveness of the language policy inpromoting additive and functional multilingualism, and sociolinguistic and-cultural integration, which are major policy objectives. For nearly fiftyyears the majority of South Africans suffered from language policies aimedat social and political control. As a result schools were used as amechanism to restrict speakers of African languages access to power withlanguage policies in education as a major component in the apartheid plan.In spite of a very progressive language in education policy (July 1997)that enables learners or their guardians to choose the language ofinstruction, schools catering for learners who are speakers of Africanlanguages still use English as their medium of instruction from the fourthgrade. The lack of political will among the political leadership of thecountry to seriously implement the national ideals expressed in theConstitution and the LiEP may be little more than a symbolic gesture or astrategy to obtain public support without any intention of leading to realchange in the society. As part of this empirical investigation theobservations show that in the township schools both teachers and studentsare struggling with using a language as a medium of instruction that isforeign and additionally a language that neither is proficient in. Theresult is that learners are left with partial subject knowledge and littleor no real knowledge in the foreign language. Observations showed thatXhosa was generally used for most of the talk time in the classrooms withteachers utilizing code alternation strategies to assist learners.Moreover, learners employ a number of coping strategies in dealing with aforeign medium. Ultimately, how can we expect children and adults toacquire knowledge and skills when they are taught through a language theydo not understand? Finally, this thesis questions the use of theories ofbilingual and multilingual education developed as a result of research onimmigrant minorities mainly in the North. Although the majority populationin South Africa can, somewhat, be compared to such groups the reality isthat they are a majority population and not an immigrant minority. Thus itis argued that despite the theoretical foundations in this thesis there isa need to draw attention to the differences between these two groups aswell as their similarities in order to develop more appropriate theories.In this way this research contributes to the literature on bilingual andmultilingual education not only for minority groups but also for majoritygroups who are often treated as minorities within their respective countries.
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