2010 · 43 citations · 6 references
EducationTeacher EducationTeachingBilingual EducationLanguage EducationLanguage PedagogyAfrican LanguagesLanguage Education PolicyLanguage Policy In EducationLanguage Teacher EducationLanguage TeachingMultilingual EducationAction Research CyclesBilingual Teacher PreparationCurriculum In Multilingual EducationLanguage Support Across The CurriculumLanguage Teacher Education PolicyLearning Resources SelectionTeacher Language AttitudesTeacher Language Use
This article reports on the use of an African language in an Action Research module offered as part of a continuing teacher development certificate programme. The study examines how African languages can serve as tuition languages to enhance epistemological access, explores teachers’ perceptions of mother‑tongue use, and argues that investment in African languages at teacher‑training level is essential for effective mother‑tongue based bilingual education. It concludes that realizing mother‑tongue based bilingual education requires shifts in language attitudes, institutional policy changes, staffing investment, and curriculum resources.
This article reports on the use of an African language in an Action Research module which was offered as part of a continuing teacher development certificate programme. The article firstly addresses the role of African languages in teacher education and how African languages can be used as languages of tuition for providing better epistemological access to learning content. Secondly, it touches on teachers’ perceptions of the role of the mother tongue in their own professional development and teaching practice. Furthermore, the article argues that investment in African languages at teacher training level is crucial if mother tongue based bilingual education (MTBBE) is to be effectively implemented. It concludes that there is a need for shifts in language attitudes, changes in institutional language policies, investments in staffing as well as teaching and learning resources across the curriculum for the realisation of MTTBE in schools.
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