Language Teaching · 2019 · 53 citations · 49 references
Second Language LearningEducational LinguisticsMultilingualismLanguage DevelopmentLanguage EducationEducationLiteracy DevelopmentLanguage LearningLanguage TeachingTeacher EducationSecond Language AcquisitionSouth AfricaLanguage AcquisitionLanguage StudiesSecond Language EducationSociolinguisticsAfrican Language TeachingLanguage CurriculumHome LanguageLiteracy LearningForeign Language LearningBilingual EducationConstitutional CommitmentClassroom LanguageSecond Language TeachingForeign Language Acquisition
South Africa’s post‑apartheid education system remains shaped by a legacy of segregation that privileged English and Afrikaans, while the Constitution’s commitment to multilingualism across 11 official languages creates a complex context for language policy and literacy development. This review examines the shift from treating first additional language (FAL) as a subject to using it as the language of learning and teaching (LoLT). The authors analyze major studies on national learner performance and South Africa’s global comparability, focusing on how FAL is implemented as LoLT. They find that home‑language literacy growth enhances English LoLT performance, linking teacher capacity to develop languages for literacy with learner success, and that early childhood home‑language literacy positively influences later LoLT literacy.
South Africa's history of segregation and the privileging of English and Afrikaans as the only languages of teaching and learning beyond primary schooling, make the post-apartheid period a complex one, especially in light of the Constitutional commitment to multilingualism in the 11 official languages. Research on literacy and language teaching contextualises the impact of curriculum and language policy initiatives aimed at improving learner performance. We review research concerning the transition from the study of first additional language (FAL) as subject, to the use of FAL as the language of learning and teaching (LoLT). Also considered are major studies on learner performance nationally and South Africa's comparability globally. The impact of home language (HL) literacy development on performance in English as the LoLT links to research on language development in teacher education programmes, and shows connections between the capacity of teachers to develop languages for literacy and LoLT and learner success. Research on the development of early childhood literacy in the HL demonstrates the positive impact on literacy development in the LoLT.
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PIRLS 2021 International Results in Reading
Ina V. S. Mullis, Pierre Foy · 2023 · 550 citations · Full text