scholarly journals Multilingualism in Botswana: The Case of Muzi Primary School

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-16
Author(s):  
Lydia Nyati-Saleshando ◽  
Rosinah T. Mokotedi
Keyword(s):  
Education Policy ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Social Integration ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
School Context ◽  
Nation Building ◽  
Language Of Instruction ◽  
Low Performance ◽  
Democratic Principles

This paper presents findings on a case study of how the language in education policy was being implemented at Muzi Primary School. To provide the context, a description of the development of the language in education policy from independence to present period is provided. The study aimed to address the following questions: 1. What factors did teachers perceive to contribute to the low performance of the school? 2. What role did language of instruction play in the learning process? 3. What attitudes were portrayed or displayed by teachers and how did these affect learning? 4. What were the implications of findings to nation-building, democracy, and social integration? The paper argues that the language policy, which promoted monolingualism, was a failure to acknowledge reality and an impediment to learning, a negation of democratic principles and a hinderance to social integration. The school context demonstrated how the education policy fostered monolingualism in a multilingual context and this negatively impacted on learning.

Exploring Students' Motivations in Using Blogs at the Primary School Level

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-44
Author(s):  
Gina May Yuen Ong ◽  
Wing Sum Cheung
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
School Context ◽  
Psychological Needs ◽  
School Level ◽  
Primary Level ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Instructional Activities ◽  
Primary School Level

Blogs have been widely used in education for the numerous benefits the tool offers. Previous research has examined the use of blogs in various educational settings, but very few studies have been carried out at the primary level. This study explored students' motivations to use blogs in a primary school context. A case study approach was adopted and data were collected through online reflections, supported by and triangulated with data from face-to-face interviews. Findings revealed several reasons that motivated students to blog, and students' motivations to blog seemed to suggest that the students were subconsciously meeting one or more psychological needs, namely belonging, competence, freedom, and fun, and the need for competence was the most prevalent amongst students in this study. This study also provides teachers in the school to gain some insights into what motivated their students to use blogs when they design instructional activities in the future.

Encounters with stones: Diffracting traditional games

2020 ◽  
pp. 146394912098295
Author(s):  
Ririn Yuniasih ◽  
Jane Bone ◽  
Gloria Quiñones
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
Active Player ◽  
New Ideas

Traditional games are commonly understood for their long establishment, passed down over generations and characterised by the simplicity of their materials. The aim of this article is to explore traditional games where materials are at the centre, focusing on games with stones. Through a new-materialist perspective, using Barad’s concept of ‘intra-activity’ and Lenz Taguchi’s notion of ‘performative agency’, stones are not seen as passive things or objects for play. Rather, they are considered as an active player of the games. A case study of a multi-age classroom in a primary school in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, is analysed. Different encounters with stones are read diffractively to create a space for new ideas to emerge. Through this reading, performative understanding as a new way of looking at traditional games is explored by addressing the complex relations with stones and the continuous intra-activity that takes place in the games. The implications of this research are the consideration of materials and how they are used in traditional games. This, in turn, affects pedagogical practices in which children and materials are coexisting and affecting each other in a learning process.

scholarly journals The implementation of task-based language teaching in EFL primary school classrooms: A case study in Vietnam

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Trang Bui
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Phase 1 ◽  
School Context ◽  
Task Completion ◽  
Classroom Observations ◽  
Stimulated Recall ◽  
Depth Interviews

<p>Research into the introduction of task-based language teaching (TBLT) in Asian primary school classrooms is rare, despite curriculum initiatives in many Asian countries promoting communicative and task-based teaching and learning. This study addresses this gap by investigating the implementation of TBLT in EFL classrooms in primary schools in Vietnam, a context hitherto under-research from a TBLT perspective. The research was conducted in two phases.  Phase 1 was a multiple case study which used classroom observations, stimulated recall and in-depth interviews to investigate how seven Vietnamese EFL primary school teachers implemented speaking lessons and how they viewed the lessons. The results showed that all teachers followed the presentation-practice-production (PPP) sequence specified in the textbooks, but that they independently incorporated communicative activities into the lessons. The teachers’ view of the PPP lessons varied but they shared a concern about the mechanical nature of the PPP lessons.  Phase 2 investigated the implementation of two task-based lessons redesigned from PPP speaking lessons in a textbook by three teachers who participated in Phase 1 of the study. The data were collected from classroom observations, stimulated recall and in-depth interviews with the teachers, interviews with pupils, and recordings of task performances by nine pairs of learners. The results showed that all three teachers successfully carried out the two task-based lessons and reported a higher level of learner engagement and communication in their classes. Analysis of pupil interview data reveals evidence to support the teachers’ views. All pupils expressed interest in the task-based lessons with stronger pupils affirming the scaffolding role of the pre-tasks and communicative value of the main tasks. Weaker pupils reported challenges of completing the main tasks due to lack of pre-teaching of the target structural patterns. Analysis of task interaction data showed that all dyads worked consistently towards completing the main tasks in the task-based lessons, although the achieved outcomes varied slightly. They were able to assist each other to co-construct their utterances, correct their own errors and help correct each other’s errors, negotiate for meaning to overcome comprehension difficulties and use L1 to foster task completion. All of these strategies were found to facilitate task completion and provided a fruitful context for language development. In sum, the results point to the viability of TBLT in the Vietnamese EFL primary school context. They contribute to an understanding of the implementation of TBLT in authentic classrooms and the nature of task interaction among EFL primary school pupils.</p>

scholarly journals Exploring Situations Between Art and Pedagogy: The Dance Project Var Vrimmel as an Aesthetic Learning Process with Fourth Graders as Participants

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Venke Marie Sortland ◽  
Ida Gudbrandsen
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Aesthetic Experience ◽  
Fourth Graders ◽  
School Context ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Learning Processes ◽  
Definition Of

This article investigates aesthetic learning processes from the perspective of three dancers working in a school context. It is based on our own experiences from Var Vrimmel – a dance project carried out by the dance group Landing at a Norwegian primary school in 2019, where three dancers were “artists in residence” at a primary school for four weeks. We present three different formats, each with a different relationship between the dancers and the fourth graders participating in the project. Our intention is to outline, describe and discuss how our practice can facilitate aesthetic processes at the intersection between art and education. Our theoretical framework is based on John Dewey’s work, particularly his definition of aesthetic experience. Our aim is to contribute to understanding the notion of aesthetic learning processes and broaden perspectives on how artists could work in a school context and the roles they might have.

scholarly journals THE YOUNG LEARNERS’ PERCEPTION TOWARDS ENGLISH INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES USING VIRTUAL PLATFORMS

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-193
Author(s):  
Purwanti Taman ◽  
Sukma Septian Nasution ◽  
Tommy Hastomo ◽  
Nur Najibah Sukmawati ◽  
Laksmy Ady Kusumoriny
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
Instructional Practices ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Young Learners ◽  
Negative Perceptions ◽  
Learning Platforms ◽  
The Media ◽  
Feasible Solutions

The popularity of virtual-learning platforms as an alternative for instructional practices during the pandemic is rocketing yet students’ perceptions to the implementation are not optimally gauged especially to young learners. This study explores the students’ perception towards learning English using two popular virtual platforms during Covid-19 pandemic. This is a case study involving 30 students in their third-year study at a private primary-school primary school in Tangerang City, Banten. Interviewing and observing all students respectively were conducted to obtain the data needed. Using descriptive analysis, it was found that the students showed negative perceptions towards the online-based learning process. Not only the media but also the whole learning process was negatively impacted. This is a voice that highlights the issue of recent education is facing. Further studies are therefore suggested to delve into effective and feasible solutions to eradicate the negative perception because the best time to return to classroom-situated instructions remains arguable for no-exact time

scholarly journals The implementation of task-based language teaching in EFL primary school classrooms: A case study in Vietnam

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Trang Bui
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Phase 1 ◽  
School Context ◽  
Task Completion ◽  
Classroom Observations ◽  
Stimulated Recall ◽  
Depth Interviews

<p>Research into the introduction of task-based language teaching (TBLT) in Asian primary school classrooms is rare, despite curriculum initiatives in many Asian countries promoting communicative and task-based teaching and learning. This study addresses this gap by investigating the implementation of TBLT in EFL classrooms in primary schools in Vietnam, a context hitherto under-research from a TBLT perspective. The research was conducted in two phases.  Phase 1 was a multiple case study which used classroom observations, stimulated recall and in-depth interviews to investigate how seven Vietnamese EFL primary school teachers implemented speaking lessons and how they viewed the lessons. The results showed that all teachers followed the presentation-practice-production (PPP) sequence specified in the textbooks, but that they independently incorporated communicative activities into the lessons. The teachers’ view of the PPP lessons varied but they shared a concern about the mechanical nature of the PPP lessons.  Phase 2 investigated the implementation of two task-based lessons redesigned from PPP speaking lessons in a textbook by three teachers who participated in Phase 1 of the study. The data were collected from classroom observations, stimulated recall and in-depth interviews with the teachers, interviews with pupils, and recordings of task performances by nine pairs of learners. The results showed that all three teachers successfully carried out the two task-based lessons and reported a higher level of learner engagement and communication in their classes. Analysis of pupil interview data reveals evidence to support the teachers’ views. All pupils expressed interest in the task-based lessons with stronger pupils affirming the scaffolding role of the pre-tasks and communicative value of the main tasks. Weaker pupils reported challenges of completing the main tasks due to lack of pre-teaching of the target structural patterns. Analysis of task interaction data showed that all dyads worked consistently towards completing the main tasks in the task-based lessons, although the achieved outcomes varied slightly. They were able to assist each other to co-construct their utterances, correct their own errors and help correct each other’s errors, negotiate for meaning to overcome comprehension difficulties and use L1 to foster task completion. All of these strategies were found to facilitate task completion and provided a fruitful context for language development. In sum, the results point to the viability of TBLT in the Vietnamese EFL primary school context. They contribute to an understanding of the implementation of TBLT in authentic classrooms and the nature of task interaction among EFL primary school pupils.</p>

Understanding Primary School Students' Motivations in Using Blogs

2018 ◽  
pp. 237-257
Author(s):  
Gina May Yuen Ong ◽  
Wing Sum Cheung
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
School Context ◽  
Psychological Needs ◽  
Primary School Students ◽  
Case Study Approach ◽  
School Students ◽  
Primary Level ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Study Approach

Blogs have been widely used in education for the numerous benefits the tool offers. Previous research has examined the use of blogs in various educational settings, but very few studies have been carried out at the primary level. This chapter provided an understanding of students' motivations to use blogs in a primary school context. A case study approach was adopted and data were collected through online reflections, supported by and triangulated with data from face-to-face interviews. Findings surfaced several reasons that motivated students to blog, and students' motivations to blog seemed to suggest that the students were subconsciously meeting one or more psychological needs, namely belonging, competence, freedom, and fun, and the need for competence was the most prevalent amongst students in this study. This study also provides teachers in the school some insights into what motivated their students to use blogs when they design instructional activities in the future.

scholarly journals The Acquisition of the Third Person Singular [-s]: A Case Study of Language-minority Children Attending an Irish Primary School

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Niamh Kelly
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Spontaneous Speech ◽  
Language Minority ◽  
Minority Children ◽  
Language Of Instruction ◽  
The Third ◽  
Third Person ◽  
The Third Person

This study investigates the development of the third-person singular (3SG)[-s] morpheme in the spontaneous speech of five language minority children attending an Irish primary school, where the language of instruction is the second language (L2) of the subjects. Evidence from the study is discussed in the context of a number of theories which have been put forward in the literature to account for the development of the 3SG. Results support some of the predictions of the Optional Infinitive Theory, and would argue in favour of the Missing Surface Inflection Hypothesis. The parallel use of both finite and non-finite verbs in obligatory finite contexts is explored, and while the sporadic omission of the 3SG morpheme is similar to the sporadic omission of the genitive [-s] morpheme, the use of objective case marking ceasing in verbal projections yet continuing in nominal projections, questions the extent to which a parallel occurs between possessive and 3SG inflections. 

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document