scholarly journals Competing Purposes: Mother Tongue Education Benefits Versus Economic Interests in Rural Zimbabwe

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gamuchirai Tsitsi Ndamba ◽  
Micheal M Van Wyk ◽  
Josiah C Sithole
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
English Language ◽  
Postcolonial Theory ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Comparative Method ◽  
School Level ◽  
Economic Interests ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Education Benefits ◽  
School Heads

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of educators on the barriers to the implementation of the Zimbabwean language-in-education policy, which recommends use of Indigenous languages up to the end of the primary school level. Postcolonial theory informed this case study. Individual interviews and focus group discussions were conducted with 15 rural primary school teachers, 3 school heads, and 2 school's inspectors who were purposefully selected from Masvingo district. Data were analysed using the constant comparative method for thematic coding. The findings revealed that participants strongly believed that the English language offers socio-economic opportunities, a factor which may negatively influence teachers in the implementation of the mother tongue-based policy. Recommendations that inform policy-makers are made.

scholarly journals CONTRASTIVE ANALYSIS IN TEACHING ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Olga Kissová
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
English Language ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
School Level ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
English Textbooks ◽  
Teaching Pronunciation

The objective of the work is the application of contrastive approach in teaching English to analyse the pros and cons of the contrastive method in teaching foreign language pronunciation to young learners compared to non-contrastive (monolingual) method used at our Slovak primary schools. This article determines the dominant influence of the learner’s mother tongue/native language (L1) in the process of learning/teaching pronunciation foreign/second  language (L2) and by using contrastive approach tries to enhance positive transfer from the L1 and the reduction of possible negative transfer from L1 to L2 using appropriate teaching techniques and effective tools. The study will be carried out on English language non-native teachers working at a public and private Slovak primary school to find out their needs in the field of teaching pronunciation (questionnaires) and will be focused on quasi-experimental pupils’ group trained separately with and without contrastive approach before recording them and analysing the results. The experimental group will be trained in cognitive contrastive approach concerning segmental, suprasegmental and prosodic phonetics systems comparing Slovak and English languages sound systems. The control group will be trained by using imitative-intuitive ways with the same texts in reading and free speaking topics as the first group. Both qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques will be used in the study and the triangulation of research methods will be finished by contend analyses of mainly used English textbooks which are mail regular sources for learning/teaching pronunciation. The most important will be the practical output for teachers and pupils in creating specially designed pronunciation concerned materials for meeting specific needs of our Slovak primary school level determining the influence and interference of Slovak mother tongue in learning/teaching pronunciation.

scholarly journals How Does Language Influence Performance, Fear and Attitudes towards Mathematics at Primary School Level in Zimbabwe?

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 36-43
Author(s):  
Silvanos Chirume
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Policy Formulation ◽  
School Level ◽  
Mathematics Attitudes ◽  
Language Group ◽  
Attitudes Towards Mathematics

This mixed-methods (QUANT-qual) study compares test performances of two classes of 52 (26 in each class) Grade 5 learners in a multiple choice Maths test written in English language (Group A) and the same test but with questions written in Shona language (Group B), respectively. The paper also examines the role of language in the development of attitudes and fear of mathematics by learners at the same primary school in Gokwe district, Zimbabwe. Results showed that there were significant differences (in favour of the English language) between Group A’s performance and Group B’s performance. Other findings were that teachers had mixed feelings towards the use of mother tongue in teaching and learning primary school mathematics, but generally agreed that the language of instruction and/or learning affect performance in mathematics, attitudes towards mathematics and fear of mathematics. The paper concludes that using mother tongue as a medium of instruction in the teaching of mathematics in the Zimbabwean junior primary schools is desirable but the feasibility could not be established. It is recommended, among other things, that there is need for further research and policy formulation on the language of learning/instruction at various school levels in Zimbabwe.

scholarly journals A Plurilingual Approach to ELT in Primary School: Towards an Ecological Perspective

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-106
Author(s):  
Alicia Chabert
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
English Teaching ◽  
Ecological Understanding ◽  
Attitude And Motivation ◽  
Initial Results

Summary This paper aims to demonstrate that using a plurilingual and ecological approach to English language teaching can achieve better results in primary school independently of the mother tongue of the student. This article is based on the initial results of our international research carried out in three very different countries (Norway, China and Spain). While the author´s research project involves 328 participants, we will present the results of the first phase of the experiment, including 133 students. In this paper, we propose a plurilingual communicative approach to English teaching as a foreign language, making a distinction between languages for communication and languages for identification. This research examines the current teaching policies in the participating countries, and analyses cross-cultural and cross-linguistic perspectives in English language teaching while promoting the positive use of the mother tongue as a connecting tool in the students’ communication system. The subjects of this study were divided in control and experimental groups, in which they received traditional and plurilingual approach respectively. After the classes they completed a test and were then supplied with a Likert scale questionnaire focused on understanding their attitude and motivation towards mother tongue and English language learning. Based on observation and results obtained, we can conclude that a plurilingual approach that uses L1 as a tool in English teaching improves English learning, as well as develops an ecological understanding of languages.

scholarly journals Discovering Writing Difficulties of Malay ESL Primary School Level Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-39
Author(s):  
Nurul Jannah Ahmad Ghulamuddin ◽  
Siti Khadijah Mohd Mohari ◽  
Kamisah Ariffin
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Study Data ◽  
School Level ◽  
Writing Difficulties ◽  
Interview Session ◽  
Primary School Level

Writing is perceived to be one of the most difficult skills for English language learners to master. Although studies on challenges faced by ESL students in writing are replete, most of them have focused on students at secondary and tertiary levels of education. Studies on learners at lower level have been scarce. Thus, this paper aims to fill the gap by examining the major problems faced by ESL primary school level students in writing in English. Survey and interview sessions were conducted to fit the purpose of the study. Data were collected from a class of 26 students from Year/Standard 6 of the primary school level in Malaysia and an interview session with the English teacher of that particular class. The findings indicate that the major difficulties charted are rooted in the students’ poor mastery in vocabulary, inability to spell words correctly and L1 interference. Thus, in order to enhance the students’ skills in writing in English, the teacher implemented some remedial measures during the teaching and learning sessions. The findings have essential pedagogical implications on understanding students’ struggle to write in English at the lower level of education.

scholarly journals Effects of Dual-Language Programme (DLP) on the Usage of English Adjectives at Primary School Level in Malaysia

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 263
Author(s):  
Rashida Nasuha Ramli ◽  
Maskanah Mohammad Lotfie ◽  
Ainul Azmin Md Zamin
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
Dual Language ◽  
English Language ◽  
School Level ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
School Students ◽  
Base Form ◽  
Learning Mathematics ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Mathematics And Science

Students from selected Malaysian schools are currently learning Mathematics and Science in English under the DUAL Language Programme. They are exposed to additional hours of English compared to non-DLP ones. This paper investigates the extent to which the extra hours of English language exposure assist primary school students in grasping the morphological structures of English adjectives. The cross-linguistic differences in Malay and English could be one of the main reasons students face difficulties in acquiring English adjectives. Data were collated from two different Year 2 classes involving a DLP and a non-DLP group. Vocabulary Size Test (VST) measured the use of base form of adjectives while Comparative Adjective TEST were used for the comparative ones. Test scores were analysed to gauge the possible significant difference between the control and the experimental groups. The findings reveal that the mean scores for DLP group are not significantly higher than non-DLP group for both tests.

scholarly journals THE WRITING AND SUPERVISION OF BRIGHT ENGLISH TEXTBOOK DEVELOPMENT FOR PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS IN INDONESIAN CONTEXT

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Inayati ◽  
Erlyna Abidasari ◽  
Kharisma Naidi W.S.
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
English Language ◽  
Writing Process ◽  
School Level ◽  
Publication Ethics ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Primary School Teachers ◽  
Supervision Process ◽  
Textbook Writing

Although English Language subject is no longer compulsory for primary school level in Indonesia based on the current Curriculum 2013, some regions still consider it essential for their area development and thus making it a compulsory local content subject—Batu Municipality is one of them. Therefore, more efforts are needed to assist English teachers as resources for teaching English is limited due to the lack of support from the national policy level, thus the reasoning for the current project. This paper aims to describe the process of writing and supervising of Bright English Textbook, which is a specifically targeted English textbook for primary schools in Batu, East Java, Indonesia. Qualitative descriptive method was used in this study, involving four primary school teachers as the subjects in the collaborative textbook writing project. The finding presents the step-by-step process from the description during the training process, the actual writing process, until the illustration and lay-outing process. Besides, it also describes the supervision process as well as the problems and solutions related to it. Some highlights and implications of the study are also discussed, with suggestions offered in the form of combined online and face-to-face supervision process and sufficient writing and publication ethics training provided before the writing process begins. It is expected that this study could benefit other teachers and researchers who want to embark on a collaborative textbook writing process to improve their project effectiveness.

scholarly journals A Comparative Study Between China and Malaysia: Investigating the Influence of First Language (L1) Syntax in Speaking English (L2) among Primary School Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 500-510
Author(s):  
Mahendran Maniam ◽  
Mardhiyah Ridzuan ◽  
Santhia A/P Subramaniam ◽  
Vigneshwary A/P Sagathivan ◽  
Yom Saridatul Najwa Bt Abd Lahsan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
English Language ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Sentence Structure ◽  
Primary School Students ◽  
School Students ◽  
Esl Teachers ◽  
Academic Communication ◽  
L1 And L2 ◽  
Malaysian Students

For Malaysian students, speaking in English is one of the most challenging skills to master, especially if they do not have a strong command of the language. Meanwhile in China, the English language is primarily employed as a means of academic communication and teaching. This paper aims to identify which linguistic items have been transferred positively and negatively from L1 (Bahasa Melayu and Mandarin) in speaking English (L2) among primary school students. A qualitative study among primary school students from China and Malaysia was carried out using purposive sampling. Based on the findings, four types of syntactic errors from the Malaysian students' speech were identified. It was evident that the students had difficulties to speak correctly in terms of sentence structure. The four syntactic errors found are simple past, simple present, verb ‘to be’ and subject-verb-agreement. Meanwhile, it has been found that Chinese students frequently produce linguistic mistakes during their utterances of L2 speech as a result of L1 interference. This research also exposed that the students are still unconsciously relying on their mother tongue to translate their sentence into L2. The study is expected to help ESL teachers to draw the analogies between corresponding L1 and L2 syntax constructions. The findings will contribute and direct the learners’ attention to cross-language syntactic similarities and differences and thus guide them to a deeper understanding of underlying linguistic structure.

scholarly journals Integrating music and language contents and skills in the academic course English language for children through songs and movement

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 61-78
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Stošić ◽  
Nataša Janković
Keyword(s):  
Music Education ◽  
Primary School ◽  
English Language ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
University Education ◽  
Primary School Children ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
The Future ◽  
Academic Courses ◽  
Early Primary

A song is a musical content in which melody and poetic text are unified, which makes it an ideal tool in all music activities with children of preschool and early primary school age. It also represents the core of integration of different school subjects, with a huge educational potential in language teaching (both mother tongue and foreign languages). In this paper we elaborate on the advantages of integrating English Language and Music Education academic courses in working with pre-service primary and preschool teachers who are trained to teach English to preschool and early primary school children. We examine students' music experience and their preferences, as well as their familiarity with the phonological elements of the language with the aim of improving the quality of teaching. The paper also presents the key results of the research conducted in 2018 and 2019 with the first and the second generations of students attending the course English Language for Children through Songs and Movement at the first year of their studies at the Teacher Education Faculty in Belgrade. Apart from providing useful insights for further teaching, the results of the research conducted on a convenience sample of 58 students (N = 58) confirmed the importance of integrating the two academic courses by reinforcing students' vocal development in English through songs and action songs as a fundamental tool in the cross-curricular integration. The results also offer new guidelines for the future exploratory research of teaching in university education. These guidelines have a broader pedagogical significance and methodological implications for the work of the future preschool and primary school teachers.

scholarly journals THE ROLE OF MULTILINGUALISM IN INFLUENCING STUDENTS’ ENGLISH LANGUAGE ACQUISITION IN AN OUTSKIRT MALAYSIAN PRIMARY SCHOOL

2019 ◽  
pp. 97-110
Author(s):  
Siti Norain Duka ◽  
Azlina Abdul Aziz
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
National Language ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
National Unity ◽  
Third Language ◽  
Spoken English

Malaysia, as a multilingual country, sets a platform for language learning. Bahasa Malaysia is a language for national unity and English is the second language and other languages as the third language. A child may speak a native language at home, speak the local national language at school and also learn at least a foreign language. The fluency of our second or third language may not be as fluent as the first language. As a result, many studies have been conducted about the learners’ mother tongue and the code-switching process. However, a study for the English teachers to overcome the influence of the mother tongue in the Iban community towards their spoken English has not been located. Therefore, a qualitative case study has been conducted in order to provide the description of case-related individuals’ and give deeper understanding of the 1) multilingual learners’ perceptions toward their English spoken language, 2) exploring multilingual influences in their spoken English and 3) To examine the influence of other languages (Bahasa Malaysia and Iban language) towards English. The participants identified are Ibans from Year 3 primary students; that is located at the outskirt primary school in Kanowit in which they are learning standard Iban language, Bahasa Malaysia and English language at school. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews, and field notes (i.e. classroom observation). The findings were structured into themes: the frequency in communicating the three languages among the three pupils at school in a day, home language support in learning, peers’ influence in communicating the English language, learners’ effort towards learning English and the mental process in learning the language.

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