The impact of a subtractive bilingual context on the language attitudes, use and skills of primary school children from the Kathorus area : a comparative study.
Date
1998
Authors
Thombeni, Dunyisiwe Ntombenhle
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Abstract
Dissatisfaction with the quality of education under the former Department of Education
Training (DET). lack of facilities, and disruptions during the political transitional period
have been the reasons why more and more black parents, who could afford it financially,
tend to send their children to so-called 'white' or ex-Model C schools.
In ex-Model C schools these children in many instances do not receive any teaching in their home
languages nor can they take their home languages as a first language subject. Where
African languages are taught at ex-Model C schools, they are taught a, non-exam
subjects. starting only in Grade 5 and on a third language level. Even then, only one
African language is offered per school, irrespective of the range of African languages that
learners of that particular school speak at home. with the result that many children do not
have their home language as a subject at all.
This study is based on the hypothesis that there is a lack of identification with the home
language and the home language culture in the case of black children who are attending
ex-Model C schools. As a result most children from these ex-Model C schools are lost to
the African culture and traditions Hence they develop attitudes which are negative
towards their own languages. They identify themselves more with their Second
Language, which is English in this case, yet they also experience some form of alienation
towards the English language and its associated cultural aspects.
In some of these ex-Model C schools, children are required to attend English pre-primary
preparatory schools. Since this is the critical stage of home language acquisition, a
second hypothesis has been posed, namely, that this adversely affects children from being
proficient in the African language of the home. The skill in the African language would
be reduced to "basic interpersonal communication skills"(BICS) (Cummins 1984), with
impaired "cognitive academic language proficiency" (CALP) (Cummins 1984). (Abbreviation abstract).
Description
A RESEARCH REPORT SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF ARTS, UNIVERSITY
OF THE WITWATERSRAND, IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS.
Keywords
Bilingualism in children -- South Africa., Children, Black -- Education, Primary -- South Africa., Second language acquisition., Language and education -- South Africa.