Teachers’ Experiences of Teaching IsiZulu Home Language to Non-Native Speakers of IsiZulu in Two Multilingual Schools in Soweto

Abstract

The focal point of the current study was on exploring teachers; experiences of teaching isiZulu HL to non-native speakers of isiZulu in two multilingual schools in Soweto. Moreover, this research study explored pedagogic strategies used by isiZulu HL teachers when teaching the language in Multilingual classrooms. Teachers’ perceptions of teaching the language to non-native speakers in multilingual classrooms were explored. The current study took on the interpretivist paradigm and used a case study research design because it offered an opportunity to clearly comprehend the way isiZulu HL is taught to non-native learners of the language in two multilingual schools in Soweto. Furthermore, the interpretivist lens accorded the study an opportunity to understand pedagogic strategies used when teaching isiZulu HL in a diverse and multilingual classroom, reflecting their own experiences and perceptions of those experiences. This was a qualitative study; for that reason, the participants were purposively chosen in relation to the questions governing this study and that they are teaching isiZulu HL to non-native speakers of isiZulu in multilingual schools in Soweto. Six participants were sampled in this study. Interviews and classroom observations were used as data collection methods. Face-to-face and telephonically interviews were conducted recorded. The data collected was analyzed thematically, following the inductive thematic analysis approach. The outcomes of this study indicated that the isiZulu HL teachers experience both positive and negative challenges when teaching isiZulu to non-native speakers in a multilingual classroom. Translanguaging, scaffolding, learner-centered pedagogies and incorporation of digital pedagogies were identified as the pedagogic strategies used by teachers when teaching isiZulu in multilingual classrooms. Additionally, the isiZulu HL teachers believe that they require in-service training and development on multilingual pedagogies to ensure that they acquire better teaching strategies to address various learning styles of multilingual learners.