Thombeni, Dunyisiwe Ntombenhle2019-04-302019-04-301998https://hdl.handle.net/10539/26843A 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.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).enBilingualism in children -- South Africa.Children, Black -- Education, Primary -- South Africa.Second language acquisition.Language and education -- South Africa.Thesis