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p align="LEFT">Second language learning in South African schools is of supreme importance given the multilingual nature of the country. However, there is no certainty that teachers in the foundation phase of schools in poor environments have the skills to teach literacy in the first additional language and produce competent learners. This investiga...
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... This, combined with the limited penetration of trained interventionists and the predominance of English in the profession, creates an obstacle in meeting the demands of families while implementing an LSL-SA approach in the context where the majority either do not speak English or speak it as an additional language (EAL) (Mdladlo et al. 2016). Furthermore, the language skills of children with hearing impairment are already below their hearing peers (Hawken et al. 2005); (3) First Additional Language (FAL) is mandatory in South African schools: Lenyai (2011) established that teachers in the foundation phase of schools do not necessarily have the skills to teach literacy in the FAL, failing to produce competent learners; (4) Age at diagnosis of hearing impairment: Diagnosis of permanent congenital or earlyonset hearing loss is severely delayed in South Africa, undermining the prospect of positive outcomes through EI (Kuschke et al. 2020); (5) Financial costs of hearing impairment and its effect on EI success: Although AVT is available in South Africa, it continues to be delivered primarily by the private healthcare sector and often at a significant financial cost to the patient and their family (Maluleke 2022;White & Brennan-Jones 2014). Knowledge of the economic costs associated with a hearing impairment is a powerful tool for policymakers in planning the best use of their healthcare budgets, especially in LMICs (World Health Organization [WHO] 2017). ...
Background: Two intervention approaches are implemented in South Africa to alleviate the deleterious consequences of congenital or early onset hearing impairment on language acquisition and subsequent poor learning outcomes.Aim: This study investigated the learning outcomes of foundation phase learners with severe to profound hearing impairment who received Listening and Spoken Language – South Africa (LSL-SA) (adapted Auditory Verbal Therapy) therapy compared to those who received Traditional Speech-Language Therapy (TSLT).Setting: The study was conducted at four early intervention (EI) schools for children with hearing impairment across three provinces in South Africa.Methods: Data were collected through record reviews of their Speech-Language Therapy Outcomes and South African National Department of Basic Education academic report cards. Data were analysed using quantitative statistics.Results: Findings demonstrated that children with hearing impairment enrolled in LSL-SA outperformed those enrolled in TSLT in achieving age-equivalent language outcomes. A higher percentage of learners enrolled in LSL-SA achieved meritorious to outstanding learning outcomes. While a comparable number of learners progressed to mainstream schooling, children with hearing impairment enrolled in LSL-SA are enrolled for a shorter duration until discharge than those enrolled in TSLT. This is an important finding, particularly in low-middle income countries (LMICs).Conclusion: Listening and Spoken Language – South Africa graduates achieved superior learning outcomes dependent on language attainment, providing contextually relevant evidence supporting the effectiveness of the LSL-SA EI approach.Contribution: These context-specific outcomes stress the obligation to upscale and fast-track EI services. Implications for investment in LSL-SA are proposed through collaboration between families, educators, and early interventionists.
... In the primary school, virtually nothing is done in English FAL until Grade 3. Gunning Lenyai's study found that when the teachers did start, usually only in Grade 3, and not giving much time to EFAL, what was done did not provide opportunity for children to engage in English and thus did not promote communicative skills. Furthermore, it was found that nearly all of the teachers in Lenyai's study, experienced difficulty teaching key aspects of language learning such as letters of the alphabet, teaching comprehension, teaching reading and writing (Lenyai, 2011). In fact, Lenyai's findings were born out by Pretorius and Currin: "These consistently low literacy levels (as shown on international PIRLS and the national ANAS) ...
South Africa is a linguistically diverse and educationally complex country. Most student teachers in Bachelor of Education programmes who are preparing to teach in primary schools do not speak English as a mother tongue. The medium of instruction for B.Ed programmes is English. Foundation Phase teachers will be expected to teach learners English (as a) First Additional language (EFAL). Intermediate Phase teachers will be expected to use English across the curriculum as English is the Language of Learning and Teaching (LoLT) from grade 4 upwards. As such, it is important that newly qualified teachers entering primary schools can engage with English texts, have a competent understanding of English and communicate fluently in English. As one way of making a positive intervention in future teacher competency, this paper argues for the use of language and literacies assessment in Initial Teacher Education (ITE)at universities. The Primary Teacher Education project (PrimTEd) has developed a set of Language and Literacy standards for teachers, as well as assessments for primary school student teachers’ knowledge of English. These assessments are designed to occur at two points: entry level (first year) and exit level (fourth year) of the Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) degree. Methodologically this paper considers the complex background conditions in language education which led to the PrimTEd project’s work and then sets out how the PrimTEd project’s assessment strategy may offer a hopeful intervention in these circumstances.
... The teacher training in multilingual teaching as well as resources are not provided (Prosper and Nomlomo 2016). Teachers rely on their language knowledge and skills in practicing multilingual teaching (Lenyai 2014). The teacher training needs to include preparing teachers to understand and use best teaching approaches (Richards and Rodgers 2014). ...
The study seeks to investigate the Incremental Introduction of African Languages (IIAL) program in relation to the teaching and learning of isiXhosa in Grade two classes. It is set to focus on the guidelines for implementation of IIAL, in schools that did not implement African languages in the Foundation Phase before. The complexity of multilingualism in South Africa where African languages are given a lower status than English and Afrikaans. Furthermore, the teaching of African languages as additional languages assumes a particular substance in my study. The purpose of my study then is to find out the teaching strategies that are being used by the isiXhosa teachers in implementing IIAL to multilingual learners with different linguistic backgrounds, and the type of support given to teachers by the Department of Basic Education
... The crucial factor to accomplish the goal in English literacy lies in teacher expertise [11]. This implies that a good teacher with adequate content knowledge in the English language or any subject content will be able to recognise and understand when the learners make errors. ...
... Research has found out that assistant teachers are more likely to give learners answers rather than an opportunity to discover concepts or solve problems on their own [12]. [11] further argues that it is important for teachers to know and understand why English literacy is taught because this could have an impact on how they teach it. Therefore, if teacher assistants are not provided with the knowhow regarding how to teach English to pupils, this will create serious challenges. ...
This study explored the linguistic challenges, faced by Assistant Teachers of English in the classroom with specific reference to two primary schools in the Limpopo province, South Africa. The study also investigated the perceptions of English teachers and learners on the support, received from Assistant Teachers in English classrooms. The study used interviews to investigate and explore various linguistic challenges, faced by Assistant Teachers. Data was also collected using questionnaires, which were designed to compare perceptions of English teachers and learners who received support from Assistant Teachers. Data from questionnaires was analysed quantitatively, and data from interviews was analysed qualitatively. This study was prompted by the increasing number of Assistant Teachers, required in South African schools. Furthermore, several research studies found that Assistant Teachers struggle to assist learners in Mathematics, English and Science. Amongst other things, the study revealed that Assistant Teachers of English have inadequate English language competency to assist in English classrooms. Challenges in grammar, sentence structure, word formation, comprehension, and difficulty to express themselves in English contribute to Assistant Teachers’ incompetence in the English language. Although learners find the support of Assistant Teachers in the English classroom helpful for the teaching and learning process, English teachers are concerned with the quality of education, received by learners, since they are aware of the lack of English competency amongst Assistant Teachers of English. The overall findings of this study revealed that there is a need to appoint well-trained Assistant Teachers that will not only benefit teachers but be able to provide learners with the quality education they deserve. Findings from this study could contribute to improving the quality of education in primary schools.
... Lack of adequate teaching materials plays another factor that limits the performance of the teachers in classrooms. Teachers must be qualified and competent in order to help students develop their reading and communication abilities in the first foreign language (Lenyai, 2011). ...
Writing is a part of learning a language in any academic institution. As teaching writing is a process of learning this article tries to dig out the reasons why teaching writing is becoming complex and rigid in Nepali high school classrooms. In this study, for the purpose of data collection, ten Nepali high school English teachers were interviewed and they shared their experiences of teaching writing skills in their classrooms. The study found some issues that make teaching writing more complex: central- design curriculum, a lack of resources and training, and a lack of English competency of the students in the classrooms. Moreover, students’ performance in grammar, word combination, and sentence composition is rather low that does not encourage students to write. Hence, teaching writing in Nepali high school classrooms is considered a complex genre.
... CAPS requires greater exposure to English in the Foundation Phase before the switch to English as the Language of Learning and Teaching (LoLT) in Grade 4. The CAPS document implies that teachers must be adequately skilled to have the pedagogical content knowledge to guide learners to develop communicative and reading skills in EFAL. However, several studies have shown that teachers use teaching methods that do not develop learners' comprehension and communication skills in EFAL (Cilliers & Bloch, 2018;Lenyai, 2011;Madikiza, Cekiso, Tshotsho & Landa, 2018;Mohangi, Krog, Stephens & Nel, 2016;Soya & Caga, 2019). This suggests that teachers use traditional strategies that do not facilitate comprehension and communicative skills because they were not adequately taught how to teach them during their years of teaching training. ...
In the study reported on here we investigated the use of post-method practice to optimise pre-service teachers’ teaching practice and English First Additional Language (EFAL) proficiency. This study was premised on the theoretical framework of Paulo Freire’s critical pedagogy which promotes diverse perspectives in language learning and teaching among teachers and learners. Qualitative data were collected using semi-structured interviews with 10 (n = 10) third year pre-service teachers enrolled in a 4-year Bachelor of Education (BEd) degree programme in the Department of Language Education, School of Education at the University of Limpopo, South Africa. We found that post-method pedagogy enables pre-service teachers to monitor their teaching process and optimise learners’ potential to learn, which affords them opportunities for critical reflection on the self and the social world, as well as opportunities to form learning communities. The results suggest that post-method pedagogy enables pre-service teachers to recognise their prior and current knowledge, and their potential to teach and act autonomously. This promotes their ability to know how to develop a reflective critical approach in their teaching by analysing and evaluating their teaching acts, initiating change in their classroom practices, and monitoring the effects of these changes. We concluded that post-method practice could provide teachers, curriculum developers and researchers with an understanding of the realisation of post method in teaching and learning of EFAL in South African classrooms.
... However, English as a language of teaching is mostly favoured globally by communities in which it is a first additional (second) spoken language. This is because it is believed to create opportunities for learners to achieve academic goals and better employment (Ekanjume-Ilongo 2015; Gumbi & Ndimande-Hlongwa 2015;Lenyai 2011). Moreover, English language serves as the gatekeeper for multiple opportunities used as a means for communication with the rest of the world, and people believe that the best way to learn it is to use it as a language of instruction (Alieto 2019;Brock-Utne 2012;Mashiya 2011). ...
... Moreover, English language serves as the gatekeeper for multiple opportunities used as a means for communication with the rest of the world, and people believe that the best way to learn it is to use it as a language of instruction (Alieto 2019;Brock-Utne 2012;Mashiya 2011). Learners who are not competent in English language are classified as illiterate and/or incompetent, even when they can read proficiently in their mother tongue (Lenyai 2011;Navarro et al. 2016). As researchers in this study, we understand that teachers often do not prepare learners adequately to learn in their home languages (HLs) because they do not implement policies as intended by the policymakers, especially in ECE. ...
... They are often taught by teachers who also do not fully understand the additional languages used as medium of instruction (Ekanjume-Ilongo 2015). Contrary to many of these findings, in a study of 10 schools in the Gauteng province in South Africa, Lenyai (2011) found that learners were not taught in English in Grade 1 and that English as a subject was rarely taught and was not dominant as language of learning and teaching (LOLT) in Grade 2 and 3 because teachers favoured HL as the medium of teaching in these grades. ...
Background: Over the years, the majority of the Basotho nation and many countries have known Lesotho as a country which has Sesotho and English as the only spoken languages and as medium of instruction in schools. Whereas, in reality, Lesotho has many spoken languages. Many tribes have their own spoken languages which, hitherto, have not been considered in the education sector of Lesotho.
Aim: This article aimed to demonstrate the Lesotho Grade R teachers’ experiences with the implementation of the mother-tongue-instruction policy in teaching pre-reading skills.
Setting: This study was conducted in Lesotho at three different schools. Three Grade R teachers were chosen and studied in their respective classrooms.
Methods: Employing qualitative research methods in this study, the multiple case study research design was used to explore the reality of classroom teaching practices. Document analysis, non-participatory classroom observation and semi-structured interviews and thematic content analysis were employed to generate data.
Results: Teachers in early childhood education (ECE) do not implement medium of instruction policy appropriately because they are not well-informed about it.
Conclusion: Grade R teachers are willing to operationalise the mother-tongue-instruction policy effectively, even though they do not have adequate knowledge of the policy.
... Despite the fact that additional language learning in the South African educational context is of the utmost importance for learners' academic success, there is no guarantee that educators in the foundation phase, especially those in poorly resourced environments, have the skills to facilitate the acquisition of EAL (Lenyai 2011). Whilst investigating teaching EAL in the foundation phase of schools in disadvantaged areas, Lenyai (2011) discovered that the methods that educators implemented to teach English (teacher-dominated interactions focussing on drilling and repetition without comprehension) did not develop children's comprehension and communication skills. ...
... Despite the fact that additional language learning in the South African educational context is of the utmost importance for learners' academic success, there is no guarantee that educators in the foundation phase, especially those in poorly resourced environments, have the skills to facilitate the acquisition of EAL (Lenyai 2011). Whilst investigating teaching EAL in the foundation phase of schools in disadvantaged areas, Lenyai (2011) discovered that the methods that educators implemented to teach English (teacher-dominated interactions focussing on drilling and repetition without comprehension) did not develop children's comprehension and communication skills. Lenyai (2011) argued that if educators do not use methods that encourage children to communicate in English, the learners might not acquire the competence needed to use English as the sole LoLT from Grade 4 onwards as is currently recommended by the South African government, where learners typically learn in their home language for the first 3 years (Grades 1-3) then switch to either English or Afrikaans from Grade 4 onwards. ...
... Whilst investigating teaching EAL in the foundation phase of schools in disadvantaged areas, Lenyai (2011) discovered that the methods that educators implemented to teach English (teacher-dominated interactions focussing on drilling and repetition without comprehension) did not develop children's comprehension and communication skills. Lenyai (2011) argued that if educators do not use methods that encourage children to communicate in English, the learners might not acquire the competence needed to use English as the sole LoLT from Grade 4 onwards as is currently recommended by the South African government, where learners typically learn in their home language for the first 3 years (Grades 1-3) then switch to either English or Afrikaans from Grade 4 onwards. Similarly, Scarinci et al. (2015) reported that many ECD practitioners lack knowledge of child language development and received limited training in this area. ...
BACKGROUND: Early childhood development (ECD) practitioners face tremendous challenges in supporting learners' development in English as an additional language (EAL). The lack of a formal ECD curriculum in South Africa exacerbates this challenge for African learners from historically disadvantaged backgrounds as there is a lack of guidance on how to introduce EAL. AIM: This study investigated factors impacting on ECD practitioners' ability to facilitate EAL, determine the professional development needs of ECD practitioners at historically disadvantaged ECD centres in facilitating the acquisition of EAL and used the results to make recommendations to be considered when developing support initiatives to ECD practitioners in this context. SETTING: Ga-Rankuwa, a township north of Pretoria. METHODS: A descriptive survey design was employed to collect mainly quantitative data and a limited amount of qualitative data. The data were descriptively analysed. RESULTS: Prevalent factors that could impact ECD practitioners' abilities to facilitate EAL included their English proficiency, qualifications and the language of learning and teaching used in the classroom. The participants communicated a need for assistance with (1) enhancing their knowledge on the acquisition of EAL, (2) materials to use in language lessons and (3) lesson planning. CONCLUSION: There is an urgent need to develop support structures to assist historically disadvantaged ECD practitioners in facilitating the acquisition of EAL. The results of the study can serve as a starting point for planning workshops where ECD practitioners can be trained to develop suitable lesson plans and resources as well as appropriate techniques to enhance preschool learners' acquisition of EAL.
... Numerous studies have shown that Grade 1 teachers play an important role in shaping the foundation for early literacy skills for primary school learners (Clay 2005;Lenyai 2011;Pressley et al. 2001;Roskos, Tabors & Lenhart 2009). The teachers are the implementers of the curriculum and their expertise is central in the teaching-learning process as they are the ones to select the appropriate approaches, methods and techniques for fostering literacy in English (Lenyai 2011). ...
... Numerous studies have shown that Grade 1 teachers play an important role in shaping the foundation for early literacy skills for primary school learners (Clay 2005;Lenyai 2011;Pressley et al. 2001;Roskos, Tabors & Lenhart 2009). The teachers are the implementers of the curriculum and their expertise is central in the teaching-learning process as they are the ones to select the appropriate approaches, methods and techniques for fostering literacy in English (Lenyai 2011). In earlier research, Clay (2005) asserted that the first years of school are very important because this is when a solid foundation for literacy learning is laid. ...
Background: Literacy education in the foundation phase is a global concern. Studies have shown that mastering literacy in the first three years of school ensured academic success and lack of it had negative effects academically, socially and economically. This research study sought to explore teachers’ instructional practices for literacy in English in Grade 1 in the Shiselweni region of Eswatini.
Objectives: The objectives of the study were to establish what instructional practices teachers used in their literacy classrooms, why they used those instructional practices, and how they experienced the teaching of literacy in English in Grade 1.
Method: A qualitative case study design was followed where three teachers from two urban schools were purposively sampled and participated in semi-structured interviews and classroom observations. Focus group discussions with teachers who had experience teaching literacy in English in Grade 1 in each school were conducted, and document analysis was done. Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory was used as a lens to understand teachers’ instructional practices in literacy.
Results: Data were analysed using thematic content analysis. The findings of the study showed that teachers’ instructional practices reflected their lack of pedagogical knowledge for teaching literacy in English in the foundation phase. The study also found that the teachers’ experiences were their rationale for their instructional practices.
Conclusion: The study showed that teacher resilience was important for teachers to thrive under trying school conditions; developing a positive attitude towards literacy teaching enabled teachers to develop strategies to improve literacy teaching and learning.
... As a possible solution to this nightmare, Lenyai (2011) acknowledges that the key to achieving the goal for English literacy lies in teacher expertise. According to Maswanganye (2010), the main problem with teaching EFAL reading in South African schools is the lack of teaching skills and approaches that can make learners read. ...
This chapter is not a conventional chapter but uses existing resources to make a case for storytelling as an age-old, but important tool, to develop both character and literacy amongst young children. It starts off by looking at why stories matter, then proceeds to resurrect a story that Desai’s mother told her in Konkani, their mother tongue. This story has now been written down by Desai – in English – for the first time and brings much joy to her great niece and nephew. The latter narrates the story, in his own words, in a link provided. The chapter then shares insights from the African Storybook Project, which is playing a vital role in making stories available digitally in local languages in Africa. It ends off with some salient concluding remarks.
