Supporting South African foundation phase second language learners and their teachers : a language perspective

Abstract

Classrooms across the world are becoming more diverse, and mainstream teachers are obliged to accept responsibility for teaching second language (L2) learners. The language and literacy difficulties that L2 learners experience have been well documented. Globally, and specifically in South Africa, teachers of L2 learners experience a need for professional development to help them bring L2 learners up to the same level as their home language (L1) peers. Speech-language therapists can assist teachers and L2 learners through assessment of learners as well as professional development for teachers on language and literacy development of L2 learners. The overall aim of the research project was to appropriately support foundation phase teachers who teach L2 learners alongside L1 learners. Professional development should meet the needs of the teachers involved. Therefore, for Study 1, a mixed-method design was used within a bioecological framework to determine Grade 1 teachers’ professional development needs through a questionnaire and dyadic interviews. Phase 1 consisted of 56 participants and Phase 2 had four participants. The bioecological framework illuminated the person characteristics, context, and time factors that inform professional development needs. The results indicate a positive impact on teachers and L2 learners when schools prioritise teacher support for L2 learners. Teachers want to be involved in the implementation of professional development, but many would prefer support without a coaching element. The findings provide direction for professional development programmes to assist teachers with L2 learners in their classes. For Study 2, 17 Grade 1 L2 learners with a higher socio-economic status were purposively selected because little is known about the language and literacy characteristics of this group of L2 learners in South Africa. The language and literacy characteristics of Grade 1 L2 learners from private schools were determined quantitatively through assessment of language, linguistically-related auditory processing, reading, and spelling. We investigated how their literacy skills compare to first language (L1) norms and whether there are differences in performance based on home language, sex, or geographic location. The results indicate that L2 learners from private schools perform closer to L1 norms than reported by previous studies. Sex and geographic location influenced some subskills, but the most significant influence was that of the L2 learners’ home language. The findings provide direction on what needs to be prioritised and who should participate in language enrichment activities. The results from Study 1 and Study 2 informed the content of Study 3. The needs of the teachers at the research site, together with the assessment results of their L2 learners, indicated that pedagogical translanguaging could potentially benefit the L2 learners and their teachers. Through design-based research, we aimed to determine the effect of pedagogical translanguaging in a private school’s foundation phase classrooms. Study 3 had five participants. The results indicate that teachers use pedagogical translanguaging for symbolic, scaffolding, and epistemological functions. While no direct academic benefit was observed for the L2 learners, their classroom participation and confidence improved because of the symbolic function of pedagogical translanguaging. The teachers deemed pedagogical translanguaging appropriate to their context.