Abstract:
In the South African context, it is currently assumed by most role players in
education that teacher graduates are proficient in the medium of instruction they will
use once they start their careers. This may be a reason why currently there is no
mandatory testing of teachers‟ language proficiency. Due to social, economic and
historical factors, English has become the medium of instruction at most educational
institutions in South Africa, yet less than 10% of the population speak English as a
home language. Consequently, an overwhelming number of learners are being
taught in a language other than their home language and often by teachers not
adequately prepared to teach through the medium of English. In the absence of
mandatory testing and with the complex language situation in South African
classrooms, this case study aimed to determine the perceptions held by pre-service
teachers and their mentors regarding their English proficiency at entry to the
teaching profession. This was done by answering the following research question:
What is the perceived Classroom English proficiency of final year pre-service
teachers prior to graduating?
The conceptual framework was grounded in Uys‟s (2006) model of Classroom
English proficiency and the methodology employed was quantitative in nature.
Instruments used to collect data included an observation schedule completed by
mentor teachers observing pre-service teachers presenting the fifth lesson of their
first internship period, and a questionnaire completed by the pre-service teacher
directly after the observed lesson. Both instruments were adapted from Elder‟s
Classroom Language Assessment Schedule (1993, 2001), and each included 42
items related to various language proficiency variables rated on a four-point Likert
scale.
Data were analysed using various statistical measures comparing groups and subgroups
within the sample. Key findings included a significant statistical difference
between how English Home Language (EHL) pre-service teachers perceived their
language proficiency and those who are English Additional Language (EAL) preservice
teachers. EHL pre-service teachers perceived their Classroom English
proficiency better than EAL pre-service teachers. The same trend was evident
among the perceptions of mentor teachers. Pedagogical language and voice skills emerged as areas in which additional support was required by EAL pre-service
teachers.
Further research avenues to explore relate to the feasibility of administering refined
instruments among teachers to determine not only what the perceptions would be on
a national level but also to assess their Classroom English proficiency, followed by
possible interventions.
