First- and second-language education is a much researched and universal phenomenon. Like in many other countries, South African children attend preschools from a young age. They often attend dual-medium or English preschools, although South Africa has 11 official languages, of which Afrikaans, the mother-tongue of the participants in this study, is one. During the preschool years, important milestones are achieved in terms of social, emotional and language development. Many researchers argue that basic concepts are best acquired in the mother-tongue, while other researchers highlight the advantages of multilingualism. The primary research question that is explored in this study is: How does the social and emotional development of Afrikaans mother-tongue three-year-olds who receive mother-tongue, dual-medium or second-language education present? This study aimed to expand the insight and knowledge regarding language of education, language dynamics, language diversity and social and emotional development during the early years.
Phenomenological principles are at the basis of this study and the researcher built the conceptual framework on Erikson’s psychosocial theory. Vignette research, with supporting quantitative and qualitative questionnaires, explored the social and emotional development and language of education of three-year-olds. Vignette research provided in-depth, observational data on three participants’ experiences in their learning environments. Mothers’ (n = 36) and educators’ (n = 15) experiences of the children’s social and emotional development were captured using questionnaires.
On a quantitative level, no major differences in three-year-olds’ social and emotional development were evident when they received mother-tongue, dual-medium or second-language education. On a qualitative level, significant granular differences and finer nuances were, however, evident in three-year-olds who received mother-tongue, dual-medium or second-language education. Although both groups of participants showed high levels of language skills, differences included the three-year-olds’ experience of social and emotional security in the learning environment, independence and initiative-taking in informal settings, empathy for peers and relationships characterised by qualitative depth and the processing of auditory information. Although the study focused on South African early-learning contexts, the findings may provide insights for future research on multilingualism.
Afrikaans: Moeder- en tweedetaalonderrig is ’n wyd nagevorsde en universele fenomeen. In
ooreenstemming met ander lande woon Suid-Afrikaanse kinders van ’n jong ouderdom af
dikwels kleuterskool by. In Suid-Afrika vind voorskoolse onderrig in baie gevalle in
dubbelmedium- of Engelse kleuterskole plaas, alhoewel Suid-Afrika 11 amptelike landstale
het, waarvan Afrikaans, die moedertaal van die deelnemers aan hierdie studie, een is.
Gedurende die voorskoolse tydperk vind belangrike sosiale, emosionele en taalontwikkeling
plaas. Verskeie navorsers redeneer dat basiese konsepte ten beste in die moedertaal vasgelê
word, terwyl ander die voordele van meertaligheid beklemtoon. Die primêre navorsingsvraag
wat in hierdie studie ondersoek is, was: Hoe presenteer die sosiale en emosionele
ontwikkeling van Afrikaans-moedertaaldriejariges wat moedertaal-, dubbelmedium- of
tweedetaalonderrig ontvang? Die doel van hierdie studie was om die insigte en kennis oor
taal-van-onderrig, taaldinamika, taaldiversiteit en sosiale en emosionele ontwikkeling te
verbreed.
Fenomenologiese beginsels het die basis van hierdie studie gevorm en die navorser het die
konseptuele raamwerk op Erikson se psigososiale teorie gebou. Vinjetnavorsing, met
ondersteunende kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe vraelyste, het die sosiale en emosionele
ontwikkeling en taal-van-onderrig van driejariges ondersoek. Vinjetnavorsing voorsien
observasiedata van drie deelnemers se ervarings binne hulle leeromgewing. Moeders (n = 36)
en opvoeders (n = 15) se ervarings van die driejariges se sosiale en emosionele ontwikkeling
is deur middel van vraelyste vasgelê.
Die bevindings dui aan dat daar op ’n kwantitatiewe vlak oppervlakkig nie ’n groot verskil in
driejariges se sosiale en emosionele ontwikkeling is wanneer hulle moedertaal-,
dubbelmedium- of tweedetaalonderrig ontvang nie. Op ’n kwalitatiewe vlak is daar egter
belangrike granulêre verskille en fyner nuanses in die sosiale en emosionele ontwikkeling van
hierdie driejariges wat moedertaal-, dubbelmedium- of tweedetaalonderrig ontvang. Alhoewel
die deelnemers van beide groepe sterk taalontwikkeling toon, presenteer daar verskille ten
opsigte van geborgenheid binne die leeromgewing, onafhanklikheid en inisiatief binne
informele situasies, empatie vir die portuurgroep en verhoudings wat gekenmerk word deur
kwalitatiewe diepte, asook die verwerking van ouditiewe inligting. Alhoewel hierdie studie op
die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks gefokus het, bevorder die bevindings insigte en moontlikhede vir
toekomstige navorsing oor hierdie fenomeen.
