Academic performance, bilingualism, and rurality: insights from Grade 10 History classroom contexts

Abstract

The language of learning and academic performance has drawn the interest of researchers from around the world for some years. This study aimed to investigate the impact of the language of learning and teaching (LoLT) on the academic success of Xitsonga-speaking Grade 10 learners in a rural History classroom context focusing on four quintile 1 schools in the Mopani district in Limpopo province. The study employed mixed methods that involved observation of teachers and learners in their Grade 10 History class during learning and teaching, interviews with the four History teachers from the four sampled schools, and a focus group setting. The quantitative data was collected using the Solomon Four quasi-experiment. The findings showed that the academic performance of the learners was influenced negatively by their poor proficiency in the LoLT, lack of resources both at school and at home, and the use of the first language (L1) in the learners’ home environment. They also showed that educators often resort to learners’ first language during teaching and learning to facilitate cognition and that where learners’ L1 is used as a language of input, the learners performed better than where the language of input is English. Therefore, the use of the learners' L1 is effective in enhancing and consequently improving their academic performance. It is further recommended that the learners' linguistic repertoire should be utilized through translanguaging during learning to enhance learners' cognition of content and improve their academic performance.