Contesting english hegemony in Zambian education system: causes and effects.
Date
2021-04-20
Authors
Musonda, Pamela Muma
Mwanza, David Sani
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
International Journal on Studies in English Language and Literature (IJSELL)
Abstract
n Zambia, English is the official language and a language of instruction from Grade 5 going upwards. It had been a determining subject for any pupil to proceed to Grade 10. However, a policy was developed to remove English as a qualifying subject for Grade 9 examinations. The purpose of this study was to establish why English was censured from its mandatory position and what effect the removal has had on the teaching and learning attitudes of teachers and pupils. Thus, the objectives were to: establish reasons why English was removed as a mandatory passing subject at Grade 9 level; and to analyse the attitudes of
teachers of English and pupils towards government’s removal of English as a mandatory passing subject at Grade 9. The study used a qualitative design and employed a case study strategy of inquiry. The data collection techniques used in the study were interviews and focus group discussions. Purposive sampling
technique was used to come up with a total of 72 respondents of which 4 were standards officers, 3 school managers from 3 schools, 9 teachers and 48 pupils from the same schools. Respondents also included 4 former pupils and 4 parents. Data was analysed using the inductive thematic analysis. The findings of the
study established that the removal of English as a mandatory passing subject at Grade 9 was because of pupils’ low literacy levels and low proficiency levels in English. The other reason was that government wanted to grant opportunity to grade nine pupils access to senior secondary education. The findings showed
that after English was removed as a mandatory passing subject, most of the teachers of English and pupils held negative attitudes towards teaching/learning English while a few others held positive ones. The study recorded 3 participants who were in support of having English as a mandatory passing subject while others were not. The study also established that motivation played a major role in the teaching and learning of English. The study recommended translanguaging as an alternative pedagogy especially for classes whose English proficiency is low.
Description
Article
Keywords
stakeholders , English , mandatory , motivation
Citation
Musonda, P.M & Mwanza, D.S. (2021). Contesting English Hegemony in Zambian Education System: Causes and Effects. International Journal on Studies in English Language and Literature (IJSELL) . 9 (4) : 1-13.