Teaching methods and strategies used by English second language teachers to develop grade 5 English learners’ speaking abilities in township schools.
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Date
2023
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Abstract
This qualitative study adopted an interpretivist paradigm to gain insight into English
second language teachers’ teaching methods and strategies to develop Grade 5
learners’ English-speaking abilities. This study used face-to-face semi-structured
interviews, classroom observations and document analysis to generate qualitative
data from five participants. The study is underpinned by Vygotsky’s theory of social
constructivism, indicating that learning is socially constructed and learners should
actively participate in constructing new knowledge. The theory emphasises social
interaction and that people learn from one another when constructing new knowledge.
Therefore, through tripolar social interaction, learners can learn English from teachers,
fellow learners and the community to improve their English-speaking abilities.
However, this study’s findings revealed that although Grade 5 English second
language teachers employ different teaching methods and strategies to teach English speaking
proficiency, learners still cannot speak English fluently because the tripolar
education, where learners learn from their teachers, peers and community, is
incomplete. It is incomplete because English is not spoken in these learners’
communities because it is not their home language. Consequently, these learners do
not use English frequently outside the classroom. Therefore, this study revealed that
the multi-pedagogical approach adopted by English second language teachers would
only bear fruit if the tripolar education cycle is complete, where learners can speak
English freely with their teachers, peers and community, within and outside the school
parameters. Moreover, since the community factor is lacking in the English second
language learning context of the schools where this study was conducted, the problem
of learners’ inability to communicate fluently and intelligibly in English is unlikely to be
addressed. Nevertheless, it is encouraging to see teachers employing different
teaching methods and strategies for teaching English-speaking proficiency,
particularly the paradigm shift pedagogical approaches, such as translanguaging,
code-switching and translation and interactive teaching methods, such as debates,
discussions, storytelling and dramatisation. This multi-pedagogical approach allows
learners to work individually or as groups to practice using English in the real
communicative context; however, this is not enough because these learners do not
continue using English when they are in their communities. Instead, they use isiZulu,
their home language. Therefore, these learners continue to encounter hardships in expressing themselves clearly in English. This study argues that unless the community
factor is incorporated into the tripolar education system of teaching English second
language, the problem will continue to exist.
Description
Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.