Dual language instruction (IsiZulu-English) of academic literacy and communication skills pilot course : impact on language attitudes of engineering students = Isifundo esilimi mbili (IsiZulu-Nesingisi) samakhono okufunda nokuxhumana : amandla aso kwizimomqondo yezilimi yabafundi bezobunjiniyela.

Abstract

The study was motivated by the 2002 Language Policy for Higher Education (LPHE) that was promulgated by the Department of Education (DoE) in response to its concerns over the alarmingly high failure, dropout and retention rates of particularly black South African students. The LPHE has identified English-medium instruction as the possible main factor in denying the majority of black students’ access to and success in higher education. However, the LPHE is yet to be fully implemented in the country partly due to the fact that sociolinguistic studies among black-African-language speakers indicate that there is a strong preference for English over black African languages in all formal sectors of society, including academia. This preference for English is, in part, a result of the lack of development and the under-resourcing of black African languages in education. Also, black South Africans, while they desire quality mother tongue instruction (MTI), strongly wish to improve their English proficiency. Following on these indications, this study developed and piloted dual language instruction (DLI) (isiZulu-English) teaching and learning course material on academic literacy and communication skills. The purpose of the study was to investigate the extent to which participation in the DLI pilot course might contribute towards ‘attitude change’ as regards the use of isiZulu as a teaching and learning resource alongside English in higher education. The investigation, which took place at Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, was undertaken among isiZulu-speaking students and their lecturers, all of whom were involved in an Academic Literacy and Communication Skills course for engineers at foundation level. In order to collect data the study adopted an embedded mixed-method research approach in that while it mainly made use of three questionnaires that were administered to The study was motivated by the 2002 Language Policy for Higher Education (LPHE) that was promulgated by the Department of Education (DoE) in response to its concerns over the alarmingly high failure, dropout and retention rates of particularly black South African students. The LPHE has identified English-medium instruction as the possible main factor in denying the majority of black students’ access to and success in higher education. However, the LPHE is yet to be fully implemented in the country partly due to the fact that sociolinguistic studies among black-African-language speakers indicate that there is a strong preference for English over black African languages in all formal sectors of society, including academia. This preference for English is, in part, a result of the lack of development and the under-resourcing of black African languages in education. Also, black South Africans, while they desire quality mother tongue instruction (MTI), strongly wish to improve their English proficiency. Following on these indications, this study developed and piloted dual language instruction (DLI) (isiZulu-English) teaching and learning course material on academic literacy and communication skills. The purpose of the study was to investigate the extent to which participation in the DLI pilot course might contribute towards ‘attitude change’ as regards the use of isiZulu as a teaching and learning resource alongside English in higher education. The investigation, which took place at Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, was undertaken among isiZulu-speaking students and their lecturers, all of whom were involved in an Academic Literacy course for engineers at foundation level. In order to collect data the study adopted an embedded mixed-method research approach in that while it mainly made use of three questionnaires that were administered to students there were also focus group interviews to supplement quantitative data. In addition, the data analyses were comparatively undertaken across different times of the study and between different groups of participants (students and lecturers). The purpose in the comparative analyses of all the data collected was to discover whether or not there were areas of convergence and/or divergence in the garnered opinions concerning attitudes to bi-/multilingual education. The important finding of this study was that the majority of students indicated from the onset that they preferred to use their primary language as a learning resource while they also valued the role of English in education. This was taken as an indication of positive attitudes to bilingual education. As a result, the use of the DLI pilot course contributed to a minimal attitude change in that after its use there were a few students who for the first time acknowledged the positive role of isiZulu in education. The majority of lecturers also approved of the use and/or the role of L1 in education and indicated support for its use in content subjects. However, the longitudinal investigation of attitudes amongst students in their final year of study revealed a shift in attitude in that the majority identified English as the only language of education. The thesis concluded by suggesting that it is attitudes based on personal experience rather than on preconceived ideas that should inform our decisions on language education policy implementation. It was then recommended that Higher education institutions that are in areas where the student population remains predominantly black in terms of demographics should lead in the implementation of multilingual education policies.