Code-switching : a communicative technique enhancing teaching and assessment of grade 4 English first additional language

Abstract

Code-switching is used as a communicative instrument during teaching and learning. Research has highlighted the dominance of teachers' use of code-switching in the classroom to promote learners’ comprehension of subject content during teaching and learning. This research explored code-switching as a communicative technique to enhance teaching and assessment in English First Additional Language (EFAL) Grade 4 classrooms in selected Gauteng primary schools. Special attention was given to teachers’ proficiency in the learners’ home language; the benefits of using code-switching to teach and assess EFAL learners; the challenges of using code-switching to teach and assess EFAL learners; and code-switching communicative strategies that can be employed to improve teaching and assessment in EFAL classrooms. This qualitative study was underpinned by social constructivism theory, sociocultural theory, cognitive theory and an interpretivist paradigm. In order to gather data from the nine purposively and conveniently sampled Grade 4 EFAL teachers and five heads of department, semi-structured interviews, non-participatory observation and document analysis were used. Most teachers have been found to understand the use of code-switching during teaching and learning, but when they were assessing learners, they found it difficult to code-switch. The challenges of using code-switching for assessment overshadow code-switching accomplishments. Policy on the use of code-switching for assessment purposes has been found to be lacking. From this research it emerged that Grade 4 EFAL teachers are crying out for in-service training on how to incorporate code-switching in assessment practices. In order to enforce code-switching as a communicative technique to enhance teaching and assessment uniformly, policymakers should include the use of code-switching during teaching and assessment as an engaging activity in the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) documents.

Fa go rutiwa le go ithuta, go refosanya dipuo go itsege jaaka sediriswa sa tlhaeletsano. Patlisiso e sedifaditse ka moo barutabana ba dirisang thata thefosanyo ya dipuo mo phaposiborutelong go tsweletsa go kgona ga barutwana go tlhaloganya diteng tsa serutwa ka nako ya go ruta le go ithuta. Patlisiso eno e tlhotlhomisitse thefosanyo ya dipuo jaaka thekeniki ya tlhaeletsano go thusa go ruta le go tlhatlhoba mo thutong ya English jaaka Puo ya Ntlha ya Tlaleletso (EFAL) mo diphaposiborutelong tsa Mophato 4 kwa dikolong tsa poraemari tse di tlhophilweng kwa Gauteng. Go ne go totilwe thata bokgoni jwa barutabana jwa dipuogae tsa barutwana; mesola ya go dirisa thefosanyo ya dipuo go ruta le go tlhatlhoba barutwana ba EFAL; dikgwetlho tsa go dirisa thefosanyo ya dipuo go ruta le go tlhatlhoba barutwana ba EFAL; le ditogamaano tsa tlhaeletsano tsa thefosanyo ya dipuo tse di ka dirisiwang go tokafatsa go ruta le go tlhatlhoba mo diphaposiborutelong tsa EFAL. Thutopatlisiso eno e e lebelelang mabaka e ne e theilwe mo tioring ya kago, tiori ya setsoloago, tiori ya temogo le molebo wa thanolo. Go kokoanya data go tswa mo sampoleng e e tlhophilweng ka maikaelelo ya diphaposiborutelo di le robongwe tsa EFAL tsa Mophato 4 le ditlhogo tsa mafapha di le tlhano, go dirisitswe dipotsolotso tse di batlileng di rulagana, le kelotlhoko ntle le go nna le seabe gammogo le go lokolola dikwalo. Go fitlhetswe gore bontsi jwa barutabana bo tlhaloganya tiriso ya thefosanyo ya dipuo ka nako ya go ruta le go ithuta, fela fa ba tlhatlhoba barutwana, ba fitlhetse go se bonolo go refosanya dipuo. Go fitlhetswe gore go lebeletswe thata dikgwetlho tsa go dirisa thefosanyo ya dipuo mo mabakeng a tlhatlhobo go na le diphitlhelelo tsa thefosanyo ya dipuo. Go fitlhetswe gore pholisi ya tiriso ya thefosanyo ya dipuo mo mabakeng a tlhatlhobo e a tlhaela. Go tswa mo patlisisong eno, go bonagetse gore barutabana ba EFAL ba Mophato 4 ba ikuela gore go nne le katiso ya mo tirong malebana le gore ba ka akaretsa jang thefosanyo ya dipuo mo ditlhatlhobong. Gore go dirisiwe thefosanyo ya dipuo jaaka thekeniki ya tlhaeletsano go tokafatsa go ruta le go tlhatlhoba ka go tshwana, badirapholisi ba tshwanetse go akaretsa tiriso ya thefosanyo ya dipuo mo go ruteng le go tlhatlhoba jaaka tirwana ya tirisano mo dikwalong tsa CAPS.

Nga tshifhinga tsha u funza na u guda, u shumisa nyambo mbili kha vhudavhidzani hu vhidzwa tshishumiswa tsha vhudavhidzani. Thodisiso yo ombedzela ndangulo ya vhadededzi ya u shumisa nyambo mbili kha vhudavhidzani kilasirumuni u tutuwedza vhagudiswa u divha thero lwo fhelelaho nga tshifhinga tsha u funza na u guda. Thodisiso heyi yo wanulusa u shumisa nyambo mbili kha vhudavhidzani sa Ndila ya vhudavhidzani u khwinisa u funza na u linga English Luambo lwa u Thoma lwo Engedzwaho (EFAL) kha Gireidi ya 4 kha zwikolo zwa phuraimari zwa Gauteng zwo khethiwaho. Ho sedzeswa nga maanda vhukoni ha mudededzi ha luambo lwa damuni lwa vhagudiswa; mbuelo ya u shumisa nyambo mbili kha vhudavhidzani u funza na u linga vhagudiswa vha EFAL; khaedu dza u shumisa nyambo mbili kha vhudavhidzani u funza na u linga vhagudiswa vha EFAL; u shumisa nyambo mbili kha zwitirathedzhi zwa vhudavhidzani zwine zwa nga shumiswa u khwinisa u funza na u linga kilasirumuni dza EFAL. Ngudo iyi ya khwalithethivi yo khwathisedzwa nga thyeori ya matshilisano ya u fhata, thyeori ya mvelele na matshilisano, thyeori ya ndivho na tsumbo ya uri ngoho yo fhatwa nga thalutshedzo. U itela u kuvhanganya data u bva kha tsumbonanguludzwa dza tahe dza vhathu vho nangwaho u ya nga ndivho na vhathu vhane zwa leluwa u vha wana na u vha swikelela kha Gireidi ya 4 kilasirumuni dza EFAL na thoho thanu dza muhasho, inthaviwu dzine dza sa tevhedze tshivhumbeo, u sedza vhadzheneleli u sa dzheneleli na u saukanya manwalo zwo shumiswa. Vhunzhi ha vhadededzi vho wanala vha tshi pfesesa u shumiswa ha nyambo mbili kha vhudavhidzani kha u funza na u guda, fhedzi musi vha tshi linga vhagudiswa, vho wana zwi tshi konda u shumisa nyambo mbili kha vhudavhidzani. Khaedu dza u shumisa nyambo mbili kha vhudavhidzani u itela u linga dzo wanala dzi tshi fhungudza u khunyeledzwa ha maitele a u shumisa nyambo mbili kha vhudavhidzani. Mbekanyamaitele nga ha u shumiswa ha nyambo mbili kha vhudavhidzani kha u linga yo wanala i songo fhelela. U bva kha thodisiso heyi ho sumbedziswa uri vhadededzi vha EFAL ya Gireidi ya 4 vha khou vhilaedzwa nga ha u gudela mishumo nga ha uri vha nga katela hani u shumiswa ha nyambo mbili kha vhudavhidzani kha maitele a u linga. U itela u shumisa nyambo mbili kha vhudavhidzani sa ndila ya vhudavhidzani u khwinisa u funza na u linga hu linganaho, vhabveledzi vha mbekanyamaitele vha fanela u katela u shumiswa ha nyambo mbili kha vhudavhidzani nga tshifhinga tsha u funza na u linga sa mushumo wa u dzhenelela kha manwalo a CAPS.