Assessing Grade 4 Mathematics in the Learner's Mother Tongue: A South African Experiment

Autor/in	Vandeyar, Saloshna
Titel	Assessing Grade 4 Mathematics in the Learner's Mother Tongue: A South African Experiment
Quelle	In: Early Child Development and Care, 180 (2010) 7, S.921-936 (16 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0300-4430
Schlagwörter	Language of Instruction; Language Role; Foreign Countries; Grade 4; Immersion Programs; Sociolinguistics; School Desegregation; Desegregation Methods; Desegregation Effects; Mathematics Achievement; Mathematics Tests; Testing Accommodations; Limited English Speaking; Pretests Posttests; South Africa + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Teaching language; Unterrichtssprache; Ausland; School year 04; 4. Schuljahr; Schuljahr 04; Immersionsprogramm; Soziolinguistik; Integrative Schule; Mathmatics sikills; Mathmatics achievement; Mathematical ability; Mathematische Kompetenz; Testing process; Accessibility (for disabled); Accessibility; Disabled person; Testdurchführung; Testen; Barrierefreiheit; Zugänglichkeit; Behinderter; Südafrika; Süd-Afrika; Republik Südafrika; Südafrikanische Republik
Abstract	Official policy in post-apartheid education is aimed at redressing linguistic inequity in schooling by promoting the 11 official languages of South Africa through mother tongue instruction. However, since the life chances of children are inextricably linked to the language of power, many parents believe that their children would benefit from instruction in English. Consequently, there has been an ever-increasing demand for English to be the language of instruction in schools. Utilising case studies of Grade 4 pupils at three desegregated schools, this research sought to determine whether Grade 4 learners, whose mother tongue is not English, would be able to express their conceptual mathematical understanding better when tested in English or in their mother tongue. The major finding was that although many non-first-language English speaking Grade 4 learners are challenged by having to acquire abstract subject knowledge through a non-mother tongue medium, they face an even greater challenge when tested in their mother tongue. (Contains 1 figure and 2 tables.) (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10