Transforming language discourse in higher education through reading modules in African languages

Abstract

The discourses around teaching and learning in South Africa are intense, with English still being a preferred language of learning and teaching at higher education level. The dominance of English as the language that unifies societies economically and politically marginalises other minority languages. The study explored how language discourse can be transformed in higher education through reading modules in African languages. In indigenising the teaching programme curriculum, teaching reading modules were developed in five African languages in a Bachelor of Education in the Foundation Phase programme. The Funds of Knowledge framework and languageas-resource perspectives were used as lenses through which the study was viewed. The Funds of Knowledge framework aims to connect the pedagogical-curricular content with the multiple epistemological ways of knowing. The language-as-resource perspective gives credence to marginalised languages as resources in understanding inaccessible academic content. An exploratory case study research design under a qualitative approach shaped the focus of this study. Through purposive sampling, interviews were conducted with five versioners and five students representing African languages. African languages were acknowledged as having the power to make knowledge accessible, contribute towards a deeper understanding of the learning content and practically implement this in teaching reading to children in their first language. If the African languages are undeveloped, they will suffer from social and cultural capital gains inherent in the frequent use of dominant languages in academic discourses.