Teachers’ Perspectives of African Languages in Teaching Mathematics: Is There a Place for Sepedi?

Safura Meeran; Piera Biccard

doi:10.25159/2312-3540/19025

Authors

Safura Meeran University of South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6695-8161
Piera Biccard

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25159/2312-3540/19025

Keywords:

language barriers, mathematics register, indigenous language practices

Abstract

Language and mathematics teaching has been a critical issue for decades. The debate in the African context is on using the mother tongue to teach mathematics or, alternatively, to use English with a more teaching-orientated mathematics register. During an ethnomathematics, indigenous games intervention programme, 14 participants from a rural district in the Limpopo province of South Africa were interviewed regarding the challenges they are currently experiencing in teaching mathematics in the Intermediate Phase (Grades 4 to 6). The medium of instruction at these schools is English in the Intermediate Phase, while in the Foundation Phase, the learners are taught mathematics in Sepedi, which is the mother tongue in the district. In the study, we aim to explore how language influences the teaching of mathematics in the Intermediate Phase. We found firstly that English is a barrier to learning for Intermediate Phase learners even though code-switching is used for understanding. Secondly, the debate developed on whether teachers should use mother tongue in Grade 4 or use English which may give the learners the cultural capital to pursue mathematics through later phases. Finally, there may not be a sufficient mathematics register in Sepedi for teachers to engage learners in deeper mathematical discourse and allow them to understand the mathematical concepts. We recommend that teachers be capacitated to use language in various ways when using Sepedi to enhance teaching mathematics. Future research endeavours will include working with a mathematics register in Sepedi and implementing it in mathematics classrooms.

Author Biographies

Safura Meeran, University of South Africa

Professor

Piera Biccard

Professor

References

Abdul-Ganiyu, F., B. A. Obeng, B. Asare and Y. D. Arthur. 2024. “Effects of Mother Tongue Instruction on Students Mathematical Achievement in the Bekwai Municipal, Ghana.” Golden Ratio of Social Science and Education 4 (1): 67–74. https://doi.org/10.52970/grsse.v4i1.395. DOI: https://doi.org/10.52970/grsse.v4i1.395

Alharahsheh, H. H., & A. Pius. 2020. “A Review of Key Paradigms: Positivism VS Interpretivism.” Global Academic Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences 2 (3): 39–43. https://www.gajrc.com/media/articles/GAJHSS_23_39-43_VMGJbOK.pdf.

Baquiller, G. E., and W. Abellon. 2021. “Teachers’ Problems in Teaching Mathematics Using Mother Tongue in a District of the Philippines.” Proceedings of the International Conference on Education 7 (1): 430–36. https://doi.org/10.17501/24246700.2021.7143. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17501/24246700.2021.7143

Barwell, R. 2020. “Learning Mathematics in a Second Language: Language Positive and Language Neutral Classrooms.” Journal for Research in Mathematics Education 51 (2): 150–78. https://doi.org/10.5951/jresematheduc-2020-0018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5951/jresematheduc-2020-0018

Bourdieu, P. 1977. Outline of a Theory of Practice. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511812507. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511812507

Breinholt, A., and M. M. Jæger. 2020. “How Does Cultural Capital Affect Educational Performance: Signals or Skills?” British Journal of Sociology 71 (1): 28–46. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-4446.12711. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-4446.12711

Chirume, S. 2019. “How Does Language Influence Performance, Fear and Attitudes Towards Mathematics at Primary School Level in Zimbabwe?” International Journal of Educational Studies 2 (2): 36–43. https://doi.org/10.53935/2641-533x.v2i2.23. DOI: https://doi.org/10.53935/2641-533x.v2i2.23

Clarke, V., and V. Braun. 2013. “Teaching Thematic Analysis: Overcoming Challenges and Developing Strategies for Effective Learning.” Psychologist 26 (2): 120–23. https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/937596.

Cohen, L., L. Manion and K. Morrison. 2018. Research Methods in Education. 8th ed. Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315456539

D’Ambrosio, U. 1984. “Socio-Cultural Bases for Mathematical Education.” In Proceedings of the Fifth International Congress on Mathematical Education, 1–6. Adelaide: ICME5. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-4238-1_1

DBE (Department of Basic Education). 2010. The Status of the Language of Learning and Teaching (LOLT) in South African Public Schools: A Quantitative Overview. Department of Basic Education.

Dahm, R., and G. de Angelis. 2017. “The Role of Mother Tongue Literacy in Language Learning and Mathematical Learning: Is There a Multilingual Benefit for Both?” International Journal of Multilingualism 15 (2): 194–213. https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2017.1359275. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2017.1359275

Deem, R., and L. Lucas. 2007. “Research and Teaching Cultures in Two Contrasting UK Policy Contexts: Academic Life in Education Departments in Five English and Scottish Universities.” Higher Education 54: 115–33. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-006-9010-z. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-006-9010-z

Dhlamini, S., and A. A. Essien. 2023. “Practices Teachers Use to Mediate the Sepedi Mathematics Register in Multilingual Foundation Phase Classrooms.” Paper presented at the Conference of the Southern African Association for Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology Education. Bloemfontein, South Africa.

Diouani, A. E. 2023. “The Role of Cultural Capital in Enhancing EFL Learners’ Proficiency: Putting Bourdieu to the Test.” Pedagogy, Culture & Society 31 (5): 1115–32. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681366.2021.2001560. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14681366.2021.2001560

Erath, K., J. Ingram, J. Moschkovich and S. Prediger. 2021. “Designing and Enacting Instruction that Enhances Language for Mathematics Learning: A Review of the State of Development and Research.” ZDM – Mathematics Education 53: 245–62. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-020-01213-2. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-020-01213-2

Karikari, A., E. O. Kumi, E. A. Achiaa and J. Adu. 2022. “The Impact of Using Mother Tongue as Instructional Language in Teaching and Learning of Mathematics in Rural Primary Schools (A Case Study of Four Selected Schools in Sefwi Akontombra District, Ghana).” International Journal of Novel Research in Education and Learning 9: 26–38. https://www.noveltyjournals.com/upload/paper/The%20Impact%20of%20Using%20Mother-08022022-1.pdf.

Kibler, A., G. Valdés and A. Walqui. 2014. “What Does Standards-Based Educational Reform Mean for English Language Learner Populations in Primary and Secondary Schools?” TESOL Quarterly 48 (4): 873–4. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.183. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.183

Kukulska-Hulme, A., R. A. Giri, S. Dawadi, K. R. Devkota and M. Gaved. 2023. “Languages and Technologies in Education at School and Outside of School: Perspectives From Young People in Low-Resource Countries in Africa and Asia.” Frontiers in Communication 8: 1–16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2023.1081155. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2023.1081155

Ladson-Billings, G. 1995. “Toward a Theory of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy.” American Educational Research Journal 32 (3): 465–91. https://doi.org/10.3102/00028312032003465. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3102/00028312032003465

Mabena, N., P. N. Mokgosi and S. S. Ramapela. 2021. “Factors Contributing to Poor Learner Performance in Mathematics: A Case of Selected Schools in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa.” Problems of Education in the 21st Century 79 (3): 451–66. https://doi.org/10.33225/pec/21.79.451. DOI: https://doi.org/10.33225/pec/21.79.451

Mahlambi, S. B., and A. S. Mawela. 2021. “Exploring Grade 6 Mathematics Teachers’ Use of the Language of Learning and Teaching in Assessment for Learning.” Journal of Education 82: 129–48. https://doi.org/10.17159/2520-9868/i82a08. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17159/2520-9868/i82a08

Manditereza, B. 2021. “Rethinking Educational Transitioning in South African Primary Schools in Grades 3 and 4.” International Journal of Childhood Education 2 (2): 18–25. https://doi.org/10.33422/ijce.v2i2.75. DOI: https://doi.org/10.33422/ijce.v2i2.75

Martínez, J. M. 2018. “Language as Resource: Language Immersion Mathematics Teachers’ Perspectives and Practices.” In Mathematical Discourse that Breaks Barriers and Creates Space for Marginalized Learners, edited by R. Hunter, M. Civil and B. Herbel, 85–100. Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789463512541_005. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789463512541_005

Mpalami, N. 2022. “Complexities of Translating Mathematics Tasks From English to Learners’ Home Languages.” Pythagoras 43 (1): 1–6. https://doi.org/10.4102/pythagoras.v43i1.560. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/pythagoras.v43i1.560

Peirce, B. N. 1989. “Toward a Pedagogy of Possibility in the Teaching of English Internationally: People’s English in South Africa.” TESOL Quarterly 23 (3): 401–20. https://doi.org/10.2307/3586918. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/3586918

Peng, P., X. Lin, Z. E. Ünal, K. Lee, J. Namkung, J. Chow and A. Sales. 2020. “Examining the Mutual Relations Between Language and Mathematics: A Meta-Analysis.” Psychological Bulletin 146 (7): 595–634. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000231. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000231

Phakeng, M. 2018. “One Country, Many Languages: Exploring a Multilingual Approach to Mathematics Teaching and Learning in South Africa.” In Proceedings of the IV ERME Topic Conference ‘Classroom-Based Research on Mathematics and Language’, 8–16. https://hal.science/hal-01849650/.

Pimm, D. 1981. “Mathematics? I Speak It Fluently.” In Developing Mathematical Thinking, edited by A. Floyd, 139–50. Addison Wesley.

Posel, D. and J. Zeller. 2019. “Language Use and Language Shift in Post-Apartheid South Africa.” In English in Multilingual South Africa. The linguistics of Contact and Change, edited by R. Hickey, 288–309. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108340892.014. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108340892.014

Prediger, S. 2019. “Investigating and Promoting Teachers’ Expertise for Language-Responsive Mathematics Teaching.” Mathematics Education Research Journal 31 (4): 367–92. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13394-019-00258-1. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13394-019-00258-1

Prediger, S., K. Erath and E. M. Opitz. 2018. Language Challenges for Students With Mathematical Difficulties – An Overview on Research Results and Instructional Approaches. https://wwwold.mathematik.tu-dortmund.de/~prediger/veroeff/18-PredErathMoser-MathDifficultiesLanguage_Web_Manuscript.pdf. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97148-3_27

Prediger, S., and L. Wessel. 2013. “Fostering German-Language Learners’ Constructions of Meanings for Fractions – Design and Effects of a Language- and Mathematics-Integrated Intervention.” Mathematics Education Research Journal 25 (3): 435–56. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13394-013-0079-2. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13394-013-0079-2

Pretorius, E. J., and L. Stoffelsma. 2021. “The Potential for Word Growth in Grade 3 in Disadvantaged Urban Schools: Factors That Facilitate or Impede the Transition to Grade 4.” Multilingual Classroom Contexts: Transitions and Transactions 17.

Reddy, V., M. Visser, L. Winnaar, F. Arends, A. Juan, C. H. Prinsloo and K. Isdale. 2016. TIMSS 2015: Highlights of Mathematics and Science Achievement of Grade 9 South African Learners. Commissioned by the Department of Basic Education, December. HSRC. http://hdl.handle.Net/20.500.11910/10673.

Robertson, A. A., and M. Graven. 2020. “A Mathematics Teacher’s Response to a Dilemma: ‘I’m Supposed to Teach Them in English but They Don’t Understand’.” South African Journal of Childhood Education 10 (1): 1–11. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajce.v10i1.800. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/sajce.v10i1.800

Ruíz, R. 1984. “Orientations in Language Planning.” NABE Journal 8 (2): 15–34. https://doi.org/10.1080/08855072.1984.10668464. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/08855072.1984.10668464

Schäfer, M. 2010. “Mathematics Registers in Indigenous Languages: Experiences From South Africa.” In Shaping the Future of Mathematics Education: Proceedings of the 33rd Annual Conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia. Fremantle: MERGA, edited by L. Sparrow, B. Kissane and C. Hurst, 509–14. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED520764.pdf.

Setati, M. 2005. “Teaching Mathematics in a Primary Multilingual Classroom.” Journal for Research in Mathematics Education 36 (5): 447–66. https://doi.org/10.2307/30034945. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/30034945

Sharma, S., and S. Sharma. 2023. “Successful Teaching Practices for English Language Learners in Multilingual Mathematics Classrooms: A Meta-Analysis.” Mathematics Education Research Journal 35 (4): 821–48. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13394-022-00414-0. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13394-022-00414-0

Spaull, N., E. Pretorius and N. Mohohlwane. 2020. “Investigating the Comprehension Iceberg: Developing Empirical Benchmarks for Early-Grade Reading in Agglutinating African Languages.” South African Journal of Childhood Education 10 (1): 1–14. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajce.v10i1.773. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/sajce.v10i1.773

Tai, K. W. H. 2022. “Translanguaging as Inclusive Pedagogical Practices in English-Medium Instruction Science and Mathematics Classrooms for Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Students.” Research in Science Education 52 (3): 975–1012. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-021-10018-6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-021-10018-6

Van Laren, L., and B. Goba. 2013. “’They Say We Are Crèche Teachers’: Experiences of Pre-Service Mathematics Teachers Taught Through the Medium of IsiZulu.” Pythagoras 34 (1): 1–8. https://doi.org/10.4102/pythagoras.v34i1.216. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/pythagoras.v34i1.216

Vygotsky, L. S. 1986. Thought and Language. Cambridge University Press.