Attitudes of Xhosa-speaking students at the University of Fort Hare towards the use of Xhosa as a language of learning and teaching (LOLT)

Experiences of Foundation Phase teachers qualified in a dual medium programme

“…They are often the main obstacle towards using the mother tongue as a language of learning and teaching. Dyers (1998) and Dalvit & de Klerk (2005) observed the negative attitudes of university students towards IsiXhosa usage at university. Mashiya (2010) identified negative attitudes reported by some students at tertiary level that isiZulu is a difficult language to learn through since it is the language of communication only.…”

“…Besides these benefits, the home language also brings its speakers together, because it is the language that embodies their culture. However, many scholars such as Dyers (1998), Turner (2012, Dalvit & de Klerk (2005) indicate that negative attitudes towards local languages exist wherein participants argue that other languages offer better opportunities than IsiZulu and other African languages. According to Turner (2012: 32-34) learners in KwaZulu-Natal stated that they opted for Afrikaans over IsiZulu because "not only is it easier but also because it offers wider opportunities in the global scenario than IsiZulu does, as Afrikaans has a closer relationship with Germanic languages.…”

Attitudes held by Setswana L1-speaking university students toward their L1: New variables

“…The following surveys (earliest to most recent publication of findings) are particularly relevant to this one because they were conducted after 1994-the year in which South Africa became a democratic country: • Dyers (1999) at the University of the Western Cape: to ascertain language attitudes, preferences and usage of the student speech community; • Dalvit (2004) at the University of Fort Hare: to determine students' attitudes toward the possible introduction of their L1 as a medium of instruction (MOI) at their university; • Aziakpono (2007) at Rhodes University: to determine the attitudes that students held toward various LoLT issues at that university; • Bangeni and Kapp (2007) at the University of Cape Town:…”

The Use of English and Code Switching in the Teaching and Learning of Technology in some Schools in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

“…Dlamini (2001) notes that most black students are not proficient in English when they get to university, and they have to work harder than white students because they have to grapple with the language of instruction as well as with the concepts taught. This might be one of the reasons for the poor performance of many speakers of African languages at schools and universities, in subjects such as mathematics and sciences (Dalvit and de Klerk, 2005). After the recognition of 11 official languages in the new South African Constitution (Act No.…”

“…The new language in education policy is conceived as an integral and necessary aspect of the new government's strategy of building a non-racial society in South Africa. The policy is meant to facilitate communication across the barriers of colour, language and region, while at the same time creating an environment in which respect for languages other than one's own would be encouraged (Dalvit and de Klerk, 2005). It appears that coupling mother-tongue instruction with an impoverished curriculum in 'black' schools (see Wright, 1996), has had devastating effects on the education of the speakers of African languages, of which the consequences still exist today (ibid).…”