Integrating language literacy in physical sciences in Riba Cross District, South Africa

Abstract

The language of teaching and learning challenges Physical Sciences teachers and impacts learners’ achievements. The study aimed to investigate how language literacy is integrated into the teaching of Physical Sciences. A descriptive survey design was adopted. The participants were five Grade 10 Physical Sciences teachers and 211 learners (108 boys; 103 girls) from nine schools exhibiting low academic achievements. Data were gleaned through the Literacy Skills Usage Survey Questionnaire (LSUSQ). The results show that 77.78% of the teachers did not engage learners in report writing and arguments which are fundamental to language literacy, suggesting that integrating literacy in science teaching was inadequate. Learners had difficulties in contributing to word walls, writing reports, and arguing from evidence. The lack of integration suggests that teachers lacked training in integrating language literacy into science teaching. These findings underscore the need for workshops to enable teachers to incorporate language literacy in teaching Physical Sciences.
 
 Keywords: arguing from evidence, integrate, language literacy, reading and report writing

Using African Indigenous Languages in Science Engagement to Increase Science Trust

“…In a study interrogating how courtroom linguistic choices impact confidence in the institution of the justice system, Liu and Baird discovered that confidence levels are lowest when only a majority language is used in the courtroom, and that use of either a minority language and/or a lingua franca increases confidence levels in the judicial institution (Liu and Baird, 2012). Examination of both teacher (Alidou et al, 2006;Njoroge, 2011;Kibirige and Mogofe, 2021;Semeon and Mutekwe, 2021) and student performances (Prophet and Dow, 1994;Rollnick and Rutherford, 1996;Manzini, 2000;Mwinsheikhe, 2002;Brock Utne, 2004;Mammino, 2010;Mahlasela, 2012;Charamba 2019) using more familiar languages as opposed to Western languages has consistently shown increased understanding of scientific concepts. Students taught in languages familiar to them also produced better results in exams and there were fewer repeaters (Wilmot, 2003;Bender et al, 2005;Alidou et al, 2006;Kioko et al, 2014).…”

Improving primary school teachers’ competence in teaching multi-literacy through RADEC-based training programs

“…In the learning process involving higher-level thinking skills, teachers must be able to guide students to meaningfully apply their basic literacy skills (Hanemann, 2015;Ihmeideh & Al-Maadadi, 2018;Kibirige & Mogofe, 2021), especially multi-literacy skills. The term multi-literacy is used to understand the complexity of various texts, in which visual, spatial, gesture and language elements are combined with a variety of communication modes that affect personal literacy practice (Cheong et al, 2018).…”

School Leaders’ Perceptions of Teaching and Learning Science and Mathematics in a Non-native Language in Lebanon. (c2022)

“…While teaching and learning science and mathematics in a non-native language can threaten the cultural identity and undermine the local language (Ennaji, 2005;Lodge, 2016;Robertson & Graven, 2019;Sah, 2020;Sah & Li, 2018), it can, on the other hand, contribute to the advancement of an individual's socioeconomic mobility domestically and internationally (Albury, 2019;Piller & Cho, 2013;De Swaan, 2001) without having a negative impact on the cultural identity and the value of the native language in the society (Cummins, 2000;Navés, 2009;Ngugi, 1994;Sumaryono & Ortiz, 2004). Furthermore, while some researchers perceive teaching and learning science and mathematics in a non-native language as an opportunity for students to achieve the aspects of science and mathematics literacy (Kuteeva & Airey, 2013;Sandström et al, 2013), other researchers argue that the lack of proficiency in the non-native language, as the language of science and mathematics instruction, can hamper the learning of these subjects (Heliawati et al, 2020;Hu & Gao, 2020;Kibirige & Mogofe, 2021).…”

“…Furthermore, while some researchers perceive teaching and learning science and mathematics in a non-native language as an opportunity for students to achieve the aspects of science and mathematics literacy (Kuteeva & Airey, 2013;Sandström et al, 2013), other researchers argue that the lack of proficiency in the non-native language, as the language of science and mathematics instruction, can hamper the learning of these subjects (Heliawati et al, 2020;Hu & Gao, 2020;Kibirige & Mogofe, 2021).…”

“…Some researchers perceive non-native languages as the languages of science and mathematics and believe that using them as the medium of science and mathematics instruction creates an opportunity for students to achieve the aspects of scientific and mathematical literacy (Kuteeva & Airey, 2013;Sandström et al, 2013). However, other researchers believe that the lack of proficiency in the nonnative language, as the language of science and mathematics instruction, hampers the learning of these subjects (Heliawati et al, 2020;Hu & Gao, 2020;Kibirige & Mogofe, 2021). More researchers support this claim and highlight the need for teachers' competency in scientific and mathematical literacy in the teaching and learning of science and mathematics (Webb et al, 2015).…”