The Outcomes of Learning a Foreign Language: Cases of Rural Primary Schools in Botswana

Abstract

This paper examines the outcomes of learning a foreign language on the learners in rural primary schools of Botswana. The task is carried out through scrutinising learners' writings from English language lessons. This paper is part of a larger study that studied the implementation of Botswana language-in-education policy in ethnically and linguistically complex classrooms. The trend from literature review indicates that ethnic minority learners have a problem in coping with English as a foreign language. The study adopted the qualitative approach and usedclassroom observations, open-ended questionnaires, and interviews to collect data. The sampled learners' artefacts were from schools where at initial school entry, learners speak different home languages, which are not necessarily school languages. The findings of the study indicate that learners find it difficult to acquire proficiency in English as a foreign language, leading to poor performance. Poor comprehension, lack of understanding, and lack of acquisition impact negatively on the students' general academic performance. The study concludes that it is necessary to reflect on the teaching and learning methods that suit learners who speak home languages that are different from the school languages. The study recommends that teachers be trained to use pedagogical approaches suitable to handle ethnically and linguistically complex classrooms.