Designing a translanguaging space within a remedial reading programme at Quintile 1 primary schools

Abstract

The implication of South Africa’s multicultural and linguistic diversity is that many learners’ home language is not their language of instruction in school. Research has indicated that children learn best in their home language (UNESCO, 2020). In South Africa, however, language is seen as one of the biggest barriers to teaching and learning, as PIRLS 2021 results indicate that 81% of Grade 4 learners cannot read for meaning. In the historical context of South Africa’s divided past, equal educational opportunities are still not afforded to every learner, with many learners learning in a language in which they are not yet proficient. Due to globalisation, multilingualism in education has become a major point of discussion in relation to research in education. Translanguaging, which is how multilingual speakers use more than one language in their everyday communication with others, is questioning ‘monolingual practices and ideologies worldwide’ (Makalela, 2013). This study was conducted in two Quintile 1 primary schools in Eersterust, which is a Coloured township situated west of Mamelodi in the Tshwane South District. The study aimed to answer the following research questions: How does implementing a translanguaging space as an intervention improve learners’ ability to engage with the content taught? And. Is there a difference in learner performance after a translanguaging intervention is administered? The research participants included Grade 3 learners, who took part in a translanguaging intervention. Data generation in this study included drawings and written products created by learners during the intervention sessions, and the results from a pre-test and post-test, as well as post-test questionnaires. The results indicated that learners were able to represent their understanding of reading passages more clearly through their drawings than in their writing. However, learners displayed creativity and criticality in both their drawings and writings. The creation of translanguaging spaces allowed learners to harness their cultural backgrounds and personal histories during the act of learning. Although the post-test results did not yield significant statistical evidence for improvement in learning outcomes, the creation of a translanguaging space or ‘third space’ was transformative in nature for participating learners, the classroom teachers, and the researcher who observed the intervention.