Browsing by Author "Mahlaba, Lucky Nkosikhona."

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An exploration of three rural teachers’ practices on the use of English as a language of learning and teaching (LOLT) when teaching geography.
(2017) Mahlaba, Lucky Nkosikhona.; Bertram, Carol Anne.
The purpose of this study is to explore the teachers‟ practices on the use of English as a Language of learning and teaching (henceforth LOLT) when teaching Geography in three secondary schools located in rural areas in the uMshwathi District of KwaZulu-Natal. Three participants teaching Geography at the FET level in these three rural school contexts were selected using a purposive sample method. This research seeks to answer the three following critical questions: What are teachers‟ challenges of teaching Geography in rural schools using English as a LOLT? Secondly, what are teachers‟ practices of teaching Geography using English as a LOLT? Thirdly, how do teachers‟ practices facilitate the learners‟ understanding of Geographical concepts using English as a LOLT? This study lends itself to an interpretivist approach as it aims to understand the challenges and teachers‟ practices on the use of English as a Language of learning and teaching (LOLT) when teaching Geography to ESL learners. Three principles of Geography discourse by Naidoo (2013) were used as a conceptual framework of this study. The semi-structured interviews and classroom observations have been conducted by a researcher to collect a qualitative data from these three grade ten Geography teachers using a case study methodology. Both deductive and inductive approaches to data analysis were adopted to analyse findings using themes that have emerged from the data and three principles of Naidoo‟s (2013) of Geography discourse. The findings showed that most ESL learners attending these rural schools find it difficult to acquire Geography content knowledge presented in English. Some of the factors that contribute to this include learners‟ poor capability to speak/understand English, work volume and the number of concepts used in the subject Geography, teaching strategies used by the teacher to conduct a lesson and the environment in which the learners are located. As a result of these factors and experiences, learners remain silent during lessons where English is used to teach the learners. They also give their answers in chorus whenever the teacher poses a question in English. Consequently, these learners obtain poor results when assessed in English during tests and examinations. Therefore, this study recommends that the South African Department of Education organises more formal workshops based on teaching English Second Language teachers about different ways or strategies of teaching ESL learners whose competency in English is very poor.
Teaching methods and strategies used by English second language teachers to develop grade 5 English learners’ speaking abilities in township schools.
(2023) Mahlaba, Lucky Nkosikhona.; Ntshangase, Sicelo Ziphozonke.
This qualitative study adopted an interpretivist paradigm to gain insight into English second language teachers’ teaching methods and strategies to develop Grade 5 learners’ English-speaking abilities. This study used face-to-face semi-structured interviews, classroom observations and document analysis to generate qualitative data from five participants. The study is underpinned by Vygotsky’s theory of social constructivism, indicating that learning is socially constructed and learners should actively participate in constructing new knowledge. The theory emphasises social interaction and that people learn from one another when constructing new knowledge. Therefore, through tripolar social interaction, learners can learn English from teachers, fellow learners and the community to improve their English-speaking abilities. However, this study’s findings revealed that although Grade 5 English second language teachers employ different teaching methods and strategies to teach English speaking proficiency, learners still cannot speak English fluently because the tripolar education, where learners learn from their teachers, peers and community, is incomplete. It is incomplete because English is not spoken in these learners’ communities because it is not their home language. Consequently, these learners do not use English frequently outside the classroom. Therefore, this study revealed that the multi-pedagogical approach adopted by English second language teachers would only bear fruit if the tripolar education cycle is complete, where learners can speak English freely with their teachers, peers and community, within and outside the school parameters. Moreover, since the community factor is lacking in the English second language learning context of the schools where this study was conducted, the problem of learners’ inability to communicate fluently and intelligibly in English is unlikely to be addressed. Nevertheless, it is encouraging to see teachers employing different teaching methods and strategies for teaching English-speaking proficiency, particularly the paradigm shift pedagogical approaches, such as translanguaging, code-switching and translation and interactive teaching methods, such as debates, discussions, storytelling and dramatisation. This multi-pedagogical approach allows learners to work individually or as groups to practice using English in the real communicative context; however, this is not enough because these learners do not continue using English when they are in their communities. Instead, they use isiZulu, their home language. Therefore, these learners continue to encounter hardships in expressing themselves clearly in English. This study argues that unless the community factor is incorporated into the tripolar education system of teaching English second language, the problem will continue to exist.