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School of Education

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    An auto-ethnographic study of my learning of english as a second language.
    (2023) Andile, Jideani.; Bridget, Campbell.
    This narrative and reflexive auto-ethnographic study was conducted to explore my learning experiences of English as a second language. The aim was to gain insight into my experiences and extract lessons from them, to understand my experiences and enhance my performance as an English teacher in the future. A reflective autobiographical story, conversations, images to trigger memory, and letter-writing were used to collect data for the study. Myself, two of my peers, my sister, and three critical friends participated in the study. Data was analysed through Critical Discourse and Thematic analysis. The study was underpinned by socio-cultural and motivation theories. Interrogating my learning experiences of English as a second language revealed that acquiring a second language is a social endeavour and requires motivation on the part of the learner. This important insight will help me to be more empathetic to English second language learners who face challenges and to explore ways of supporting them. Additionally, I will be in a better position to motivate them to learn a second language, as it can contribute to their success in the future. My findings also highlight the need for teachers to continuously develop as this will enhance their ability to embrace contemporary teaching methods as well as to integrate technology in language instruction. Armed with the outcomes of this research, I understand my journey and the role that others played in it. This insight should enable me to be an effective English teacher to my learners in the future. My findings indicate that examining and understanding my experiences has provided me the opportunity to gain insight from my experiences which I can use to be a better practitioner in the future. Findings from this study also show that auto-ethnography is one of the best methods teachers can use to reflect on their experiences in their different spaces as it places culture at the centre of learning. The socio-cultural theory helped me to broaden the scope of my study as I looked at my journey of learning English as a second language through all aspects of life such as my religious beliefs, play, and within the family. I also discovered that motivation plays a very important role in achieving success when learning a second language.
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    Identity reconstruction of black african learners in a muslim primary school.
    (2022) Makhanya, Euphemia Nonhlanhla.; Mkhize-Mthiyane, Ncamisile Parscaline.
    The overarching objective of this study is to explore and understand how Black African Learners (BAL) reconstruct their identity and how this influences their lives. Learner identity ‘reconstruction’ is still under-researched, especially in Muslim schools. This is supported in literature, where it is highlighted that regarding learner identity studies, the becoming and changing process is either neglected or not ascribed much significance (Lundgren & Scheckle, 2019, Kerr, Dean & Crowe, 2019). The rationale for conducting this study is mainly rooted in my personal experiences and observations as a teaching practice assessor, an employee in one of the higher education institutions in KwaZulu-Natal, Durban. The framework that underpinned this study was Social Identity Theory (SIT) by Henri Tajfel (1974). This theory assisted me in exposing what learners think and how they interpret their educational experiences, which include what they see and how they feel about multiple realities in their school, across, within, and between cross-cultural and post-disciplinary boundaries, as proposed by Wilber (2005) and Marquis (2007). An interpretivist paradigm and qualitative case study was adopted. One Muslim Primary School (MPS) and five learner participants were purposely selected. Data was generated utilising written narratives, semi-structured one-on-one interviews, and focus groups discussions where these were transcribed and thematically analysed. The findings of the study revealed that identity reconstruction of BAL in MPS represent a lever that can perpetuate or decrease inequality; depending on how it is philosophically interpreted. Immigration was viewed as one of the precursors for identity reconstruction sparked by immigration of BAL families from other parts of the continent into South Africa. Furthermore, BAL encounter a wide range of experiences that incorporate more painful, positive, and even contradictory, perceptions about self. The study concludes that identity reconstruction in an MPS ought not to be framed by foreign conceptions, but should rather be anchored in local, indigenous knowledge systems and practices. Instead, BAL should build up their Black African dignity and reclaim African-Muslimcentric identity; something to look forward to as democracy matures in South Africa, as BAL individually and uniquely reconstruct their identity.