Intermediate phase English teacher learning: a case study of teachers participating in Jika Imfundo project.
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Date
2019
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Abstract
This case study consists of five Intermediate Phase (IP) English teachers who are participating in the Jika iMfundo programme. The study explores how teachers have learned English First Additional Language (EFAL) when they participated in professional development activities with the Jika iMfundo programme. The main purpose of this study is to contribute towards teacher professional development (PD) since the literature review has revealed that there are challenges in learning English as a second language for some learners. This study is guided by the tittle which says: Intermediate Phase English teacher learning: a case study of teachers participating in Jika iMfundo project.
The study invited five IP English teachers from three different primary schools situated in Kwa-Zulu Natal province, in South Africa. The participants were purposively sampled as they participated in Jika iMfundo since it was started. The case study is guided by an interpretive paradigm using a qualitative approach. The interpretivist allowed me to work thoroughly with each teacher in that particular context during a period of 18 months to understand the nature of teacher learning by following participants.The data was generated from interviews and data analysis. In order to ensure that the data is clearly understood by the reader it was inductively analysed and reduced to present a systematic description of the five teachers’ personal experiences and the pedagogies. This case study produced biographical descriptions that gave background information related to each of the five teachers’ contexts. The two conceptual frameworks that were used to analyse the main questions of this study are from Desimone’s (2002) effective professional development and Grossman’s (1990) types of knowledge. The two main questions are what types of professional development activities do intermediate phase English teachers participate in Jika iMfundo? What knowledge do intermediate phase English teachers develop by participating in the Jika iMfundo programme?
The findings of this study revealed that English teachers lack content and pedagogical content knowledge as newly appointed teachers of EFAL, meaning that some teachers end up avoiding certain sections they should teach. The study also found that although teachers participate in all professional development activities, not all help them to acquire relevant skills and knowledge in order to implement the subject curriculum accordingly
KEY WORDS: Intermediate Phase, teacher learning, teacher knowledge, teaching English as a First Additional Language
Description
Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.
Keywords
English--Study and teaching.