Namibian Teachers' Beliefs about Medium of Instruction and Language Education Policy Implementation. Issue 3 (2nd September 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Norro, Soili
• Is Part Of: Language matters. Volume 52:Issue 3(2021)
• Page Start: 45
• Page End: 71
• Publication Date: 2021-09-02
• Subjects: language education policy -- medium of instruction -- teacher cognition research -- multilingual education -- translanguaging; Africa -- Languages -- Periodicals; 496.05
• DOI: 10.1080/10228195.2021.1951334
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1022-8195

Abstract

Abstract: The medium of instruction is a crucial issue in language education policy in multilingual post-colonial countries such as Namibia. Teachers occupy a central role in language policy implementation, and their beliefs affect it. It is therefore important to study their beliefs about language education policy and its implementation. This article explores Namibian teachers' beliefs in this regard in two government primary schools by means of a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. The qualitative analysis shows that the teachers believe the current language policy is problematic and its implementation challenging. The majority see multilingual education as a good option, though the findings of the questionnaire and the interview data are somewhat at odds. Introducing multilingual pedagogy education in teacher training and legitimising translanguaging in classrooms would enhance learner-centred approaches in Namibian schools.