Competing Purposes: Mother Tongue Education Benefits Versus Economic Interests in Rural Zimbabwe
The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of educators on the barriers to the implementation of the Zimbabwean language-in-education policy, which recommends use of Indigenous languages up to the end of the primary school level. Postcolonial theory informed this case study...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University of Western Ontario
2017-01-01
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| Series: | International Indigenous Policy Journal |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://ir.lib.uwo.ca/iipj/vol8/iss1/1/ |
| _version_ | 1818133062295224320 |
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| author | Gamuchirai Tsitsi Ndamba Josiah C. Sithole Micheal M. van Wyk |
| author_facet | Gamuchirai Tsitsi Ndamba Josiah C. Sithole Micheal M. van Wyk |
| author_sort | Gamuchirai Tsitsi Ndamba |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of educators on the barriers to the implementation of the Zimbabwean language-in-education policy, which recommends use of Indigenous languages up to the end of the primary school level. Postcolonial theory informed this case study. Individual interviews and focus group discussions were conducted with 15 rural primary school teachers, 3 school heads, and 2 school's inspectors who were purposefully selected from Masvingo district. Data were analysed using the constant comparative method for thematic coding. The findings revealed that participants strongly believed that the English language offers socio-economic opportunities, a factor which may negatively influence teachers in the implementation of the mother tongue-based policy. Recommendations that inform policy-makers are made. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T08:46:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3c23f87fab8244d7b85cfda03ed99791 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1916-5781 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T08:46:45Z |
| publishDate | 2017-01-01 |
| publisher | University of Western Ontario |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Indigenous Policy Journal |
| spelling | doaj.art-3c23f87fab8244d7b85cfda03ed997912022-12-22T01:14:07ZengUniversity of Western OntarioInternational Indigenous Policy Journal1916-57812017-01-018110.18584/iipj.2017.8.1.1Competing Purposes: Mother Tongue Education Benefits Versus Economic Interests in Rural ZimbabweGamuchirai Tsitsi Ndamba0Josiah C. Sithole1Micheal M. van Wyk2Great Zimbabwe UniversityGreat Zimbabwe UniversityUniversity of South AfricaThe purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of educators on the barriers to the implementation of the Zimbabwean language-in-education policy, which recommends use of Indigenous languages up to the end of the primary school level. Postcolonial theory informed this case study. Individual interviews and focus group discussions were conducted with 15 rural primary school teachers, 3 school heads, and 2 school's inspectors who were purposefully selected from Masvingo district. Data were analysed using the constant comparative method for thematic coding. The findings revealed that participants strongly believed that the English language offers socio-economic opportunities, a factor which may negatively influence teachers in the implementation of the mother tongue-based policy. Recommendations that inform policy-makers are made.http://ir.lib.uwo.ca/iipj/vol8/iss1/1/language-in-education policymother tongue educationeconomic factorsZimbabwerural primary schools |
| spellingShingle | Gamuchirai Tsitsi Ndamba Josiah C. Sithole Micheal M. van Wyk Competing Purposes: Mother Tongue Education Benefits Versus Economic Interests in Rural Zimbabwe International Indigenous Policy Journal language-in-education policy mother tongue education economic factors Zimbabwe rural primary schools |
| title | Competing Purposes: Mother Tongue Education Benefits Versus Economic Interests in Rural Zimbabwe |
| title_full | Competing Purposes: Mother Tongue Education Benefits Versus Economic Interests in Rural Zimbabwe |
| title_fullStr | Competing Purposes: Mother Tongue Education Benefits Versus Economic Interests in Rural Zimbabwe |
| title_full_unstemmed | Competing Purposes: Mother Tongue Education Benefits Versus Economic Interests in Rural Zimbabwe |
| title_short | Competing Purposes: Mother Tongue Education Benefits Versus Economic Interests in Rural Zimbabwe |
| title_sort | competing purposes mother tongue education benefits versus economic interests in rural zimbabwe |
| topic | language-in-education policy mother tongue education economic factors Zimbabwe rural primary schools |
| url | http://ir.lib.uwo.ca/iipj/vol8/iss1/1/ |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT gamuchiraitsitsindamba competingpurposesmothertongueeducationbenefitsversuseconomicinterestsinruralzimbabwe AT josiahcsithole competingpurposesmothertongueeducationbenefitsversuseconomicinterestsinruralzimbabwe AT michealmvanwyk competingpurposesmothertongueeducationbenefitsversuseconomicinterestsinruralzimbabwe |