Translanguaging as a pedagogical strategy to implement multilingual language policy at a South African university

Proceedings of ‏The 3rd International Conference on Advanced Research in Education

Year: 2021

DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.33422/3rd.educationconf.2021.03.228

[Fulltext PDF]

Translanguaging as a pedagogical strategy to implement multilingual language policy at a South African university

Motaung Letsela

 

ABSTRACT: 

Translanguaging as a pedagogical strategy has the potential to address the implementation of multilingual language policy that higher education institutions have grappled with for many years. The lack of multilingual language policy implementation has perpetuated the structural marginalisation of African languages in higher education institutions; despite the constitutional imperatives and official languages policies in South Africa. This has led to emergence of discourses and debates around status and promotion of African languages in higher education institutions. Therefore, this study seeks to explore translanguaging as a pedagogical strategy to implement multilingual language policy at a South African university.  Data is generated from selected participants using semi-structured interviews and analysed using thematic analysis. This is qualitative study, which will employ phenomenology to solicit experiences of the participants. The study will be anchored on orientations of language planning as a theoretical framework, which consist of language as right, as a problem, as a resource. This is an ongoing study and findings will be disseminated at the end of the study.

Keywords:  Translanguaging, multilingual language policy, higher education, undergraduate tutoring, indigenous languages.