The Influence of the Language of Instruction on the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics in Grade 4: The Case Dwaalboom Circuit, South Africa
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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of the language of instruction on the teaching and learning of mathematics. The perpetual poor learner performance in mathematics was a compelling factor in this study. The researcher, as the long-serving grade 4 mathematics teacher, chose grade 4 learners because the transition from grade 3 has negatively impacted the acquisition of mathematics proficiency. The grade 4 have just graduated from the foundation phase where the language of teaching and learning was the mother tongue. In general, the grade 4 performance in mathematics showed a significant decline compared to their performance in the foundation phase. The study followed a qualitative research approach with a case study research design. The population in this study consisted of grade 4 learners and three grade 4 mathematics teachers. Simple sampling was used to select ten learners from each school and three mathematics teachers. The researcher used the interpretation technique to analyze the results. The researcher used a multiplicity of data collection to interrogate the mathematics language proficiency of grade 4 learners. The researcher believed that mathematics was a language on its own; therefore, using various data collection methods would answer the research questions.
Preliminary findings revealed that learners who received instruction in their mother tongue in the foundation phase struggle to understand mathematics concepts when English is used as the language of instruction. Furthermore, learners who used English as their medium of instruction in the foundation phase seemed to have the upper hand over learners who used their mother tongue as their language of teaching and learning in the foundation phase.
In conclusion, this may lead to grade 4 learners not comprehending mathematical vocabulary, communicating ideas clearly and grasping abstract concepts.