Instructional strategies used by teachers in multilingual classes to help non-speakers of the language of instruction learn initial reading skills in Zambia

ABSTRACT

Pedagogical strategies intended for monolingual classes may not adequately address the educational needs and aspirations of culturally and linguistically diverse learners, as multilingual and bilingual learners differ from monolinguals. This article sought to understand multilingual teachers’ pedagogical approaches to helping non-speakers of the language of instruction learn initial reading (decoding) skills in diverse classes of Lusaka District of Zambia. Qualitative data was collected through face-to-face interviews, focus groups, and lesson observations with 23 Grade One teachers. Data collected were transcribed and qualitative content analysis was performed through a meaning condensation process . Findings of the study revealed that teachers in multilingual classes used translanguaging, bilingual materials, remediation and reading interventions strategies to teach literacy among early graders. Further, parents, multilingual teachers, and bilingual learners were also used as resources in multilingual classes. The study recommended that the government should develop and implement a strong simultaneous bilingual or multilingual literacy programme to reflect community languages and avoid imposing monoglossic language ideologies across schools. Early grade teachers should be allowed to use diverse pedagogical approaches in the teaching of reading in multilingual classes within the mainstream curriculum.

KEYWORDS:

• multilingualism
• multilingual pedagogy
• bilingual education
• reading instruction
• multilingual reading
• teaching multilinguals
• teaching bilinguals
• translanguaging

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

¹ A dialect is a variation of a language which may have different vocabulary or grammatical structures than an established language to which it is related. For example, in Zambia, different dialects of the Nyanja language are spoken in Lusaka and in Eastern Province.

² The three-year teachers’ diploma is now the minimum requirement for new teachers entering the field.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the United States Agency for International Development [Cooperative Agreement No. 72061120CA00006].