The Purpose and Value of Bilingual Education : A Critical, Linguistic Ethnographic Study of Two Rural Primary Schools in Mozambique
This is a qualitative, interpretive study of discourse on bilingual education in two rural primary schools in Mozambique. My aim was to explore how different views about the purpose and value of bilingual education were manifested in classroom discourse practices and how these views related to historical and socio-political processes. I combined linguistic ethnography and critical, interpretive approaches to bilingualism and bilingual education. Data was collected using different techniques, mainly observation, audio recording, note taking, and interviewing. The study showed that the main official purpose of using local languages in education in Mozambique had been to facilitate pupilsâ learning. There were three sets of values associated with bilingual education in the sites in this study: pedagogical, socio-cultural and socio-economic. The use of local languages in the classrooms had been creating spaces for pupil participation and learning. I also found that the beneficiaries in the local communities focussed more on the socio-cultural value of bilingual education, which they saw as prompting the development and upgrading of their languages and associated cultural practices. The study also revealed that,
Chimbutane, Feliciano Salvador
LB1501 Primary Education ; P Philology. Linguistics
The Purpose and Value of Bilingual Education : A Critical, Linguistic Ethnographic Study of Two Rural Primary Schools in Mozambique. This is a qualitative, interpretive study of discourse on bilingual education in two rural primary schools in Mozambique. My aim was to explore how different views about the purpose and value of bilingual education were manifested in classroom discourse practices and how these views related to historical and socio-political processes. I combined linguistic ethnography and critical, interpretive approaches to bilingualism and bilingual education. Data was collected using different techniques, mainly observation, audio recording, note taking, and interviewing. The study showed that the main official purpose of using local languages in education in Mozambique had been to facilitate pupilsâ learning. There were three sets of values associated with bilingual education in the sites in this study: pedagogical, socio-cultural and socio-economic. The use of local languages in the classrooms had been creating spaces for pupil participation and learning. I also found that the beneficiaries in the local communities focussed more on the socio-cultural value of bilingual education, which they saw as prompting the development and upgrading of their languages and associated cultural practices. The study also revealed that,
purpose value bilingual_education critical linguistic_ethnographic study rural primary schools mozambique qualitative interpretive study discourse bilingual_education rural primary_school mozambique aim_explore different view purpose value bilingual_education manifest classroom discourse_practice view related historical socio_political process combine linguistic ethnography critical interpretive approach bilingualism bilingual_education data_collect use different technique mainly observation audio recording note taking interview study_show main official purpose use local_language education mozambique facilitate pupil learn set value associate bilingual_education site study pedagogical socio_cultural socio_economic use local_language create_space pupil participation learning also_find beneficiary local_community focus socio_cultural value bilingual_education saw prompt development language associate cultural_practice study also_reveal