The use of English and code switching in the teaching and learning of technology in some schools in eastern cape province, South Africa

Abstract

English is the language of learning and teaching in many schools in South Africa. The ability of teachers and students to understand and communicate with each other in English contributes to better performance in Science and Technology subjects. This article explores the challenges posed by the use of English in the teaching and learning of Technology subject at schools in Eastern Cape and the role of code switching as a strategy to facilitate pedagogic communication between teachers and learners. The study was undertaken in order to clarify the commonality of problems related to the use of English and the use of code switching to transmit lesson content in the ESL classroom. The sample for the questionnaire comprised 57 teachers who taught Technology at different schools in the school district of Eastern Cape province. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted with five subject specialists in Technology. The findings revealed that the use of English militates against effective learning and teaching of Technology. It was also found that code switching to L1 (isiXhosa) is a common practice in order to sustain continuous communication between teachers and learners. In order to enhance the communication skills of students, it is recommended that teachers increase dialogue in English by means of small-group discussion, exploratory talk and argumentation.