Teachers’ Perception on Translanguaging in Mother Tongue Based Languages as a Tool for Teaching and Learning in Lower Rural Primary Education in Tanzania: A Case Study of Rungwe District
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Date
2021-08-31
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International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies
Abstract
Globally every organization is facing new challenges regarding exploration of attitudes and the
presence of translanguaging practice in lower primary school classrooms. In this regard, this study
aimed to examine attitudes and the presence of translanguaging practice in lower primary school
classrooms in Tanzania. The study adopted case study research design and followed both qualitative
and quantitative approaches. The study used Slovene's Formula to obtain sample size of 172
respondents from the target population of 301 respondents. Interview and observation methods were
used to collect primary data. The data was analyzed using contents analysis and frequencies. Finding of
the study concluded that teachers perceived that through translanguaging, child learns more quickly
through mother tongue than through an unfamiliar linguistic medium. Further teachers acknowledged
the importance of mother tongue: “learners are quicker to learn to read and acquire other academic
skills when first taught in their mother tongue”. The study recommends that teachers should create an
instructional space where translanguaging is nurtured without learners having to suppress their
linguistic repertoires. Thus, a classroom where learners manifest and utilise their linguistic repertoires
constitutes a ‘haven’ for learners to attain a deeper understanding of the learned material.
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Keywords
Translanguaging, Perceptions, Mother Tongue Based Languages, Rural Primary Education, Teaching & Learning, Tanzania