Incomplete Journeys: Code-switching and Other Language Practices in Mathematics, Science and English Language Classrooms in South Africa

Abstract

In this paper we describe and discuss the language practices of mathematics, science and English language teachers and learners in a sample of urban and rural, primary and secondary schools in South Africa. We focus particularly on the reception and production of language through code-switching, exploratory talk and discourse-specific talk. We situate the article in the policy and practice environment of post-apartheid South African education in which additive bi/multilingualism is officially advocated. We use the metaphor of a journey to describe how teachers and learners move from informal, exploratory talk in learners' main languages to discourse-specific talk and writing in English. A key finding from our study is that few teachers and learners completed this complex journey and that the constraints differed across classroom context, level and subject being taught.