The Effect of L2 Education on Academic Achievement in a Std 10 History Class

Abstract

Abstract In this article the authors examine the linguistic problems experienced by a class of second-language matric history candidates who are studying history through the medium of English in an upgrade programme. The written work of the students is analysed in some depth, alongside the language of the textbook; students' personal linguistic backgrounds and attitudes are also taken into account in order to discover whether levels of L2 competence correlate closely with levels of academic achievement in history. The study reveals that, despite their positive (instrumental) attitudes to English, the pupils' problems go well beyond grammar and discourse to aspects of cultural and historical knowledge and understanding and more general deficiencies in their broader educational experience. The language of the textbook is shown to be an additional barrier preventing access to factual information because of its unnecessary complexity.