An investigation into how Grade 11 Biology teachers mediate learning through code-switching from English to Oshiwambo : a case study

This study aimed to investigate how Grade 11 Biology teachers mediate learning through code-switching from English to Oshiwambo. It was triggered by my experience as a teacher when I came to observe that the majority of teachers still use the home language during their lessons though the language policy for schools in Namibia clearly states that English should be used as a medium of instruction from Grade Four onwards. The research was carried out at Happy Secondary School (pseudonym), a rural government school in Omusati Region, Namibia. It was a qualitative case study underpinned by an interpretive paradigm. The unit of analysis was the mediation of learning through codeswitching from English to Oshiwambo. Document analysis, questionnaires, interviews (semistructured, focus group, stimulated recall interviews) and lesson observations were used as data gathering techniques, to ensure adequate coverage, validity and trustworthiness of the data gathered. The study adopted Vygotsky’s social constructivism and the socio-cultural perspective in conjunction with Shulman’s Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) as the theoretical frameworks. The data analysis process entailed organising data into themes from which four analytical statements were then derived in relation to the research questions. The study found that both Biology teachers and learners view code-switching as a useful tool in making learners understand the biological concepts. The study revealed that Biology teachers code-switch from English to Oshiwambo to make learners understand better, increase participation, explain concepts, elaborate, for disciplinary purposes, when giving examples of everyday knowledge events and when asking questions. The study also revealed that learners code-switch mainly for good communication, easier self-expression, due to loss of words, when unprepared to explain concepts and due to fear of making mistakes. It emerged, however, that both teachers and learners experience some challenges when codeswitching from English to Oshiwambo is used to mediate learning in Biology lessons. These include time constraints, lack of biological terms in Oshiwambo, different Oshiwambo dialects and the language policy. In addition, learners also lose the opportunity to learn English and find it difficult to answer questions in the examinations. The study revealed that Biology teachers and learners try to overcome these challenges by good lesson preparation, mini-teaching, using English/Oshindonga dictionaries or simply by adhering to the language policy