ERIC Number: EJ1402052
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0950-0782
EISSN: EISSN-1747-7581
'You Can Be Fluent in English but Empty-Headed' Language Ideologies Underlying Namibian Primary School Teachers' Beliefs
Language and Education, v37 n6 p750-771 2023
Societal language ideologies affect language education policy implementation through teachers' beliefs, which in turn influence their pedagogical decisions and practices. Understanding the relationship between language ideologies and teachers' beliefs is crucial in multilingual contexts in postcolonial countries such as Namibia. This study explores Namibian mainstream teachers' beliefs about language policy and its implications for teaching and learning through a questionnaire, individual interviews and focus group discussions. The results show that both monolingual ideologies that stress the importance of English, and decolonising ideologies that advocate for the use of indigenous languages, affect teachers' beliefs. Deconstructing the hegemonic ideologies and giving teachers opportunities to reconsider their beliefs would contribute to achieving a more flexible multilingual approach in education.
Descriptors: Language Fluency, English (Second Language), Teacher Attitudes, Foreign Countries, Elementary School Teachers, Ideology, Decolonization, Educational Policy, Second Language Learning
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Namibia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A