Investigating Causes of a Reluctance to Speak English in the Classroom – The Case of Botswana Junior Secondary Schools (Published)
This study discusses the factors underlying the phenomenon in which, often, students in Botswana Junior Secondary Schools (JSSs) seem reticent towards speaking English during lessons, in order to develop their proficiency in English as a second/ foreign language ESL/EFL. The implications of this disjuncture were also examined. Further, possible measures that could be emplaced to encourage students to speak English willingly were explored. A multi-method research (MMR) approach was used to unearth the state of English language (EL) use in Botswana’s JSSs through questionnaires for students and interviews with teachers. The conclusion was that students are not entirely averse to speaking English. Instead, they are primarily inhibited from adhering to the ‘English-Only Policies’ (EOPs) for fear of possible ridicule by their peers. Additionally, the study established that some students preferred communicating in their mother tongues (L1), since these were natural and easy to produce. Furthermore, it was determined that currently, no concrete rules exist for enforcing EOPs during school time.
Keywords: Classroom Learning, Communicative Competence, English speaking policies, Junior Secondary Schools, Reluctance, practise
MODERN REQUIREMENTS FOR SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION ASPIRANTS (Review Completed - Accepted)
It is an uncontested fact that knowledge of English is a pre-requisite for success in the modern world. The universities and colleges bear the onus of preparing the students to face the world by equipping them with the requisite knowledge and skills. Learning a language is different from learning subjects like Mathematics and Geography, where the teacher plays a pivotal role in acquainting the students with rules and facts pertaining to the field. But language skills can be developed only by having the learner at the centre, and by providing maximum opportunities for practicing and learning from personal experience. The emphasis thus, has to be on strengthening communicative competence by exposing the learner to real-life situational use of the language
Keywords: Communicative Competence, Requisite Knowledge and Skills, strengthening communicative English