Assessing the Intersectionality of Language Anxiety and Outcomes for African Learners Writing Examinations in English
This study investigated the intersectionality of language anxiety, writing examinations in English, and outcomes for non-English mother-tongue learners in South Africa. The study focused on the impact of these three factors on learner performance and delved into this intersectionality by reviewing t...
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| Language: | English |
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Noyam Journals
2024-09-01
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| Series: | E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://noyam.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/EHASS20245121.pdf |
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| author | Celimpilo Dladla |
| author_facet | Celimpilo Dladla |
| author_sort | Celimpilo Dladla |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study investigated the intersectionality of language anxiety, writing examinations in English, and outcomes for non-English mother-tongue learners in South Africa. The study focused on the impact of these three factors on learner performance and delved into this intersectionality by reviewing the literature on anxiety stemming from writing examinations and the impact of the language medium used in assessing learners. Qualitative document analysis was used to collect and analyse the data for this study. It involved gathering literature from psychology, education, and language studies to reveal a correlation between anxiety, writing examinations, and the Language of Learning and Teaching (LOLT). The study concluded that using English as a medium for examinations can have a negative impact on learners who may not be linguistically competent to express themselves effectively in English, even if they were taught using translanguaging pedagogies. It argued that the true potential and outcomes of learners will only be fully realised through the exam process if they are allowed to write examinations in their mother tongues; and recommended that the Department of Basic Education (DBE) should allow for examinations to be conducted in all official languages for all grades and encourage learners to write examinations in their mother tongues. The only examinations they should be required to write in English are those for English Additional Language, like Afrikaans mother tongue speakers who can write all their examinations in Afrikaans except for English as a subject. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e392fdf2d33c43e89f865c4e4422369f |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2720-7722 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-09-01 |
| publisher | Noyam Journals |
| record_format | Article |
| series | E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-e392fdf2d33c43e89f865c4e4422369f2025-08-20T02:16:21ZengNoyam JournalsE-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences2720-77222024-09-01512 115https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20245121Assessing the Intersectionality of Language Anxiety and Outcomes for African Learners Writing Examinations in EnglishCelimpilo Dladla0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6299-7385Department of Translation and Interpreting Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.This study investigated the intersectionality of language anxiety, writing examinations in English, and outcomes for non-English mother-tongue learners in South Africa. The study focused on the impact of these three factors on learner performance and delved into this intersectionality by reviewing the literature on anxiety stemming from writing examinations and the impact of the language medium used in assessing learners. Qualitative document analysis was used to collect and analyse the data for this study. It involved gathering literature from psychology, education, and language studies to reveal a correlation between anxiety, writing examinations, and the Language of Learning and Teaching (LOLT). The study concluded that using English as a medium for examinations can have a negative impact on learners who may not be linguistically competent to express themselves effectively in English, even if they were taught using translanguaging pedagogies. It argued that the true potential and outcomes of learners will only be fully realised through the exam process if they are allowed to write examinations in their mother tongues; and recommended that the Department of Basic Education (DBE) should allow for examinations to be conducted in all official languages for all grades and encourage learners to write examinations in their mother tongues. The only examinations they should be required to write in English are those for English Additional Language, like Afrikaans mother tongue speakers who can write all their examinations in Afrikaans except for English as a subject.https://noyam.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/EHASS20245121.pdfanxietyenglish hegemonyexaminationslanguage of learning and teachinglinguistic injustice |
| spellingShingle | Celimpilo Dladla Assessing the Intersectionality of Language Anxiety and Outcomes for African Learners Writing Examinations in English E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences anxiety english hegemony examinations language of learning and teaching linguistic injustice |
| title | Assessing the Intersectionality of Language Anxiety and Outcomes for African Learners Writing Examinations in English |
| title_full | Assessing the Intersectionality of Language Anxiety and Outcomes for African Learners Writing Examinations in English |
| title_fullStr | Assessing the Intersectionality of Language Anxiety and Outcomes for African Learners Writing Examinations in English |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessing the Intersectionality of Language Anxiety and Outcomes for African Learners Writing Examinations in English |
| title_short | Assessing the Intersectionality of Language Anxiety and Outcomes for African Learners Writing Examinations in English |
| title_sort | assessing the intersectionality of language anxiety and outcomes for african learners writing examinations in english |
| topic | anxiety english hegemony examinations language of learning and teaching linguistic injustice |
| url | https://noyam.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/EHASS20245121.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT celimpilodladla assessingtheintersectionalityoflanguageanxietyandoutcomesforafricanlearnerswritingexaminationsinenglish |