Linguistic dynamics in staff and student classroom interactions on the University of the Free State Qwaqwa Campus: "a reflection on the participants' experience of language"

Abstract

The term "language in education" refers to how teachers communicate with learners and the content they teach. Language in education encompasses the use of language as a tool for teaching and learning within the educational system. This encompasses the language of instruction and the understanding of the language of teaching and learning. The language in education concept also encompasses the development of a particular language and the language policies employed by the education department to ensure language inclusivity and multilingualism. Therefore, it is pivotal not to view language within the education system as a means of communication and content delivery, but as a tool aimed at fostering meaningful interactions between the student, the lecturer, and the content. The purpose of this paper is to uncover how the use of English can limit and enhance students' and academic staff members' ability to interact within teaching and learning spaces. It further seeks to map out and reflect on participants' experiences of language and how they reflect power within teaching and learning spaces. The study collected data using online questionnaires that sampled 27 students and 25 academic staff members from the UFS Qwaqwa campus. The study's findings reveal a dual effect that presents language as both an enabler of inclusive interactions and a reinforcer of marginalisation and linguistic inequality. Furthermore, the study revealed how translanguaging can be used to foster positive interactions within teaching and learning spaces. The study is significant because it responds to and addresses the need for multilingual teaching approaches and language inclusivity in higher learning institutions, using the voices of academic staff members and students at the UFS Qwaqwa to reflect on these needs.