Using teachers’ lived experiences to enhance pedagogy in English second language in Zambian secondary schools

Abstract

𝑬𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉 English as second language has been extensively studied on the Zambian research landscape, with much attention being given to ESL methodologies. However, ESL has other areas such as lived experiences of teachers. According to Oxford Reference (2021), personal knowledge about the world is gained via direct, first-hand involvement in everyday occurrences rather than through representation generated by other people is what lived experiences are. This concept demonstrates how people create information and meaning about the world they live in through their experiences, which shapes what they may see as reality. In this study, I focused on how teachers lived experiences could be used to enhance pedagogy in English as a Second Language in Zambian secondary schools. The objectives of the study were to; (I) ascertain how secondary school teachers conceptualised ESL teaching using their lived experiences within the Zambian context, (II) explore how teachers expressed their memories of learning ESL in the Zambian context, (III) establish how teachers described their in-service experiences of teaching ESL in the Zambian context and, (IV) ascertain how lived experiences influenced teaching of ESL in Zambian secondary schools.

This study was interpreted using the narrative theory. The primary claim of this theory is that information is more convincing when provided in a narrative format rather than in an argumentative approach. My study sample was made up of eight (08) secondary schools, from which eight (08) teachers were drawn, one (1) teacher from each school. I adopted a purely qualitative research design, following the narrative inquiry strategy. I gathered my data using face to face narrative interviews and classroom observations. I analysed my data thematically. The findings from the first objective showed that ESL teachers of secondary schools in Zambia conceptualised ESL teaching in various ways such as it being cognitively oriented, rule explanation dominated, increased exposure to material, eclectic oriented and practice dominated. The findings from the second objective showed that teachers of ESL in Zambia had memories of how they were exposed to ESL in their homes, at preschool level, in primary schools, in secondary schools, colleges and universities. The home memories showed that in their childhood, teachers were not only exposed to ESL alone but other languages such as Bemba, Nyanja, and Tonga.

These past language experiences were what constituted their cognition about ESL teaching and learning. The findings from the third objective posted that ESL teachers’ in-service experiences were in terms of the number of years they served, teaching routines, negative and positive experiences, conflicts in knowledge and day-to-day challenges such as overcrowded classrooms, inadequate teaching materials and low reading proficiency levels among pupils. The findings from the fourth objective indicated that, influenced by their lived experiences, ESL teachers were observed in their classrooms engaging in pedagogical practices such as correcting punctuations and pronunciations, translanguaging, monolingualism, anti-apprenticeship of observation, teacher-learner corroborations, eclecticism and language material integration. In view of these findings, I recommend that ESL teachers of Zambia should reconceptualise their view of ESL teaching as constituting isolated elements and adopt an integrated approach. In addition, I recommend that before they implement what they saw their prior language teachers do, ESL teachers must be encouraged to evaluate their past ESL learning experiences in the light of current ESL research and practice. This may help their pedagogical practices to remain relevant and dynamic. The government must also create enough teaching space, deploy enough ESL teachers and produce enough teaching materials so as to reduce overcrowding and give learners adequate ESL learning experiences. ___________________________________________________________________

𝑨𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒌𝒂𝒂𝒏𝒔 Engels as tweede taal (T2) is omvattend bestudeer op die Zambiese navorsingslandskap, met baie aandag wat aan Engels as T2-metodologieë gegee is. Engels as T2 het egter ander areas, soos geleefde ervarings van onderwysers. Volgens Oxford Reference (2021) word persoonlike kennis oor die wêreld verkry deur direkte, eerstehandse betrokkenheid by alledaagse gebeure eerder as deur voorstelling wat deur ander mense gegenereer word, wat geleefde ervarings is. Hierdie konsep toon hoe mense inligting en betekenis skep oor die wêreld waarin hulle leef, deur hul ervarings, wat bydra tot die vorming van wat hulle as werklikheid sien. In hierdie studie het ek gefokus op hoe onderwysers se geleefde ervarings gebruik kan word om pedagogie in Engels as ʼn Tweede Taal in Zambiese sekondêre skole te verbeter.

Die doelwitte van die studie was om; (I) vas te stel hoe sekondêre skoolonderwysers Engels as T2-onderrig konseptualiseer deur hul geleefde ervarings binne die Zambiese konteks te gebruik, (II) te ondersoek hoe onderwysers hul herinneringe van die leer van Engels as T2 in die Zambiese konteks uitdruk, (III) vas te stel hoe onderwysers hul indienservarings van Engels as T2-onderrig in die Zambiese konteks beskryf en, (IV) vas te stel hoe geleefde ervarings die onderrig van Engels as T2 in Zambiese sekondêre skole beïnvloed het. Hierdie studie is geïnterpreteer met behulp van die narratiewe teorie. Die primêre aanspraak van hierdie teorie is dat inligting meer oortuigend is wanneer dit in ʼn narratiewe formaat verskaf word eerder as in ʼn argumentatiewe benadering. My studie se steekproef het bestaan uit agt (08) sekondêre skole, waarvan agt (08) onderwysers gekies is, een (1) onderwyser van elke skool. Ek het ʼn kwalitatiewe navorsingsontwerp aangeneem en die narratiewe ondersoekstrategie toegepas. Ek het my data ingesamel deur van aangesig-tot-aangesig narratiewe onderhoude en klaskamerwaarnemings te gebruik. Ek het my data tematies geanaliseer. Die bevindinge van die eerste doelwit het getoon dat Engels as T2-onderwysers van sekondêre skole in Zambië, Engels as T2-onderrig op verskeie maniere gekonseptualiseer het, soos dat dit kognitief georiënteerd is, reëlverduideliking oorheers, verhoogde blootstelling aan materiaal, asook eklekties-georiënteerd en praktykgedomineerd. Die bevindinge van die tweede doelwit het getoon dat Engels as T2-onderwysers in Zambië herinneringe het van hoe hulle aan Engels as T2 in hul huise, op voorskoolse vlak, in laerskole, in sekondêre skole, kolleges en universiteite blootgestel is. Die huisherinneringe het getoon dat onderwysers in hul kinderjare nie net aan Engels as T2 alleen blootgestel was nie, maar ook aan ander tale soos Bemba, Nyanja en Tonga. Hierdie vorige taalervarings was wat hul kognisie oor Engels as T2-onderrig en -leer gevorm het. Die bevindinge van die derde doelwit het getoon dat Engels as T2-onderwysers se indienservarings in terme van die volgende gegroepeer is, naamlik die aantal jare wat hulle gedien het, onderrigroetines, negatiewe en positiewe ervarings, konflikterende kennis en daaglikse uitdagings soos oorvol klaskamers, onvoldoende onderrigmateriaal en lae leesvaardigheidsvlakke onder leerlinge.

Die bevindinge van die vierde doelwit het aangedui dat Engels as T2-onderwyser, beïnvloed deur hul geleefde ervarings, in hul klaskamers waargeneem is waar hulle betrokke is by pedagogiese praktyke soos die regstelling van leestekens en uitsprake, transtaling, eentaligheid, anti-vakleerlingskap van waarneming, onderwyser-leerder samewerking, eklektisisme en taalmateriaalintegrasie. In die lig van hierdie bevindinge beveel ek aan dat Engels as T2-onderwysers van Zambië hul siening van Engels as T2-onderrig as geïsoleerde elemente moet herkonseptualiseer en ʼn geïntegreerde benadering moet volg. Daarbenewens beveel ek aan dat voordat hulle implementeer wat hulle hul vorige taalonderwysers sien doen het, Engels as T2-onderwysers aangemoedig moet word om hul vorige Engels as T2-leerervarings te evalueer in die lig van huidige Engels as T2-navorsing en -praktyke. Dit kan help dat hul pedagogiese praktyke relevant en dinamies bly. Die regering moet ook genoeg onderrigruimte skep, genoeg Engels as T2-onderwysers ontplooi en genoeg onderrigmateriaal produseer om oorbevolking te verminder en leerders voldoende Engels as T2-leerervarings te gee. ___________________________________________________________________