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A Bottom-Up Approach to Language Education Policy in Mozambique Henriksen, Sarita Monjane

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A Bottom-Up Approach to Language Education Policy in Mozambique Henriksen, Sarita Monjane Roskilde University Language attitudes in a primary school a bottom-up approach to language education policy in Mozambique Henriksen, Sarita Monjane Publication date: 2010 Document Version Early version, also known as pre-print Citation for published version (APA): Henriksen, S. M. (2010). Language attitudes in a primary school: a bottom-up approach to language education policy in Mozambique. Roskilde Universitet. 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Oct. 2021 RRoosskkiillddee UUnniivveerrssiittyy DDeeppaarrttmmeenntt ooff CCuullttuurree aanndd IIddeennttiittyy Language Attitudes in a Primary School: A Bottom-Up Approach to Language Education Policy in Mozambique Sarita Monjane Henriksen 31-08-2010 LANGUAGE ATTITUDES IN A PRIMARY SCHOOL: A BOTTOM-UP APPROACH TO 31. august 2010 LANGUAGE EDUCATION POLICY IN MOZAMBIQUE RRoosskkiillddee UUnniivveerrssiittyy DDeeppaarrttmmeenntt ooff CCuullttuurree aanndd IIddeennttiittyy LLaanngguuaaggee AAttttiittuuddeess iinn aa PPrriimmaarryy SScchhooooll:: AA BBoottttoomm--UUpp AApppprrooaacchh ttoo LLaanngguuaaggee EEdduuccaattiioonn PPoolliiccyy iinn MMoozzaammbbiiqquuee SSaarriiitttaa MMoonnjjjaannee HHeennrriiikksseenn 2 LANGUAGE ATTITUDES IN A PRIMARY SCHOOL: A BOTTOM-UP APPROACH TO 31. august 2010 LANGUAGE EDUCATION POLICY IN MOZAMBIQUE A thesis submitted for the Degree of PhD Department of Culture and Identity Roskilde University 3 LANGUAGE ATTITUDES IN A PRIMARY SCHOOL: A BOTTOM-UP APPROACH TO 31. august 2010 LANGUAGE EDUCATION POLICY IN MOZAMBIQUE DEDICATION To my FAMILY To Thor, Kiona and Jesper For all the time I was present, but also absent For all the bedtime stories I did not read For all the games we did not play For the hugs we did not share For all the quality time we did not spend I hope we can still make it up 4 LANGUAGE ATTITUDES IN A PRIMARY SCHOOL: A BOTTOM-UP APPROACH TO 31. august 2010 LANGUAGE EDUCATION POLICY IN MOZAMBIQUE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like, first and foremost, to extend my profound gratitude to Anne Fabricius and Hartmut Haberland, my supervisors, for all the valuable support, advice, and guidance throughout this three- year period. Your prompt responses, your very critical and constructive feedback both in terms of content, form and methodology have been extremely illuminating, and they have certainly contributed to the materialisation of this project. My gratitude also goes to the Department of Culture and Identity, for the conditions created and especially for the Friday Afternoon Seminars, whose inputs from the many different sessions have surely been a mind opener. To Bent Preisler, thank you for the very first introductory meeting and also for being there. To Marianne Hansen, a warm thank you for being available at all times. Thank you for your support regarding the administrative part and logistics of being a PhD student at RUC. To Anne Holmen at the Danish Pedagogical University, for her willingness to assist, and unconditional feedback, for the conference and seminar invitations and for all; thank you! My deepest appreciation also goes to the children, teachers, school directors and parents at Mudada and Mahubo primary schools in Boane Km 14 and Matutuine, and the children at 3 de Fevereiro School in Maputo City, for their patience, cooperation and willingness to complete the questionnaires and participate in the interview process. In addition, I would particularly like to thank Dr. Rafael Sendela, the Coordinator for Bilingual Education at INDE, and Professor Gregório Firmino at Eduardo Mondlane University, for their rich and valuable comments concerning the Language Question in Mozambique, and especially Mother Tongue Education. My gratitude also goes to Simone Doctors, for her initial feedback, prior to starting my PhD studies and finally I would like to acknowledge all those who directly or indirectly have contributed to this project. 5 LANGUAGE ATTITUDES IN A PRIMARY SCHOOL: A BOTTOM-UP APPROACH TO 31. august 2010 LANGUAGE EDUCATION POLICY IN MOZAMBIQUE ABSTRACT The new Mozambican rural primary school is characterised by the co-existence between the Portuguese language, the Mozambican national languages, and the English language. In 1975, at the time of the country's independence from the colonial power, Portuguese was introduced as the only language of instruction. However, in mid nineties, with the purpose of reducing the drop-out and repetition rates and improving the quality of education through the use of the Mother Tongue in schooling, a pilot bilingual education project (the simultaneous teaching of Portuguese and one of the Mozambican national languages) was introduced in a number of rural schools in the country. There is in Mozambique today a dual language education policy; one for the schools in the urban area, and another one for the schools in the rural area. The language education policy being implemented in the urban schools is characterised by the exclusive use of Portuguese as the primary medium of instruction, while the language education policy in the rural schools is characterised by mother tongue-based bilingual education in Portuguese and one of the Mozambican national languages. The present study, first of all, presents the results of an attitudes‟ survey of pupils, teachers, school administrators and parents, conducted primarily in two rural primary schools in the south of Mozambique, and one urban school in Maputo City, with the purpose of eliciting the perceptions and views of these actors in relation to the various languages in use in the Mozambican school context. Secondly, based on the best international practices, and informed by research in the field, the study suggests what the author considers to be an inclusive approach to language education policy for the Mozambican multilingual context. Four key research questions guided the study, namely: 1. What are the attitudes of pupils, teachers, school administrators and parents in Mahubo and Mudada Primary Schools, towards the Mozambican national languages, Portuguese, and English? 2. How are these attitudes distributed among different regional/social groups (urban/rural, and/or educated/illiterate)? 3. What do these attitudes tell us about the grassroots‟ preferences concerning the languages in Education? 4. What do these attitudes suggest to us in relation to what should be the most appropriate language in education policy in Mozambique? In addition to questionnaires and interviews, the data for the study were also collected by means of a review of works on Language Attitudes, and Language Education Planning and Policy. 6 LANGUAGE ATTITUDES IN A PRIMARY SCHOOL: A BOTTOM-UP APPROACH TO 31. august 2010 LANGUAGE EDUCATION POLICY IN MOZAMBIQUE ABSTRAKT (Dansk) Grundskolen i Mozambiques landdistrikter er karakteriseret ved sameksistens mellem portugisisk, Mozambiques nationale sprog og engelsk. I 1975, da landet blev uafhængigt af kolonimagten, blev portugisisk indført som det eneste undervisningssprog. Men i midten af halvfemserne blev der i en række landsbyskoler som et pilotprojekt indført undervisning på to sprog. Undervisningen foregik altså samtidigt på portugisisk og på et af nationalsprogene i Mozambique. Formålet var både at reducere frafald og antallet af elever, der måtte gå en klasse om og at forbedre kvaliteten af undervisningen gennem inddragelse af modersmålet som undervisningssprog. I det nuværende skolesystem i Mozambique er der 2 forskellige sprogpolitikker, én for skolerne i byerne, og en for skolerne i landdistrikterne. I grundskolen i byerne bliver der udelukkende anvendt portugisisk som undervisningssprog, mens undervisningen på landdistrikternes skoler er kendetegnet ved anvendelse af både modersmålet, et af Mozambiques nationale sprog, og portugisisk. Nærværende afhandling præsenterer først og fremmest resultaterne af en undersøgelse af holdninger blandt elever, lærere, skoleforvaltninger og forældre, gennemført på to grundskoler i et landdistrikt i det sydlige Mozambique, og på en grundskole i Maputo City, med det formål at elicitere disse aktørers opfattelser og synspunkter i forhold til de forskellige sprog i brug i den mozambiquiske skolekontekst. For det andet giver undersøgelsen, baseret på bedst international praksis og forskning inden for området, et bud på, hvad forfatteren anser for at være en inkluderende tilgang til sprogpolitik inden for den multilinguale skole- og uddannelseskontekst i Mozambique. Fire centrale forsknings spørgsmål har båret undersøgelsen: 1. Hvilke holdninger er der hos elever, lærere, skoleforvaltninger og forældre i Mahubo og Mudada grundskoler over for henholdsvis Mozambiques nationale sprog, portugisisk og engelsk? 2. Hvordan er disse holdninger distribueret mellem forskellige regionale og sociale grupper (by/land, og/ eller
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