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Language Education in Maasai Land, Tanzania: Parental Voices and School Realities

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Language Education in Maasai Land, Tanzania: Parental Voices and School Realities Language Education in Maasai Land, Tanzania: Parental Voices and School Realities by Monica Shank A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Graduate Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning Ontario Institute for Studies in Education University of Toronto © Copyright by Monica Shank 2016 Language Education in Maasai Land, Tanzania: Parental Voices and School Realities Monica Shank Master of Arts Graduate Department of Curriculum, Learning and Teaching Ontario Institute for Studies in Education University of Toronto 2016 Abstract This research explores parental perspectives on language education in Maasai Land, Tanzania, and the ways in which school realities at a Swahili-medium government (SMG) school and an English-medium private (EMP) school align with and diverge from parental expectations. While significant research shows benefits of Swahili-medium schooling in Tanzania, many parents are clamouring for English-medium private primary schools, while the 130+ local languages are muted in formal schooling. This study employs interviews with parents at one SMG and one EMP, and school observations at these same schools, to explore and compare valuations, expectations for use, and use of Maa, Swahili and English. This research finds that parents are generally very supportive of multilingual education, with perspectives both reflecting and rejecting dominant political discourses shaped by nationalism and neoliberalism. Schools’ orientations towards languages as problems or resources are shaped by symbolic and economic valuations of languages in Tanzania’s broader political economic context. ii Acknowledgements Certainly, the birthing of a thesis is a social process, one that depends on the contributions of countless people at every stage of the journey. I would like to thank the key people who have helped to give life to this research. My deepest thanks go to my beloved adoptive family in Monduli. Whether in recruiting research participants, making meaning of my findings, running Cheche Community Library, or providing the mental, emotional and physical support which facilitated this research and so much else of what I do and who I am, you are at the epicentre of so much of my life. My particular thanks go to my mother, Milka Jonathan, my father, Loth Edward, and my sister, Upendo Loth, without whom this research would not have happened. Thank you to the University of Dar es Salaam, my intellectual birthplace and academic home, for providing the environment in which much of this thesis was written. Whether in Maktaba Kuu (the Main Library), Mdigrii (the iconic tree), or in one of Chuo’s classrooms, the stimulating environment of Chuo, as well as the plethora of Chuo friends and colleagues, sourced the intellectual energy and stamina necessary to write this thesis. To the Library Staff, my Chuo friends, and the entire Chuo community, I say, Asanteni sana. My sincere thanks go to my many research participants for their generous contributions to this work. I have learned incredible amounts from you, and my understanding of Monduli and the issues explored in this work have been greatly enriched because of you. Thank you for sharing of yourselves! I cherish these relationships developed through the course of this research. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to my office mates and colleagues at OISE, who have played significant roles in my development as a scholar and in expanding my imagination of possibilities for multilingual education and research. For the stimulating conversations, invaluable support, exposure to and collaborative generation of ideas, and lots of fun times, I cannot thank you enough. Particular thanks to my office mates Yecid Ortega, Angelica Galante, Sreemali Herath, Stephanie Muhling and Bapujee Biswabandan for accompanying this thesis journey. Sharing an office with all of you was not only a joy, but was also at the heart of my learning throughout my OISE studies. iii My profound thanks go to my supervisor, Antoinette Gagné. Since the beginning of my studies, her support and encouragement, and her commitment to listening to my evolving ideas and gently pushing them forward, have nurtured my growth as a scholar, as an educator, and as a person. Her generous and selfless sharing of her vast wisdom and experience, including through the monthly Thesis Support Group meetings, have not only been a guiding star throughout this thesis journey, but have also helped to prepare me for a lifetime of research. Antoinette, you are an exemplary mentor and educator, and I have been truly blessed to have the chance to work with you! I also thank my committee member, Jim Cummins, for his support, injections of ideas, and enthusiasm for my work. I would also like to thank the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) for funding this research, through the Joseph Armand Bombardier Canadian Graduate Scholarship and the Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplement. This past year, including the growth and development of Cheche Community Library, would have been very difficult without this assistance. Finally, I would like to thank my dear parents, Marvin Shank and Pauline Schlegel Shank, for a lifetime of believing in me, nurturing my ever-growing roots and wings, and being role models of lifelong learning. I would also like to thank Lauwo George, for his patience, support, encouragement, and for being there to lean on. To everyone else who has contributed in some way to this thesis journey, and to my life journey which has brought me to a place where this research was possible, I say a heartfelt thank you. iv Dedication I dedicate this thesis to the community of Monduli, and particularly to my family, Baba, Mama, Eliza, Upendo, Tumaini, Sinyati, Inoti, Edward, Marvin, and Monica and to all who hope for a better life and better world through education, and to those who are struggling to make these better lives and better world a reality. v Table of Contents Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................ iii Dedication ....................................................................................................................................... v Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... vi List of Tables .................................................................................................................................. x List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ xi List of Appendices ........................................................................................................................ xii Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction to the Study ............................................................................................................. 1 Contextual Background ............................................................................................................... 1 Rationale and Significance .......................................................................................................... 2 Researcher’s Stance..................................................................................................................... 4 Chapter 2: Historical and Political Context of Language Education in Tanzania .......................... 6 Language and Nation Building in Tanzania ................................................................................ 6 Neoliberalism, International Influence, and the Rise of English Language Education .............. 9 Current Realities of Tanzanian Education ................................................................................ 12 Conceptual Framework ............................................................................................................. 14 Chapter 3: Literature Review ........................................................................................................ 17 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 17 Qorro’s 2008 Review of the Literature ..................................................................................... 18 Language of Instruction Research in Tanzanian Secondary Schools ....................................... 19 Language of Instruction Research in Tanzanian Primary Schools ........................................... 22 Parents’ Perspectives on Language Education in Tanzania ...................................................... 28 Chapter 4: Methodology ............................................................................................................... 33 Research Design ........................................................................................................................ 33 Immediate Context of the Study ............................................................................................ 33 Parent Interviews ................................................................................................................... 34 School Observations .............................................................................................................. 36 Equipment
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