Semiotic repertoires in bilingual Science learning: a study of learners’ meaning-making practices in two sites in a Cape Town high school. Ingxubevange yemiqondiso yokufunda ezeNzululwazi ngalwimi-mbini: uphando lweziqhelaniso zokuqonda intsingiselo zabafundi kwiziza ezimbini kwisinala esiseKapa. _______________________________________________________________________ Robyn Lucy Tyler Thesis presented for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy In the School of Education Faculty of Humanities University of Cape Town December 2018 | 4 Plagiarism declaration I, Robyn Lucy Tyler, declare that this thesis is my own work, undertaken with the normal guidance of my supervisor. I have specifically and appropriately attributed the ideas and words of others contained therein using the American Psychological Association (APA) 6th edition referencing style. This work has not been submitted in whole or in part for any other degree at the University of Cape Town or elsewhere. 1 December 2018 | 6 Acknowledgements First and foremost, I acknowledge the outstanding support and guidance of my supervisor, Carolyn McKinney. I admire and thank you for your excellent scholarship, your empowering mentorship, and your unfailing integrity. In addition to Carolyn, I have benefitted from a truly supportive PhD community in the School of Education at UCT. Soraya, Xolisa and the Thula Ubhale and OBUESA groups, thank you for your friendship, for sharing this journey with me and for teaching me how to take a selfie. I have also been very fortunate in transcribers and translators. Juliette and Babalwa, your skills have been indispensable and I really enjoyed working on the data with you. Ndiyabulela boosisi. I also am indebted to the Interlibrary Loans department at UCT – you have managed to fulfil my every request for far-flung literatures with such efficiency. Thank you to my three examiners whose careful comments have helped me to refine this study. I am grateful for the ample funding granted for three-and-a-half years by the National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS) who have also provided useful academic training through seminars and conferences. Completing a doctorate with young children in one’s life is a task which some might quail at. Fortunately for me I had my eternal fore-runner, my big sister, to show me the way. Thank you, Em, for sharing the ups and downs and the childcare. You have been an invaluable support. The circle of back-up and love has included Emily, an extraordinary granny Teen and top-draw uncle Glen, Vuyo – holder of the fort and my favourite isiXhosa teacher – Grandpa and Linda, and of course the never-complaining and ever-supportive Mark. Family and friends rallied to help with proof-reading: Campbell, Christine, Glen, Emily, Jenn, Kirsty, Ciska and Melanie. Thank you all. Last, but not least, I acknowledge the generosity and openness of the Success High community, in particular the Principal, Ms B and the learners of 9B, in hosting me and my cameras. Bafundi, writing up this dissertation is so far from the cut and thrust of learning Science and isiXhosa with you all. Thank you for your freshness, energy and fun. You will go far. Mna, ndiyithandile ukuhamba nani. My darlings: Erin, Georgia and Mark…it’s time to celebrate! | 8 Dedication To the young people of 9B. And for Georgia and Erin. | 10 Isishwankathelo Ulutsha olulwimi-mbini olujongelwe phantsi lujongene neemeko ezinemingeni ekufundeni izifundo zeNzululwazi kwizikolo zaseMzantsi Afrika. Ezi meko zikuquka imigaqo-nkqubo yolwimi evalelayo kwinqanaba lezikolo; iingcamango zolwimi ezibonakalisa usetyenziso lwimi-nye ezendeleyo kwinkqubo yezemfundo, ezithi zibonakale kwisiqhelaniso saseklasini; kunye nentswelo yemathiriyeli yokufunda nokufundisa ngeelwimi zaseAfrika. Noxa kukho lemingeni, abafundi bafunda ngokuqonda intsingiselo imihla ngemihla kwimixholo yezeNzululwazi ethile. Yile nkqubo yokuqonda intsingiselo eyingqwalasela yolu phando- meko. Olu phando lusukela ekuqondeni ulwimi jengolunye lwezixhobo zemiqondiso ezininzi ezibandakanya ingxubevange yemiqondiso yomntu, ezithi zicaphule ekuqondeni intsingiselo. Ngapha koko, ngokulandela uBhaktin, ukuqonda iindlela ebonakalisa usetyenziso-kunye kweelwimi ibonakaliswa ziziqhelaniso zokusebenzisa iilwimi ezimbini zomfundi njengoko ecangcatha ukuqonda, kumxholo wezeNzululwazi. Ezi ziqhelaniso zichazwa njengezilandela isigama esandula ukuphliswa, esinjengo ‘nqamlezo-lwimi’ kunye nisigama sika Angel Lin “unqamlezo-miqondiso’ ze umsebenzi wenkcazo-bungcali wala magama walululwe de uquke ukusebenzisa amazwi ohlukeneyo, iillwimi ezimiselweyo kunye nezakhono zolwimi. Uphando-meko olusebenzisa izixhobo kunye neembono zezifundo zokuziphatha kwabantu ngokolwimi lwenziwa kwisithuba seenyanga ezilithoba kwisinala esiseKhayelitsha, eKapa. Umbhali uzibandakanye neklasi yeBanga 9 (13/14 ngeminyaka) njengomqwalaseli ongumthathi-nxaxheba ngelixa lesifundo somxholo ’uMchiza-Ntshukumo’ waze waququzelela iqela lezifundo samavolontiya aphuma kwiklasi yabafundi abangama-36. Idatha enxibelelanayo nesuka kwindidi zovimba woshicilelo lwe-odiyo nevidiyo, yaqokelelwa kwizifundo zeNzululwazi yezeNdalo elishumi kunye neentlanganiso ezisibhozo zamaqela ezifundo. Kusetyenziswe neetekisi zomfundi, amaxwebhu omgaqo-nkqubo wesikolo, iifoto, udliwano-ndlebe nabaqeshwa kunye namaphepha-mbuzo ukwenza uhlalutyo lwemo yolwimi yesikolo kunye nohlalutyo lwedatha yenqwaba yezakhono zolwimi olugxile kwi-ethnografi. | 11 Ukongeza kwiziqhelaniso zokuhlela ezaphuhliswa ngabaphengululi bemiqondiso yezentlalo, besebenza kwizifundo zeNzululwazi (Jay Lemke, Eduardo Mortimer and Philip Scott, Gunther Kress and Carey Jewitt), zithathu iindidi zokuqonda intsingiselo komfundi eziphawulwa lolu phando: ukuqonda intsingiselo okunyanzelweyo, okukhokelweyo nokuzenzekelayo. Nanjegezinegalelo kwinkcazo-bungcali yale thisisi, umsebenzi wezindidi kukunika umfundi isakhelo sokuqonda kophuhlo lweembono nokuqonda intsingiselo kunye nomsebenzi wobuni – kwiimeko zobulwimi-nye kunye/okanye ubulwimi-mbini. Ezona mbono zibalaseleyo kuhlalutyo lwedatha ziquka ukuqonda intsingiselo okunyanzelweyo okunako ukuququzelela ufumano lwamagama amisiweyo kwintetho enobunzuluwlazi, ukuqonda intsingiselo okukhokelweyo nokunyanzelweyo okufuneka kwintetho yokuzabela nokwazisa okunako ukuguqula iimbono zezenzululwazi ezivakaliswa ngolwimi oluxubileyo. Ingxoxo-mpikiswano iwela kumbono wokuba makubekho uphando ulungaphaya kunye nengqwalasela yesiqhelaniso sokufundisa esiqwalasele ukuqonda instingiselo ekhokelweyo nenyazelisiweyo kwizifundo zomxholo ocaphula kwinqwaba yezakhono zolwimi. | 12 Abstract Bilingual minoritised youth face challenging conditions for learning Science in South African schools. Among these are restrictive school-level language policies; entrenched monoglossic language ideologies within the education system which play out in classroom practice; and a lack of learning and teaching materials in African languages. Despite these challenges, learners work daily to make meaning in specific Science topics. It is this meaning-making process which is the focus of this case study. The study proceeds from the view of language as one of multiple semiotic resources comprising an individual’s semiotic repertoire which they draw upon to make meaning. Further, following Bakhtin, an understanding of the inherently heteroglossic nature of language is brought to bear on the learners’ bilingual practices as they journey along a meaning trajectory through a Science topic. These practices are described taking up the recently developed term ‘translanguaging’ and Angel Lin’s ‘trans-semiotizing’ with the theoretical work of these terms being extended to include different registers as well as named languages and modes. A case study employing the tools and perspectives of linguistic ethnography was undertaken for a period of nine months in a high school in Khayelitsha, Cape Town. The author joined a Grade 9 (13/14 year olds) class as a participant-observer during their study of the topic ‘Chemical Reactions’ and facilitated a study group with volunteers from the class of 36 learners. Interactional data from multiple sources of audio and video recordings was collected from ten Natural Science lessons and eight study group meetings. Learner texts, school policy documents, photographs, interviews with staff and questionnaires were also employed to enable analysis of the language environment of the school and microethnographic analyses of the multimodal interactional data. Building on the taxonomies developed by scholars of social semiotics working in Science learning contexts (Jay Lemke, Eduardo Mortimer and Philip Scott, Gunther Kress and Carey Jewitt) three broad categories of learner meaning-making are identified in the data: constrained, guided and spontaneous meaning-making. Forming the major theoretical contribution of this dissertation, these categories serve to provide a framework for | 13 understanding learners’ meaning-making – conceptual development as well as identity work - in monolingual and/or bilingual contexts. Key insights from the data analysis include that while constrained meaning-making can facilitate the acquisition of fixed words in scientific discourse, guided and spontaneous meaning-making are required for discourse appropriation and flexible expression of scientific ideas, often through a meshed register. Further research and teaching practice attention focused on guided and spontaneous meaning-making in content subjects drawing on multiple modes is argued for. | 14 Contents