https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/175 2026-05-05T12:49:47Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/32384 Locating a space for teacher agency: the use of literature texts to develop communicative competence in English FAL classrooms Nkosi, Dolphina Mmatsela Seko This qualitative case study critically examined how English First Additional Language teachers exercised agency in developing learners’ communicative competence through literature-based instruction in three township schools in the Tshwane North District of Gauteng. Grounded in Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory of teacher agency, the research explored the intricate interplay between teachers’ conceptualisations of communicative language teaching, their enacted classroom practices, and the personal and systemic constraints that shaped their pedagogical decisions. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, a biographical summary sheet, and document analysis (learner books, SA CAPS document, and annual teaching plan ATP) involving six EFAL teachers across three schools. The findings revealed significant variability in teachers’ understanding and implementation of communicative language teaching principles, as well as in their manifestations of agency. While some educators demonstrated resilient agency by creatively adapting resources, integrating literary texts to promote emotional engagement and critical thinking, and encouraging peer collaboration, others exhibited constrained agency by rigidly adhering to prescribed curricula under pressure from policy bureaucrats and systemic inequities. This dichotomy highlights the tension between innovation and compliance within restrictive educational environments. Drawing on Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory, the study confirmed that teacher agency was not an inherent trait, but a dynamic phenomenon shaped by the interplay of personal beliefs, environmental conditions, and behavioural factors. The absence of supportive structures, such as collaborative learning communities and context-sensitive training, further limited opportunities for teachers to enact transformative practices, perpetuating cycles of stagnation and inequity in township schools. A central theme emerging from the study was the underutilisation of literary texts as a transformative pedagogical tool for enhancing communicative competence. Despite its potential to bridge linguistic, cultural, and emotional dimensions of learning, literary texts were often reduced to vehicles for grammar drills, reflecting a misalignment with communicative language teaching’s emphasis on meaningful interaction and authentic communication. Systemic barriers, including overcrowded classrooms, resource shortages, governance failures, and inadequate professional development, stifled opportunities for innovation, perpetuating cycles of reform stagnation and inequity. This study contributes to the broader discourse on teacher agency in multilingual, under-resourced contexts by highlighting the urgent need for systemic reforms and context-sensitive interventions. It concludes that teacher empowerment through targeted professional development, equitable resource allocation, and supportive leadership is essential to overcoming structural inequities and to supporting learner-centred practices aligned with the goals of communicative language teaching. By addressing these challenges, policymakers and school leaders can unlock educators' transformative potential, paving the way for meaningful educational outcomes and sustainable reform in South African township schools. Abstract and text in English 2025-11-17T00:00:00Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/32272 EFL teachers' perceptions and attitude toward communicative language teaching in Mozambican secondary schools Shava, Pedzisai English is the global language of communication in technology, science, medicine, education, business and the internet. Due to its importance, in recent decades many countries in EFL contexts including Mozambique have adopted English as the language of communication and Communicative language teaching (CLT) as the teaching approach for equipping students with the necessary English Language skills. This study explores teachers’ perceptions and attitudes toward CLT. It also investigates the extent to which teachers’ perceptions and attitudes toward CLT are consistent with their classroom practices. This qualitative approach uses a case study research design to investigate this phenomenon in three secondary schools. Five secondary school English teachers were sampled for this study in the district of Chibuto, Mozambique. The study employs interviews and observations research instruments for data collection. The study has found that teachers have a reasonable theoretical knowledge of CLT curriculum reform and hold positive attitudes toward it. Nevertheless, the teachers’ theoretical knowledge does not help them to translate CLT curriculum reform into their classrooms as they merged the traditional teaching methods and the communicative approach. As a result, there is an inconsistency between their beliefs and classroom practices. The participants revealed three challenges that impede the implementation of CLT curriculum reform. The first challenge is most participants hold CLT misconceptions and lack training. The second is the students lack language skills, have different cultures and learning styles. Finally, the secondary schools have crowded classes, lack teaching resources and the final year exams are still traditional grammar-based which still features the traditional teaching methods. The study concludes that it is not enough for teachers to hold positive perceptions and attitudes towards a curriculum reform before implementing it but the contextual factors should also be considered. Following the in-depth analysis of the findings of the interviews and classroom observations, some recommendations are provided. The teacher educators should educate teachers to put pedagogical theories into practice in their classrooms. This will enable teachers to constantly reflect on their classroom practices which can be an effective way to increase teachers’ awareness of their beliefs underpinning their practices.; O inglês é a língua global de comunicação em tecnologia, ciência, medicina, educação, negócios e internet. Devido à sua importância, nas últimas décadas muitos países em contextos de EFL, incluindo Moçambique, adotaram o inglês como língua de comunicação e o ensino comunicativo de línguas (CLT) como abordagem de ensino para equipar os alunos com as habilidades necessárias da língua inglesa. Este estudo explora as percepções e atitudes dos professores em relação ao CLT. Também investiga até que ponto as percepções e atitudes dos professores em relação ao CLT são consistentes com suas práticas em sala de aula. Esta abordagem qualitativa usa um desenho de pesquisa de estudo de caso para investigar esse fenômeno em três escolas secundárias. Os participantes amostrados para este estudo são cinco professores de inglês do distrito de Chibuto, Moçambique. O estudo utiliza entrevistas e observações como instrumentos de pesquisa para coleta de dados. O estudo descobriu que os professores têm um conhecimento teórico razoável da reforma curricular CLT e mantêm atitudes positivas em relação a ela. No entanto, o conhecimento teórico dos professores não os ajuda a traduzir a reforma curricular CLT em suas salas de aula, pois mesclaram os métodos tradicionais de ensino e a abordagem comunicativa. Como resultado, há uma inconsistência entre suas crenças e práticas em sala de aula. Os participantes revelaram três desafios que impedem a implementação das reformas curriculares CLT. O primeiro desafio é que a maioria dos participantes tem conceitos errôneos de CLT e falta de treinamento. A segunda é que os alunos não têm habilidades linguísticas, têm culturas e estilos de aprendizagem diferentes. Por fim, as escolas secundárias têm turmas lotadas, carecem de recursos didáticos e os exames de final de ano ainda são baseados na gramática tradicional, que ainda apresenta os métodos tradicionais de ensino. O estudo conclui que não basta que os professores tenham percepções e atitudes positivas em relação a uma reforma curricular antes de implementá-la, mas os fatores contextuais também devem ser considerados. Após a análise aprofundada dos resultados das entrevistas e observações em sala de aula, são fornecidas algumas recomendações. Os formadores de professores devem educar os professores para colocar as teorias pedagógicas em prática em suas salas de aula. Isso permitirá que os professores reflitam constantemente sobre suas práticas em sala de aula, o que pode ser uma maneira eficaz de aumentar a conscientização dos professores sobre suas crenças que sustentam suas práticas. Abstracts in English and Portuguese 2022-03-01T00:00:00Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/32268 The linguistic practices and transnational identities of Shona-English speakers in Johannesburg Ncube, Sethulo Large populations of migrants flee from poverty in the African continent, and flock to South Africa. One of the socio-economic migrant groups that travel in numbers to settle in Johannesburg, South Africa for economic reasons is from Zimbabwe. Migration has given rise to sociolinguistic research on transnationalism and globalisation. The language use of migrants has attracted a lot of research, especially because language is one of the main resources of survival in the diaspora and sustaining links with their native countries. My research is a qualitative study that investigated the linguistic practices of Shona–English speakers in South Africa. It further investigated the relationship between language use and transnational identities. The data collection methods used consisted of narrative interviews and questionnaires that had both closed ended and open-ended questions. The methods were relevant as they would enable collection of rich data to provide a plausible and satisfactory analysis of how the participants used language in their social relations, living and working spaces. The main findings of the research are that Shona–English migrants face xenophobic language discrimination. For instance, a migrant’s accent might be used to either grant or deny access to services and can cause one to either integrate into a group or become a misfit. Second, the migrants’ multilingual competency influences the type of repertoire they use in various contexts. Furthermore, migrants constantly adapt their identities depending on contexts, and they do so by continually switching linguistic repertoires in order to belong. 2023-11-01T00:00:00Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/32265 An exploration of limitations and challenges in early childhood english learning : a comparative case of public primary schools in Dhaka and Kolkata Chowdhury, Probal Roy This qualitative research investigates the limitations and challenges encountered by early childhood learners of English enrolled in public primary schools in Dhaka and Kolkata. Both cities, located in the eastern region of the Indian subcontinent, were part of the undivided Bengal province prior to the partition of India. Despite their political separation, they continue to share Bengali as a common lingua franca. In both cities, learners in public primary schools typically study Bengali as their first language and English as a second language. Employing a comparative case study design, this study focuses on the experiences of early childhood pupils within public education systems. It adopts an inductive methodology grounded in interpretivist and critical paradigms, while being framed within the constructivist paradigm of education and language acquisition. In addition to constructivism, the study draws on theoretical frameworks including World Englishes, linguistic imperialism, symbolic power, cultural capital, linguistic nationalism, imagined communities, language and identity formation, and linguistic ecology. Data was collected using a non-probabilistic sampling strategy from three key participant groups in each city: experts (with professional experience in ESL policy and planning), early childhood teachers, and pupils enrolled in public primary schools. Pupil surveys were conducted in classroom settings in the presence of a guardian, teacher, or principal to ensure adherence to ethical standards. Data collection methods included interviews, surveys, and non-participatory classroom observations. All data was gathered cross-sectionally, triangulated, and analysed using thematic analysis. Findings reveal that early childhood English learning is shaped significantly by religious and political ideologies in both cities. Political interference in public education has, in many cases, disrupted conducive learning environments. English continues to be viewed ambivalently, regarded with suspicion in some social and cultural circles, yet dominant in others due to its perceived socio-economic capital. A strong correlation was observed between socio-economic status and access to quality English education. Key challenges identified include pupils’ fear of speaking English in class, limited interaction with teachers, inadequate diversity in teaching methods, insufficient infrastructure for addressing pronunciation and grammar, and congested, unhealthy, and competitive school environments. These factors undermine learners’ ability to acquire English effectively. Moreover, the dominance of pre-digital, teacher-centred approaches over more interactive, pupil-centred methodologies highlights the need for pedagogical transformation. The study identifies a pressing need to curb religious and political interference in early childhood learning spaces. Significant work is also required to support the transition from teacher-centred, pre-digital ESL approaches to more learner-centred, interactive practices. The findings further suggest that urban planning and policy have a direct bearing on early childhood language learning within public schools in Dhaka and Kolkata. Reforms are necessary in pupil-to-teacher ratios and in the integration of language-in-education policies with the broader science education framework. 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z