Abstract:

In South African primary schools, a significant proportion of the nation's indigenous language speakers encounter school life through the medium of English rather than through their respective dialects. However, in Grades R to Grade 3, mother tongue instruction is applied whereas in Grades 4 to 12 language of learning and teaching is English with native languages such as Sesotho studied only as subjects. The objective of this research is to explore whether the use of English as the language of learning and teaching impacts the academic performance of Grades 4 learners in the life and living strand of the Natural Sciences learning area. A quasi-experimental research design was undertaken in which a sample was purposively selected. The sample comprised 90 Grade 4 learners from two different primary schools. Learners in the experimental group were taught in English from Grade R to Grade 4 while the learners in the control group transitioned from Sesotho to English in Grade 4. Pre-tests and post-tests were administered to the learners in both groups. The study yielded statistically significant differences between the experimental and control groups in the pre and post-tests. Learners in the experimental group performed better than learners in the control group. This affirms the research hypothesis that an early introduction of the official language of learning and teaching (English) from Grade R, has a noteworthy impact on learners' performance, particularly in the Natural Sciences. Thus, the study suggests that learning and teaching of Natural Sciences should be in English. This will enable learners to face the world better in the future.

Keywords:

English, language of learning and teaching, mother tongue instructions, Natural Sciences, quasi-experimental research.