Do Multilingual Education Policies In South Africa Impact Learning Outcomes? A Systematic Literature Review

Despite the intensification of multilingual education policies over the last four decades, only a few studies have focused on their impact on learning outcomes. These studies are neither recent nor systematic. This study systematically reviewed research evidence on how multilingual education policie...

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Main Authors: Ijeoma C. Ogbonnaya, Dalsy N. Els
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Noyam Journals 2024-10-01
Series:E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://noyam.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/EHASS202451314.pdf
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author Ijeoma C. Ogbonnaya
Dalsy N. Els
author_facet Ijeoma C. Ogbonnaya
Dalsy N. Els
author_sort Ijeoma C. Ogbonnaya
collection DOAJ
description Despite the intensification of multilingual education policies over the last four decades, only a few studies have focused on their impact on learning outcomes. These studies are neither recent nor systematic. This study systematically reviewed research evidence on how multilingual education policies impact learning outcomes that intersect with broader social, cultural, and political contexts in South Africa. Various data collection methods were used, including document analysis, online database searches, and examination of government websites. The data span between 2013 and 2023, focusing specifically on language rights, linguistic diversity, and the efficacy of language instruction. The authors explored effective strategies to support students in multilingual classrooms. One of the findings showed that although multilingual education policies have a positive impact on learning outcomes, they have their challenges, resulting in declines in students’ achievements. The study contributed to new research by proposing a framework called “Mother Tongue-Multilingual Education (MT-ME) to improve the implementation of multilingual education in South African universities.
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spelling doaj-art-fe4517a140f345efbd969da37e00e3ef2025-08-20T01:53:33ZengNoyam JournalsE-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences2720-77222024-10-0151321772190https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.202451314Do Multilingual Education Policies In South Africa Impact Learning Outcomes? A Systematic Literature ReviewIjeoma C. Ogbonnaya0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9308-1625Dalsy N. Els1https://orcid.org/0009-0007-6909-1392University of the Free State, South AfricaUniversity of the Free State, South AfricaDespite the intensification of multilingual education policies over the last four decades, only a few studies have focused on their impact on learning outcomes. These studies are neither recent nor systematic. This study systematically reviewed research evidence on how multilingual education policies impact learning outcomes that intersect with broader social, cultural, and political contexts in South Africa. Various data collection methods were used, including document analysis, online database searches, and examination of government websites. The data span between 2013 and 2023, focusing specifically on language rights, linguistic diversity, and the efficacy of language instruction. The authors explored effective strategies to support students in multilingual classrooms. One of the findings showed that although multilingual education policies have a positive impact on learning outcomes, they have their challenges, resulting in declines in students’ achievements. The study contributed to new research by proposing a framework called “Mother Tongue-Multilingual Education (MT-ME) to improve the implementation of multilingual education in South African universities. https://noyam.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/EHASS202451314.pdfeducation policieslanguagemother tonguemultilingual education
spellingShingle Ijeoma C. Ogbonnaya
Dalsy N. Els
Do Multilingual Education Policies In South Africa Impact Learning Outcomes? A Systematic Literature Review
E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
education policies
language
mother tongue
multilingual education
title Do Multilingual Education Policies In South Africa Impact Learning Outcomes? A Systematic Literature Review
title_full Do Multilingual Education Policies In South Africa Impact Learning Outcomes? A Systematic Literature Review
title_fullStr Do Multilingual Education Policies In South Africa Impact Learning Outcomes? A Systematic Literature Review
title_full_unstemmed Do Multilingual Education Policies In South Africa Impact Learning Outcomes? A Systematic Literature Review
title_short Do Multilingual Education Policies In South Africa Impact Learning Outcomes? A Systematic Literature Review
title_sort do multilingual education policies in south africa impact learning outcomes a systematic literature review
topic education policies
language
mother tongue
multilingual education
url https://noyam.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/EHASS202451314.pdf
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