Using code-switching as an empowerment strategy in teaching mathematics to learners with limited proficiency in English in South African schools

Abstract

Teaching and learning mathematics in South Africa (SA) is characterised by serious challenges because the pass rate in Mathematics is always below the expected level. The introduction of the Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) ushered in new hope that the situation would improve. However, teachers still encounter challenges when they use English as the medium of instruction because learners fail to comprehend the challenging mathematical concepts presented to them in a language which is not their home language. This paper investigates how code-switching can be used as an empowerment strategy to help learners improve their performance in mathematics. Qualitative research methods were used to collect data and the findings reveal that code-switching can be successfully used to facilitate teaching and learning.

Keywords: bilingual; code-switching; mathematical expressions; multilingual; paragon; perimeter