Consequences of ideology and policy in the English second language classroom: The case of Oshiwambo-speaking students in Namibia
Abstract
At independence, Namibia chose English as its official language and therefore its language of
learning and teaching (LOLT). This decision has been well supported and therefore there has been
an expectation among Namibians that learning English as early as possible is important because it
will open many doors to the future (Harris, 2011). However, since the introduction of English as
LOLT, government documents and other relevant literature have revealed poor performance of
learners and falling standards of teaching (Iipinge, 2013). Despite this revelation, no study has
been done in Namibia to investigate the effects of the current Language in Education Policy (LEP)
on the teaching and learning of different school subjects. Therefore, this study focuses on critical
questions regarding the effects of the current Namibian LEP on the teaching and learning of
English Second Language (ESL) in Northern Namibia, with a special focus on one of the most
demanding skills in second language learning: essay writing. Besides this, the study looks at the
writing problems of learners and the intervention strategies that teachers are using to help learners
overcome or reduce writing problems.
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