SECOND LANGUAGE TEACHING AND LEARNING IN THE 21ST CENTURY - SECTION 1: LANGUAGES ACROSS THE CURRICULUM
PERSPECTIVES IN EDUCATION SPECIAL ISSUE APRIL 2026
SECOND LANGUAGE TEACHING AND LEARNING IN THE 21ST CENTURY: SECTION 1: LANGUAGES ACROSS THE CURRICULUM
With a special focus on African languages in the foundation phase, including the issue of teacher supply and demand
Section guest editors:
1. Dr Blanche N. Hadebe-Ndlovu (Unisa) and
2. Prof Roy Venketsamy (UKZN)
for Education Deans’ Forum (EDF) of the Universities South Africa (USAf)
Throughout the history of the South African curriculum, access, progression, and teaching have been racialised, and this has a significant impact on the social and economic opportunities available to speakers of indigenous languages. The impetus over recent years to develop African languages across the curriculum is linked to the broader attempt to bring about socio-economic and political change in South Africa, supporting both social cohesion and an academically successful and linguistically diverse society. However, the history of teaching in South African schools is marked by the development of policies and practices that sought to entrench the power of the coloniser and the coloniser's language among the colonised. Native languages were largely excluded from formal education, and the first government education policy regulation was implemented in 1918. In 1954, it created an autonomous and inferior education system for the majority of South Africans based on their ethnicity. This system not only segregated South African society and reinforced and maintained the subjugation of the majority of the population and their languages but also ensured that speakers of African languages were denied access to the full linguistic and social currency that English and Afrikaans offer. For example, under apartheid rule from 1948 to 1994, Africans were allowed only to serve labour purposes, were not regarded as citizens of this country, their movements were restricted, their family life was undermined and could be destroyed, were not allowed the freedom of speech, had no political rights, and were denied access to free press and education. The radical changes that South Africa has undergone over recent decades have had a significant impact on the linguistic landscape of the country. English has gained greater social currency, and its importance is more widely recognised than ever before. Nonetheless, the development of African languages cannot be downplayed, as fostering socio-economic and political development can only be seen through promoting multilingualism. It is envisaged that learners will begin to learn the chosen language, with certain common elements in terms of language structures and the basic skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing in a foreign language will be developed in tandem. However, most learners learn by the "natural method" - that of second language teaching, in which the target language is used if and when the teacher and the learners believe it is appropriate to the learning of that language. This first approach - that of second language learning - has been the hallmark of foreign language education in this country over the years and refers to the teaching of a foreign language as a discrete subject in its own right. For this research, the entitlement to foreign language learning for every learner stipulates that foreign languages should be given the status of a core subject in the curriculum, is clearly of great import, and is the focus of the research. It is important to note that this research investigates the current position of language education, be that the natural method of curriculum delivery or providing some assistance with the teaching of another area of the curriculum, and also examines whether any innovations are likely to affect the style and method of delivery in the future. It seeks to determine the primary methods used in language teaching across the curriculum, and also investigate the effectiveness of such a method.
Papers should focus on the following themes particularly on Foundation Phase:
- Responding to the PIRLS study (2023) results that South African Grade 4 learners cannot read with understanding. Strengthening FP language teaching and learning
- Theories of teaching African Languages
- Responding to the challenges of Teacher Education supply and demand.
- Using play-based learning to promote African languages.
- Use of stories and narratives to strengthen African languages in the FP
- Using technology as a resource to promote African Language teaching in the FP.
- The value of code-switching and translanguaging in the Foundation Phase
- Open theme: This theme is open and focuses particularly promoting African Languages in the Foundation Phase
Interested in submitting an article?
- Please upload your abstract to the Perspectives in Education OJS website on or before 28 February 2025.
- To submit, click here
- Timeline
Abstracts (300-500 words)
28 February 2025
Invitation to authors
24 March 2025
Full manuscripts submission
30 June 2025
Feedback on manuscripts
30 September 2025
Submission of reviewed papers
October 2025
Publication Date
April 2026
Further information is obtainable from:
Prof Jan Nieuwenhuis
Perspectives in Education Editor in Chief
