The accommodation of multilingualism through blended learning in two Information Technology classes

Abstract

The South African society can be described as culturally diverse and multilingual. However, despite the advantages of mother-tongue education, English is often chosen as the language of learning and teaching at the cost of the other official languages. This article proposes that multilingualism, through the use of languages other than English in the classroom, could be accommodated through blended learning. Blended learning refers to the blending of traditional instruction methods, such as face-to-face instruction, with online learning. For example, through an evaluation of e-learning tools, it was established that wikis could be used for this study. The empirical research in this article focuses on the establishment and testing of a set of steps for the accommodation of multilingualism by means of blended learning in the subject Information Technology. The research took the form of a sequential embedded mixedmethods design, and both quantitative and qualitative approaches were used. Based on the literature and the empirical investigations, blended learning was implemented through the use of a wiki at two high schools in the Free State province, and the effectiveness of the intervention was tested through a quasi-experimental study. In conclusion, it was found that multilingualism could be accommodated through blended learning.