National or Native Language? Options and Dilemmas Related to School Instruction Medium.

Autor/in	Baker, Victoria J.
Titel	National or Native Language? Options and Dilemmas Related to School Instruction Medium.
Quelle	(1990), (16 Seiten)Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; Monographie
Schlagwörter	Comparative Analysis; Cultural Context; Developing Nations; Elementary Secondary Education; Foreign Countries; Language of Instruction; Multicultural Education; Native Language Instruction; Power Structure; Regional Characteristics; Second Language Instruction; Social Influences; Teaching Methods; Senegal; Sri Lanka + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Developing country; Developing countries; Entwicklungsland; Ausland; Teaching language; Unterrichtssprache; Multikulturelle Erziehung; Native language education; Muttersprachlicher Unterricht; Regionaler Faktor; Fremdsprachenunterricht; Sozialer Einfluss; Teaching method; Lehrmethode; Unterrichtsmethode; Ceylon
Abstract	The paper adds to the ongoing debate over whether education in multicultural societies should be provided in the native tongue of the children in the classrooms. Material is presented from two grassroots level village studies carried out in Senegal and Sri Lanka as a source of insiders' perceptions and desires. Comparative data from diverse countries are also used to attest to the complexity of the matter. Two issues are addressed: (1) language as a vehicle for social advancement and empowerment, from the bottom-up perspective; and (2) language as a means to promote national pride and unity, from the top-down perspective. It is concluded that there is a gap between what theorists proclaim as ideal and the real-life empirical world of schools in very poor multilingual countries. Contains 15 references. (LB)
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC