Rural Undergraduate Students’ Narratives of English Language Learning Within Multilingual Classroom Contexts: A Namibian Perspective

This article presents findings on how preservice teachers navigate teaching and learning in a multilingual rural environment as English learners (ELs) during their teacher preparation program. The study used a qualitative research design to collect and analyze data. The conceptual framework of the study was based on culturally responsive pedagogy and place-based education theory. In this study, preservice teachers from multilingual rural backgrounds who wished to teach in multilingual rural settings illustrated their coping strategies for rural realities and how the rural context affected their commitment to their studies. The findings revealed preservice teachers’ narratives under the categories of culturally responsive strategies for English language learning, strengths and weaknesses of English language use, rural experiences and commitment to studies, and teacher educators’ perspectives. The rural location of studies presented some challenges, such as living far away from home; lack of amenities, including an inadequate library facility; no internet; and having to adjust without families. The rural context also offered some benefits for studies, including low-cost accommodation, feeling safe, and peer learning opportunities. Further research is recommended on a larger scale across university campuses to find out how teacher educators may address the needs of preservice teachers through a revised curriculum for English language learning within multilingual contexts.