EXPLORING TEACHER AND LEARNER PERSPECTIVES ON POOR PERFORMANCE IN SETSWANA HOME LANGUAGE IN MULTILINGUAL CLASSROOMS

The study aims to improve negative perspectives that affect performance in the Setswana home language in multilingual classrooms, and the study employed the interpretivist research paradigm, which enhances comprehension of social phenomena and human behaviour since it is subjective and focused on social interaction and individual interpretation. Participants were selected using a purposive sampling method, and data were collected through interviews. The sample consisted of six Setswana home language teachers and 24 learners. Atlas-Ti version 23 has been employed to analyse the interview transcripts. To identify patterns and themes in the data, thematic analysis was employed. The research findings revealed that teachers and learners possessed both positive and negative perspectives on teaching and learning Setswana HL in multilingual classrooms. Positive views included excitement for cultural heritage as well as admiration for learning and teaching. The negative perspectives were shortcomings with linguistic obstacles, and a lack of enthusiasm and drive, which is triggered by increased workloads and inadequate facilities to be used in the classroom. In addition to the language barrier, learners may become disinterested and unmotivated. The prominence and effectiveness of teaching Setswana HL may be diminished if teachers perceive it challenging to adapt to the diverse linguistic demands of their learners, which might result in a reliance on more dominant languages for instruction. The study advocates parentalMengagement to enhance learner academic success as well as significant professional development to foster an encouraging mindset towards the educational environment of Setswana HL. The Department of Education intends to use insights from the study to develop successful solutions in areas where teachers need empowerment to improve accomplishment and to ensure that policy revisions align with the requirements of learners.