The Role of Multilingualism on Students' Ingenuity and Academic Success in Higher Educational Institutions

The paper examines the role of multilingualism on students’ ingenuity and academic success in one South African Higher Educational Institution. The study is situated within the interpretivism paradigm, using the qualitative research approach and case study design. The population comprised all the Twenty-Seven Thousand Five Hundred (27,500) students at the selected Higher Education Institution. Thirty (30) students were conveniently selected from the Institution. An open-ended interview schedule was developed to conduct face-to-face in-depth individual interviews. Each interview lasted for 45 minutes. Before field data collection, permission to conduct the study was sought from the various stakeholders of the selected university. The inductive thematic analytical method was used to analyze the data collected. Findings were that the use of a multilingualism system as a kind of medium of instruction in Higher Education Institutions impacts students' critical thinking skills development, the development of communicative competency, the development of innovative ideas for education, the enhancement of student's academic successes and the creation of interest and respect for African languages. Recommendations made included Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) implementing and fostering a multilingual environment that values and incorporates diverse linguistic backgrounds that contribute to a more inclusive learning space, allowing students to use their mother tongue alongside English, Government Education Agencies, University Administration and Management should play a crucial role in designing and implementing language inclusivity policies that promote multilingualism, Higher Educational Institutions should take the lead in implementing and promoting multilingualism within their curricula and teaching methodologies.