Teaching English as a home language to immigrant learners: Experiences of Foundation Phase Educators in Gauteng

Over the past 20 years, migration in the Gauteng province of South Africa (SA) has increased, resulting in schools being highly affected as the number of immigrant learners enrolled in SA schools continues to rise. Immigrant enrollment in SA schools affects educators’ instructional practices, particularly when they are tasked with teaching languages, as most immigrant learners speak languages that educators are unfamiliar with. This often results in academic exclusion among immigrants due to language barriers. Hence, this study explores the experiences of foundation-phase educators teaching English HL to immigrant learners. A qualitative research approach and a multiple-case study design were employed to gain insight into educators’ experiences. This study was grounded in the funds-of-knowledge theory. Data were collected from six purposefully selected foundation-phase educators. This study found that educators often struggle to accommodate immigrant learners in their classrooms due to linguistic barriers, which compromise their academic participation. Educators also reported that they do not receive government support on how to teach immigrant learners, which poses a challenge for them, as the training they receive uses a one-size-fits-all approach. This study advocates for inclusive language policies in South African schools that promote social cohesion and epistemic access for immigrants and emphasizes the need for in-service training for language educators focused on multilingual pedagogies to assist educators in managing multiple languages during instructional activities. This study contributes to the field of study on multilingualism in the foundation phase, particularly regarding immigrants’ education in the SA context.