Factors constraining Grade 12 learners’ achievement in Sesotho Home Language
Khetoa, Soyiso Godsave
English: This study was undertaken upon the realisation that Grade 12 learners at a Secondary School in the Xhariep District throughout the years continued to promote Sesotho Home Language, however, their academic performance in the subject is disquieting. Given that learners have been proficient in Sesotho and have been using the language for purposes such as elicitation of knowledge and communication for almost two decades, the expectation is that learner’s cognitive knowledge of the language is sufficient to have learners achieve more that it is apparent. This study set out to find out both linguistic and extra-linguistic factors constraining meritorious learner’ achievement in Sesotho Home Language in Grade 12. The study employed a qualitative research approach, using three varying methods for data elicitation: questionnaires, interviews and observation. The data for this study was gathered from learners, parents and a single teacher. The study found out that factors impeding meritorious achievement in SHL include amongst others the inability of parents to voluntarily and constantly help learners with school work, learners attitude towards SHL, the unavailability of reference sources for learners, and linguistic factors such as learners tendency of using multi-codes in their speech has affected their ability to maintain monolingual speech especially in SHL lessons, thereby limiting learners’ Sesotho vocabulary. It has also been established that using methods such as code switching and code mixing have negative impact on learner’s education for the language under study. Recommendations aimed at addressing identified factors have also been proposed.
Sesotho: Boithuti bona bo entswe temohong ya hore baithuti ba Kereiti ya 12 Sekolong se Phahameng seterekeng sa Xhariep ba tswela pele ho pasa Sesotho Puo ya Lapeng ka ho fapana ha dilemo, ho sa le jwalo, tshebetso ya bona thutong ena ha e kgotsofatse. Bakeng la hore baithuti ba bile le bokgoni ba tshebediso ya puo ya Sesotho ebile ba sebedisitse puo ena bakeng sa ho utolla tsebo le dipuisano ka dilemo tse ka bang mashome a mabedi, tebello ke hore baithuti ba na le tsebo e ntlafetseng ya puo ena hore ba ka pasa ho feta ka moo ba ntseng ba pasa ka teng. Boithuti bona bo entse mekutu yohle ya ho fuputsa dintho le puo e nang le kgahlamelo tshebetsong ya moithuti ho Sesotho Puo ya Lapeng Kereiting ya 12. Boithuti bona bo sebedisitse mokgwa wa ho batlisisa oo e leng qualitative, o sebedisa mekgwa e meraro e fapaneng: dipotso tsa dipatlisiso, diinthaviu le ditebello. Tsebo bakeng la boithuti bona e fumanwe baithuting, batswading le ho titjhere. Boithuti bona bo fumane hore dintho tse setisang tshebetso e kgabane thutong ya SPL ke ho se be le bokgoni ha batswadi hore ba ithaope ho thusa baithuti ka mosebetsi wa bona wa sekolo kgafetsa, semelo seo baithuti ba nang le sona kgahlano le SPL, bosiyo ba dibuka tsa tlatsetso. Dinthong tse kenyelletsang puo teng ho bonahetse hore tlwaelo ya baithuti ya ho tswakatswakanya dipuo puong ya bona e tshwaeditse hampe bokgoni ba baithuti ba ho ka bua puo e le nngwe haholoholo thutong ya SPL. Ho bonahetse hape hore tshebediso ya ‘code-switching’ le ‘code-mixing’ di na le kgahlamelo e seng ntle thutong ya baithuti bakeng sa thuto ya Sesotho. Dikgothaletso tse reretsweng tokiso ya dintho tse utollotsweng tse susumetsa tshebetso ya baithuti di hlahisitswe le tsona.