Constructing Science Knowledge in Linguistically Diverse South African Classrooms: Opportunities and Challenges for Learning

Abstract

South Africa is by definition a diverse country, reflecting its colonial past and history of migrations. However, under apartheid that diversity was the foundation of political domination based on the strict enforcement of social, economic, linguistic and spatial separation according to race. Accordingly, there are tensions between the celebration of diversity and the goals of national unity, equality and social justice in post-apartheid South Africa. This is reflected in the motto on the new national coat of arms:!ke e: /xarre //ke, which literally means ‘Diverse people unite’ in /Xam, a minority Khoisan language. These tensions also play out in linguistically diverse classrooms and in part shape the challenges and opportunities for teaching and learning. These issues are