DISCREPANCY IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE SUBJECT AND ENGLISH CONTENT USED FOR SCIENCE SUBJECTS IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN TANZANIA

James Tennyson Mwaipyana

Abstract


The mediating role of the English language in all subjects for secondary schools, except for the Kiswahili subject, is the driving factor for this study. Thus, the study sought to determine the discrepancy between the English language subject and the English content for science subjects in secondary schools. The following objectives were formulated herein: to examine the discrepancies in teaching pedagogies for English Language subjects and Science subjects in secondary schools, and to evaluate the effectiveness of language content used for English subjects and Science subjects in relation to overall Grade Point Average in examinations. A case study research design was incorporated in this study, and the qualitative research approach was dominant here, except for simple descriptive statistics used for demographic information of respondents. The study was conducted in six districts within the Mbeya region. Here, a simple random sampling technique was used for selecting schools, and the same purposive sampling method was employed for teachers and subjects taught in secondary schools. Selected English language teachers and selected Science teachers were interviewed, and classroom observation and documentary review were the primary data collection tools used for this study. Data were qualitatively analysed through coding of related information and subjecting it to themes. From the study findings, it was established that active learning, cognitive strategy, assessment and evaluation and differentiated instruction formed the basis for the discrepancy in English Language subjects and English content used for Science subjects. The findings suggest that Science subjects utilise comparatively less English content, and assessment tools for these subjects require alternative practices, such as practical items and fill-in-the-blank exercises. Therefore, there are differences in their performance.

 

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Keywords


discrepancy, English language subject, English language content, science subjects

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References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejel.v10i3.6268

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