Gastor Mapunda - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Gastor Mapunda
This paper is a result of observations of teachers, employers and language researchers that many ... more This paper is a result of observations of teachers, employers and language researchers that many Tanzanian students who are at the ordinary level of secondary education have not been doing well in their national English language examinations. The results became worse in the 2012 examinations. The current study focused on curricula processes, namely syllabus preparation, teacher preparedness for handling syllabus demands, examination processes, and how all these are coordinated. Using semi-structured interview, questionnaire, and documentary review methods, the findings reveal that there are inefficiencies when it comes to engaging some important stakeholders such as teachers, parents, and learners. Additionally, the consulted teachers suggested that there is a general unawareness among teachers of the pedagogical demands of the 2005 syllabus in the classroom, and that there is a general deficiency in the number of good quality well-prepared teachers of English. The functions of curriculum developers, teachers and the national examinations council are barely coordinated. The paper recommends that there be established an oversight unit in the Ministry responsible for education to coordinate the functions of these actors.
The codeswitching pattern is different in rural Tanzania compared to urban agglomerations around ... more The codeswitching pattern is different in rural Tanzania compared to urban agglomerations around the world. Even in very rural areas people in Tanzania are bilingual in Swahili, the national and local lingua franca, and their own first language. The result of this language contact is understudied and has only recently been focused on. This paper presents quantitative and qualitative results of a study of the language Ngoni in contact with Swahili. The study is based on photo elicitations about traditional artefacts and their use in one semi-urban and one remote rural village in Songea District, Ruvuma Region. Codeswitching is the unmarked choice among the Ngoni subsistence farmers in the area, even for old persons living in remote villages. The quantitative results are summed in relation to socio-demographic factors. Additionally, possible social and psycholinguistic factors, such as triggering, are discussed. The results give reason to concern regarding the future of Ngoni.
This paper investigates the functions of teacher questions in Standard I lessons in two primary s... more This paper investigates the functions of teacher questions in Standard I lessons in two primary schools in Songea Rural District, Tanzania. The data were collected through observation method using a camcorder. In the communities where the schools are located Kiswahili is a second language, and the community uses mainly Kingoni which is an ethnic community language. Using the Initiation-Response-Feedback framework of analysis it has been possible to provide an account of what teacher questions as a teaching strategy achieve, and why sometimes teachers necessarily have to use them. The paper is critical of national language policies that provide statements with generalized assumptions, which often fail to address local linguistic realities. The Tanzania’s national policy on the medium of instruction in public primary schools designates Kiswahili an exclusive role of the medium of instruction, ignoring the fact that Kiswahili is a second language to many people and particularly in remote rural areas of Tanzania. The main finding is that most of the teacher questions in linguistically constrained situation are meant to cover-up silence which is otherwise undesirable in talk. In such situations the immediate pedagogical and practical constraints force teachers to opt for strategies that will conceal silence in the classrooms.
Description:
The current paper is an attempt at providing an ethnographic description of Tanzanian Ngoni acces... more The current paper is an attempt at providing an ethnographic description of Tanzanian Ngoni access rituals (greetings) considering verbal and visual aspects of these communicative routines. Three methods of data collection were used, namely: role-play, semi-structured interview , and observation. The role-plays were used in order to see how the Ngoni apply their knowledge of this kind of access ritual still acquired in the course of growing up in their communities. Role-plays were recorded with a digital camcorder after the interviews had tak-en place. Semi-structured interviews were meant to provide insights into diachronic developments such as how the expression of politeness through greetings may have changed. Observation method was meant to capture behavioural patterns shown during greeting exchanges and notes were taken immediately thereafter. The main findings are that due to pervasive contact between Ngoni and Swahili, greetings tend to be brief today and there is a widespread use of code-switching by all age groups. The tendency to prefer Swahili is viewed by older members of the community as lack of respect whereas the younger generations regard the use of Swahili as more appropriate and as a reflection of social changes that have been taking place in the community.
The current paper undertakes a discourse analysis of the front page newspaper headlines of two Ta... more The current paper undertakes a discourse analysis of the front page newspaper headlines of two Tanzanian Swahili weekly newspapers, Mzalendo (Patriot) and Mwanahalisi (Unfeigned child) during the 2010 pre-election period with a view to showing how the press headline discourse in different ways constructs social identities and how these in turn act to influence readers' voting decisions. The data used comes from ten issues of the two newspapers. The analysis is informed by the Faircloughian three-dimensional framework incorporating: text, discursive practice, and social practice. The main finding is that the writers of both newspaper headlines used alike discursive methods such as selection of particular lexical items and syntactic manipulation with the intent of simultaneously vilifying the contestant viewed by the newspaper as the opponent while at the same time endorsing the one it was supporting. It is recommended that the public understands the strategies for them to make informed decisions.
The current article looks at the vitality of the intangible cultural heritage of the Ngoni ethnol... more The current article looks at the vitality of the intangible cultural heritage of the Ngoni ethnolinguistic group of southern Tanzania to show how a contact situation combined with internal dynamics in the community shape the future of intangible cultural heritage of the group. Using questionnaire, interview and observation methods the findings show that there is insufficient intergeneration transfer. The study does so by studying how intergeneration transfer of values such as language use, knowledge of stories, taboos, dances, sayings, and rituals among the youth is indicative of their level of vitality. Additionally, the ever-increasing contact between Ngoni and Swahili cultures affects the situation and makes the future blurred and hazy. Some aspects of the intangible cultural heritage have been more affected than others, which may suggest their eventual disappearance. In such a situation, documenting such traditional values seems to be the most plausible action before they finally perish altogether.
This paper is a result of observations of teachers, employers and language researchers that many ... more This paper is a result of observations of teachers, employers and language researchers that many Tanzanian students who are at the ordinary level of secondary education have not been doing well in their national English language examinations. The results became worse in the 2012 examinations. The current study focused on curricula processes, namely syllabus preparation, teacher preparedness for handling syllabus demands, examination processes, and how all these are coordinated. Using semi-structured interview, questionnaire, and documentary review methods, the findings reveal that there are inefficiencies when it comes to engaging some important stakeholders such as teachers, parents, and learners. Additionally, the consulted teachers suggested that there is a general unawareness among teachers of the pedagogical demands of the 2005 syllabus in the classroom, and that there is a general deficiency in the number of good quality well-prepared teachers of English. The functions of curriculum developers, teachers and the national examinations council are barely coordinated. The paper recommends that there be established an oversight unit in the Ministry responsible for education to coordinate the functions of these actors.
The codeswitching pattern is different in rural Tanzania compared to urban agglomerations around ... more The codeswitching pattern is different in rural Tanzania compared to urban agglomerations around the world. Even in very rural areas people in Tanzania are bilingual in Swahili, the national and local lingua franca, and their own first language. The result of this language contact is understudied and has only recently been focused on. This paper presents quantitative and qualitative results of a study of the language Ngoni in contact with Swahili. The study is based on photo elicitations about traditional artefacts and their use in one semi-urban and one remote rural village in Songea District, Ruvuma Region. Codeswitching is the unmarked choice among the Ngoni subsistence farmers in the area, even for old persons living in remote villages. The quantitative results are summed in relation to socio-demographic factors. Additionally, possible social and psycholinguistic factors, such as triggering, are discussed. The results give reason to concern regarding the future of Ngoni.
This paper investigates the functions of teacher questions in Standard I lessons in two primary s... more This paper investigates the functions of teacher questions in Standard I lessons in two primary schools in Songea Rural District, Tanzania. The data were collected through observation method using a camcorder. In the communities where the schools are located Kiswahili is a second language, and the community uses mainly Kingoni which is an ethnic community language. Using the Initiation-Response-Feedback framework of analysis it has been possible to provide an account of what teacher questions as a teaching strategy achieve, and why sometimes teachers necessarily have to use them. The paper is critical of national language policies that provide statements with generalized assumptions, which often fail to address local linguistic realities. The Tanzania’s national policy on the medium of instruction in public primary schools designates Kiswahili an exclusive role of the medium of instruction, ignoring the fact that Kiswahili is a second language to many people and particularly in remote rural areas of Tanzania. The main finding is that most of the teacher questions in linguistically constrained situation are meant to cover-up silence which is otherwise undesirable in talk. In such situations the immediate pedagogical and practical constraints force teachers to opt for strategies that will conceal silence in the classrooms.
Description:
The current paper is an attempt at providing an ethnographic description of Tanzanian Ngoni acces... more The current paper is an attempt at providing an ethnographic description of Tanzanian Ngoni access rituals (greetings) considering verbal and visual aspects of these communicative routines. Three methods of data collection were used, namely: role-play, semi-structured interview , and observation. The role-plays were used in order to see how the Ngoni apply their knowledge of this kind of access ritual still acquired in the course of growing up in their communities. Role-plays were recorded with a digital camcorder after the interviews had tak-en place. Semi-structured interviews were meant to provide insights into diachronic developments such as how the expression of politeness through greetings may have changed. Observation method was meant to capture behavioural patterns shown during greeting exchanges and notes were taken immediately thereafter. The main findings are that due to pervasive contact between Ngoni and Swahili, greetings tend to be brief today and there is a widespread use of code-switching by all age groups. The tendency to prefer Swahili is viewed by older members of the community as lack of respect whereas the younger generations regard the use of Swahili as more appropriate and as a reflection of social changes that have been taking place in the community.
The current paper undertakes a discourse analysis of the front page newspaper headlines of two Ta... more The current paper undertakes a discourse analysis of the front page newspaper headlines of two Tanzanian Swahili weekly newspapers, Mzalendo (Patriot) and Mwanahalisi (Unfeigned child) during the 2010 pre-election period with a view to showing how the press headline discourse in different ways constructs social identities and how these in turn act to influence readers' voting decisions. The data used comes from ten issues of the two newspapers. The analysis is informed by the Faircloughian three-dimensional framework incorporating: text, discursive practice, and social practice. The main finding is that the writers of both newspaper headlines used alike discursive methods such as selection of particular lexical items and syntactic manipulation with the intent of simultaneously vilifying the contestant viewed by the newspaper as the opponent while at the same time endorsing the one it was supporting. It is recommended that the public understands the strategies for them to make informed decisions.
The current article looks at the vitality of the intangible cultural heritage of the Ngoni ethnol... more The current article looks at the vitality of the intangible cultural heritage of the Ngoni ethnolinguistic group of southern Tanzania to show how a contact situation combined with internal dynamics in the community shape the future of intangible cultural heritage of the group. Using questionnaire, interview and observation methods the findings show that there is insufficient intergeneration transfer. The study does so by studying how intergeneration transfer of values such as language use, knowledge of stories, taboos, dances, sayings, and rituals among the youth is indicative of their level of vitality. Additionally, the ever-increasing contact between Ngoni and Swahili cultures affects the situation and makes the future blurred and hazy. Some aspects of the intangible cultural heritage have been more affected than others, which may suggest their eventual disappearance. In such a situation, documenting such traditional values seems to be the most plausible action before they finally perish altogether.