EdData II: Data for Education Research and Programming (derp) in Africa

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62 
Annex A 
4. Helps children learn additional languages 
Learning to read in one’s L1 also facilitates L2 and foreign-language acquisition. A substantial 
body of research suggests that literacy and other skills and knowledge transfer across languages. 
In other words, if a child learns something in one language—such as decoding skills and 
comprehension strategies—the child can transfer these skills to another language more easily. 
However, children will need explicit instruction and support in transferring skills from one 
language to another, as well as high-quality instruction in the L2 and consistent exposure to the 
language.
Five meta-analyses, or analyses of 
multiple
research studies, from the United States found that 
“learning to read in the home language promotes reading achievement in the second language” 
(Goldenberg, 2008, p. 14). In Africa as well, instruction in local languages has proved helpful in 
improving outcomes in L2 or foreign languages. In Mali, for example, extensive use of L1-based 
instruction in primary years resulted in improved mastery of French (World Bank, 2005).
5. Promotes effective teaching practices
Use of familiar local languages also confers benefits to teachers, who themselves face significant 
difficulties when asked to present academic concepts in a language they do not speak well. 
Classroom observations conducted in several countries (Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, 
Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, South Africa, Tanzania, and Togo) 
showed that when teachers used a language that was unfamiliar to learners (and likely to 
themselves as well), they relied on teacher-centered teaching methods such as chorus teaching, 
repetition, memorization, recall, and code-switching that are largely ineffective (Alidou & 
Brock-Utne, 2011). On the other hand, when teachers and learners speak a common, familiar 
language, teachers use more varied and effective teaching practices. For example, in a recent 
study in Tanzania and Ghana, teachers were found to use a wider range of teaching and learner-
involvement strategies when they taught lessons in African languages than when they taught in 
English (EdQual, 2010). Similarly, a study of a bilingual education program in Niger showed 
that more teachers used more effective teaching practices, and there was more dynamic 
interaction between teachers and pupils, as well as among pupils themselves (Hovens, 2002) than 
teachers in a single-language comparison group. Additionally, teaching was more learner-
centered, teachers used more open-ended questions, and teachers allowed pupils to find solutions 
to problems (Hovens, 2002).