ERIC Number: EJ995379
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013
Pages: 36
Abstractor: As Provided
Reference Count: 56
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1367-0050
Official Bilingualism and Field Narratives: Does School Practice Echo Policy Discourse?
Nana, Genevoix
International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, v16 n1 p64-99 2013
This research builds on several layers of meaning representing views from education officials, head teachers, teachers and pupils to investigate the discourse and implementation of official bilingualism policy in primary schools in Cameroon. While at the macro-level, the celebration of the "National Bilingualism Day" in schools has tended to suggest that the country's option for bilingualism is a success, at the micro-level, views from the participants researched indicate that the implementation of official bilingualism policy is still far from a reality. The exploration of participants' views at various levels showed how they grounded their accounts within the context of everyday practice and highlighted issues related to official bilingualism inefficiency, although statistics at a national level rather point to an apparent success of the policy in schools. While some adults seemed to operate double standards regarding their perception of policy application, the pupils' views were more straightforward, based on the evidence of classroom daily teaching and learning interaction. (Contains 9 figures and 19 notes.)
Descriptors: Evidence, Foreign Countries, Bilingualism, Educational Policy, Discourse Analysis, Elementary Education, Student Attitudes, Teacher Attitudes, Administrator Attitudes, Interviews, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, French, Language of Instruction
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Cameroon

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