Assessing the Intersectionality of Language Anxiety and Outcomes for African Learners Writing Examinations in English

This study investigated the intersectionality of language anxiety, writing examinations in English, and outcomes for non-English mother-tongue learners in South Africa. The study focused on the impact of these three factors on learner performance and delved into this intersectionality by reviewing t...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inE-Journal of Humanities, Art and Social Sciences (Online) Vol. 5; no. 12; pp. 1 - 15
Main Author Dladla, Celimpilo
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Noyam Journals 30.09.2024
Subjects
anxiety
english hegemony
examinations
language of learning and teaching
linguistic injustice
Online AccessGet full text
ISSN2821-8949
2720-7722
DOI10.38159/ehass.20245121

Cover

Abstract This study investigated the intersectionality of language anxiety, writing examinations in English, and outcomes for non-English mother-tongue learners in South Africa. The study focused on the impact of these three factors on learner performance and delved into this intersectionality by reviewing the literature on anxiety stemming from writing examinations and the impact of the language medium used in assessing learners. Qualitative document analysis was used to collect and analyse the data for this study. It involved gathering literature from psychology, education, and language studies to reveal a correlation between anxiety, writing examinations, and the Language of Learning and Teaching (LOLT). The study concluded that using English as a medium for examinations can have a negative impact on learners who may not be linguistically competent to express themselves effectively in English, even if they were taught using translanguaging pedagogies. It argued that the true potential and outcomes of learners will only be fully realised through the exam process if they are allowed to write examinations in their mother tongues; and recommended that the Department of Basic Education (DBE) should allow for examinations to be conducted in all official languages for all grades and encourage learners to write examinations in their mother tongues. The only examinations they should be required to write in English are those for English Additional Language, like Afrikaans mother tongue speakers who can write all their examinations in Afrikaans except for English as a subject. Keywords: Anxiety, English Hegemony, Examinations, Language of Learning and Teaching, Linguistic Injustice
AbstractList This study investigated the intersectionality of language anxiety, writing examinations in English, and outcomes for non-English mother-tongue learners in South Africa. The study focused on the impact of these three factors on learner performance and delved into this intersectionality by reviewing the literature on anxiety stemming from writing examinations and the impact of the language medium used in assessing learners. Qualitative document analysis was used to collect and analyse the data for this study. It involved gathering literature from psychology, education, and language studies to reveal a correlation between anxiety, writing examinations, and the Language of Learning and Teaching (LOLT). The study concluded that using English as a medium for examinations can have a negative impact on learners who may not be linguistically competent to express themselves effectively in English, even if they were taught using translanguaging pedagogies. It argued that the true potential and outcomes of learners will only be fully realised through the exam process if they are allowed to write examinations in their mother tongues; and recommended that the Department of Basic Education (DBE) should allow for examinations to be conducted in all official languages for all grades and encourage learners to write examinations in their mother tongues. The only examinations they should be required to write in English are those for English Additional Language, like Afrikaans mother tongue speakers who can write all their examinations in Afrikaans except for English as a subject. Keywords: Anxiety, English Hegemony, Examinations, Language of Learning and Teaching, Linguistic Injustice
This study investigated the intersectionality of language anxiety, writing examinations in English, and outcomes for non-English mother-tongue learners in South Africa. The study focused on the impact of these three factors on learner performance and delved into this intersectionality by reviewing the literature on anxiety stemming from writing examinations and the impact of the language medium used in assessing learners. Qualitative document analysis was used to collect and analyse the data for this study. It involved gathering literature from psychology, education, and language studies to reveal a correlation between anxiety, writing examinations, and the Language of Learning and Teaching (LOLT). The study concluded that using English as a medium for examinations can have a negative impact on learners who may not be linguistically competent to express themselves effectively in English, even if they were taught using translanguaging pedagogies. It argued that the true potential and outcomes of learners will only be fully realised through the exam process if they are allowed to write examinations in their mother tongues; and recommended that the Department of Basic Education (DBE) should allow for examinations to be conducted in all official languages for all grades and encourage learners to write examinations in their mother tongues. The only examinations they should be required to write in English are those for English Additional Language, like Afrikaans mother tongue speakers who can write all their examinations in Afrikaans except for English as a subject.
Author Dladla, Celimpilo
Author_xml – sequence: 1
  givenname: Celimpilo
  orcidid: 0000-0001-6299-7385
  surname: Dladla
  fullname: Dladla, Celimpilo
  organization: Department of Translation and Interpreting Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
BookMark eNo9kV1rwjAUhsNwMOe83m3-QF2-2jSXRdwmFLzZ2GWJ6UmN1GQkFfTfr-q2q_fwwnng5XlEEx88IPRMyYKXNFcvsNMpLRhhIqeM3qEpk4xkUjI2Ge-S0axUQj2geUp7QghTlOYsn6JjlRKk5HyHhx3gtR8gJjCDC173bjjjYHGtfXfUHeDKnxyMnfYt3hwHEw6QsA0RVzY6oz2uQUc_AvBXdMOFuTrpg_P6gkvYebzyXe_S7gndW90nmP_mDH2-rj6W71m9eVsvqzozVEia5SKXxZboEuRllrV5oZgykspWcFWMi4ShpQQlOditbUupNIxpC2aVMZzP0PrGbYPeN9_RHXQ8N0G75lqE2DU6Ds700ABXbPxkLedGcCiVLYvcCBCCMV4oO7JebiwTQ0oR7D-PkuYqoblKaP4k8B9gRH5S
Cites_doi 10.1080/19463014.2019.1631198
10.33394/jollt.v11i3.7904
10.4102/aosis.2022.bk376.01
10.11114/jets.v2i1.278
10.1080/18146627.2015.1110910
10.1080/0729436990180105
10.1023/a:1018738019346
10.5539/ijel.v2n3p27
10.25159/2312-3540/2
10.17159/sajs.2015/20140005
10.1007/978-3-319-02258-1_14
10.1080/14664208.2017.1353333
10.4102/ajod.v11i0.906
10.1080/10228190701794632
10.1016/j.econedurev.2016.01.003
10.3316/qrj0902027
10.1080/0013188740170101
10.1017/9781009029384
10.4324/9781315229744-3
10.1017/s0267190513000135
10.4102/the.v6i0.113
10.56285/jltvol56iss1a5416
10.1590/2237-6089-2016-0044
ContentType Journal Article
DBID AAYXX
CITATION
DOA
DOI 10.38159/ehass.20245121
DatabaseName CrossRef
Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)
DatabaseTitle CrossRef
DatabaseTitleList CrossRef
Database_xml – sequence: 1
  dbid: DOA
  name: DOAJ Directory of Open Access Journals
  url: https://www.doaj.org/
  sourceTypes: Open Website
DeliveryMethod fulltext_linktorsrc
EISSN 2720-7722
EndPage 15
ExternalDocumentID oai_doaj_org_article_e392fdf2d33c43e89f865c4e4422369f
10_38159_ehass_20245121
GroupedDBID AAYXX
ALMA_UNASSIGNED_HOLDINGS
CITATION
GROUPED_DOAJ
M~E
ID FETCH-LOGICAL-c1471-54576b0a8e74512ff56929c717d43968944c187e973efbfd879aebfdf62f9cc33
IEDL.DBID DOA
ISSN 2821-8949
IngestDate Wed Aug 27 01:04:34 EDT 2025
Tue Jul 01 04:21:17 EDT 2025
IsDoiOpenAccess true
IsOpenAccess true
IsPeerReviewed true
IsScholarly true
Issue 12
Language English
LinkModel DirectLink
MergedId FETCHMERGED-LOGICAL-c1471-54576b0a8e74512ff56929c717d43968944c187e973efbfd879aebfdf62f9cc33
ORCID 0000-0001-6299-7385
OpenAccessLink https://doaj.org/article/e392fdf2d33c43e89f865c4e4422369f
PageCount 15
ParticipantIDs doaj_primary_oai_doaj_org_article_e392fdf2d33c43e89f865c4e4422369f
crossref_primary_10_38159_ehass_20245121
ProviderPackageCode CITATION
AAYXX
PublicationCentury 2000
PublicationDate 2024-9-30
PublicationDateYYYYMMDD 2024-09-30
PublicationDate_xml – month: 09
  year: 2024
  text: 2024-9-30
  day: 30
PublicationDecade 2020
PublicationTitle E-Journal of Humanities, Art and Social Sciences (Online)
PublicationYear 2024
Publisher Noyam Journals
Publisher_xml – name: Noyam Journals
References ref13
ref12
ref15
ref14
ref11
ref10
ref17
ref16
ref19
ref18
ref50
ref46
ref45
ref48
ref47
ref42
ref41
ref44
ref43
ref49
ref8
ref7
ref9
ref4
ref3
ref6
ref5
ref40
ref35
ref34
ref37
ref36
ref31
ref30
ref33
ref32
ref0
ref2
ref1
ref39
ref38
ref24
ref23
ref26
ref25
ref20
ref22
ref21
ref28
ref27
ref29
References_xml – ident: ref43
– ident: ref23
  doi: 10.1080/19463014.2019.1631198
– ident: ref32
  doi: 10.33394/jollt.v11i3.7904
– ident: ref27
  doi: 10.4102/aosis.2022.bk376.01
– ident: ref28
  doi: 10.11114/jets.v2i1.278
– ident: ref9
– ident: ref20
  doi: 10.1080/18146627.2015.1110910
– ident: ref2
  doi: 10.1080/0729436990180105
– ident: ref11
– ident: ref34
– ident: ref30
– ident: ref13
– ident: ref44
– ident: ref25
  doi: 10.1023/a:1018738019346
– ident: ref40
– ident: ref26
– ident: ref50
  doi: 10.5539/ijel.v2n3p27
– ident: ref5
  doi: 10.25159/2312-3540/2
– ident: ref33
  doi: 10.17159/sajs.2015/20140005
– ident: ref47
– ident: ref21
  doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-02258-1_14
– ident: ref16
– ident: ref1
  doi: 10.1080/14664208.2017.1353333
– ident: ref12
– ident: ref39
– ident: ref3
– ident: ref7
– ident: ref37
  doi: 10.4102/ajod.v11i0.906
– ident: ref45
– ident: ref17
  doi: 10.1080/10228190701794632
– ident: ref29
– ident: ref46
  doi: 10.1016/j.econedurev.2016.01.003
– ident: ref48
– ident: ref4
  doi: 10.3316/qrj0902027
– ident: ref36
  doi: 10.1080/0013188740170101
– ident: ref6
  doi: 10.1017/9781009029384
– ident: ref22
  doi: 10.4324/9781315229744-3
– ident: ref38
– ident: ref15
  doi: 10.1017/s0267190513000135
– ident: ref42
– ident: ref49
– ident: ref24
  doi: 10.4102/the.v6i0.113
– ident: ref8
– ident: ref18
– ident: ref41
  doi: 10.56285/jltvol56iss1a5416
– ident: ref0
– ident: ref10
– ident: ref35
– ident: ref19
  doi: 10.1590/2237-6089-2016-0044
– ident: ref14
– ident: ref31
SSID ssj0002911525
Score 2.269228
Snippet This study investigated the intersectionality of language anxiety, writing examinations in English, and outcomes for non-English mother-tongue learners in...
SourceID doaj
crossref
SourceType Open Website
Index Database
StartPage 1
SubjectTerms anxiety
english hegemony
examinations
language of learning and teaching
linguistic injustice
Title Assessing the Intersectionality of Language Anxiety and Outcomes for African Learners Writing Examinations in English
URI https://doaj.org/article/e392fdf2d33c43e89f865c4e4422369f
Volume 5
hasFullText 1
inHoldings 1
isFullTextHit
isPrint
link http://utb.summon.serialssolutions.com/2.0.0/link/0/eLvHCXMwrV09T8MwFLRQJxYEAkT5kgcGlqhJ_D0W1KpCFBYqukWO8yxYUkRbqRO_nWc7RWViYUgiRZFlPzu-O-flTMiNRR2tayEzPIJAyUVmVckyCVp6bpVlLqx3TJ_kZMYf5mK-s9VXyAlL9sApcANAAPeNLxvGHGegjddSOA6cI7BJ48Psm5t8R0yFObjEd1iUInn5ICgJM4A3ZKMoCEuOGFf8gqEdt_4IK-NDctDxQTpM9Tgie9Aek3X6FIuoQpGf0bhqt4w5U4k204Wnj91CIx22m5B3SW3b0Of1CkcQLClSUZq2AGpptFDFAuhrMDDCMkcbGxJg4oij7y3tfuU9IbPx6OV-knX7I2SuQEzJkPwoWedWgwpt8l5IJDsOBVqDNENqw7krtAKjGPjaN1oZC3j1svTGOcZOSa9dtHBGqBDKgAPUMj7nyKksslle5o01SFEKV_fJ7TZc1UeywahQPsTIVjGy1TayfXIXwvnzWPCvjjewV6uuV6u_evX8Pwq5IPuhUim745L0Vp9ruEIKsaqv42jB8_Rr9A0xr8ZV
linkProvider Directory of Open Access Journals
openUrl ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info%3Aofi%2Fenc%3AUTF-8&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fsummon.serialssolutions.com&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Assessing+the+Intersectionality+of+Language+Anxiety+and+Outcomes+for+African+Learners+Writing+Examinations+in+English&rft.jtitle=E-Journal+of+Humanities%2C+Art+and+Social+Sciences+%28Online%29&rft.au=Dladla%2C+Celimpilo&rft.date=2024-09-30&rft.issn=2821-8949&rft.eissn=2720-7722&rft.spage=1&rft.epage=15&rft_id=info:doi/10.38159%2Fehass.20245121&rft.externalDBID=n%2Fa&rft.externalDocID=10_38159_ehass_20245121
thumbnail_l http://covers-cdn.summon.serialssolutions.com/index.aspx?isbn=/lc.gif&issn=2821-8949&client=summon
thumbnail_m http://covers-cdn.summon.serialssolutions.com/index.aspx?isbn=/mc.gif&issn=2821-8949&client=summon
thumbnail_s http://covers-cdn.summon.serialssolutions.com/index.aspx?isbn=/sc.gif&issn=2821-8949&client=summon