An Empirical Analysis of Correctional Centre Mathematics Educationists’ Disposition Towards Translingual Instructions

Background/purpose. Despite the findings on the value of using multilingual pedagogies, the role of translingual instruction in adult correctional centre mathematics classrooms remains unrecognised. In this paper, we present an empirical analysis of the dispositions of correctional centre mathematics educationists towards translingual instruction.

Materials/methods. Scaccia's (2014) Readiness Theory served as a lens for the study. The study was framed within the QUANT-QUAL explanatory sequential research design. We utilised both qualitative and quantitative data drawn from questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Qualitative data were analysed thematically. SPSS was used to analyse quantitative data using a t-test to assess the mean difference between negative and positive questionnaires.

Results. Quantitative findings showed that positive questionnaire scores were higher than negative questionnaire scores. To determine whether this difference was statistically significant, the t-value of 3,472 (which exceeds the critical value of 2,045) was used to conclude that educationists have positive dispositions towards translingual instruction. From the qualitative findings, three themes emerged: (i) educationists' synonymous conceptualization of translingual and code-switching instructional approaches; (ii) the translingual instructional approach as a resource for actualizing concept—based curriculum; and (iii) educationists' perception of translingual strategies as scaffolds for decolonizing offender education. Based on the themes, we identified the misapprehension of differences between code-switching and translingual instruction. The themes further surfaced educationists’ positive dispositions towards translingual instruction.

Conclusion. We conclude by underscoring the critical role that fostering supportive educationists’ dispositions to translingual instruction can play in improving adult offenders’ mathematics performance. We subsequently recommend the need for the transfiguration of Languages of Learning and Teaching within adult offender mathematics classrooms, thus challenging the adult education policy framework to a deliberate multilingualism in adult mathematics learning situations.

Keywords: Translingual instruction, adult offenders, educationists, multilingualism, mathematics education

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