ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION: TWO FORMS OF SUSTAINED SCHOOL LANGUAGE CHANGE
4.2 The two forms of sustained school language change
These theorizing moments comprise the initial phase in formulating a theoretical understanding of school language change. The theoretical framework for understanding SLC is developed in the final chapter of the study.
The data analysis section of the study spans chapters four, five and six and use the main categories captured in the table as the foci of the analysis chapters. The analysis section is sequenced as follows:
This chapter focuses on the two forms of sustained school language change, viz. pressure to sustain school language change and acceptance of the need for school language change. Chapter five focuses on preconditions for school language change that include support for school language change, understanding the nature and potential of individuals and the school for language change and the precondition for whole school language change. Chapter six focuses on understandings developed from initiating school language change.
by both in-school agents of change and the education department to effect sustained school language change and how such change was effected through exertion of different forms of pressure managed differently by the different change agents. The second section of the chapter examines the extent to which language change initiated by the change agents were either accepted and integrated or resisted by various individuals in the school and how this acted to either sustain school language change or disable the language change processes in the school. This section also examines the differing conceptions of language change held by different stakeholders in the school and how this affected the school language change process.
4.2.1 Section one: Using pressure to sustain change
Douglas (1997) argues that only two forms of sustained change exist, one of which is captured below in the first of the sensitising concepts used to guide and orient the analysis of the data.
One form of sustained change occurs when the controlling pressure is constant, unrelenting and inescapable.
The argument that unrelenting pressure is one of the ways of effecting sustained change was affirmed by the following response from Agent R17 to the above sensitising concept also used as a prompt during the Focus Group session to stimulate discussion:
I think ideally it would be proper growth if everyone can change from within first but it doesn‟t necessarily happen, within the establishment or even within the individual it doesn‟t start so easily. There has to be pressure … to try to initiate changes.18
17 Change Agent R – principal of Piper Primary, Change Agent G – principal of Willy Wonke Primary, Change Agent L – SGB chairperson of Bo Peep Primary, Change Agent S – Level 1 educator at Mulberry Primary.
18 In reporting the data an attempt was made to merge the data from the individual interviews. Where Focus Group data was reported it was accordingly signalled in the analysis and discussion.
Agent R alludes to the need for external pressure to initiate change in an individual or organization where internal change is not forthcoming. According to Douglas (1997), internally organized change occurs when the target makes a decision about itself that change is necessary while externally organized change results when some person or agency other than the target has or assumes the power to make a suggestion or order that change is necessary. However, these two forms of change are not mutually exclusive.
Douglas (1997) argues that if it is assumed that effective change can only be achieved through co-operation of the target and by integration of changes, externally organized change is but an adjunct to internally organized change.
In using the first form of sustained change, viz. pressure to effect durable change, whether the pressure is coercive or persuasive, as a sensitizing concept to guide the analysis of the data, it was evident that all four change agents were conscious of the need for pressure to effect change. This section of the chapter identifies and examines the areas where the change agents articulated a need for pressure to be exerted and where pressure was already being exerted to initiate and sustain language change. The areas were the following: Changing teachers‟ mindsets, Changing the racial composition of the staff, Revision of the school language policy, Making the learning of isiZulu a priority for non- Zulu speakers and Pressure from the education department for schools to transform their language policies and practices. Noting that some of the change agents articulated the need for pressure more strongly than others and that different change agents managed pressure to sustain change differently, this section of the chapter also interrogates the two types of pressure (coercive and persuasive) used to effect and sustain school language change, examines how pressure to sustain change was managed by the different change agents and explores the tensions and dilemmas associated with using pressure to effect change.
4.2.1.1 Changing teachers‟ mindsets
This part of section one focuses on the need for pressure to change teacher‟s mindsets against transforming school language policies and practices to address the linguistic and
cultural diversity of learners. The data revealed that two types of pressure, coercive and persuasive pressure, were either exerted or recommended by different change agents to foster more positive educator attitudes towards school language change that promotes multilingual education.
Agents G, R and L strongly assert that teachers‟ mindsets will have to shift to accommodate school language change.
This is revealed by the following responses from Agent L:
The mindset of the teacher has got to change, big time I am telling you.
If I had my way, I would call all the staff and tell them the reality of