Journal of Research in Science, Mathematics and Technology Education

Embracing Vernacular: Transformative Trends in Multilingual Grade 3 Mathematics Teaching

Tinyiko Florence Sambo 1 *
1 University of South Africa* Corresponding Author
Download PDF
Journal of Research in Science, Mathematics and Technology Education, Volume 9, Issue 3, September 2026, pp. 31-53
OPEN ACCESS VIEWS: 6 DOWNLOADS: 3 Publication date: 15 Sep 2026
ABSTRACT
This study explored the instructional strategies used by Grade 3 teachers to develop number sense in Sepedi-medium multilingual classrooms in the Foundation Phase. Historically, mathematics instruction was often delivered through dominant or official languages, which could disadvantage learners whose home languages differed from the language of teaching and learning. Guided by Vygotsky's sociocultural theory, this qualitative study investigated how teachers employed vernacular-language-based pedagogical practices to support mathematical understanding in multilingual classrooms. Data was generated through classroom observations and teacher interviews involving two Grade 3 teachers from two schools. The findings revealed that teachers employed strategies such as code-switching, questioning, collaborative learning, and teacher-made resources to facilitate learners' participation and conceptual understanding of mathematics. The study found that purposeful questioning encouraged learners to explain and justify their mathematical thinking. At the same time, flexible language use, particularly the integration of Sepedi and English, helped bridge communication barriers and enhance learner engagement. Collaborative learning activities and locally developed teaching resources further supported the development of number sense. However, challenges related to limited mathematics resources in vernacular languages and insufficient teacher support constrained the effective implementation of multilingual pedagogies. The study highlights the important role of language, social interaction, and instructional tools in mediating mathematical learning and underscores the value of purposeful instructional practices in multilingual Foundation Phase classrooms. While the findings are context-specific and not intended for generalisation, they offer insights that may inform teacher professional development, resource provision, and the implementation of multilingual mathematics instruction in similar educational settings.
KEYWORDS
Code-Switching, Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, Linguistic Diversity, Translanguaging, VernacularLlanguages, Sepedi
CITATION (APA)
Sambo, T. F. (2026). Embracing Vernacular: Transformative Trends in Multilingual Grade 3 Mathematics Teaching. Journal of Research in Science, Mathematics and Technology Education, 9(3), 31-53. https://doi.org/10.31756/jrsmte.933
REFERENCES
  1. Alameddine, N. (2021). Supporting Muslim students through culturally relevant, responsive, and sustaining pedagogies. Canadian Social Studies, 52(2), 22–38. https://doi.org/10.29173/css20
  2. Bacan, C. J. D. (2025). Exploring the Role of Mother Tongue in Mathematics Education: Benefits and Challenges of Language Localisation. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 9(5), 3824–3837. https://doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2025.90400273
  3. Baker, C. (2011). Foundations of bilingual education and bilingualism (5th ed.). Multilingual Matters. UK: Bilingual Education & Bilingualism
  4. Bouzid, A., & Javier, C. (2024). Understanding Translanguaging in Multilingual Education. Research Studies in English Language Teaching and Learning, 2(3), 133–145. https://doi.org/10.62583/rseltl.v2i3.47
  5. Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
  6. Ciesielska, M., Boström, K. W., & Öhlander, M. (2017). Observation methods. In Qualitative methodologies in organisation studies: Volume II: Methods and possibilities (pp. 33-52) Cham: Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-65442-3_2
  7. Cekiso, M., Madikiza, B., & Ngcukana, A. (2019). Challenges faced by foundation phase teachers in teaching subjects using isiXhosa as a medium of instruction. South African Journal of Childhood Education, 9(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajce.v9i1.658
  8. Chauma, A. (2016). "Teaching Primary Mathematical Concepts in Chitumbuka: A Quest for Teacher Education". South African Journal of Higher Education, 26 (6). https://doi.org/10.20853/26-6-226.
  9. Chikiwa, C., & Schäfer, M. (2019). Teachers' use of verbal language to evoke visualizations in multilingual mathematics classes. Perspectives in Education, 37(2), 124-140. https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC-1d9047f01f
  10. Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design- Choosing Among Five Approaches (4th ed.). SAGE.
  11. Dlamini, S. (2022). Teacher practices used to mediate the Sepedi mathematics register in multilingual classrooms (Master's dissertation). University of the Witwatersrand. https://hdl.handle.net/10539/33998
  12. Dlamini S., & Essien, A. A. (2023). Practices Teachers Use to Mediate the Sepedi Mathematics Register in Multilingual Foundation Phase Classrooms. Book of proceedings–long papers, 59. https://www.saarmste.org/conference/
  13. Edmonds-Wathen, C., Owens, K., & Bino, V. (2019). Identifying vernacular language to use in mathematics teaching. Language and Education, 33(1), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500782.2018.1488863
  14. Ester, P., Moraleda, Á., & Morales, I. (2024). Mathematics and Language: A One-to-One Correspondence in Bilingual Environments. Education Sciences, 14(3), 328. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14030328
  15. Garcia, O. (2009). Bilingual education in the 21st century: A global perspective. Wiley-Blackwell.
  16. Giri, S. (2021). Teaching and learning mathematics in a multicultural classroom. Mangal Research Journal, 2(1), 27-36. https://doi.org/10.3126/mrj.v2i1.43572
  17. Gula, Z., & Jojo, Z. (2024). Harnessing indigenous knowledge for teaching of mathematics for sustainable development in rural situated primary schools. African Journal of Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 28(3), 404-421. https://doi.org/10.1080/18117295.2024.2424696
  18. Guzula, X. & Abdulatief, S. (2024). Supporting teacher dispositions towards translanguaging-for-learning in a Grade 9 mathematics classroom, Reading & Writing 15(1), a503. https://doi.org/10.4102/rw.v15i1.503
  19. Habintwali, A., Niyibizi, E., & Kamanzi, A. (2024). Code-Switching in Practice: Prevalence in Classroom Interactions during English and Mathematics Lessons at Selected Secondary Schools in Muhanga District, Rwanda. African Journal of Empirical Research, 5(3), 1091–1101. https://doi.org/10.51867/ajernet.5.3.93
  20. Kinard, J. T., & Kozulin, A. (2008). Vygotsky's sociocultural theory and mathematics learning. In Rigorous
  21. Mathematical Thinking: Conceptual Formation in the Mathematics Classroom (pp. 50-72). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511814655.004
  22. Khupe, C. (2020). Language, Participation, and Indigenous Knowledge Systems Research in Mqatsheni, South Africa. In I. Management Association (Ed.), Indigenous Studies: Breakthroughs in Research and Practice (pp. 615-641). IGI Global Scientific Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-0423-9.ch032
  23. Kvale, S., & Brinkmann, S. (2015). Interviews: Learning the craft of qualitative research interviewing (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.
  24. Makena, B., Baidoo, J., Mutesasira, G., Masha, A., Mashologu, W., Kasumba, H., & Kumanda, N. (2025). Transitional stage: language disjuncture for intermediate phase mathematics teaching, Chris Hani East Education. Education. Innovation Diversity, 1(10), 50-60. https://doi.org/10.17770/eid2025.1.8373
  25. Makupe, M. A., & Machaba, M. F. (2024). English as a language of preference in mathematics learning: Perspectives from high school learners in township contexts. Interdisciplinary Journal of Education Research, 6, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.38140/ijer-2024.vol6.24
  26. Maluleke, M. (2019). Using code-switching as an empowerment strategy in teaching mathematics to learners with limited proficiency in English in South African schools. South African Journal of Education, 39(3), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.15700/saje.v39n3a1528
  27. Marawu, S. (2018). Teaching in Two Languages: The Pedagogical Value of Code-Switching in Multilingual Classroom Settings. In: Van Avermaet, P., Slembrouck, S., Van Gorp, K., Sierens, S., Maryns, K. (eds) The Multilingual Edge of Education. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-54856-6_5
  28. Martell, M. A. N., & Zahner, W. (2023). Research on the use of language (s) and discourses in dual language and multilingual mathematics and science classrooms. In The handbook of dual language bilingual education (pp. 536-555). Routledge.
  29. Mawela, A. S., & Mahlambi, S. B. (2021). Exploring teachers' views on code-switching as a communicative technique to enhance the teaching of mathematics in grade 4. International Journal of Educational Methodology, 7(4), 637-648. https://doi.org/10.12973/ijem.7.4.637
  30. McKinney, C. & Guzula, X. (2024). (Trans)languaging-for-learning in the South: Innovating with teachers’, Reading & Writing 15(1), 1-2, a525. https://doi.org/10.4102/rw.v15i1.525
  31. McLachlan, K., & Essien, A. A. (2022). Language and multilingualism in the teaching and learning of mathematics in South Africa: A review of literature in Pythagoras from 1994 to 2021. Pythagoras, 43(1). https://doi.org/10.4102/pythagoras.v43i1.669
  32. McLeod, S. (2026). Vygotsky's Theory of Cognitive Development. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/vygotsky.html
  33. Mensah-Brown, E. (2025). Culturally Relevant Pedagogy in Mathematics Education [Masterʼs thesis, Bethel University]. Spark Repository. https://spark.bethel.edu/etd/1154
  34. Mpalami, N. (2022). Complexities of translating mathematics tasks from English to learners' home languages. Pythagoras, 43(1), a560, https://doi.org/10.4102/pythagoras.v43i1.560
  35. Mulaudzi, L. V. (2024). Evaluating the Language-in-Education Policy of 1997: Advancing inclusivity and multilingual education. Journal for Language Teaching= Ijenali Yekufundzisa Lulwimi= Tydskrif vir Taalonderrig, 58(2), 1-28. https://hdl.handle.net/10520/ejc-langt_v58_n2_a4
  36. Mwiinga, C., & Mwanza, D. S. (2024). Teachers' use of MTB-MLE strategies in Multilingual lower Primary School grades of Chongwe rural District. International Journal of Social Science, Management and Economics Research, 2(3), 36-48. https://doi.rog/10.61421/IJSSMER.2024.2303
  37. Nahole, M., & Haimbodi, F. N. (2022). Pre-service teachers' mathematical concepts in indigenous languages: Challenges encountered in multilingual classrooms, Rundu urban, Namibia. JRAMathEdu (Journal of Research and Advances in Mathematics Education), 36-45. https://doi.org/10.23917/jramathedu.v7i1.15482
  38. Ndhlovana, S. N., & Charamba, E. (2023). The efficacy of translanguaging in selected South African mathematics and science intermediate phase classrooms. Journal of Languages and Language Teaching, 11(3), 373-389. https://doi.org/10.33394/jollt.v11i3.7904
  39. Ngqunguza, A., & Seleke, Z. (2024). Multilingualism in the teaching and learning of Accounting in Chris Hani West District, South Africa. Journal of Education and Learning Technology (JELT), 5(10), 413–426. Noyam Journals. https://noyam.org/jelt20245103/
  40. Norro, S. (2024). Namibian teachers' practices in a multilingual context. International Journal of Multilingualism, 21(1), 360-378. https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2022.2065280
  41. Olawale, B. E., Hendricks, W., & Rusi, L. (2024). Bilingual teaching in South Africa: A qualitative inquiry into the strategies used for the preparation of mathematics teachers in the foundation phase. Cogent Education, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2024.2428884
  42. Omidire, M. & Ayob, S. (2022). The utilisation of translanguaging for learning and teaching in multilingual primary classrooms. Multilingua, 41(1), 105-129. https://doi.org/10.1515/multi-2020-0072
  43. Patterson, M. D., & Gardyne, S. (2022). Indigenous Multilingual Education in Vhembe, South Africa. Environmental Sciences Proceedings, 15(1), 18. https://doi.org/10.3390/environsciproc2022015018
  44. Perfecto, M. R. G. (2022). English language teaching and bridging in mother tongue-based multilingual education. International Journal of Multilingualism, 19(1), 107-123. https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2020.1716771
  45. Prediger, S. (2019). Investigating and promoting teachers' pathways towards expertise for language-responsive mathematics teaching. Mathematics Education Research Journal, 31(4), 367–392. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13394-019-00258-1
  46. Robertson, S. A. & Graven, M. (2020b). A mathematics teacher's response to a dilemma: 'I'm supposed to teach them in English, but they don't understand", South African Journal of Childhood Education 10(1), a800. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajce.v10i1.800
  47. Robertson, S. A., & Graven, M. (2020a). Language as an including or excluding factor in mathematics teaching and learning. Mathematics Education Research Journal, 32(1), 77-101. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13394-019-00302-0
  48. Robinson, K. (2020). Qualitative research in education: An introduction (3rd ed.).SAGE Publications.
  49. Sapire, I., & Essien, A. A. (2021). Multiple monolingualism versus multilingualism? Early grade Mathematics teachers' and students' language use in multilingual classes in South Africa. In Multilingual education yearbook 2021: Policy and practice in STEM multilingual contexts (pp. 75-95). Cham: Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-72009-4_5
  50. Shabani, K. (2010). Vygotsky's zone of proximal development: Instructional implications and teachers' professional development. English language teaching. Canadian Center of Science and Education, 3(4), 237-248, https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v3n4p237
  51. Shuukwanyama, T.T., Long, C., Nkosi, A.D. & Maseko, J. (2022). The language of instruction in mathematics teacher education for the early grades, South African Journal of Childhood Education 12(1), a1108. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajce.v12i1.1108
  52. Szelei, N., Pinho, A. S., & Tinoca, L. A. D. F. (2021). Teaching in multilingual classrooms: strategies from a case study in Portugal. Revista Brasileira de Educação, 26, e260038. https://doi.org/10.1590/s1413-24782021260038
  53. Tisdell, E. J., Merriam, S. B., & Stuckey-Peyrot, H. L. (2025). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation. John Wiley & Sons.
  54. Turner, E., Bartell, T. G., Drake, C., Foote, M., McDuffie, A. R., & Aguirre, J. (2019). Prospective teachers learning to connect to multiple mathematical knowledge bases across multiple contexts. International handbook of mathematics teacher education, 3, 289–320. Brill sense.
  55. UNESCO. (2020). Global Education Monitoring Report 2020: Inclusion and education: All means all. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.
  56. Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press.
  57. White Analyst. (2024). How is education in the vernacular language important to develop learning and build a child's Personality? Journal of Education and Sociolinguistics, 10(1), 1–15.
  58. Wright, V. (2018). Vygotsky and a global perspective on scaffolding in learning mathematics. In J. Zajda (Ed.), Globalisation and Education Reforms (pp. 123-135). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1204-8_8
LICENSE
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.