The Study Of Kenya’s Language Policy In Education

Kenya’s sociolinguistics landscape is composed of locals,Indians,Europeans,and its citizens possess the aptitude for learning languages and the willingness to acquire and use multiple languages.Kenyans at large acquired English,Swahili,and their native languages.Muslims learn Arabic,Indians study Hindi and their native languages,and an Indian of Kenyan nationality speaks essentially five languages.The study of language education policy has become one of the hot issues of education development in today’s world.For most multilingual African countries,language policy issues relating to language choices in education or as national language are fundamental to any discussion on the role played by education in all aspects of development on the continent since languages chosen significantly impact their regional growth.The current studies mainly focus on bilingual,multi-lingual,and foreign language education in Western developed countries.However,there are still some shortcomings in the research on Kenya’s language education policy and research methods,which need further studies.Western colonial powers such as Britain,France,Spain,and Portugal launched their language policies in succession,making the pattern of African language policies in the colonial period competitive and pluralistic.Each colonial power had its own cultural and political standpoint that gave rise to its particular brand of language policy.There were often conflicting approaches over language policy because Government officials,European missionaries,and white settlers had different ideas in dealing with African colonial subjects.Factors influencing language policy include colonial authorities and African governments’ attitudes after independence,the multilinguistic nature of each country,how well its language developed as a mode of communication,and its desire to acquire modern technological culture.Since colonial times,the issue of language choice and use in a pluralistic context have become one of the challenges to Kenya’s social,political,economic,and educational development.The environment of multilingualism and national unity not only affects the linguistic choices of the masses,but also ensures the integration of ethnic groups and national unity among the regions and,on this basis,further enhances their status in the international arena.In addition to reviewing the development of Kenya’s language policy and its impact on educational language choices,this study also focuses on the development and substantive effect of Kenya’s language education policy.In the post-colonial period,the Ministry of Languages and Education partially reformed Kenya’s bilingual policy in a few short years by adopting the professional recommendations of the Board of Education,thus changing the national language environment and direction of development.In Kenya,few articles introduce and evaluate education policy and motivation in foreign language teaching.In this study,we surveyed foreign language learning motivation to understand better learners’ thoughts and beliefs from 386 respondents who studied French,Chinese,and German languages in Kenya.In addition,to also grasp their general perceptions on language education policy implementation and challenges of native languages,official and national languages.These findings will promote Kenya’s policy of openness in education and deepen exchanges and cooperation domestically and globally.Thus,enhancing the building of a common destiny for humanity under the joint influence of policymakers,scholars,and the educational community on educational policies.The main content of the dissertation consists of seven chapters: Chapter one is an introduction.In this chapter,the author discusses the purpose and importance of depth research and systematically reviews the current status and progress of research in the field of language education policy in Kenya and abroad.This dissertation also summarizes the main characteristics and policy trends of language education development in Kenya and the research methods.Chapter two provides the conceptual and theoretical framework for language education policy research.It explores the conceptual and theoretical framework foundations relevant to language education policy research and future developments in the sphere.This chapter first introduces the definition and characteristics of language education policy,then summarizes the research reviews and shortcomings of language education policy in Kenya and abroad from three aspects,and finally puts forward its views and opinions.Based on clarifying the core concepts of education policy,language policy,language planning,and language education policy,this paper clearly defines and interprets key related professional terms and the concepts of language education policy and explains the interrelationship between them in detail.In addition,we analyze the factors influencing the formulation and synthesis of language education policies,the language concept,and sociolinguistic factors.Chapter three examines the historical development and evolution of language education policies in Kenya.This chapter comprehensively reviews Kenya’s language education policy during the early precolonial and independence periods,culminating in the recently adopted 2010 new constitution,which grants Kiswahili co-equal status with English as the country’s official language.This study also analyzes three aspects: official language,native language,and foreign language education policy in the context of globalization.Simultaneously,we highlight the series of policies developed and introduced by the Kenyan Government regarding native,Swahili,English,and foreign languages.At the same time,summarize the achievements and challenges faced during Kenya’s language education policy implementation,including but not limited to the issues of teacher shortage and teaching resources,and corresponding optimization plans proposed by relevant bodies.Chapter Four analyzes Kenya’s linguistic landscape and the status of language education.To better understand the country’s sociolinguistics landscape,this article focuses on the national demographic and examines the current state of language distribution culture and language education in Kenya.This chapter focuses on the linguistic and educational situation in the country,focusing on Kenya’s ethnic profile,sociolinguistics situation(including the characteristics of the national language,the official language,and geographical distribution of the native languages),and the language varieties,such as urban dialects and mixed codes.This paper also makes an in-depth study of the state of Kenyan education with the main focus on the language of instruction and curriculum reform and development of primary and secondary schools,interpret and argues out the status of new educational reform,analyzes the development status of local language education,and discusses the controversies,practical challenges that the new educational reform faced in native language education,and puts forward corresponding countermeasures.Chapter Five describes the foreign language teaching policy and language education.This chapter systematically explores Kenya’s foreign language teaching policy and details the teaching practices and operations of several languages,including French,Chinese,and German learning,in the country.In addition,this paper also analyzes the data statistics of foreign language learners’ motivation,and general perspectives and provides data support for foreign language education.Chapter Six discusses language choice and the effect of education implementation in a multilingual environment.This chapter discusses and analyses in detail survey data on the language use of Kenyan learners,hence providing data support and offering insight for further study of language education policies.On this basis,the effectiveness of implementing language education policy in Kenya,the difficulties encountered,and feasible solutions.Chapter Seven is the conclusion and outlook of this article.This chapter presents the conclusion of the research and the prospect,comprehensively summarizes the content of the whole dissertation,and points out the shortcomings of this study and the prospects for future language education policy development.The main findings and conclusions are as follows: Firstly,the popular urban dialect(sheng)in Kenya is far lower than the native language,Swahili,English,and foreign languages,both in terms of practicality and frequency of use by respondents.Languages or dialects can only threaten each other if they compete for the same function.Languages with different communicative or social functions can coexist.Secondly,as for the implementation of language education policies,nearly half of the respondents believed that implementing the provisions in the new Kenyan Constitution that made Kiswahili co-official with English,was relatively effective,with provisions for trilingual education(English,Swahili,and native language).However,their functional differences,such as the low instrumental value of the local and Swahili languages and their limited economic value in the market,hinder the implementation of language policies in multilingual countries.These limitations created conditions in which English increasingly replaced the place of local languages as early as the first grade,kindergarten,and nursery school throughout the country.These led to the predominance of English in education,administration,business,print,and broadcast media.In sum,English has continued to enjoy tremendous support from the government in its commitment to human and material resources.Despite the new educational policy that has advanced the place of Kiswahili in society at large and made Kiswahili popular with the population,it is still not widely used,except for a low-level administrative and educational language.Local languages,on the other hand,are used in informal settings such as rural areas at the lower end of the daily spoken communication and economic spectrum.Likewise,these factors impede the implementation of language education policies in multilingual countries such as Kenya.Thirdly,drawing on the concept of the elite’s closure and linguistic instrument that justifies language existence in a community in terms of its usefulness in achieving specific utilitarian goals such as access to economic development or social mobility,to describe the sociolinguistics situation in Kenya.The findings showed that to preserve the privileges with which knowledge of the language of the rule is associated,the elite tends to covertly resist language-in-education policies they have designed apparently to promote the language of the masses.Based on the game theory,"private subversion of the public good",that is the practice by the elite of agreeing with language policy publicly but subverting it privately.The elite subvert the language policy implementation by theoretically giving them official status to claim parity with English.For instance,the 2010 new Kenyan Constitution,elevated Kiswahili to co-equal status with English as the country’s official language,and acknowledged the local language,sign language,and braille,but not allowing these languages and the majority of their speakers access to important domains open to speakers of English(e.g.,socioeconomic,the educational system and political participation,or employment).Therefore,to enhance the instrumental and economic value of the Swahili and native languages in high-level fields such as education.It is necessary to accord them a substantive priority and special treatment,such as making them desirable and effective tools for accessing employment,resources,educational development,economic opportunity,political participation,social mobility,and cultural practice.