| The purpose of this study is to explore primary school teachers' beliefs toward the theoretical and practical implementation of bilingual education in order to gain a better understanding of their knowledge and beliefs about the use of primary language instruction in the classroom in the context of Mozambique.;Language is at the center of the human experience. Language empowers individuals and communities by relating shared experiences and realities. However, language can also function as a tool for disempowering and marginalizing communities. In the context of Mozambique, analysis of language in education cannot and should not be viewed solely on the individual level, but on a collective level in which the analysis includes how groups of language speakers coexist and change. The classroom, or more specifically the teacher, is ideal for an exploration of this type of interaction. In the Mozambican classroom, teachers assume various roles including activist, pedagogue, and community member.;Data analysis from questionnaires, interviews, and classroom observations found that teachers' theoretical beliefs are not always congruent with their practices. Analysis of the data indicated that most teachers agree with the principles underpinning bilingual education. The results also indicated that there are numerous influences on teachers' beliefs including political and social ideologies. |
