BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//events.la.psu.edu//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:STANDARD DTSTART:20201101T020000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=11;BYDAY=1SU END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT DTSTART:20200308T020000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=3;BYDAY=2SU END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT UID:14456-c66b2076e8a8f8b84e13af091461dd05@events.la.psu.edu DTSTAMP:20260710T042619Z DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250326T123000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250326T133000 SUMMARY:African Studies Brown Bag Lecture DESCRIPTION:\n“Southernizing Monolingual Written Assessments in Natural Science in Multilingual Schools in South Africa and Ghana ”\n\nIn this p resentation\, we report on a critical comparative case study of monoling ual written assessment practices in Grade 4 natural science classrooms i n two Global South countries: South Africa and Ghana. Studies such as Ma koni et al. (2023) argue for research into the Global South context that challenges the norms of colonialism\, capitalism\, and neoliberalism. W e see the pervasiveness of monolingualism in the chosen educational cont exts as an example of the injustices that need to be reconceptualized. U sing grounded theory (Hardley\, 2017) and case study methodology (Johans son\, 2007) to analyze interview data collected from six natural science teachers working in public schools in South Africa and Ghana\, we exami ned learners’ written materials\, and the language used in educational p olicy documents\, complemented by findings from participant observations and field notes. Drawing on critical applied linguistics (Fairclough\, 2003\; Pennycook\, 2020)\, we interrogate the multifaceted challenges\, potential opportunities\, and outcomes associated with the integration o f Southern perspectives that call for linguistic and epistemological div ersity (Makoni &\; Antia\, 2023) in the design and implementation of assessment practices for science education (Heugh et al.\, 2016). The fi ndings from our comparative study offer significant insights into the po tential benefits and challenges of Southernizing monolingual written ass essments in the natural sciences\, underscoring the need to recognize st udents’ linguistic repertoires by incorporating contextually relevant as sessment tasks that reflect learners’ diverse cultural and linguistic ba ckgrounds (Cingo\, 2022\; McKinney and Set\, 2023). By emphasizing South ern perspectives and advocating for inclusive assessment methods\, this study contributes to the need for Southernizing applied linguistics whil e supporting more equitable evaluation approaches in multilingual school s. The presentation concludes with suggestions for curriculum developers \, educators\, and policymakers to establish pedagogical environments th at empower diverse learners and foster a deeper grasp of course content (e.g.\, natural sciences) in local contexts.\n\nMfundo Jabulani Msimango is a doctoral student in applied linguistics and African studies at Pen n State.\n\nFor more details: https://events.la.psu.edu/event/afr-brown- bag-lecture-1/ X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:

“Southe rnizing Monolingual Written Assessments in Natural Science in Multilingu al Schools in South Africa and Ghana ”

In this presentati on, we report on a critical comparative case study of monolingual writte n assessment practices in Grade 4 natural science classrooms in two Glob al South countries: South Africa and Ghana. Studies such as Makoni et al . (2023) argue for research into the Global South context that challenge s the norms of colonialism, capitalism, and neoliberalism. We see the pe rvasiveness of monolingualism in the chosen educational contexts as an e xample of the injustices that need to be reconceptualized. Using grounde d theory (Hardley, 2017) and case study methodology (Johansson, 2007) to analyze interview data collected from six natural science teachers work ing in public schools in South Africa and Ghana, we examined learners’ w ritten materials, and the language used in educational policy documents, complemented by findings from participant observations and field notes. Drawing on critical applied linguistics (Fairclough, 2003; Pennycook, 2 020), we interrogate the multifaceted challenges, potential opportunitie s, and outcomes associated with the integration of Southern perspectives that call for linguistic and epistemological diversity (Makoni & An tia, 2023) in the design and implementation of assessment practices for science education (Heugh et al., 2016). The findings from our comparativ e study offer significant insights into the potential benefits and chall enges of Southernizing monolingual written assessments in the natural sc iences, underscoring the need to recognize students’ linguistic repertoi res by incorporating contextually relevant assessment tasks that reflect learners’ diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds (Cingo, 2022; McK inney and Set, 2023). By emphasizing Southern perspectives and advocatin g for inclusive assessment methods, this study contributes to the need f or Southernizing applied linguistics while supporting more equitable eva luation approaches in multilingual schools. The presentation concludes w ith suggestions for curriculum developers, educators, and policymakers t o establish pedagogical environments that empower diverse learners and f oster a deeper grasp of course content (e.g., natural sciences) in local contexts.

Mfundo Jabulani Msimango is a doctoral student in appli ed linguistics and African studies at Penn State.

For more details : htt ps://events.la.psu.edu/event/afr-brown-bag-lecture-1/

LOCATION:335 Willard Building END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR