Towards a framework of improving the efficacy and effectiveness of the BA Contemporary English and Multilingual Studies in preparing students for the workplace

Abstract

This study seeks to investigate the efficacy and effectiveness of the BA in Contemporary English and Multilingual Studies (CEMS) as a first bilingual programme to be implemented at a higher learning institution in South Africa. The study attempted to see the link between the programme’s inputs, outputs and outcomes in order to reflect how the acquired skills may enable the students to develop language skills that may assist them to deal with multilingual workplace environments. To explore the efficacy, the study focused on how the programme capacitates students with language skills by ensuring that the course meets the desired outcomes of the programmes. The effectiveness of the programme may be seen in the practices and experiences of the graduates at the workplaces where graduates demonstrate and apply multilingual and multicultural skills and abilities that was impacted on them by the programme. Since the study focuses on the research participants’ perceptions and experiences, the social constructivism theory is chosen to frame it theoretically. The different experiences of these graduates form an opinion about the programme. The “constructivist stance maintains that learning is a process of constructing meaning; it is how people make sense of their experience” (Merriam & Caffarella, 1999: 260). Constructivism describes the way through which students make sense of the material and how the materials may be taught effectively. The study employs qualitative research methods to better understand the experiences of the graduates in the workplace. In view of the above, the thesis is located in the interpretive paradigm which seeks to explore graduate’s experiences and their views which is in line with the constructivist theory. The participants included the BA CEMS graduates who are currently employed, employers of the graduates, the lecturers on the BA CEMS programme and the current honours and third year students. The empirical investigation revealed that graduates do not appear to have the necessary skills and expertise to deal with multilingual and multicultural environments of the workplace. Among the skills and abilities that the graduates lack, they do not know how to deal with foreign languages as well as to handle diversity and multiculturalism. The curriculum of the programme appears not to have the relevant content that is capable of addressing multilingual challenges at the workplace. In addition, the findings also reveal that the programme lacks institutional support to incorporate other languages of the Limpopo province. Based on this, it simply a bilingual programme of Sepedi and English with no multilingual and multicultural undertones that has been existing for past 18 years. Also, important to note is the fact that the graduates lack practical skills and therefore require internships or field work to match the skills with workplace demands. In this regard, the graduates should be provided some chances to put their theoretical knowledge acquired from the classroom into the real practical workplace environment. The investigation concluded that, the programme needs to teach skills and abilities that may help graduates to adapt in multilingual and multicultural contexts. In light of the above, the study recommends that good communication skills, knowledge of diversity and Intercultural Communication Competence is necessary for adaptation in a multilingual and multicultural workplace. In addition, there is need for the curriculum to be improved upon to ease accessibility into bilingual and multilingual workplaces.