The Use of Technology in African Language Pedagogy – A Sociological Approach

Abstract

Technology has brought about new knowledge forms in all aspects of human life. The new knowledge forms have transformed not only human lives but also human ways of doing things. Education has also benefited from technological transformation which is witnessed through the delivery of teaching and reception of learning with technology. The use of technology in teaching has been a fundamental theme in the 21st century as the world tends towards the fourth industrial revolution. Using Bourdieu’s social theory, this paper seeks to gain an understanding of how the use of technology is impacted by the social context of language lecturers. This study aimed to investigate how language lecturers’ social context influences their use of technology in teaching African languages. To pursue the above aim, an in-depth interview was conducted with 8 language lecturers across 3 universities in KwaZulu-Natal using stratified and snowball sampling methods. This study analyses lecturers' social context regarding technology use in teaching. It also examines the value lecturers place on technology for teaching African languages. Finally, it provides recommendations for lecturers and stakeholders to effectively implement technology for teaching African languages within the social context of language lecturers.