https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5236-1041
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ABSTRACT
This paper discusses collaborative ethnographic work investigating multilingualism within education in Botswana, Tanzania, and Zambia. The paper takes a reflective perspective on how research is conducted and the role that multilingualism and collaboration can play in the research process itself. As a team of thirteen individuals, working across four countries, we bring a range of multilingual repertoires to the project. In this paper we discuss three principles which have been important in guiding our thinking and practice. These are: researching multilingually; researching collaboratively; and researching responsively. We discuss the rationale behind these principles and the role they play in our work. We then discuss challenges and successes which have emerged from implementing these principles in practice and use these to outline a framework that those interested in conducting similar work can use to guide their own thinking and practices. The data discussed in this article consist of a corpus of vignettes from members of the project team. Ten vignettes have been collaboratively analysed adopting a thematic analysis. Tasked with reflecting on, and evaluating, the principles the vignette data provide insight into the opportunities and challenges of working multilingually, collaboratively, and responsively within a team with diverse linguistic repertoires.
Ili peepala lileelanda pafyo bakafwailisha baibimbele mukufwailisha pamulandu wa mibomfenshe ya ndimi ishapusanapusana mumasambililo kumasukulu mufyalo fya Botswana, Tanzania na Zambia. Muli ili lyashi kuli ukuipusha pamifwailishe ine nga cakuti ukubomfya indimi ishingi mukufwailisha elyo nokubombela pamo kuti fyayafwilisha mukusambilila pafintu. Muli ukukufwailisha mwali baakafwailisha ikumi na batatu ababomba mufaylo fine, abaleetele indimi ishapusanapusana muli iyi nchito yakufwailisha. Muli ili peepala twalanshanya pa fikomo fitatu ifyo twalekonka mukufwailisha pali ili lyashi na mufyo twalebomba. Ifi niifi: ukufwailisha ukupitila mundimi ishapusanapusana, ukufwailisha mukubombela capamo, no ukufwailisha ukwakwasuka bwangu nokwalula imibombele ukulingana nefileisa nangula ifilecitika liyla mulebomba. Twalondolola ifyo twalecitila ifi elyo no lubali ifikomo fyasendelemo mumilimo yesu. Elyo Kabili twalanda na pamaafya nefisuma twatumbwilemo mukukonka ifi fikomo mumilimo yesu; twatankika nefyo abengafwaya ukukonka ifi twacitile bengacita mukutontonkanya kwabo na mumibombele yabo. Ifyo tuleebomfya muli ili peepala tuumalyashi twafumine kuli bakafwailisha abalelanda pafyo bapitilemo. Kwali ukupituluka muli utu tumalyashi ikumi kwibumba lyabakafwailisha, ilyabombele pamo, no kulemba ilyashi mufipande fyapusana-pusana ukukonka imilandu ilimo. Mukupituluka no kutontonkanya pabukankala bwafyali mutumalyashi twabaakafwailisha ciletulanga ifisuma na maafya yengasangwa mukukonka ifikomo fya kufwailisha kwakubombela pamo, ukubomfya indimi ishapusanapusana elyo nokwangukilwa mukwasuka pafiletumbuka mukufwailisha bwino-bwino, mwibumba lyabakafwailisha abalanda indimi ishapusanapusana.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the editors of this volume and the anonymous reviewers who provided invaluable and insightful comments on earlier versions of this paper. We would also like to thank everyone who has been involved in and contributed to the project, including the learners, teachers, parents, community members and all other participants who have been involved. The overarching project, entitled ‘Bringing the outside in: Merging local language and literacy practices to enhance classroom learning and achievement’ is supported by the British Academy via the Global Challenges Research Fund. We are grateful to this funder for their generous support. All errors naturally remain our own.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1 Specifically, our funding is from the British Academy on a Global Challenges Research Fund scheme that must involve research that is relevant to countries that are on the UK’s Official Development Assistance list.
2 Each of the Botswana, Tanzania and Zambia teams have three researchers and the UK team consists of four researchers.
3 The wider project has received ethical approval from all universities involved.
4 We are grateful to the reviewer who suggested that we may consider including specific translation strategies that we used within our team, as this provided us with an opportunity to further reflect on this aspect of our work. We do not have extensive suggestions for strategies to offer, as this was not something which we have developed together during our project. This does point to a wider issue within this type of work, and within our own collaboration, in that expectations of translation often fall on a few members of the team who have particular linguistic repertoires.