Compulsory isiZulu at the University of KwaZulu-Natal: The Attitudes of Enrolled Students

Abstract

An evaluation of the link between the promotion of social cohesion and the introduction of a compulsory isiZulu language module for non-mother-tongue speakers at the University of KwaZulu-Natal was reported on in a quantitative study by Naidoo, Gokool, and Ndebele (2018). This follow-up study explores and describes students’ attitudes to the module, focussing specifically on attitudes towards the module's compulsoriness and sentiments towards the target language. The data was obtained from responses to an open-ended statement contained in the previous quantitative study (“Please feel free to add any comments you would like.”) The analysis of these responses revealed that students are aware of the value of acquiring competence in isiZulu. However, they challenge the usefulness of the module. Informed by this qualitative analysis, this article makes recommendations for the improvement of the compulsory isiZulu module at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Keywords:

• isiZulu non-mother tongue
• language attitudes
• University of KwaZulu-Natal
• motivation
• compulsory module