Contribution of the research position

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Chapter 7. Conclusion

This study contributes in numerous ways to the field of knowledge encompassing language, literacy and education in sub-Saharan Africa. In this chapter the methodological and programmatic character of these contributions is described. The studys contributions to an understanding of the relationship between local agency, educational choices and language maintenance outcomes, both as observed during the research period and as projected into the future, are also described. The chapter concludes with thoughts regarding some areas of further study which are suggested by the findings of this one.

7.1. Contribution of the research position

As described in Chapter 2, the personal research position giving rise to this study prioritises a critical approach, a plurality of perspectives, a culturalist interpretation of data, and a developing-world orientation. This research position has influenced the research methods and interpretation of the data. A critical analysis of the historical, political and institutional processes involved in establishing the status quo for language and education has highlighted the interests of various parties in either maintaining or changing that status quo. It has also described the ways in which those with social and economic capital seek to conserve and increase that capital through their influence on language choices in education and society. The plurality of perspectives sought in this study are reflected in the repeated broadening and corroboration of observed phenomena and interview data. The inclusion of three language communities facilitated this process, as did the choice of multiple types of survey and interview processes. Plurality of input was prioritised over examination of a more narrowly defined subject using more refined research instruments. The culturalist approach to educational phenomena is a well known research characteristic, typified by researchers such as Serpell 1993 and Stephens 1998. It allowed me to interpret classroom events by the social and cultural context in which those events took place, rather than limiting my analysis to the data gathered in the classroom alone. This approach helped to clarify the impact of institutions, history and sociocultural phenomena outside the school on what took place in the classroom. 252 Finally, a developing-world orientation caused me to seek local interpretations of language and education alternatives. I sought to understand and use local terms, perspectives and patterns of communication as much as possible; these attempts kept reminding me of the need to focus on how the people around me saw the world. The highlighting of the effects of local agency in the study also arose from this determination to find and hear the voices of the language community members in their history and in the present day as well. The result is a thesis that is textured with multiple voices and explores the confluence of social, historical, political and sociolinguistic influences on the phenomena under study. Further, the thesis highlights the issues of power and agency at play in the language and education choices being made in these communities. The application of such a methodological orientation in the specific research site of the Bafut, Kom and Nso communities constitutes an original contribution to the field of language, literacy and education in sub-Saharan Africa.

7.2. Clues to sustainability