New report on Language Supportive Approaches to Transition

The Evaluating Language Supportive Approaches to Transition at Scale (ELSATS) project, funded by the British Council investigated how to improve science learning in multilingual classrooms in Tanzania and Ethiopia.

Language Supportive Pedagogy (LSP), a multilingual teaching approach, was found to significantly improve students’ vocabulary, participation, and understanding of scientific concepts. In Ethiopia, action research with teacher educators showed that LSP enhanced student teachers’ ability to write scientifically. In Tanzania, curriculum analysis revealed a major gap between the language skills developed in primary education and those required in secondary science. Classroom observations highlighted that while many teachers used bilingual strategies, few provided structured opportunities for students to express ideas or write independently. Assessment of learners' knowledge of scientific vocabulary in English revealed that learners in Zanzibar had a more limited vocbulary than those in Tanzania Mainland despite starting to use English for learning science three years earlier.

The findings have important implications for education policy. Recommendations include aligning language and subject curricula, redesigning textbooks for multilingual learners, embedding LSP into teacher education, and removing 'English-only' policies. Schools are encouraged to celebrate linguistic diversity and foster inclusive learning environments.

Download the full report here.

Citation

Barrett, A. M., Sane, E., Taye, B. A., Ndabakurane, J. J., Bowden, R., Bainton, D., Cherkos, A. B., Biseko, J. M., Clegg, J., Giampapa, F., Grieve, T., Kinyaga, A., Magashi, S., Mbwafu, F. A., Mosha, G., Mulugeta, T., Nkaizirwa, J. P., Kebede, R. S., Wayimba, S. J., & Yu, G. (2025). Evaluating language supportive approaches to transition at scale. British Council. https://doi.org/10.57884/S9PQ-GW02