Language representation in the Ghanaian lower primary classroom and its implications: the case of selected schools in the Central and Western Regions of Ghana

Ghana’s language-in-education policy, which mandates the use of L1 as medium of instruction at the lower primary classroom, is not strictly adhered to in majority of Ghanaian classrooms. One factor that has militated against the smooth implementation of the policy is the multilingual nature of Ghana and its classrooms. This sociolinguistic survey, therefore, aims at examining the language representation and practices in selected 104 lower primary schools in Southern Ghana. The study found that multilingual classrooms in urban schools range from mild (low) to severe (high). The study also found relatively fewer cases of multilingualism in the classrooms of rural schools; rather, most of them are linguistically homogenous. One intriguing finding of the study is that though there are multilingual classrooms, L1 was used as medium of instruction, especially when teachers understood the L1 of the community. It was also observed that there was mismatch between the L1 of some teachers and the L1 of the learners. This study is crucial because it begins the mapping of language representation in Ghanaian schools at the district level, especially in the lower primary classroom. © 2019, © 2019 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.