The notion of a functional syllabus has received widespread attention in recent years, so much so that in many cases it is being used where it is not suitable. One question is to what extent the functional syllabus may provide a framework for learning language structure, as it is difficult to impose any kind of structural organization on a…

One of the aims of the Threshold Project was to examine the school-based learning experiences of children in lower primary grades in Southern African schools, particularly in relation to the changeover to English as the medium of instruction. Ethnographic observations were conducted in two Primary Education Upgrading Project (PEUP) schools and two…