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The role of home language in early childhood education for literacy development in Soshanguve primary schools

Salmita Matshemo Khumalo,¹  Khashane Stephen Malatji²

1 Department of Early Childhood Education, College of Education, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa

2 Department of Early Childhood Education, Faculty of Education, University of Mpumalanga, Siyabuswa Campus, Mpumalanga, South Africa

Abstract

Early childhood education starts at home when children are taught basic home language. Home language lays a strong foundation in early childhood education and influences learners’ learning experiences and literacy acquisition. The purpose of this study was to explore the role that home languages play in Early Childhood Education (ECE) and literacy development in Soshanguve primary schools. A qualitative approach with a case study design was adopted in this study. An interpretive paradigm was applied to evaluate the day-to-day use of home languages at home and at school. Purposive sampling was used to select eight Grade R teachers and five parents. Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory served as a theoretical lens. The data were collected through individual semi-structured interviews and document analysis. To analyze the data, a thematic approach was adopted. The study revealed that although home language plays a vital role in ECE, teachers and parents have limited knowledge of how to balance the home language and the language of teaching and learning. The conclusion is that multilingualism and translanguaging should be embraced to support learners during their transition from home to formal schooling. This study recommends code-switching to support literacy development. Furthermore, it proposes that parents be educated to support their children’s literacy development by using their home language.

Keywords: home language, early childhood education, literacy development, multilingualism

How to cite this article: Khumalo, S. M., & Malatji, K. S. (2026). The role of home language in early childhood education for literacy development in Soshanguve primary schools. African Perspectives of Research in Teaching and Learning, 10(1), 156–167.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.70875/v10i1article12      

Date published: 07 April 2026