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08 August 2025 | Story Martinette Brits | Photo Barend Nagel
Dr Rouxan Fouche
Dr Rouxan Fouché, Lecturer in the Department of Computer Science and Informatics at the University of the Free State, whose award-winning research explores the impact of language in multilingual computer science education.

Dr Rouxan Fouché, Lecturer in the Department of Computer Science and Informatics at the University of the Free State (UFS), earned national recognition when he received both the Best Informatics Paper and the Overall Best Paper awards at the 54th Annual Conference of the Southern African Computer Lecturers’ Association (SACLA 2025). Held in Bloemfontein from 30 July to 1 August, the conference brought together leading voices in computer science education from across the region. Dr Fouché’s award-winning paper, Beyond Language Barriers: Programme-Specific Effects of English Medium Instruction in South African Computer Science Education, explores the nuanced impact of language on student learning in multilingual computer science classrooms.

“It was incredibly humbling and exciting to receive this recognition,” said Dr Fouché. “When they announced the Best Informatics Paper Award, I was already thrilled, but when they called my name again for the Overall Best Paper Award, I was genuinely shocked.”

The paper, which investigates how English-medium instruction affects students differently across different types of modules, stood out for its relevance to both educational policy and classroom practice in multilingual contexts. “As a researcher, you hope your work will make an impact,” Dr Fouché reflected, “but to have it recognised at this level by peers across the computer science and informatics community in Southern Africa was beyond my expectations.”

Representing the UFS at SACLA added another layer of significance. “Our university has such a rich tradition in computer science and informatics education,” said Dr Fouché. “The Free State context, with our incredibly diverse student population representing all 11 official languages, provides a unique lens for understanding multilingual education. I was proud to show how the UFS is leading research into practical solutions for South African higher education challenges.”

 

Rethinking language barriers in STEM education

The award-winning study stemmed from a broader investigation into student attrition in computer science. “Language barriers represent just one component of the various factors I'm studying that affect student success and retention,” explained Dr Fouché. “Like many educators in South Africa, I knew that a very low percentage of our Department of Computer Science and Informatics students are native English speakers, yet we teach everything in English.”

What the research uncovered was unexpected. “Students with language difficulties weren't struggling uniformly across all modules as we might expect,” Dr Fouché said. “Instead, there were dramatic differences depending on the type of content.” In particular, programming modules seemed to pose very little additional difficulty for students with language barriers, while business-related modules presented significant challenges.

“The most significant finding was that programming education appears to naturally transcend language barriers,” said Dr Fouché. “We found negligible differences in perceived difficulty between students with and without language difficulties in core programming modules – effect sizes of just 0.017 to 0.041, which is essentially no difference.” Surprisingly, students with language difficulties actually found mathematics and physics modules easier than their English-proficient peers, while business modules showed the opposite trend.

“These findings suggest that instead of treating all technical subjects the same, we need programme-specific support strategies,” he said. “Computer science education might offer a more equitable pathway to technical careers for our multilingual student population.”

Dr Fouché hopes the findings will inform more tailored teaching approaches: “We should emphasise visual representations, multiple symbolic systems, and hands-on applications that play to students' compensatory strengths for mathematics and physics. We need targeted interventions for business-related modules and additional support for the dual cognitive load of processing both technical and business terminology simultaneously.”

 

A research journey driven by equity

Dr Fouché’s academic journey spans human-computer interaction, digital inclusion, and educational equity. His doctoral work used a community-based action research approach to address the digital divide in marginalised communities. “The connection between these areas is really about equity and access,” he said. “Whether it's digital inclusion in marginalised communities or language barriers in technical education, I'm interested in understanding and addressing the systemic factors that prevent people from fully participating in our increasingly digital world.”

He credits mentors such as Prof Tanya Stott and Prof Liezel Nel for shaping his research path, and values collaboration with colleagues such as Dr Wynand Nel and Dr Pakiso Khomokhoana, among others. His advice to emerging researchers? “Embrace the South African context as a strength, not a limitation. Our linguistic diversity, postcolonial educational legacy, and unique challenges aren’t obstacles to overcome, but valuable perspectives that can contribute to global knowledge.”

Dr Fouché is now planning a longitudinal study to track students over time and explore how early advantages or disadvantages related to language shape long-term academic and career outcomes. His work continues to position the UFS as a leader in evidence-based, inclusive computer science education.

Hand Read the paper: Beyond Language Barriers

News Archive

Agriculture must adapt to change
2008-11-28

 

At the launch of "50 years of agriculture" at the UFS were, from the left: Mr Corwyn Botha: Chairman: Agri Business Chamber and Managing Director: Cape Agri Group, Mr Motsepe Matlala, President of NAFU, Mr Hans van der Merwe, Executive Head: Agri SA, Prof. Herman van Schalkwyk: Dean: Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at the UFS, and Mr Sugar Ramakarane, Head: Department of Agriculture, Free State Province.
Photo: Lacea Loader
 “The biggest factor driving agriculture today is change. Our major challenge is to adapt to this changing environment.” This was stated by Prof. Herman van Schalkwyk, Dean of the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at the University of the Free State (UFS) during the recent celebration of the faculty’s “50 years in agriculture”.

Prof. Van Schalkwyk stated that the most important changes include power relationships in supply chains, consumer demand, new products and technology in agriculture, government action and developments in neighbouring states. “At the moment there is very little cooperation between small-scale farmers, small-scale farmers and commercial farmers and farmers and processors. There are also low levels of processing, low levels of value adding and a lack of creative thinking in agriculture," he said.

“This must change – we need comprehensive agricultural support and new business ideas in agriculture. We need better infrastructure, value chain financing and improved institutional support,” he said.

Speaking about agriculture and institutional co-operation in the Free State, Mr Sugar Ramakarane, Chief Director of the Free State Department of Agriculture, said that the UFS plays a vital role in bringing together organised agriculture in the province. “The responsibility of transforming our economy cannot be done by government alone. We need partners like the UFS to assist us with bringing together the two most important stakeholders of the agricultural sector, namely the National Farmers’ Union (NAFU) and Free State Agriculture. You can assist us with harnessing co-operation and providing practical solutions," he said

Mr Ramakarane said that his department is aware of the university’s good work with emerging farmers. “But, I want to encourage the university to help us with skills transfer and the development of the emerging farmers. You can play a vital role in developing a mentorship programme. Yours remains a central and critical role of being torch bearers in guiding the transformation agenda of our country," he said.

In his contribution on the challenges of small scale farmers in South Africa and the role of the university, Mr Motsepe Matlala, President of NAFU, said that unity in organised agriculture and working together with other stakeholders has become even more crucial with regard to the global challenges now faced by the country. “The university should take the lead in guiding all farmers on how to respond to, among others, the global financial turmoil and politics, developments in trade negotiations, food prices, input costs and the availability of energy," he said.

“If the UFS, and more specifically the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, is to continue to play a leading role in academia as well as in the production of research that matters to the growth and development of this country, it must adopt an approach that seeks to harness the capacity of everyone in an inclusive manner. The strides already made in this regard must be applauded,” Mr Matlala said.

Speaking on the future challenges in agriculture and the role of universities, Mr Hans van der Merwe, Executive Head of Agri SA said that South Africa has not spent money on agricultural development in a long time. “We must increase our product capacity in the agricultural sector. Universities must focus on cultivating enough expertise and the skills necessary to manage the resources and capacity needed," he said. In his view, South Africa must also focus on technological advancement in agriculture as this has also been neglected in the past. He urged universities to provide best-practice education and to look at international trends in agricultural training. “That is why we should not only focus our attention on South Africa, but on southern Africa,” Mr van der Merwe said.

In conclusion to the day’s programme, Mr Corwyn Botha, Chairperson of the Agricultural Business Chamber, Managing Director of the Cape Agri Group and former Kovsie stated that: “If you want to be an example of leadership, people around you must do better because you are there. A university should evaluate itself in this context. You cannot create solutions to problems with the same attitude in which the problems were created."

Media Release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@ufs.ac.za  
28 November 2008
 

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