Elevating the status of written Creole in Jamaican English classrooms

This thesis examines how elevating the status of written Jamaican Creole (JC) in English language classrooms of Jamaica could help students to acquire literacy in their first language, Creole (L1) and Standard English (SE) respectively. Creole is the dominant language spoken by the majority of Jamaicans, however, it is not used for literacy instruction in schools. English is the official language of literacy and communication forms, giving access to social mobility in the public life of mainstream society.; This complex dual language situation often poses problems for students who come to school with competence only in Creole. The central argument of this thesis is that the selective use of written Creole in English language classrooms can help students to develop literacy skills not only in L1 (first language), but aid in the transition to L2 (second language, English), thus, fostering student's literacy skills in both Jamaican Creole and English.; The finding in the research literature supports that Jamaican literary writers and popular cultural artists have successfully, establish and maintained the cultural and linguistic identity of the Jamaican people in the use of Creole.