Theses and Dissertations (Unit for Academic Literacy)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/40125

Browse

Now showing 1 - 14 of 14

Educational subtitling : perceived value, student viewing patterns, plain english, and multilingual initiatives in Higher Education
(University of Pretoria, 2023) Kruger-Roux, Helena; Angu, Pineteh; Cooper, Trish; elmariekr@gmail.com; Kruger-Marais, Elmarie
This study explores the multifaceted aspects of educational subtitling in higher education, focusing on its perceived value, student viewing patterns, the use of plain English, and its application in multilingual initiatives. Educational subtitling has gained recognition as a valuable tool for enhancing learning experiences and improving accessibility for diverse student populations. The study investigates the perceived value of subtitling among students and instructors, examining its impact on comprehension, engagement, and overall learning outcomes. Furthermore, it explores the viewing patterns of students in relation to subtitled educational content, analysing factors such as gaze duration, recall, and preferred viewing language. In addition, the study investigates the effectiveness of plain English in educational subtitling, addressing the challenges and benefits of using simplified language to promote better comprehension. The study explores how plain English subtitling can contribute to inclusive education. Moreover, the study explores the implementation of multilingual initiatives in educational subtitling, examining the potential of providing subtitles in multiple languages to cater to diverse student populations and promote language learning. The study further explores how selected South African universities employ subtitling and other technological innovations to promote multilingualism in keeping with the 2020 language policy of the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET). In terms of its contribution, the study has the potential to enrich existing research by offering empirical data and insights that can inform educational practices, instructional design, language learning strategies, and accessibility initiatives. It contributes to the ongoing discourse on how technology and language resources can improve education, especially in specialised fields, and addresses the diverse linguistic needs of students in higher education. Additionally, the case study approach used offers a context-specific perspective that can enhance the practical relevance of the findings to educators, administrators, and policymakers in the field of education. The case study used in this research is based on students at the University of Pretoria (UP) and its new language development implementation plan, and the study therefore gives insight into the use of subtitles at UP, specifically. To conduct this research, a case study approach is employed, involving questionnaires, focus group interviews, document reviews and analysis of viewing patterns. This case study is university-specific and is based specifically on findings from students at UP. The data collected from students provide insights into the perceived value of educational subtitling, the factors influencing viewing patterns, and the efficacy of plain English and multilingual initiatives. The findings of this study contribute to a deeper understanding of the role of educational subtitling in higher education and provide practical recommendations for its effective integration into teaching and learning environments.
Metadiscourse in undergraduate students' essays
(University of Pretoria, 2023) Boakye, Naomi; Scheepers, Ruth; nessiebwood@gmail.com; Bannerman-Wood, Jessie
Metadiscourse refers to linguistic resources that are used to organise a text and also connect with readers. The use of metadiscourse markers in academic writing helps students produce coherent texts. This study explored and analysed the types, frequency, and appropriate use of metadiscourse markers in the essays of undergraduate students who were second-language learners of English. To achieve these objectives, mixed-methods and corpus-analysis approaches were employed. Quantitative data from the results of a cloze test and qualitative data from two corpora (a learner corpus and a native speakers’ corpus) were used. The learner corpus contained 197 essays written by undergraduate students at the University of Ghana, and the native speakers’ corpus contained 207 essays written by undergraduate students at selected American and British universities. The main purpose for using the cloze test data was to ascertain the learners’ receptive knowledge of metadiscourse use, and the learner corpus was analysed to determine their productive use of the markers in relation to the types, frequency, and appropriate use. The students were aged 17 years and older, came from various home-language backgrounds (Akan, Ewe, Ga-Adangbe, Northern Ghana languages, and English), and were from four academic disciplines (BA Arts, BA Education, BSc Applied Sciences, and BSc Health Sciences). The learner corpus comprised written, end-of-semester academic essays, which were classified into three performance levels: high-rated, average-rated, and low-rated. The learner corpus was compared to the native speakers’ corpus to analyse similarities and differences in metadiscourse use by the learners and the native speakers. Hyland’s (2005a) classification of metadiscourse markers served as the theoretical framework to identify and discuss metadiscourse markers employed in the students’ essays. The software tools used for the analyses were #LancsBox and SPSS. The findings revealed that although the learners were able to select the correct and appropriate metadiscourse markers to complete the cloze test, they were not able to use some of the markers independently in their essays. It was also observed that the learners who wrote the high-rated essays used metadiscourse markers in appropriate proportions. Regarding how the learners’ use of metadiscourse compared to that of the native speakers, the findings revealed that although both groups of students employed more interactive resources than interactional resources, metadiscourse markers were denser in the learner corpus than in the native speakers’ corpus. However, the analysis revealed that the two groups of undergraduate students showed a similar pattern in their use of interactive resources. The findings of this study may be helpful in the teaching and learning of academic writing. It is also hoped that the findings may be useful to other researchers who are interested in the field of metadiscourse, especially among Ghanaian undergraduate students.
The effect of different interventions on the inferencing abilities of academically vulnerable first-year students
(University of Pretoria, 2022) Fouche, Ilse; Pretorius, E.J.; nandi.weder@up.ac.za; Weder, Nandi
The reading crisis in South Africa is well-documented by now, and the implications of poor reading proficiencies can be observed in the limited outcomes and high attrition rates at primary, secondary and tertiary educational level. Reading comprehension is a fundamental aspect of academic literacy at tertiary level, but shortcomings in this relatively ‘invisible’ skill easily remain undiagnosed. Many South African universities provide foundational support to academically vulnerable students in the form of Extended Curriculum Programmes (ECPs) and academic literacy modules, but these tend to be writing-centred, with limited time dedicated to targeted instruction of advanced reading competencies, like inferencing, that often remain underdeveloped. Thus, more evidence-based research into reading instruction best practices for academically vulnerable students is urgently required. This study evaluated the effect of three different academic literacy interventions on the inferencing proficiencies of ECP students, in addition to the relationship between academic literacy and inferencing for this population. A quasi-experimental design with pre- and post-tests using the Test for Academic Literacy Levels and a self-designed instrument was augmented by data on participants’ reading habits and language profiles. Results indicate that many students who exit foundational interventions like ECPs and academic literacy modules need additional support in order to meet the reading demands of tertiary education, that inferencing and academic literacy are strongly correlated, and that targeted instruction on reading comprehension has a larger effect on improving inferencing skills than more writing-centred interventions. These results imply that more resources are needed to address the reading crisis at tertiary level by optimising existing remedial frameworks in order to provide the necessary support for vulnerable students.
Evaluating the effectiveness of a task-based language teaching (TBLT) approach to improve the language skills of mature students in a Ghanaian university
(University of Pretoria, 2022) Boakye, Naomi; sadjei-mensah@vvu.edu.gh; Adjei-Mensah, Susana
Mature students’ admission into universities in Ghana is increasing rapidly. Both private and public universities admit students who are 25 years and above through the mature entrance admission process. The language proficiency of these mature students is often low, which affects their comprehension abilities, communication, and academic work. Yet they have to compete with their counterparts who have had secondary education and continuous learning without a break. Unfortunately for these mature students, their break from formal education, coupled with demands of family and work, makes it difficult for them to cope in the same class as their non-mature counterparts. Although access tutorials and examinations are held for mature students, oftentimes, these tutorial sessions are for just a short period and geared towards entrance examinations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a task-based language teaching approach to improve the language proficiency of these mature students. The research was guided by the following questions: 1. What is the level of language (reading, writing and speaking) skills of mature and non-mature students at Valley View University in Ghana? (quantitative) 2. How can a TBLT programme be designed and an intervention conducted in relation to the specific context and needs of mature university students in Ghana? 3a. What will be the effect on the language (reading, writing and speaking) skills of mature students after the application of TBLT? (quantitative) 3b. Will mature students, after an intervention with a TBLT programme, be at par in language proficiency with their non-mature peers who have gone through secondary education? (quantitative) 3c. What are the cohort of mature students’ opinions on the TBLT intervention programme? (qualitative) 3d. How do students respond to the application of TBLT in the classroom and what insights may be gained from the intervention? (qualitative) A convergent parallel mixed design based on Creswell (2013) was used for the study. The tools utilised were pre- and post-tests, pre- and post-intervention questionnaires, an outsider’s observation, a researcher’s log, and interviews. The intervention was conducted with an instructional model designed in relation to the specific needs of mature students to improve their language skills. The principles of constructivism and the principles of cooperative learning formed the basis of the instructional model on which teaching and learning activities were built for the four phases of the TBLT approach. The intervention was conducted on a group of mature students (experimental group) while another group (control) of mature students and a group of non-mature students were instructed using the traditional approach. In all, 65 participants were sampled for the study. The quantitative data were analysed with frequencies, percentages, T-test, ANOVA, pairwise comparison, multiple comparisons, independent samples median testing and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. The qualitative data were analysed through content analysis. The effectiveness of the intervention was determined by the post-test results, which showed that when all the tests were put together, the mature experimental group scored better than the mature control group and was at par with the non-mature group. Results from the qualitative data supported the findings of the quantitative data. Frequent feedback, enthusiasm and willingness among students, an enabling classroom environment, motivation, collaborative learning and having a mature-only class contributed highly to the positive results of the intervention group. Recommendations are made based on the findings at the institutional level, on classroom environment, and on pedagogy and curriculum.
A realist approach towards student application of agency, culture and social structures in demonstration of competency in argumentative writing
(University of Pretoria, 2021-04-01) Kruger-Roux, Helena; oscar.eybers@up.ac.za; Eybers, Oscar Oliver
In his thesis, “A realist approach towards students’ application of agency, culture and social structures in demonstration of competency in argumentative writing”, the study explored intersectionality between first-year science students’ cultural identities and the ways these aspects of students’ epistemologies weave with their attempts to demonstrate competency in written, dialectical and rhetorical argumentation. The researcher employed Margaret Archer’s (1995) morphogenetic model to divide students’ experiences into three chronological phases. These time periods, which spanned the pre-university domain as well as the first and second semesters, were termed the conditioning, interactive and elaboration phases of students’ Discourses (Archer, 1995). By analytically employing the morphogenetic cycle, this study simultaneously applied Gee’s (2012) theory of Discourse to emphasise epistemic shifts, development and constraints in students’ argumentation. The findings highlighted the interplay between and efficacy of on- and off-campus social structures, culture and agency as causal mechanisms in students’ methods of participating in dialectical, rhetorical and written argumentation. Examples of active entities in students’ argumentative Discourse emergence include their families, cultural communities, schools, degree programmes and professional communities. Findings from the study revealed that the majority of the participants experienced significant modifications to their scientific Discourses after reaching the end of the academic year. To argue effectively, first-year students had to modify their methods of participation in academic dialect and rhetoric that feed into their argumentative writing. The study concluded that due to the distinct cultural environment that universities represent when contrasted with the pre-tertiary experiences of all first-years, pedagogic mechanisms should be activated that facilitate their induction into argumentative, dialectical and rhetorical interactions, including writing, across the entire academic year.
Concept mapping as a technique for scaffolding concept literacy in accounting: The case of an extended programme
(University of Pretoria, 2018) Carstens, Adelia; Smith, Sonnette; Rambiritch, Avasha; susan.immelman@up.ac.za; Immelman, Susan
While great strides have been made to improve accessibility to higher education in South Africa, the educational excellence that is required to build a strong economy remains elusive, as evidenced by low throughput numbers. Research suggests that students’ lack of conceptual understanding might be at the heart of the problem. This study investigates the value of concept mapping as a scaffolding technique to improve conceptual understanding. Postpositivism served as the epistemological framework for the research. The quantitative dimension involved a quasi-experiment with a test and a control group, whereas the qualitative dimensions included questionnaire responses and observation. It was hypothesised that Accounting students in an extended programme who were introduced to the concept mapping technique would have an improved grasp of Accounting concepts, as would be indicated by an improvement in their marks when completing an explantory paragraph of Accounting concepts after the intervention. Qualitative data on students’ experience of using visual aids, and concept mapping in particular, were also analysed. Students’ post-intervention marks of the test group showed no improvement, and therefore no proof can be offered to support the claim that concept mapping improves conceptual understanding. An analysis of students’ attitudes towards concept mapping did, however, show enthusiam for the technique. Limitations of the study included the absence of a pilot study and the time required to become familiar with concept mapping. An unforeseen constraint on the study was the low student participation.
Factors influencing learners' reading ability in English in Bulawayo Central District high schools in Zimbabwe
(University of Pretoria, 2018) Boakye, Naomi Adjoa Nana Yeboah; GTHENJIE@YAHOO.CO.UK; Gumede, Thenjiwe
Reading proficiency is a critical endeavour as it transcends and includes all learning. This study set out to establish the reading comprehension level of Form 2 learners in Bulawayo Central District high schools in Zimbabwe, and to find out what factors determine the reading proficiency level of the same learners. These learners were thought to have been previously disadvantaged during Zimbabwe’s economic downturn of 2006 to 2008. The researcher used quantitative and qualitative methods to gather information to answer the research questions. Forty-eight and 22 learners from government and private schools respectively, voluntarily wrote a comprehension test to answer the first research question, completed a questionnaire to answer the second research question on factors that influenced their reading proficiency and wrote narratives on their reading development. Twelve and nine teachers from government and private schools respectively, voluntarily completed questionnaires to provide answers to the second research question. The comprehension test revealed differences in the reading comprehension level of the learners. The mean performance of private school learners stood at 91.64% compared to 36.63% for learners from government schools. Findings revealed that the reading comprehension level of Form 2 (Grade 9) learners at government schools is below that for Grade 4 (Zimbabwe and South Africa) yet the learners were in Form 2 (Grade 9). The t-test on learner questionnaires showed statistical significance of the home environment, socio-economic status (SES), and motivation as factors influencing reading practices. Private school teachers also indicated that home environment, SES, and motivation were factors in reading (ability and comprehension), unlike teachers in government schools who disagreed. Private school learners wrote strong narratives compared to those of government school learners, which were flawed with grammatical and spelling errors. The study hence revealed that reading performance lags behind in government school learners. Re-introduction of special classes, revival of public libraries and exchange and network programmes are recommended if learners at government schools are to be brought abreast of learners at private schools.
Authorial voice as a writing strategy in doctoral theses
(University of Pretoria, 2017) Carstens, Adelia; alet.olivier@gmail.com; Olivier, Aletta Petronella
Voice is not a new concept in writing; however, it is relatively new in the field of academic writing. The main aim of this research is to determine how voice as a social construct is understood and perceived by doctoral students and supervisors from the faculties of Humanities and Social Sciences at a South African university. The focus is on the challenges of exhibiting an authorial voice in doctoral writing in particular, with the aim of informing a pedagogical framework of voice that might serve as a foundation for further development of an instructional framework. The term ‘voice’ started to appear in North American composition writing in the mid-1960s as a mark of self-discovery, individualism, and expressivism. However, the emergence of social constructivism led to a marked decrease in the emphasis on individual voice in favour of regarding voice as socialised and constructed. The post-2000 voice era became more nuanced and established a definite niche for voice in academic discourse. The three approaches that influenced written voice most significantly are individualised voice, powered by the expressivist approach; socialised voice, which embraces voice as multi-dimensional and dialogic and embedded in Bakhtin’s heteroglossia; and voice as empowerment, represented by the Academic Literacies Approach. Except for its historic evolution the notion of voice was impacted by Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) as a theory of language. Two partially operationalised models, grounded in social constructivism and SFL, provided the substance for designing a heuristic framework for voice: the Engagement Framework, situated in the Appraisal Framework of Martin and White (2005) and Hyland’s (2008a) model of stance and engagement. With the decline of the expressivist approach a number of theoretical and empirical studies propagating a pedagogical approach started to appear. Although these studies validate the need for a visible voice pedagogy, voice has yet to be operationalised as student friendly pedagogical tool. The following research questions guided the research: 1. How is authorial voice theorised in linguistics and applied linguistics? 2. Has the notion of ‘voice’ been adequately operationalised in academic writing contexts? 3. What guidance on developing a voice pedagogy is found in the scholarly literature on writing instruction in higher education? 4. How is the notion of voice understood by supervisors and doctoral students? A qualitative case study was conducted to determine the understanding and perceptions of voice by supervisors and doctoral students by means of semi-structured interviews. The data were systematically analysed and coded using qualitative content analysis. The qualitative data analysis software program ATLAS.ti.2 was used for this purpose. The data yielded four main categories: 1. Assumptions about voice as non-negotiable in doctoral writing; 2. Enablers of voice; 3. Impediments of voice, confirming voice as complex and unstable; 4. Opinions on voice as construct that substantiated gaps in the literature. As the findings point to a need for a pedagogy of voice these categories were translated into parameters for a pedagogy of negotiated voice. The pedagogical model integrates the theory-based heuristic as well as pedagogical attempts at measuring voice and the findings of the empirical study.
Veranderende tendense in die dokumentontwerp van Suid-Afrikaanse letterkundige tydskrifte van die 1960’s, 1980’s en 2000’s (Afrikaans)
(University of Pretoria, 2006-10-18) Marais, Renee; suzanne@techsmart.co.za; Rall, Suzanne
The 1930s and 1940s were characterised by considerable interest in research on literary magazines. Relevant studies were undertaken by A.M. Uys (1933, UCT), P.J.J. Dry (1939, UOFS) and W.G. Combrinck (1945, UW). This interest dwindled until J.H. Venter registered a doctorate at UNISA (1991), which he never completed. Today there is a vast gap in the field of research on Afrikaans literary magazines in general. Since no other research has yet been undertaken on the document design of literary magazines in particular, this study may be regarded as groundbreaking. Document design focuses on the utilisation of design elements to purposely create a document for optimal use by the reader. Renkema’s CCC model was chosen to serve as a generic, theoretically founded model for document analysis. In accordance with this model, texts were analysed and reviewed with regard to genre, content, structure, style and layout. Renkema’s model was adapted in order to fine-tune it for reviewing the document design of literary magazines in particular. In this study the choice of genre fell on literary magazines and little magazines of the 1960s (Sestiger, Wurm, Kol and Standpunte), the 1980s (Spado, Graffier, Stet and Standpunte) and the era of 2000 (Driepootpot, PENorent, seepdoos, Tydskrif vir Letterkunde and Spilpunt). The object of this study was to determine whether the parameters governing the document design of literary magazines changed over a period of forty years. The content of these magazines was analysed by classifying it in various subgenres and then comparing the number of writers who contributed to every subgenre in every magazine; the internal and external structure of the various magazines were defined and compared; the style of the various magazines was established and compared; and, lastly, the layout of the twelve magazines was explored and similarities, differences and progression were established. The results indicated that some of the parameters of document design have indeed changed over the past forty years, but that a large number of principles also remained unchanged. The content expanded significantly as a result of the addition of new subgenres. The internal structure remained consistent. The quality of the external structure and layout improved in such a way that it supports the internal structure much better. The style of the content remained unchanged for those magazines that belong to the same era, but changed through the decades to reflect the actualities and struggles of the day. Layout is the area in which the greatest measure of progression was recorded, mainly as a result of the expansion of knowledge in the field of document design, the evolution of technology in the form of the Internet, the layout process, the printing process, et cetera. These developments have, in the course of time, made it substantially easier to design documents for a specific purpose and target audience.
A framework for course design in academic writing for tertiary education
(University of Pretoria, 2007-09-11) Dyers, C.; Weideman, Albert, 1948-; Greyling, W.J.; gustav.butler@up.ac.za; Butler, Herman Gustav
Academic writing is generally regarded as the most important communication medium through which people in the tertiary academic context choose to communicate their ideas. It is also well known that it is sometimes an arduous process for students to become accustomed to the requirements (the conventions and conditions) that hold for the production of appropriate written texts in this context. The initial impetus for the current study was provided by what appeared to be a significant problem that some supervisors at the University of Pretoria identified in terms of the academic writing ability of their postgraduate students. This study therefore investigates postgraduate academic writing with regard to a number of such issues, and does so within the broader confines of academic literacy. The ultimate purpose of this investigation is to discover how writing interventions may be designed that offer appropriate assistance to students who experience difficulty with their writing. The study commences with an attempt to find support for treating 'academic discourse' as a potentially productive area of academic enquiry. It therefore presents an account on the nature of a 'discourse community', and attempts to ascertain whether there are any grounds on which 'academic discourse' may be regarded as a unique type of discourse used for specific communicative functions in the tertiary academic environment. It further discusses critically some of the traditional features of academic texts. The research then proposes thirteen design principles that serve as injunctions that should be considered in the development of writing courses, and proceeds to a critical discussion of the most important approaches in the teaching and learning of writing. What is evident from this discussion is that none of the historical approaches will, on their own, enable one to design justifiable writing courses. As a result, an eclectic approach is required in order to integrate the strengths of these approaches into a strategy for writing course design that is theoretically and practically justifiable. Subsequently, the critical interpretation of the literature in the first part of the study is used in the design of a framework for writing course design in tertiary education. This framework consists of six focuses that stand in a relationship of dynamic interaction towards a description of the context in which tertiary students write. Thus, relevant aspects concerning the writer, text, reader, institutional context and one's approach to writing are all essential elements that should be carefully considered in terms of their potential influence on the eventual design of materials that will constitute a writing course. The rest of the study consists of an application of the proposed framework that addresses firstly, the perceptions of supervisors at the University about the academic literacy ability of their postgraduate students, as well as their requirements for academic writing. It then proceeds to an investigation of a specific group of students' (from the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences) perceptions about their own academic literacy ability and a determination of their perceptions and expectations of academic writing at university. Because the information that was collected (by means of questionnaires) in both cases mentioned above is mainly perceptual in nature, it was considered essential to determine the academic literacy ability of students in the study group by means of a reliable testing instrument. A written text that these same students produced was further analysed in order to establish possible writing difficulties they experienced. In addition, it was important to confirm certain findings from the supervisor questionnaire, and more specific information had to be collected on particular writing issues that could inform discipline specific writing course design (this was accomplished through focus group interviews with supervisors of the School of Agricultural and Food Sciences). A combination of all the prominent findings of the empirical work mentioned above, as well as insights gained in the literature survey, is then used to make justifiable suggestions for the design of writing course materials for students in the study group. Finally, a number of issues were identified that could not be addressed by this study and, therefore, suggestions are made for future research that may investigate these matters.
Developing proficiency in Afrikaans as an additional language : criteria for materials development
(University of Pretoria, 2006-08-19) Weideman, Albert, 1948-; Van Rensburg, M.C.J.; thusa@absamail.co.za; Van der Wal, Rachel Jacoba
The current movement towards multilingualism and multiculturalism in South Africa has placed language at the centre of all educational activity. With the implementation of the outcomes-based Curriculum 2005, the emphasis is on appropriate learning support material, and the learning programmes are seen as guides that allow teachers to be innovative and creative in designing instructional and learning material. The fact that Afrikaans was one of three compulsory language subjects at a school in the Soweto area motivated researchers of Technikon South Africa to embark upon an outreach project. The latter entailed a remedial programme to address the lack of Afrikaans language proficiency of the Grade 12 learners at this school. My role as the remedial teacher and my subsequent responsibility for the development of appropriate and relevant learning material for the intervention provided the impetus and motivation for this research. The aim of the study was to determine the criteria for developing materials, in order to develop the proficiency in Afrikaans of Grade 12 additional language learners. The intervention took the form of an ongoing action research cycle. The magnitude of the proficiency dilemma in this study was revealed by a pre-intervention assessment. Apart from the learners’ poor functional Afrikaans literacy, it also became apparent that the influence of affective variables in additional language learning should be considered. The literature survey undertaken to articulate the relevant information about Communicative Language teaching (CLT) emphasised the kind of teaching necessary to develop proficiency in an additional language. In addition, the exploration of the influence of affective factors on additional language teaching and learning allowed a better understanding of the learners’ needs and ensured a learning-centered approach. In the process of materials selection, adaptation and development, it was necessary to relate learning principles and procedure to theory, research methods and classroom practice. Reviewing the literature on issues such as designing and developing materials contributed to a pragmatic approach to materials development, and assisted in establishing the criteria for the development of appropriate materials. The study has attempted to show how to design appropriate and relevant teaching materials guided by a set of criteria. The implementation of the materials in the classroom integrated theory and practice. Thus in practice, through different action research cycles, the developed materials were shown to comply with the theoretical criteria to establish their effectiveness, and refined to suit the proficiency level of the particular learners. Finally, critical reflection resulted in a redesigned set of materials for Afrikaans as an additional language. The post-intervention assessment showed that there was indeed an improvement in the learners’ proficiency levels and that the average grade of their proficiency levels improved. Other findings suggested the probability of a positive attitude change in the learners. Thus, it can be concluded that the intervention may be judged as having been relatively successful.
Improving the academic literacy levels of first-year Natural Sciences students by means of an academic literacy intervention
(University of Pretoria, 2009) Butler, Herman Gustav; ilsefouche@gmail.com; Fouche, Ilse
Over the past years, there has been a consistent call from Government and industry for South African tertiary institutions to deliver more graduates in the fields of science and technology. This, however, is no mean feat for universities, as the pool of prospective candidates delivers very few students with the necessary academic literacy abilities, and very few students who passed mathematics and science at the right levels to succeed in science higher education. This puts tertiary institutions under mounting pressure to accept students who are under-prepared and to support these students appropriately. The plight of Open and Distance Learning (ODL) institutions like the University of South Africa (UNISA) is even more desperate, as they are often left with those students who are either unable to gain entrance into, or to afford the study fees of, residential universities. These students are often in greater need for face-to-face interaction than are their counterparts at residential universities, yet they generally receive very little of this. The intervention examined and critiqued in this study is an attempt at raising the academic literacy levels of first-year students at UNISA in the fields of science and technology by means of a 60-hour face-to-face workshop programme. As its foundation, it uses the principles of collaborative learning and authentic material design. It also treats academic literacy abilities as interdependent and holistic. This study starts with a broad overview of the context. This is followed by a review of the literature. This review focuses on concepts such as collaborative learning, academic literacy, English for academic purposes, English for specific purposes and English for science and technology. Thereafter, a needs analysis is done in which students’ Test for Academic Literacy Levels (TALL) pre-test results, as well as a sample of their assignments, are examined. In addition, the workshops in this intervention programme are analysed individually. To determine the effectiveness of the academic literacy intervention, students’ pre- and post-TALL results are scrutinised, and a feedback questionnaire filled in at the end of the year is analysed. Subsequently, recommendations are made as to how the workshop programme could be improved. Findings show that the academic literacy intervention did improve students’ academic literacy levels significantly, though the improvement is not enough to elevate students from being considered at-risk. However, with fine-tuning the existing programme, the possibility exists that students’ academic literacy levels might be further improved. This calls for a careful examination of the areas in which students’ performance did not improve significantly. Student feedback indicated a positive attitude towards the entire intervention programme, as well as a marked preference for collaborative learning and face-to-face interaction. In the redevelopment of the current workshop programme, such preferences would have to receive attention, so as to integrate students’ wants, together with what they lack and what they need, in subsequent interventions. In conclusion, the limitations of this study are discussed, and recommendations are made for future research, as the current study must be seen as only the beginning of a process of action research that could lead to a sustainable intervention programme in future. Copyright
A socio-affective approach to improving students’ reading comprehension abilities
(University of Pretoria, 2012) Carstens, Adelia; Pretorius, E.J.; naomi.boakye@up.ac.za; Boakye, Naomi Adjoa Nana Yeboah
The low literacy levels of the majority of first-year students at tertiary institutions in South Africa have been a major cause of concern. Various attempts have been made to assist students to develop their academic literacy levels – especially academic reading. However, most of these attempts are solely cognitive-oriented, even though there has been increasing acknowledgement of the relationship between socio-affective factors and students’ academic reading abilities. The purpose of this research was to explore a socio-affective approach to improving the reading abilities of first-year students at the University of Pretoria (UP). The following questions guided the research: (1) Is there a significant relationship between socio-affective factors and students’ academic reading abilities? (2) Which socio-affective factors best predict tertiary students’ academic reading abilities? (3) How can knowledge of socio-affective factors be used to design a more effective reading intervention? (4) How effective is a reading intervention programme that incorporates socio-affective factors? A mixed methods design was used for the study which was conducted in four phases. The first phase consisted of an exploratory study in the form of a questionnaire survey that elicited information on first-year UP students’ reading background, socio-affective reading levels and the use of reading strategies in relation to their reading proficiency levels, as determined by the Test for Academic Literacy Levels (TALL). ANOVA tests were used for the analysis of TALL results while a Cumulative Logit (regression) analysis was conducted to determine the socio-affective factors that best predict these students’ reading ability. ANOVA tests showed a robust relationship between students’ social and affective reading background on one hand, and their reading proficiency levels on the other. The regression analysis showed that self-efficacy was the best predictor of students’ reading ability, followed by intrinsic motivation. Based on the empirical results, and an adapted model of Guthrie and Wigfield (2000), an intervention programme that served as enrichment to the existing Academic Reading module, and aimed at improving the reading abilities of students by focussing on socio-affective issues in particular, was designed (as phase 2) and implemented (as phase 3) of the study. Two control groups and two intervention groups of At Risk and Low Risk students were used for the study. Questionnaires on affective reading levels and strategy use were administered before and after the intervention. In phase four, quantitative analysis using t-tests (independent and paired t-tests) with effect sizes were performed on the pre- and post-intervention questionnaire responses. Results showed significant improvements in affective levels for reading in the intervention groups compared to the control groups. In addition, qualitative data were collected via interviews on the socio-affective teaching techniques used for the intervention, and analysed qualitatively using content analysis. The results of the qualitative study were used to support the quantitative findings in terms of the measure in which the teaching approach contributed to the improvement in students’ socio-affective levels in reading, which according to research, correlates with students’ reading ability. Based on the findings, recommendations are made at the classroom and institutional levels. The significance of the study in terms of enriching theory and designing innovative support to improve students’ reading ability serve as a conclusion to the thesis.
The effectiveness of genre-based approaches in teaching academic writing : subject-specific versus cross-disciplinary emphases
(University of Pretoria, 2009) Weideman, Albert, 1948-; adelia.carstens@up.ac.za; Carstens, Adelia
The main purpose of the research was to investigate the effectiveness of genre-based approaches in teaching academic writing. The study was motivated by the researcher's perceptions about university students' difficulty in acquiring the essayist literacy of the academy, and the fact that very little empirical research had been conducted on the effect of genre-based writing interventions. The following questions guided the research: (1) Can genre-based approaches be justified theoretically? (2) How effective are genre-based academic writing interventions? (3) Which is more effective: a narrow-angled or a wide-angled approach? The theoretical framework combines foundational principles of Systemic Functional Grammar, Constructivism and Critical Literacies. A mixed methods design was used, including a survey of writing tasks, genre analysis, discourse analysis, and a quasi-experimental comparison of pre- and posttest essay ratings. The survey of writing tasks indicated that the academic essay was the written genre most frequently required by humanities departments, and that argumentation, discussion, explanation, description and analysis were the text types featuring most prominently in writing prompts. Since the materials of the Department of Historical and Heritage Studies contained the largest number of essay-length tasks, the subject-specific intervention was focused on students of history. The cross-disciplinary group included students with Economics, English, History, Philosophy, Political Sciences, Psychology and Sociology as majors. A genre-based presyllabus, comprising exploration, explicit instruction, joint construction, independent construction and critical reflection, was customized for the subject-specific and cross-disciplinary groups. The syllabus gave prominence to the use of rhetorical modes, logical development of an argument, and engagement with other authors. The statistical analyses of the essay scores show that the narrow-angled and the wide-angled genre-based interventions were effective. Although the size of the improvement on the four dimensions of the scoring instrument was not equal, the overall improvement of the students in each of the groups is statistically significant. Despite the more modest overall improvement of the students in the cross-disciplinary group, their mastery of stance and engagement exceeded that of their subject-specific counterparts. Even though both interventions were effective the subject-specific group performed significantly better than the cross-disciplinary group overall (p = 0.043). Their performance was also more consistent across the four dimensions of the scoring instrument. The results of the opinion survey indicate that students from both groups were generally positive about the effect of the respective interventions on their academic writing abilities. The only significant difference is the subject-specific group's more positive evaluation of the transferability of the skills they acquired. The more pronounced skills transfer was probably facilitated by the subject-specific group's deeper level of engagement with source materials and more opportunities for practising content-based writing. Main limitations of the study include the small sample size and non-parallel presentation of the two interventions.

Browse

Recent Submissions