Research has shown that writing centre use has a positive effect on students’ performance of specific writing tasks, as well as their overall academic achievement and progression. Yet many writing centres at higher education institutions around the world report low levels of usage of their services. Surprisingly little empirical research has investigated the reasons for this situation. Focusing on students in an undergraduate marketing module at a South African university, the research reported on in this article explored what factors influenced whether or not students made use of the writing centre, as well as potential strategies for increasing the usage of writing centre services. Thematic analysis of participants’ written responses to open-ended questions indicated that the major reason for non-use of the writing centre related to time. Misunderstandings around the role of the writing centre were also apparent. Participants’ proposed strategies to increase voluntary use of the writing centre included providing evidence of its value to students. The findings offer insight into an overlooked perspective in writing centre research thus far – that of non-users of the service.
{"title":"Factors underpinning students' use or non-use of a writing centre","authors":"Aradhna Arbee","doi":"10.5785/36-1-881","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5785/36-1-881","url":null,"abstract":"Research has shown that writing centre use has a positive effect on students’ performance of specific writing tasks, as well as their overall academic achievement and progression. Yet many writing centres at higher education institutions around the world report low levels of usage of their services. Surprisingly little empirical research has investigated the reasons for this situation. Focusing on students in an undergraduate marketing module at a South African university, the research reported on in this article explored what factors influenced whether or not students made use of the writing centre, as well as potential strategies for increasing the usage of writing centre services. Thematic analysis of participants’ written responses to open-ended questions indicated that the major reason for non-use of the writing centre related to time. Misunderstandings around the role of the writing centre were also apparent. Participants’ proposed strategies to increase voluntary use of the writing centre included providing evidence of its value to students. The findings offer insight into an overlooked perspective in writing centre research thus far – that of non-users of the service.","PeriodicalId":43109,"journal":{"name":"Per Linguam-A Journal of Language Learning","volume":"8 1","pages":"32-46"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"87061392","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The South African Language in Education Policy (LiEP) stipulates the use of English or Afrikaans as a language of instruction in the upper primary school, after mother-tongue instruction in the lower primary school. Educational research confirms that English is used as the official Language of Learning and Teaching (LoLT) by 90% of the learners in public schools in the country. These learners are multilingual , thus, they are also English Language Learners (ELLs). The aim of the article is to analyse the Eastern Cape Department of Education (ECDoE) Intermediate Phase (IP) mathematics teachers’ language proficiency in English, the prescribed LoLT. This article is generally informed by Cummins’s work and particularly informed by the socio-–psycho-linguistics theory. A standardised teacher English language proficiency assessment piloted in five South African universities was administered on 55 Intermediate Phase (IP) mathematics teachers purposefully selected from 16 education districts in the ECDoE. Data were quantitatively and qualitatively analysed. Results show that teachers’ language ability in English, is very low and the IP teachers who are not proficient in the language of instruction are likely to compromise the quality of mathematics instruction. Since study participants are qualified practicing teachers, this article concludes that the onus is on teacher education institutions to linguistically prepare IP mathematics teachers adequately.
{"title":"Intermediate Phase Mathematics teachers’ linguistic proficiency in the Language of Learning and Teaching: The Eastern Cape Province","authors":"Michael Le Cordeur, Lindiwe Tshuma","doi":"10.5785/35-3-849","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5785/35-3-849","url":null,"abstract":"The South African Language in Education Policy (LiEP) stipulates the use of English or Afrikaans as a language of instruction in the upper primary school, after mother-tongue instruction in the lower primary school. Educational research confirms that English is used as the official Language of Learning and Teaching (LoLT) by 90% of the learners in public schools in the country. These learners are multilingual , thus, they are also English Language Learners (ELLs). The aim of the article is to analyse the Eastern Cape Department of Education (ECDoE) Intermediate Phase (IP) mathematics teachers’ language proficiency in English, the prescribed LoLT. This article is generally informed by Cummins’s work and particularly informed by the socio-–psycho-linguistics theory. A standardised teacher English language proficiency assessment piloted in five South African universities was administered on 55 Intermediate Phase (IP) mathematics teachers purposefully selected from 16 education districts in the ECDoE. Data were quantitatively and qualitatively analysed. Results show that teachers’ language ability in English, is very low and the IP teachers who are not proficient in the language of instruction are likely to compromise the quality of mathematics instruction. Since study participants are qualified practicing teachers, this article concludes that the onus is on teacher education institutions to linguistically prepare IP mathematics teachers adequately.","PeriodicalId":43109,"journal":{"name":"Per Linguam-A Journal of Language Learning","volume":"67 1","pages":"106-124"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-12-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"78698120","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The study sought to provide information about the experiences of Life Sciences teachers in the implementation of the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) using English as the language of learning and teaching (LoLT). Life Sciences, as a subject within the Further Education and Training (FET) band, underwent a series of policy changes over a very short period. The teachers in the Bojanala East District in the North West Province were faced with the challenge of implementing the new policy known as CAPS using English as LoLT. A qualitative research design was employed for the study. The researcher used a purposeful sampling technique to select 33 Grade 10 Life Sciences teachers as participants. Data were collected using one-on-one interviews, focus group interviews and document analysis to investigate the performance of Grade 10 to 12 learners in Life Sciences over a period of three years. Findings of this research indicate that the use of English as LoLT in teaching Life Sciences prevented learners from sufficiently understanding the subject. In addition, learners seem to struggle with new terminology as implemented by the policy changes.
{"title":"Language of learning and teaching as a barrier to effective implementation of CAPS: Narratives of Grade 10 Life Sciences teachers","authors":"F. Teane","doi":"10.5785/35-3-859","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5785/35-3-859","url":null,"abstract":"The study sought to provide information about the experiences of Life Sciences teachers in the implementation of the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) using English as the language of learning and teaching (LoLT). Life Sciences, as a subject within the Further Education and Training (FET) band, underwent a series of policy changes over a very short period. The teachers in the Bojanala East District in the North West Province were faced with the challenge of implementing the new policy known as CAPS using English as LoLT. A qualitative research design was employed for the study. The researcher used a purposeful sampling technique to select 33 Grade 10 Life Sciences teachers as participants. Data were collected using one-on-one interviews, focus group interviews and document analysis to investigate the performance of Grade 10 to 12 learners in Life Sciences over a period of three years. Findings of this research indicate that the use of English as LoLT in teaching Life Sciences prevented learners from sufficiently understanding the subject. In addition, learners seem to struggle with new terminology as implemented by the policy changes.","PeriodicalId":43109,"journal":{"name":"Per Linguam-A Journal of Language Learning","volume":"22 1","pages":"92-105"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-12-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"73420559","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Teaching is a value-laden profession, and certain demands regarding lifelong learning are put on teachers worldwide. Requirements for entry-level qualifications and professional development of South African teachers are stipulated in the National Qualifications Framework Act (67/2008): Revised policy on the minimum requirements for teacher education qualifications (DHET, 2015) and the CPTD Management System Handbook of the South African Council for Educators (SACE, 2013) . However, teachers in general, and German Second Additional Language (SAL) teachers in particular, struggle to meet these requirements. In line with international teacher development tendencies, this article recommends for a shift in teacher professional development programmes towards a more participant-centred approach. Theories of self-directed learning (SDL) are considered, and it is recommended that teacher professional development programmes focus on fostering the characteristics of SDL in South African teachers (especially German SAL teachers), which would enable these teachers to be active participants in their learning . The article strives to motivate the need for a professional development programme fostering SDL to support the existing developmental shortcomings. Recommendations are made on how SDL can be sensibly fostered in teacher professional development programmes in order to enable teachers to become self-directed learners. Practical recommendations are also made on how teachers can be empowered to become self-directed learners.
{"title":"Professional development in fostering self-directed learning in German Second Additional Language teachers","authors":"Gerda-Elisabeth Wittmann, Jako Olivier","doi":"10.5785/35-3-870","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5785/35-3-870","url":null,"abstract":"Teaching is a value-laden profession, and certain demands regarding lifelong learning are put on teachers worldwide. Requirements for entry-level qualifications and professional development of South African teachers are stipulated in the National Qualifications Framework Act (67/2008): Revised policy on the minimum requirements for teacher education qualifications (DHET, 2015) and the CPTD Management System Handbook of the South African Council for Educators (SACE, 2013) . However, teachers in general, and German Second Additional Language (SAL) teachers in particular, struggle to meet these requirements. In line with international teacher development tendencies, this article recommends for a shift in teacher professional development programmes towards a more participant-centred approach. Theories of self-directed learning (SDL) are considered, and it is recommended that teacher professional development programmes focus on fostering the characteristics of SDL in South African teachers (especially German SAL teachers), which would enable these teachers to be active participants in their learning . The article strives to motivate the need for a professional development programme fostering SDL to support the existing developmental shortcomings. Recommendations are made on how SDL can be sensibly fostered in teacher professional development programmes in order to enable teachers to become self-directed learners. Practical recommendations are also made on how teachers can be empowered to become self-directed learners.","PeriodicalId":43109,"journal":{"name":"Per Linguam-A Journal of Language Learning","volume":"02 1","pages":"125-142"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-12-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"80171894","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In South Africa, there is a dearth of detailed research into the challenges that high-school learners face in reading: many young adults leave school without being able to read effectively. The purpose of this study is of theoretical and educational importance because it investigates effective teaching strategies for inference-making of a Grade 8 boy who lacked reading motivation. The study is based upon an amalgam of pedagogic elements drawn from the works of Bandura, Piaget and Vygotsky. The concepts of reading comprehension, inference-making skills, teaching strategies and the impact of motivation on reading comprehension achievement are linked within the notion of social cohesion. One Grade 8 learner was purposively selected because his pre-test comprehension test results indicated his inference skills demanded particular attention. A mixed-method research approach using both interviews and observations was purposively devised for the project and deployed. Pre- and post-test results were analysed. He was interviewed a year later to determine whether any long-term improvements were discernible after the intervention programme. The findings suggest that, with explicit teaching, being socially engaged with the text, the learner’s intrinsic motivation improved as well as his reading practices and his inference skills.
{"title":"Strategies for teaching inference comprehension skills to a Grade 8 learner who lacked motivation to read","authors":"Yonela Palesa Moopelwa, J. Condy","doi":"10.5785/35-3-883","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5785/35-3-883","url":null,"abstract":"In South Africa, there is a dearth of detailed research into the challenges that high-school learners face in reading: many young adults leave school without being able to read effectively. The purpose of this study is of theoretical and educational importance because it investigates effective teaching strategies for inference-making of a Grade 8 boy who lacked reading motivation. The study is based upon an amalgam of pedagogic elements drawn from the works of Bandura, Piaget and Vygotsky. The concepts of reading comprehension, inference-making skills, teaching strategies and the impact of motivation on reading comprehension achievement are linked within the notion of social cohesion. One Grade 8 learner was purposively selected because his pre-test comprehension test results indicated his inference skills demanded particular attention. A mixed-method research approach using both interviews and observations was purposively devised for the project and deployed. Pre- and post-test results were analysed. He was interviewed a year later to determine whether any long-term improvements were discernible after the intervention programme. The findings suggest that, with explicit teaching, being socially engaged with the text, the learner’s intrinsic motivation improved as well as his reading practices and his inference skills.","PeriodicalId":43109,"journal":{"name":"Per Linguam-A Journal of Language Learning","volume":"1 1","pages":"1-15"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-12-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85914354","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The purpose of this article is to highlight teachers’ beliefs and practices towards storytelling in the mother tongue in Ugandan rural classrooms and the effect this could have on efforts to promote reading, such as the mother-tongue (MT) education programme in Uganda and the African Storybook Project (ASb). The article demonstrates that although there are initiatives to promote storytelling in the mother tongue in Ugandan primary schools to enhance reading and literacy acquisition, teachers are not prepared for the task and, therefore, disregard storytelling in the mother tongue. This disregard of storytelling in the mother tongue stems from the fact that teachers view storytelling as a waste of time, time that can rather be spent on ’ real’ lesson content. Furthermore, they feel that storytelling adds unnecessary pressure to their already demanding workload. Moreover, learners are not assessed for storytelling at the end of their primary education. In addition, teachers are not trained on how to integrate storytelling in their teaching practices. The article presents classroom-based research which highlights teachers’ practices towards storytelling. The article ends with a request for ethnographic fieldwork to educate teachers on the social-cultural values of storytelling beyond learner assessments (among other benefits) and to facilitate teachers on how to integrate stories in the learning process.
{"title":"Reclaiming the space for storytelling in Ugandan primary schools","authors":"Medadi E. Ssentanda, Samuel Andema","doi":"10.5785/35-3-873","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5785/35-3-873","url":null,"abstract":"The purpose of this article is to highlight teachers’ beliefs and practices towards storytelling in the mother tongue in Ugandan rural classrooms and the effect this could have on efforts to promote reading, such as the mother-tongue (MT) education programme in Uganda and the African Storybook Project (ASb). The article demonstrates that although there are initiatives to promote storytelling in the mother tongue in Ugandan primary schools to enhance reading and literacy acquisition, teachers are not prepared for the task and, therefore, disregard storytelling in the mother tongue. This disregard of storytelling in the mother tongue stems from the fact that teachers view storytelling as a waste of time, time that can rather be spent on ’ real’ lesson content. Furthermore, they feel that storytelling adds unnecessary pressure to their already demanding workload. Moreover, learners are not assessed for storytelling at the end of their primary education. In addition, teachers are not trained on how to integrate storytelling in their teaching practices. The article presents classroom-based research which highlights teachers’ practices towards storytelling. The article ends with a request for ethnographic fieldwork to educate teachers on the social-cultural values of storytelling beyond learner assessments (among other benefits) and to facilitate teachers on how to integrate stories in the learning process.","PeriodicalId":43109,"journal":{"name":"Per Linguam-A Journal of Language Learning","volume":"6 1","pages":"74-91"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-12-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"86526570","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The focus of this paper is on an instrument known as the Facilitative Orientation to Reading Teaching, or FORT, that was designed to capture how teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) can influence literacy acquisition at Foundation Phase level. T he FORT can capture the ‘what’ and ‘how often’ of classroom practice and, when combined with qualitative data, it can provide the ‘why’ and also ascertain whether what teachers say they do when they teach is in accordance with their actual classroom practice. The effectiveness of the instrument will be explained via specific findings from a multiple-case study undertaken with Grade 3 and 4 learners between 2015 and 2017 at two schools in the Midlands area of KwaZulu-Natal. The study involved a total of eight teachers and their classes, while the researchers recorded a total of 34 lessons, most of which were taught in English and some in isiZulu, with class sizes ranging between 35 and 45 learners. Findings indicate that additional training alone may be insufficient to change embedded top-down and teacher-led teaching styles and that teachers may benefit more from on-going support and mentoring such as coaching.
本文的重点是一种被称为阅读教学促进导向(Facilitative Orientation to Reading Teaching, FORT)的工具，该工具旨在捕捉教师的教学内容知识(pedagogical content knowledge, PCK)如何影响基础阶段的识字习得。FORT可以捕捉课堂实践的“内容”和“频率”，当与定性数据相结合时，它可以提供“原因”，并确定教师在教学时所说的是否与他们的实际课堂实践相一致。该工具的有效性将通过2015年至2017年在夸祖鲁-纳塔尔省中部地区的两所学校对三年级和四年级学生进行的多案例研究的具体结果来解释。这项研究共涉及8位教师和他们的班级，研究人员共记录了34节课，其中大部分用英语授课，有些用伊苏鲁语授课，每班人数在35到45人之间。研究结果表明，仅靠额外的培训可能不足以改变固有的自上而下和教师主导的教学风格，教师可能从持续的支持和指导(如辅导)中获益更多。
{"title":"Securing the fort: Capturing reading pedagogy in the Foundation Phase","authors":"Kellie Steinke, R. Wildsmith-Cromarty","doi":"10.5785/35-3-806","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5785/35-3-806","url":null,"abstract":"The focus of this paper is on an instrument known as the Facilitative Orientation to Reading Teaching, or FORT, that was designed to capture how teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) can influence literacy acquisition at Foundation Phase level. T he FORT can capture the ‘what’ and ‘how often’ of classroom practice and, when combined with qualitative data, it can provide the ‘why’ and also ascertain whether what teachers say they do when they teach is in accordance with their actual classroom practice. The effectiveness of the instrument will be explained via specific findings from a multiple-case study undertaken with Grade 3 and 4 learners between 2015 and 2017 at two schools in the Midlands area of KwaZulu-Natal. The study involved a total of eight teachers and their classes, while the researchers recorded a total of 34 lessons, most of which were taught in English and some in isiZulu, with class sizes ranging between 35 and 45 learners. Findings indicate that additional training alone may be insufficient to change embedded top-down and teacher-led teaching styles and that teachers may benefit more from on-going support and mentoring such as coaching.","PeriodicalId":43109,"journal":{"name":"Per Linguam-A Journal of Language Learning","volume":"26 1","pages":"29-58"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-12-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"76814933","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The main aim of the study was to determine the reading comprehension performance of Grade 5 Setswana-speaking children in a rural province in South Africa, where the language of learning and teaching (LoLT) is English. Thirty-four Grade 5 learners from one province and from the same socio-economic background were selected through purposive sampling. The research design adopted was non-experimental, descriptive and quantitative in nature. Participants were required to perform reading comprehension tasks in English and Setswana. Four stories were utilised from the reading comprehension subtest of the GORT-4™ Test Form A. Two of the stories from the test were administered on completion of the English reading comprehension task. The other two stories were translated and adapted into Setswana. The mean raw scores of results obtained were calculated and comparisons at different levels were performed using t-tests. Results revealed poor overall reading comprehension scores in both languages; with scores below 55%. Furthermore, current results indicated better performance in Setswana reading comprehension, with higher scores obtained in the difficult Setswana story than in English. These findings were statistically significant (p<.05). Implications of the influence of home / first language on reading comprehension, if the LoLT is not the learner’s first language, are raised.
{"title":"The reading comprehension of Grade 5 Setswana-speaking learners in rural schools in South Africa: Does home language matter?","authors":"M. Mophosho, K. Khoza-Shangase, Lesedi L. Sebole","doi":"10.5785/35-3-844","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5785/35-3-844","url":null,"abstract":"The main aim of the study was to determine the reading comprehension performance of Grade 5 Setswana-speaking children in a rural province in South Africa, where the language of learning and teaching (LoLT) is English. Thirty-four Grade 5 learners from one province and from the same socio-economic background were selected through purposive sampling. The research design adopted was non-experimental, descriptive and quantitative in nature. Participants were required to perform reading comprehension tasks in English and Setswana. Four stories were utilised from the reading comprehension subtest of the GORT-4™ Test Form A. Two of the stories from the test were administered on completion of the English reading comprehension task. The other two stories were translated and adapted into Setswana. The mean raw scores of results obtained were calculated and comparisons at different levels were performed using t-tests. Results revealed poor overall reading comprehension scores in both languages; with scores below 55%. Furthermore, current results indicated better performance in Setswana reading comprehension, with higher scores obtained in the difficult Setswana story than in English. These findings were statistically significant (p<.05). Implications of the influence of home / first language on reading comprehension, if the LoLT is not the learner’s first language, are raised.","PeriodicalId":43109,"journal":{"name":"Per Linguam-A Journal of Language Learning","volume":"51 1","pages":"59-73"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-12-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"75144662","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This paper is based on a study that used a quantitative method research design to investigate the impact of English academic vocabulary on the reading comprehension ability of Grade 11 English First Additional Language (EFAL) learners in the Fezile Dabi district of the Free State province, in South Africa. Three tests were administered, namely, a Vocabulary Levels Test (VLT) which measured vocabulary breadth, and a Word Associate Test (WAT) which measured vocabulary depth and a reading comprehension test. The results obtained from the analysis of the data indicate that while both depth and breadth of vocabulary knowledge played an important role in the participating learners' reading comprehension performance, depth of vocabulary knowledge seemed to be a better predictor of comprehension ability than breadth of vocabulary knowledge. The results further reveal that depth and breadth of vocabulary knowledge are positively correlated.
{"title":"Relationship between vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension of South African EFAL high school learners","authors":"Kufakunesu Zano, N. Phatudi","doi":"10.5785/35-3-830","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5785/35-3-830","url":null,"abstract":"This paper is based on a study that used a quantitative method research design to investigate the impact of English academic vocabulary on the reading comprehension ability of Grade 11 English First Additional Language (EFAL) learners in the Fezile Dabi district of the Free State province, in South Africa. Three tests were administered, namely, a Vocabulary Levels Test (VLT) which measured vocabulary breadth, and a Word Associate Test (WAT) which measured vocabulary depth and a reading comprehension test. The results obtained from the analysis of the data indicate that while both depth and breadth of vocabulary knowledge played an important role in the participating learners' reading comprehension performance, depth of vocabulary knowledge seemed to be a better predictor of comprehension ability than breadth of vocabulary knowledge. The results further reveal that depth and breadth of vocabulary knowledge are positively correlated.","PeriodicalId":43109,"journal":{"name":"Per Linguam-A Journal of Language Learning","volume":"86 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"76814033","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This paper compares the reading comprehension of standard 4 pupils in four primary schools, two public and two private schools in urban and rural settings in Botswana. Using a standard comprehension test administered to the pupils, the study answers two main questions: Are there significant differences between the comprehension abilities of (a) public and private school pupils, (b) rural and urban private school pupils, and (c) urban and rural public school pupils? What are the implications of the differential abilities for the pupils’ academic success? The findings show that the private school pupils performed better and that the urban private school pupils were better at extracting information and making inferences, while the rural private school pupils were better at interpreting information. The study underscores three areas of need: enhancing learning environment in public schools, building a strong foundation for critical/analytical reasoning and maintaining reasonable class size.
{"title":"Reading comprehension skills of Standard 4 pupils: a comparison of private and public schools in Botswana","authors":"Rose Letsholo-Tafila, Moyosure M Alimi","doi":"10.5785/35-2-800","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5785/35-2-800","url":null,"abstract":"This paper compares the reading comprehension of standard 4 pupils in four primary schools, two public and two private schools in urban and rural settings in Botswana. Using a standard comprehension test administered to the pupils, the study answers two main questions: Are there significant differences between the comprehension abilities of (a) public and private school pupils, (b) rural and urban private school pupils, and (c) urban and rural public school pupils? What are the implications of the differential abilities for the pupils’ academic success? The findings show that the private school pupils performed better and that the urban private school pupils were better at extracting information and making inferences, while the rural private school pupils were better at interpreting information. The study underscores three areas of need: enhancing learning environment in public schools, building a strong foundation for critical/analytical reasoning and maintaining reasonable class size.","PeriodicalId":43109,"journal":{"name":"Per Linguam-A Journal of Language Learning","volume":"32 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-11-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"89759068","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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