Pub Date : 2023-02-28DOI: 10.2989/16073614.2022.2088580
M. Thetso
Abstract This article examines the Sesotho control structures to account for their dual behaviours resulting from the attachment of the reflexive prefix. The reflexive is a morpheme that is annexed to a verb to show that the subject acts upon itself. It is observed that some control verbs yield acceptable syntactic constructions when the reflexive attaches, while others yield unacceptable results. Using the minimalist programme (merge and adjunction) the investigation reveals that both the acceptability and unacceptability of reflexive control structures result from the effect the reflexive has on the argument structure of the verbs. The absorption of the internal argument renders two-argumentstaking verbs unacceptable as PRO subject of the infinitive clause lacks reference. In the case of three-argument-taking verbs, the absorption of one of the arguments leaves a controller for PRO, hence the acceptability of the structures. It can, therefore, be concluded that both acceptability and unacceptability of control verbs with the reflexive prefix can be accounted for in terms of the argument structure.
{"title":"Sesotho control verbs with the reflexive prefix: A morpho-syntactic analysis","authors":"M. Thetso","doi":"10.2989/16073614.2022.2088580","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2989/16073614.2022.2088580","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This article examines the Sesotho control structures to account for their dual behaviours resulting from the attachment of the reflexive prefix. The reflexive is a morpheme that is annexed to a verb to show that the subject acts upon itself. It is observed that some control verbs yield acceptable syntactic constructions when the reflexive attaches, while others yield unacceptable results. Using the minimalist programme (merge and adjunction) the investigation reveals that both the acceptability and unacceptability of reflexive control structures result from the effect the reflexive has on the argument structure of the verbs. The absorption of the internal argument renders two-argumentstaking verbs unacceptable as PRO subject of the infinitive clause lacks reference. In the case of three-argument-taking verbs, the absorption of one of the arguments leaves a controller for PRO, hence the acceptability of the structures. It can, therefore, be concluded that both acceptability and unacceptability of control verbs with the reflexive prefix can be accounted for in terms of the argument structure.","PeriodicalId":54152,"journal":{"name":"Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies","volume":"41 1","pages":"120 - 129"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2023-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46657164","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-02-28DOI: 10.2989/16073614.2022.2088579
Yiying Yang, Fan Pan
Abstract This study empirically investigates the mismatch between English academic writing materials and actual language use by comparing prescriptive advice on informal features given in academic style manuals with descriptive practice in published academic writing. We summarise the advice about linguistic features traditionally associated with an informal style offered in 25 style manuals, and conduct an empirical study to examine the distribution of these features in a 1.87-million-word corpus of research articles in linguistics and physics. Findings indicate that the common advice given in style manuals generally matches the actual use. Despite some disagreements among manual authors, generally it is discouraged to use most informal features, but the authors acknowledge first personal pronouns, unattended this and sentence-initial conjunctions and conjunctive adverbs. In actual practice, published writers use these three categories of informal features frequently, but tend to avoid the other features. However, most style manuals tend to treat academic writing as a monolithic and homogeneous entity, or only discuss the use of informal features across broad disciplinary groupings, without capturing the disciplinary-specific use of individual features as evidenced in this corpus-based research. These findings have potential implications for English academic writing instructors as well as material designers.
{"title":"Informal features in English academic writing: Mismatch between prescriptive advice and actual practice","authors":"Yiying Yang, Fan Pan","doi":"10.2989/16073614.2022.2088579","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2989/16073614.2022.2088579","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This study empirically investigates the mismatch between English academic writing materials and actual language use by comparing prescriptive advice on informal features given in academic style manuals with descriptive practice in published academic writing. We summarise the advice about linguistic features traditionally associated with an informal style offered in 25 style manuals, and conduct an empirical study to examine the distribution of these features in a 1.87-million-word corpus of research articles in linguistics and physics. Findings indicate that the common advice given in style manuals generally matches the actual use. Despite some disagreements among manual authors, generally it is discouraged to use most informal features, but the authors acknowledge first personal pronouns, unattended this and sentence-initial conjunctions and conjunctive adverbs. In actual practice, published writers use these three categories of informal features frequently, but tend to avoid the other features. However, most style manuals tend to treat academic writing as a monolithic and homogeneous entity, or only discuss the use of informal features across broad disciplinary groupings, without capturing the disciplinary-specific use of individual features as evidenced in this corpus-based research. These findings have potential implications for English academic writing instructors as well as material designers.","PeriodicalId":54152,"journal":{"name":"Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies","volume":"41 1","pages":"102 - 119"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2023-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48079022","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-02-28DOI: 10.2989/16073614.2022.2106255
P. D. Kpoglu
Abstract In learning French as a foreign language, mastery of agreement marking is indicative of learner progression. In this article, I focus on how subject-verb agreement markers are acquired by Ghanaian learners of French. Based on written data collected from examination scripts, I attempt to present a coherent explanation for the trends noted. The results show that allomorphy that characterises the verb stem influences the production of agreement markers. While verbs with a single stem are strongly associated with first person singular marking, verbs without an identifiable stem are more strongly associated with third person singular marking. Interpreting this within the item-learning/rule-learning dichotomy, it is argued that both strategies are simultaneously deployed. Consequently, it is suggested that the dichotomy between rule-based versus item-based learning can be impacted by the modality of language.
{"title":"Subject-verb agreement marking by Ghanaian learners of French","authors":"P. D. Kpoglu","doi":"10.2989/16073614.2022.2106255","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2989/16073614.2022.2106255","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract In learning French as a foreign language, mastery of agreement marking is indicative of learner progression. In this article, I focus on how subject-verb agreement markers are acquired by Ghanaian learners of French. Based on written data collected from examination scripts, I attempt to present a coherent explanation for the trends noted. The results show that allomorphy that characterises the verb stem influences the production of agreement markers. While verbs with a single stem are strongly associated with first person singular marking, verbs without an identifiable stem are more strongly associated with third person singular marking. Interpreting this within the item-learning/rule-learning dichotomy, it is argued that both strategies are simultaneously deployed. Consequently, it is suggested that the dichotomy between rule-based versus item-based learning can be impacted by the modality of language.","PeriodicalId":54152,"journal":{"name":"Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies","volume":"41 1","pages":"130 - 142"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2023-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42053704","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-02-28DOI: 10.2989/16073614.2022.2117708
Mengyu He, L. Ang
Abstract Collocations are essential for language learning because using collocations naturally and accurately constitutes a key indicator of academic writing success. Past studies have examined collocations in academic genres and created lists of collocations for pedagogical use. However, studies that compile collocation lists often use a wide-angle approach to identify general collocations. There have been concerns about using general academic multiword constructions (MWCs) in English for specific purposes (ESP) courses as there are formalities and conventions in academic texts which are characterised by discipline-specific MWCs. This corpus-based study proposes a common and pedagogically useful microeconomics noun collocation list (MNCL). The MNCL is based on a corpus of microeconomics research articles comprising 1.6 million words. The MNCL is the result of an innovative procedure that involves a four-step selection method. This study produces: (1) a list of the 1 125 most common noun collocations (noun + noun, noun + verb, verb + noun, adjective + noun) in microeconomics research articles identified and classified using the most commonly used nouns, and (2) new findings regarding the types of noun collocations. The findings of this study have pedagogical implications on how collocations should be perceived and approached in ESP classrooms.
{"title":"Profiling a microeconomics noun collocation list: A corpus-based approach","authors":"Mengyu He, L. Ang","doi":"10.2989/16073614.2022.2117708","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2989/16073614.2022.2117708","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Collocations are essential for language learning because using collocations naturally and accurately constitutes a key indicator of academic writing success. Past studies have examined collocations in academic genres and created lists of collocations for pedagogical use. However, studies that compile collocation lists often use a wide-angle approach to identify general collocations. There have been concerns about using general academic multiword constructions (MWCs) in English for specific purposes (ESP) courses as there are formalities and conventions in academic texts which are characterised by discipline-specific MWCs. This corpus-based study proposes a common and pedagogically useful microeconomics noun collocation list (MNCL). The MNCL is based on a corpus of microeconomics research articles comprising 1.6 million words. The MNCL is the result of an innovative procedure that involves a four-step selection method. This study produces: (1) a list of the 1 125 most common noun collocations (noun + noun, noun + verb, verb + noun, adjective + noun) in microeconomics research articles identified and classified using the most commonly used nouns, and (2) new findings regarding the types of noun collocations. The findings of this study have pedagogical implications on how collocations should be perceived and approached in ESP classrooms.","PeriodicalId":54152,"journal":{"name":"Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies","volume":"41 1","pages":"191 - 209"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2023-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45869750","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-01-02DOI: 10.2989/16073614.2023.2185973
Shilela Nkadimeng, L. Makalela
Abstract It is a well-established fact that languages of the world have different typological parameters despite their universality in key structures. These different typologies predict various ways of knowing, teaching and assessing. Despite the plethora of knowledge systems available in linguistics and educational research worldwide, African languages of Bantu origin have been residually neglected and versioned from Germanic languages for curriculum development, teaching and assessment. In this paper, we review key tenets of indigenous African languages and examine how these parameters have not been considered in assessment regimes broadly. We use this analysis to gauge the extent to which mother tongue-speaking learners of these languages may have experienced a disproportional disadvantage over the years and explore the challenges that were experienced in the assessment ecosystem conducted by Umalusi, as the quality assurer of assessment in national examinations. Applying deconstruction as a decolonial tool and indigenous African knowledge systems, we argue that linguistic typologies and underpinned epistemologies need to be key drivers in designing assessment taxonomies. We then present a model that offers assessment bodies alternative ways aligned with the ways of being, acting and knowing based on the nature of African languages. In the end, we offer useful recommendations for further research and a practical assessment practices modality for African languages.
{"title":"The (re)making of an African language: Revisiting epistemologies for quality assessment practices","authors":"Shilela Nkadimeng, L. Makalela","doi":"10.2989/16073614.2023.2185973","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2989/16073614.2023.2185973","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract It is a well-established fact that languages of the world have different typological parameters despite their universality in key structures. These different typologies predict various ways of knowing, teaching and assessing. Despite the plethora of knowledge systems available in linguistics and educational research worldwide, African languages of Bantu origin have been residually neglected and versioned from Germanic languages for curriculum development, teaching and assessment. In this paper, we review key tenets of indigenous African languages and examine how these parameters have not been considered in assessment regimes broadly. We use this analysis to gauge the extent to which mother tongue-speaking learners of these languages may have experienced a disproportional disadvantage over the years and explore the challenges that were experienced in the assessment ecosystem conducted by Umalusi, as the quality assurer of assessment in national examinations. Applying deconstruction as a decolonial tool and indigenous African knowledge systems, we argue that linguistic typologies and underpinned epistemologies need to be key drivers in designing assessment taxonomies. We then present a model that offers assessment bodies alternative ways aligned with the ways of being, acting and knowing based on the nature of African languages. In the end, we offer useful recommendations for further research and a practical assessment practices modality for African languages.","PeriodicalId":54152,"journal":{"name":"Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies","volume":"41 1","pages":"5 - 15"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2023-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44197008","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-01-02DOI: 10.2989/16073614.2023.2185978
B. Lepota
Abstract Along with literacy, numeracy is considered a critical skill that impacts on the success or failure of learners in the formative stages of the schooling system. In the context of the Language in Education Policy, which accords every learner in every public school the right to use the language of their choice in the process of being educated, the numeracy learning area should be taught and learnt in Sepedi. To operationalise this policy provision, curriculum policymakers generally subject learning materials available in English to a translation process and make them available in the various official African languages. This paper discusses the challenges encountered in translating numerical word expressions from English into Sepedi and offers, from a linguistic point of view, solutions to deal with the challenges encountered. Data were collected from existing Sepedi literature, and an analysis was conducted of how numerical word expressions are used and treated relative to how they were translated. To validate the literature’s authenticity in the use of the concepts under discussion, a survey was conducted amongst mature and home-language users of Sepedi. The findings show that there are contradictions in how plural forms of numerical word expressions are used by Sepedi language professionals, as is the case in other literature. This creates a problem for the teaching and assessment of these concepts in the foundation phase of the schooling system. Based on the available evidence, the paper makes an argument against the use of bo- when pluralising cardinal numbers in the context of numeracy. The paper concludes with a call for Umalusi to implement systems to quality-assure learning materials translated from English into African languages.
{"title":"(Mis)versioning as a quality assurance compromise in the development of numeracy curriculum in African languages","authors":"B. Lepota","doi":"10.2989/16073614.2023.2185978","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2989/16073614.2023.2185978","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Along with literacy, numeracy is considered a critical skill that impacts on the success or failure of learners in the formative stages of the schooling system. In the context of the Language in Education Policy, which accords every learner in every public school the right to use the language of their choice in the process of being educated, the numeracy learning area should be taught and learnt in Sepedi. To operationalise this policy provision, curriculum policymakers generally subject learning materials available in English to a translation process and make them available in the various official African languages. This paper discusses the challenges encountered in translating numerical word expressions from English into Sepedi and offers, from a linguistic point of view, solutions to deal with the challenges encountered. Data were collected from existing Sepedi literature, and an analysis was conducted of how numerical word expressions are used and treated relative to how they were translated. To validate the literature’s authenticity in the use of the concepts under discussion, a survey was conducted amongst mature and home-language users of Sepedi. The findings show that there are contradictions in how plural forms of numerical word expressions are used by Sepedi language professionals, as is the case in other literature. This creates a problem for the teaching and assessment of these concepts in the foundation phase of the schooling system. Based on the available evidence, the paper makes an argument against the use of bo- when pluralising cardinal numbers in the context of numeracy. The paper concludes with a call for Umalusi to implement systems to quality-assure learning materials translated from English into African languages.","PeriodicalId":54152,"journal":{"name":"Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies","volume":"41 1","pages":"16 - 28"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2023-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42478353","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-01-02DOI: 10.2989/16073614.2023.2185984
L. Makalela
Abstract South Africa has a uniquely differentiated English curriculum in a bid to cater for diverse proficiency levels prevalent among its learner population. While this stride made sense in a population with one of the highest inequalities in the world, it is equally important to reflect on whether the differentiated systems do serve the purpose of equal access in relation to the quality of provision. Surprisingly, very little research has been carried out to validate the merits of this curriculum and assessment differentiation to date. In this paper, I report on Umalusi’s commissioned study on English curriculum benchmarking with three countries: Kenya, Singapore and Canada. This four-country case analysis focuses on curriculum goals and the depth and breadth of English Home Language (EHL) and English First Additional Language (EFAL). The results of the analysis show that the objectives of EFAL and EHL are largely similar and that both compare favourably with these subjects taught in the three other countries under investigation. However, framing the study within theories of language acquisition and language variation, I argue that the EFAL/EHL differentiation at both curriculum and assessment levels is unmerited and serves the opposite intent: deepening inequalities and access to the English language. In the end, useful recommendations for repackaging an assessment of English into one that takes account of its diverse learner population are advanced and further research opportunities are highlighted.
{"title":"Merging English Home Language and First Additional Language curricula: Implications for future quality assurance practices","authors":"L. Makalela","doi":"10.2989/16073614.2023.2185984","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2989/16073614.2023.2185984","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract South Africa has a uniquely differentiated English curriculum in a bid to cater for diverse proficiency levels prevalent among its learner population. While this stride made sense in a population with one of the highest inequalities in the world, it is equally important to reflect on whether the differentiated systems do serve the purpose of equal access in relation to the quality of provision. Surprisingly, very little research has been carried out to validate the merits of this curriculum and assessment differentiation to date. In this paper, I report on Umalusi’s commissioned study on English curriculum benchmarking with three countries: Kenya, Singapore and Canada. This four-country case analysis focuses on curriculum goals and the depth and breadth of English Home Language (EHL) and English First Additional Language (EFAL). The results of the analysis show that the objectives of EFAL and EHL are largely similar and that both compare favourably with these subjects taught in the three other countries under investigation. However, framing the study within theories of language acquisition and language variation, I argue that the EFAL/EHL differentiation at both curriculum and assessment levels is unmerited and serves the opposite intent: deepening inequalities and access to the English language. In the end, useful recommendations for repackaging an assessment of English into one that takes account of its diverse learner population are advanced and further research opportunities are highlighted.","PeriodicalId":54152,"journal":{"name":"Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies","volume":"41 1","pages":"76 - 87"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2023-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46947319","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-01-02DOI: 10.2989/16073614.2023.2185983
Shoadi Ezekiel Ditaunyane, G. Collins
Abstract This qualitative study was motivated by the lack of appropriate guidelines and criteria for the assessment and selection of suitable Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) applications focusing on English First Additional Language (EFAL) for Senior Phase (Grades 7-9) learners in Gauteng. Therefore, the study set out to formulate guiding principles that evaluators could reference in assessing and selecting EFAL CALL applications. A developmental research design was adopted to facilitate the inductive development of guiding principles suitable for the appraisal of EFAL CALL applications. A purposively selected sample consisting of Grade 7-9 learners, Grade 7-9 EFAL teachers and education officials was used to collect qualitative data. Development sessions were repeated until nothing new emerged. After a process of analysis and constant refinement of codes emanating from the data, eight guiding principles were determined. The findings of the study provide essential perspectives on the use of English-teaching software through the lens of learners, teachers and education officials. These perspectives are crucial in shaping the discourse on the use of technology as a lever for the enhancement of the quality of teaching and learning in the classroom. They provide voices that are often lacking in high-level policy discussions undertaken by Umalusi, the Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training in South Africa.
{"title":"Guiding principles for the appraisal of English-teaching software","authors":"Shoadi Ezekiel Ditaunyane, G. Collins","doi":"10.2989/16073614.2023.2185983","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2989/16073614.2023.2185983","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This qualitative study was motivated by the lack of appropriate guidelines and criteria for the assessment and selection of suitable Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) applications focusing on English First Additional Language (EFAL) for Senior Phase (Grades 7-9) learners in Gauteng. Therefore, the study set out to formulate guiding principles that evaluators could reference in assessing and selecting EFAL CALL applications. A developmental research design was adopted to facilitate the inductive development of guiding principles suitable for the appraisal of EFAL CALL applications. A purposively selected sample consisting of Grade 7-9 learners, Grade 7-9 EFAL teachers and education officials was used to collect qualitative data. Development sessions were repeated until nothing new emerged. After a process of analysis and constant refinement of codes emanating from the data, eight guiding principles were determined. The findings of the study provide essential perspectives on the use of English-teaching software through the lens of learners, teachers and education officials. These perspectives are crucial in shaping the discourse on the use of technology as a lever for the enhancement of the quality of teaching and learning in the classroom. They provide voices that are often lacking in high-level policy discussions undertaken by Umalusi, the Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training in South Africa.","PeriodicalId":54152,"journal":{"name":"Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies","volume":"41 1","pages":"63 - 75"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2023-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46479392","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-01-02DOI: 10.2989/16073614.2023.2185981
Visvaganthie Moodley, Adriaan Coetser
Abstract Over the centuries, summative assessment has entrenched itself as a powerful socio-political and educational tool for determining success, or a lack thereof, and is thus critical for shaping a learner’s life. This was particularly prevalent during the apartheid era in South Africa when racially differentiated curricula were crafted. This led to severely dysfunctional assessment practices. However, in recognition of the diversity of the nation, with its 11 official languages, and in an attempt to afford all languages equal status, at its inception in 2009, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) established a common language curriculum and guidelines for the high-stakes Grade 12 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examination. This so-called ‘equality’, however, is scrutinised in this paper, with specific reference to the assessment of poetry, a literary genre that is generally thought to be cognitively demanding. This paper investigates the similarities and dissimilarities in the Grade 12 NSC summative examination practices of four selected dominant languages studied at the Home Language (HL) level of proficiency, i.e., English HL, Afrikaans HL, isiZulu HL and Sesotho HL. Drawing on Moodley’s (2018) skills-specific knowledge for validity in the assessment of poetry, Barrett’s Taxonomy of Reading Comprehension for cognitive levels, and Umalusi’s (Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training) criteria for determining the comparability of NSC examination papers, this paper analyses the poetry component of Paper 2 (Literature) from three sets of examinations: October/November 2019, 2020 and 2021. The paper concludes on the degree of comparability and incomparability among the four languages regarding structural and technical presentation; mark allocation and cognitive weighting; cognitive levels and scaffolding of questions; instructional verbs and degree of difficulty; validity; and the washback effect.
{"title":"A comparative study of National Senior Certificate summative assessments of poetry for four South African official languages at Home Language proficiency","authors":"Visvaganthie Moodley, Adriaan Coetser","doi":"10.2989/16073614.2023.2185981","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2989/16073614.2023.2185981","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Over the centuries, summative assessment has entrenched itself as a powerful socio-political and educational tool for determining success, or a lack thereof, and is thus critical for shaping a learner’s life. This was particularly prevalent during the apartheid era in South Africa when racially differentiated curricula were crafted. This led to severely dysfunctional assessment practices. However, in recognition of the diversity of the nation, with its 11 official languages, and in an attempt to afford all languages equal status, at its inception in 2009, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) established a common language curriculum and guidelines for the high-stakes Grade 12 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examination. This so-called ‘equality’, however, is scrutinised in this paper, with specific reference to the assessment of poetry, a literary genre that is generally thought to be cognitively demanding. This paper investigates the similarities and dissimilarities in the Grade 12 NSC summative examination practices of four selected dominant languages studied at the Home Language (HL) level of proficiency, i.e., English HL, Afrikaans HL, isiZulu HL and Sesotho HL. Drawing on Moodley’s (2018) skills-specific knowledge for validity in the assessment of poetry, Barrett’s Taxonomy of Reading Comprehension for cognitive levels, and Umalusi’s (Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training) criteria for determining the comparability of NSC examination papers, this paper analyses the poetry component of Paper 2 (Literature) from three sets of examinations: October/November 2019, 2020 and 2021. The paper concludes on the degree of comparability and incomparability among the four languages regarding structural and technical presentation; mark allocation and cognitive weighting; cognitive levels and scaffolding of questions; instructional verbs and degree of difficulty; validity; and the washback effect.","PeriodicalId":54152,"journal":{"name":"Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies","volume":"41 1","pages":"44 - 62"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2023-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48090082","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-01-02DOI: 10.2989/16073614.2023.2186601
S. Madonsela
Abstract Language assessment has, in recent decades, grown in scope and sophistication with various interdisciplinary approaches adopted to address assessment challenges in different languages. The vocabulary quality hypothesis indicates that comprehension depends on high-quality vocabulary representations, and anecdotal evidence suggests that vocabulary knowledge should play a significant role in a second language, as part of language assessment. This article reports on observations made when analysing whether the relative strength of vocabulary breadth and depth in First Additional Language (FAL) Siswati examination papers contributes toward quality and improved Grade 12 examination results. These observations lend weight to an argument on the importance of vocabulary knowledge and competence among learners, as shown in similar research studies in English as an additional language (EAL) that acknowledge a lack of vocabulary knowledge as having the potential to influence learners’ academic success in reading comprehension, which is a specific and important academic skill EAL learners have been shown to struggle with. These observations are within the scope of the current Grade 12 examinations in African languages with respect to their adherence to national standards prescribed by Umalusi as the quality assurance body for the Grade 12 examinations. Recommendations for quality enhancement are made for adaptation in future standards reviews, and further research opportunities are highlighted.
{"title":"Assessment of vocabulary in First Additional Languages: A focus on Siswati Grade 12 examination papers","authors":"S. Madonsela","doi":"10.2989/16073614.2023.2186601","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2989/16073614.2023.2186601","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Language assessment has, in recent decades, grown in scope and sophistication with various interdisciplinary approaches adopted to address assessment challenges in different languages. The vocabulary quality hypothesis indicates that comprehension depends on high-quality vocabulary representations, and anecdotal evidence suggests that vocabulary knowledge should play a significant role in a second language, as part of language assessment. This article reports on observations made when analysing whether the relative strength of vocabulary breadth and depth in First Additional Language (FAL) Siswati examination papers contributes toward quality and improved Grade 12 examination results. These observations lend weight to an argument on the importance of vocabulary knowledge and competence among learners, as shown in similar research studies in English as an additional language (EAL) that acknowledge a lack of vocabulary knowledge as having the potential to influence learners’ academic success in reading comprehension, which is a specific and important academic skill EAL learners have been shown to struggle with. These observations are within the scope of the current Grade 12 examinations in African languages with respect to their adherence to national standards prescribed by Umalusi as the quality assurance body for the Grade 12 examinations. Recommendations for quality enhancement are made for adaptation in future standards reviews, and further research opportunities are highlighted.","PeriodicalId":54152,"journal":{"name":"Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies","volume":"41 1","pages":"29 - 43"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2023-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45233205","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
京公网安备 11010802042870号
京ICP备2023020795号-1
扫码关注我们
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：