Desde 2008, a Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) cria anualmente dez vagas suplementares para estudantes indígenas. Nesse período, além de consolidar uma política de acesso, a Universidade também deu início ao desenvolvimento de uma política de permanência para os estudantes indígenas ingressantes. Dentre as ações de apoio pedagógico, duas associam-se ao campo das linguagens e letramentos - o Curso de Inglês para Estudantes Indígenas (CIEI) e o Curso de Leitura e Escrita na Universidade para Estudantes Indígenas (LEUI) - e são elas a motivação para a realização deste trabalho. O objetivo deste estudo é analisar como princípios relativos à valorização dos saberes tradicionais indígenas e ao ensino significativo de leitura e escrita acadêmica, princípios criados para a construção da ação de permanência LEUI, podem ser colocados em prática no planejamento de projetos pedagógicos e em atividades de sala de aula. Pretende-se, assim, discutir de que maneira esses princípios dialogam com a busca por uma educação superior intercultural e dialógica. São apresentadas a fundamentação teórica que embasou a criação dos princípios - os Estudos de Letramento Acadêmico (ACLITS) (LEA; STRRET, 1998, 2006; LILLIS, 2001; LEA, 2004) – e a metodologia escolhida para o trabalho com leitura e escrita no curso - a pedagogia de projetos. Para a análise dos princípios nas práticas de ensino, são apresentados os planejamentos dos projetos pedagógicos desenvolvidos nas últimas três edições do curso e excertos dos registros de atividades observadas durante as aulas. Na análise do planejamento dos projetos e das atividades em sala de aula, verificou-se a possibilidade de trabalhar com temas relacionados à identidade indígena dos estudantes e com diferentes gêneros, acadêmicos e não acadêmicos, que possibilitaram que os estudantes se engajassem em atividades de uso das línguas relevantes aos projetos em foco, conforme proposto pelos princípios. Foi possível constatar que, a partir dos princípios do curso e pela prática pedagógica por projetos, foram valorizados no LEUI os saberes tradicionais dos estudantes e as possíveis articulações de relações entre esses saberes e conhecimentos acadêmicos, com vistas a possibilitar que os estudantes sintam-se mais confiantes para levar esses conhecimentos também a suas disciplinas da graduação, buscando, assim, potencializar um diálogo intercultural na universidade. / Since 2008, the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) has annually been opening ten vacancies for indigenous students. In this same period, besides consolidating an access policy, the University also initiated the development of a permanency policy for the indigenous students. Among the actions of pedagogical support of the permanency policy, two are associated with the field of languages and literacies - the English Course for Indigenous Students (CIEI) and the Reading and Writing Course at the University for Indigenous Students (LEUI) - and they are the motivation for this work. The aim of this study is to analyze how principles concerning the valorization of indigenous traditional knowledge and the significant teaching of reading and academic writing, principles developed for the construction of the permanency action LEUI, were put into practice in the planning of pedagogical projects and in classroom activities. This analysis also intends to discuss how these principles dialogue with the search for an intercultural and dialogical higher education. The theoretical grounds of the principles - the Academic Literacy Studies (ACLITS) (LEA; STRRET, 1998, 2006; LILLIS, 2001; LEA, 2004) - and the methodology chosen to work with reading and writing in the course - the pedagogy of projects - are presented. For the analysis of the principles in teaching practices, the planning of the pedagogical projects developed in the three latest course editions and extracts from records of observed activities during the classes are presented. Based on the analysis of the planning of the projects and the activities in the classroom, it was found that working on issues related to the indigenous identity of the students and with different genres, academic and non-academic, enabled students to engage in using different languages according to the project demands, as suggested by the principles. Furthermore, based on the principles of the course and on the classroom practice to develop the projects, the students’ traditional knowledge and the possible connections between this knowledge and academic knowledge were valued in LEUI. This, in turn, opened the possibility for students to feel more confident to use this knowledge in their undergraduate disciplines, aiming at fostering an intercultural dialogue at university. / Desde 2008, la Universidad Federal de Rio Grande del Sur (UFRGS) crea cada año diez plazas suplementarias para estudiantes indígenas. En este periodo, además de consolidar una política de acceso, la Universidad también ha empezado el desarrollo de una política de permanencia para los estudiantes indígenas ingresantes. Entre las acciones de apoyo pedagógico, dos se asocian al campo de los lenguajes y literacidades – el Curso de Inglés para Estudiantes Indígenas (CIEI) y el Curso de Lectura y Escrita en la Universidad para Estudiantes Indígenas (LEUI) – que son la motivación para la realización de este trabajo. El objetivo de este estudio es el análisis de como los principios relativos a la valorización de los saberes tradicionales indígenas y a la enseñanza significativa de lectura y escrita, creados para la construcción de la acción de permanencia LEUI, se pueden poner en práctica en la planificación de proyectos pedagógicos y en actividades en clase. Se pretende así discutir de qué forma esos principios dialogan con la búsqueda por una educación superior intercultural y dialógica. Se presentan los fundamentos teóricos que han embasado la creación de los principios – los Estudios de Literacidad Académica (ACLITS) (LEA; STRRET, 1998, 2006; LILLIS, 2001; LEA, 2004) – y la metodología que se ha elegido para el trabajo con lectura y escrita en el curso – la pedagogía de proyectos. Para el análisis de los principios en las prácticas de enseñanza, se presentan las planificaciones de los proyectos pedagógicos desarrollados en las tres últimas ediciones del curso y extractos de los registros de actividades observadas durante las clases. En el análisis de la planificación de los proyectos y de las actividades en clase se ha verificado la posibilidad de trabajar temas relacionados con la identidad indígena de los estudiantes y con diferentes géneros, académicos o no académicos, que han posibilitado que los estudiantes se comprometieran en actividades de uso de las lenguas relevantes a los proyectos en foco, conforme propuesto por los principios. Se ha constatado que, desde el comienzo del curso y por la práctica pedagógica por proyectos, se han valorizado en LEUI los saberes tradicionales de los estudiantes y las posibles articulaciones de relaciones entre esos saberes y conocimientos académicos, con miras a posibilitar que los estudiantes se sientan más seguros para llevar esos conocimientos también a sus asignaturas de graduación, buscando así potenciar un diálogo intercultural en la universidad.

Synen på vad som utgör akademisk skrivkompetens varierar över tid och i olika kulturer. Förmågan att strukturera texter på ett logiskt och begripligt sätt kan dock ses som en universell vetenskaplig kompetens oavsett skrivmiljö, liksom förmågan att värdera kunskap och ta ställning i relation till olika källor. Denna studies syfte är att undersöka och kategorisera förekomsten av markörer för textuell organisation och ställnings­tagande i en grupp gymnasieelevers utredande texter samt att undersöka sambandet mellan bruket av dessa markörer och texternas betyg. Studiens korpus består av 18 utredande elevtexter, jämnt fördelade mellan betygen A, C och E. Texterna har analyserats genom kvalitativ närläsning med en analysmodell avsedd att fånga uttryck för textuell organisation och ställningstagande. Resultatet visar att elevernas bruk av organisations- och ställningstagandemarkörer varierar, men att det finns mönster i användandet som har kopplingar till texternas betyg. A-texterna utmärker sig genom en större variation av organisations- och ställningstagandeuttryck än texterna med lägre betyg. Markörer för textuell organisation och ställningstagande används i A- och C-texterna främst för att belysa och jämföra olika perspektiv, medan E-skribenterna i högre grad använder samma markörer för att förklara och ge uttryck för personliga åsikter om ämnet. I materialet som helhet finns få exempel på källkritiska värderingar. En slutsats av resultatet är att eleverna befinner sig olika långt ifrån de normer som kännetecknar akademiskt skrivande. Framförallt E-texterna innehåller drag som inte är funktionella i vetenskapliga sammanhang. Detta väcker frågor om hur undervisningen om akademiskt skrivande bör utformas för att möta elevernas utvecklingsbehov – på såväl språklig som innehållsmässig nivå. / The idea of what constitutes academic writing competence varies through time and in different cultures. However, the ability to structure texts in a logical and comprehensible way can be seen as a universal scholarly competence regardless of writing context, like the ability to appraise knowledge and take a stance concerning different sources. The aim of this study is to investigate and categorize the occurrence of textual organizational markers and stance markers in explanatory texts written by a group of high school students, and to investigate the relation between the use of these markers and the grading of the texts. The corpus of the study consists of 18 explanatory student texts, equally divided between grades A, C and E. The texts have been analyzed through qualitative close reading using an analytical model designed to capture organizational markers and stance markers. The result shows that the students’ usage of these markers varies, but that patterns of usage connected to the grades of the texts can be identified. The A-texts excel through a larger variation of organizational markers and stance markers than the texts given lower grades. In the A- and C-texts organizational markers and stance markers are used primarily to illustrate and compare different perspectives, while in the E-texts the students use the same markers to explain and express personal opinions on the subject. The material as a whole contains very few examples of critical evaluation of sources. A conclusion of the result is that the students are at different distances from the norms that distinguish academic writing. Especially the E-texts contain many features that are not functional in academic contexts. This raises questions about how the teaching of academic writing should be designed to suit the students’ needs for writing development – on the level of language as well as content.

Magister Bibliothecologiae - MBibl / The aim of the research project is to investigate the effectiveness of an information literacy intervention for first year engineering students at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. Information literacy has been identified as a necessary outcome of tertiary education. It refers to the life-long learning competencies of finding and using information in order to solve problems, to make decisions and to create new knowledge. Information literacy education has evolved from earlier forms of library user education, such as bibliographic instruction, and is central to the mission of academic libraries. However, librarians responsible for information literacy programmes seldom evaluate the effectiveness of their interventions. In today's climate of accountability and outcomes-based education, it is necessary to provide evidence of the benefits of the user education that libraries provide. The researcher uses the American College and Research Library (ACRL) Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education, which are internationally recognized and widely used by South African academic librarians, as a benchmark to evaluate an intervention for a group of first year students enrolled for a mechanical engineering course. The intervention consists of two workshops which aim to teach the students to find information relevant to their essays via the university's OPAC, various engineering databases and to teach them how to reference and cite their sources in their essays. The research methodology assessed students' information literacy before and after the two workshops with the use of a questionnaire consisting of a set of questions based on some of the ACRL standards. The questionnaire also gathered data on students' prior experience of libraries, reading and computers, which might impact on their information literacy. / South Africa

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. / Thesis (DPhil ( Linguistics))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Unit for Academic Literacy / DPhil / Unrestricted

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 / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Unit for Academic Literacy / Afrikaans / unrestricted

No description available.

The purpose of this dissertation was to implement a needs analysis and on the basis of the findings come up with a framework consisting of practical stages and processes, for determining the academic reading needs of teacher trainees of English, at Instituto Superior de Ciências da Educação da Huíla (hereafter, ISCED-Huíla), a higher teacher training institution in Lubango, in southern Angola. The investigation was initially prompted by the lecturers’ perceptions that the academic reading level of undergraduate teacher trainees in Angola was inadequate for the demands of tertiary level study. A scientific approach to investigating the needs of these students was thus adopted. A needs analysis was undertaken in order to determine, in a systematic manner, the academic literacy levels of the students, their attitudes towards reading, the reading strategies they claimed to use when reading academic texts, their academic reading lacks and needs, and the teacher trainers’ perceptions and opinions on the students’ reading competence in specific reading sub-skills, and on university needs analysis procedures. In all, 45 first-year teacher trainees and 5 teacher trainers were involved in the main study. The teacher trainees were required to answer the Accuplacer test, an academic literacy standardized assessment. Both teacher trainees and teacher trainers completed a corresponding questionnaire survey. The findings showed that, among others, first, teacher trainees’ academic literacy levels were below expected from a tertiary level reader; second, there were certain discrepancies between what teacher trainees and teacher trainers considered to be the needs, skills and lacks of the teacher trainees; and third, academic literacy and academic reading skills should be developed in both L1/Portuguese and L2/English. Therefore, a framework for determining the academic reading needs of teacher trainees, for syllabus and programe development and evaluation is presented. It is hoped that the results of the study will be of assistance to English for Academic Purposes (EAP) reading professionals and to teacher educators, especially those in developing countries, involved in selecting, adapting and designing teacher training programmes, materials and tasks in order to improve academic literacy levels in their countries, schools and universities where English is taught as a foreign language. / English Studies / M.A. (Applied Linguistics)

Thesis (PhD (Curriculum Studies))--Stellenbosch University, 2009. / ENGLISH SUMMARY: In this research project the profile and academic literacy proficiency of a group of First-Generation entrants at the University of Namibia were explored in order to obtain insight into the development of their critical literacy proficiency during the course of 2008. The project was undertaken against the backdrop of a Higher Education sector in Namibia that is facing an increasing influx of first-year students – often students who are the first in their families to pioneer the alien territory of tertiary studies. Such students predominantly come from marginalised and poorly resourced educational environments far from the capital of Namibia. These English second language First-Generation students consequently enter Higher Education with insufficient levels of academic literacy proficiency in English, the medium of instruction in tertiary institutions in Namibia. An important aspect of such under-preparedness is their academic literacy which is often still regarded only as knowing how to speak and act within a particular discourse, and the reading and writing that occurs within the discipline as the only skills through which to facilitate learning in the mainstream; this, however, is not enough to assist them in problem-solving and high levels of critical thinking. In response, the University of Namibia has implemented academic support programmes to address the needs of students who enter university with poor school results. One such support programme is the ULEG course for those students who qualified for admission to the university but whose school-end marks for English were a D-symbol. Survey results showed that the majority of the students in the ULEG course in 2008 were First-Generation entrants into Higher Education. It was thus decided to conduct this project with one class group of ULEG students. Only data collected from the FG entrants were employed in this case study. This qualitative, interpretive inquiry was characterised by multiple data collection methods. Qualitative data concerning the perceptions of the participants were generated via semi-structured interviews, observation and content analysis. In addition, quantitative data were collected and this further contributed to the triangulation of rich, in-depth data. An awareness-raising programme about the use of metaphoric language in order to draw appropriate inferences was designed and implemented, the rationale being to enhance the participants‟ critical thinking proficiency. As source material short stories, novels, a play and poetry by African authors written in English were employed. To establish the value of such a programme a mixed methods research methodology was employed where qualitative and quantitative data were collected concurrently. The results of this case study question prevailing notions about under-prepared students as well as the mainstreaming of students, as all of the participants in the project attested to the significant challenges that entry into the academic community posed for them. The findings of this project, while specific to the context in which it was undertaken, contribute to the growing body of knowledge in the field of academic development within Higher Education and the role of critical literacy in student learning. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie navorsingsprojek ondersoek die profiel en die vlakke van akademiese geletterdheid van „n groep Eerste-Generasie eerstejaar studente aan die Universiteit van Namibiȅ om insig te bekom oor die ontwikkeling van hulle vlakke van kritiese geletterdheid gedurende 2008. Die projek is onderneem teen die agtergrond van „n Hoër Onderwys sektor in Namibiȅ met „n toenemende invloei van eerstejaar studente. Hierdie studente is dikwels ook die eerstes in hul families wat die onbekende wêreld van tersiëre studie betree. Hierdie Namibiese studente kom meerendeels van gemarginaliseerde en swak-toegerusde onderwys-omgewings ver vanaf die hoofstad, en die enigste universiteit in Namibiȅ. Hierdie Engels tweede taal Eerste-Generasie studente betree gevolglik Hoër Onderwys met onvoldoende vlakke van akademiese geletterdheid in Engels, die medium van onderrig in Namibiȅ. „n Belangrike aspek van sulke akademiese onvoorbereidheid is die studente se akademiese geletterdheid wat dikwels steeds beskou word as slegs die vermoë om korrek te praat en korrek op te tree in „n spesifieke diskoers, sowel as om te kan lees en skryf na gelang van die vereistes van verskillende hoofstroom akademiese dissiplines. So „n vaardigheidsbenadering is egter nie genoeg om studente te help met problem-oplossing and gevorderde vlakke van kritiese denke nie. Die Universiteit van Namibia het as teenvoeter teen die akademiese onvoorbereidheid van studente akademiese ondersteunigsprogramme geimplementeer. Een so „n program is die ULEG-kursus vir studente wat kwalifiseer vir toelating aan die universiteit maar met slegs „n D-simbool in Engels. „n Vraelys het getoon dat die meeste van die studente in die ULEG-kursus in 2008 Eerste-Generasie studente was. Daarom is besluit om hierdie projek met „n klasgroep ULEG studente te onderneem. Slegs data van die Eerste-Generasie eerstejaar studente in die klas is gebruik vir die doeleindes van hierdie navorsingprojek. In hierdie gevalle-studie is die hoofsaaklik beskrywende ondersoek gekarateriseer deur meervoudige data-versamelingstegnieke en -instrumente. Kwalitatiewe data vi aangaande die persepsies van die studente in die projek is versamel deur middel van semi-gestruktureerde gesprekke, observasies en die interpretasie van geskrewe en mondelinge bydraes van studente. Kwantitatiewe data is versamel en ge-analiseer om by te dra tot die triangulasie van ryk en gedetaileerde bevindings. „n Program om studente bekend te stel aan die gebruik van metaforiese taalgebruik om meer effektiewe gevolgtrekkings te kan maak is ontwerp en geimplementeer. Die beweegrede was om die studente se vlakke van kritiese denke te bevorder. As material vir die program is kortverhale, romans, „n drama en gedigte geskryf in Engels deur skrywers uit Afrika gebruik. Om die effektiwiteit van so „n program te evaluaeer is gebruik gemaak van „n gemengde navorsingmetodiek waar kwalititatiewe tegnieke en kwantitatiewe instrumente gelyktydig en aanvullende gebruik is. Die bevindinge van die projek bevraagteken die heersende opvattings in verband met swak-voorbereide studente sowel as hoofstroom-onderrig, aangesien al die studente in hierdie projek bewys gelewer het van die aansienlike persoonlike probleme wat toegang tot die akademie vir hulle ingehou het. Alhoewel die bevindinge spesifiek is aan die konteks van die projek, dra dit by tot die groeiende korpus van kennis in die veld van akademiese ontwikkeling in Hoër Onderwys, sowel as die rol van kritiese geletterdheid in akademiese studies.

The purpose of this dissertation was to implement a needs analysis and on the basis of the findings come up with a framework consisting of practical stages and processes, for determining the academic reading needs of teacher trainees of English, at Instituto Superior de Ciências da Educação da Huíla (hereafter, ISCED-Huíla), a higher teacher training institution in Lubango, in southern Angola. The investigation was initially prompted by the lecturers’ perceptions that the academic reading level of undergraduate teacher trainees in Angola was inadequate for the demands of tertiary level study. A scientific approach to investigating the needs of these students was thus adopted. A needs analysis was undertaken in order to determine, in a systematic manner, the academic literacy levels of the students, their attitudes towards reading, the reading strategies they claimed to use when reading academic texts, their academic reading lacks and needs, and the teacher trainers’ perceptions and opinions on the students’ reading competence in specific reading sub-skills, and on university needs analysis procedures. In all, 45 first-year teacher trainees and 5 teacher trainers were involved in the main study. The teacher trainees were required to answer the Accuplacer test, an academic literacy standardized assessment. Both teacher trainees and teacher trainers completed a corresponding questionnaire survey. The findings showed that, among others, first, teacher trainees’ academic literacy levels were below expected from a tertiary level reader; second, there were certain discrepancies between what teacher trainees and teacher trainers considered to be the needs, skills and lacks of the teacher trainees; and third, academic literacy and academic reading skills should be developed in both L1/Portuguese and L2/English. Therefore, a framework for determining the academic reading needs of teacher trainees, for syllabus and programe development and evaluation is presented. It is hoped that the results of the study will be of assistance to English for Academic Purposes (EAP) reading professionals and to teacher educators, especially those in developing countries, involved in selecting, adapting and designing teacher training programmes, materials and tasks in order to improve academic literacy levels in their countries, schools and universities where English is taught as a foreign language. / English Studies / M.A. (Applied Linguistics)

The study sought to understand how higher education institutions conceptualize and teach academic literacy at the two regional universities in KwaZulu Natal. That was done by determining the extent to which academic literacy curriculum provides for the acquisition of academic literacy skills across a diverse range of student teachers. It was done to determine the role it plays in student’s learning, in terms of the topics that are incorporated in the academic literacy curriculum and by establishing how student teachers, view the academic literacy module in terms of its benefits to them. This study is underpinned by both the sociocultural and sociocognitive theories. A qualitative research approach and a case study research design were adopted by the study. Participants were three lecturers teaching academic literacy in Institutions understudy and eleven, fourth-year student - teachers who were registered for the academic literacy module in their first year of study. Data collection instruments used were, semi-structured interviews, focus group interviews and document analysis in the form of module outlines. The findings from the lecturers’ point of view, show that their teaching qualification and teaching experience assist them when teaching academic literacy module. The findings further revealed that both lecturers and students view academic literacy as the core of the module. The study also highlighted that students should be actively involved during the teaching and learning process and that feedback plays an important role in students’ learning. From the students’ perspective, the findings revealed that the students improved on their understanding of academic requirements and in their academic writing. The students also viewed the module as a leveller because irrespective of their background they were also of the view that academic literacy should be viewed as a way of life. The study also highlighted that the usage of English as a medium of instruction to students whose mother tongue is not English is a challenge and so is the gap between the secondary schooling system and the Institutions of higher learning. The recommendations of the study based on the research findings are that the generic form in which the module is currently offered, does benefit them and it should be continued. However, there is a need to consider discipline-specific interventions where students are exposed to their disciplinary discourses. The study also proposed the model to improve academic literacy in Higher Education. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)