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published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Linguistics / Master / Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics

Thesis (M.A. (English Studies)) -- University of Limpopo, 2015. / This study explores reading comprehension in rural and urban schools. The study was conducted against the background that it takes five to seven years for second language (L2) learners to become proficient in the English language. Generally, learners in rural schools use the mother tongue as the language of schooling. English is introduced only as a medium of instruction at Grade Four, although this is not often implemented or applied. By contrast, in urban schools the medium of instruction is English from as early as Grade R. As a result of this discrepancy in practice, learners in urban and rural schools have different experiences. This study was conducted to gain more insight into the reading comprehension and reading preferences of learners in both rural and urban schools, especially since there is a mismatch between the language policy on paper and the language realities on the ground. Descriptive statistics and analysis of variance was used to measure differences, determine mean scores and analyse tendencies of preferences. The total mean score for reading comprehension obtained by learners from Grade Four Rural (GFR) was 1.48, whereas the mean score for Grade Four Urban (GFU) was 1.92. From these scores, it is evident that the learners from GFR gave comparatively more wrong answers than their counterparts from GFU. Similarly, the results from the Grade Seven learners showed that there was a significant difference in mean scores (or performance) between Grade Seven Rural (GSR) and Grade Seven Urban (GSU) since the mean score for GSR was 1.37, while that for GSU was 2.24. The English language was preferred by the majority of the learners. The results of the study show that learners lack adequate proficiency in English second language to enable them to use it solely and effectively as a medium of instruction and learning. In addition, a low reading comprehension performance was noted, with the majority of the participants scoring below 50%. Recommendations are provided to improve the reading comprehension and performance of the learners.

This thesis research tested the utility of a quantitative measure of idea progression (B₁) in a computer-based training environment. Anderson (1971) only studied the different levels of the metric by simply rearranging sentences. In this experiment, however, careful rephrasing of a text created three statistically different training programs with B₁ averages of 0.31, 0.39, and 0.48 from instructional design, human-computer interaction, and human information processing guidelines. Three groups of industrial subjects (η = 8) were trained and tested to see which level maximizes worker comprehension of the chemical hazard concepts found in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) Form 174. It was expected that subjects who received medium levels of complexity would show the highest post-test scores; however, no significant differences were detected (p>0.05). The negative results and corresponding small effect size are discussed along with future research suggestions. / Master of Science

The present study explored whether explicit instructions would improve the ability of learning disabled and non-disabled children to monitor their comprehension for explicitly stated inconsistencies in stories particularly when the processing demands were increased. Specifically, 24 LD and 24 NLD third and fourth-grade boys listened to three prose passages. Half of each group received explicit instructions describing exactly what type of anomaly was present in the story and the other half received general instructions. The processing demands were manipulated by presenting the stories to each child under three different conditions. In the easy presentation, the premise and contradictory sentences were adjacent. In the distractor task presentation, the premise and contradictory sentences were adjacent, but the child had to simultaneously monitor a secondary task while listening to the story. In the hard presentation, the premise and contradictory sentences were separated by two filler sentences. Multiple measures of detecting inconsistencies and recall were obtained. Past research has determined that LD children exhibit a production deficiency for monitoring inconsistencies in prose passages (Bos & Filip, 1984). However, the present research found that LD children do not exhibit a production deficiency for monitoring explicitly stated inconsistencies in passages. Furthermore, LD and NLD children exhibited the same proficiency in identifying the inconsistencies and recalling the stories. This research provides additional information that must be considered before labeling the LD child as an “inactive learner" (Torgesen, 1980). / Master of Science

Thesis (PhD (General Linguistics))--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / Bibliography / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The attainment of literacy is crucial for survival in a modern industrialised, knowledge-driven society. Children with poor language skills are at risk for academic failure because of the differences between oral language used in daily interactions and the language skills needed to succeed in a formal school environment. The impact of poorly developed oral language skills on the successful acquisition of reading skills, particularly reading comprehension, is often underestimated in the education of young learners in South Africa. Narrative skills form the bridge between oral language and literacy by providing experience in using the extended and decontextualized discourse units that children will encounter in written language. This study investigated the relationship between narrative skills and reading comprehension skills in young learners who are developing literacy. Specific linguistic markers of literacy in the narratives of a group of Grade 3 learners from communities with low socio-economic status were examined. The main research questions this study attempted to answer were: “How do linguistic deficits of learners with poor reading comprehension and specific reading comprehension deficits manifest in their oral narratives?” and “Are there linguistic markers that decisively distinguish between learners with specific reading comprehension deficits and learners with general poor reading skills as compared to learners with normal reading comprehension?” In a quasi-experimental research design, the Grade 3 participants in this study were assigned to three groups: Readers who are competent at word level and comprehension (good reading comprehension group), readers who are competent at word level but poor at comprehension (specific comprehension disorder group) and readers who are poor at both word level and comprehension (poor reading comprehension group). Measurement protocols were used to assess the linguistic variables of interest, namely vocabulary, narrative micro- and macrostructure structure, cohesion, coherence and other aspects of oral language. The results of this study confirmed the relationships between language skills and reading comprehension. It was found that readers with general poor reading skills performed significantly poorer on a variety of linguistic measures than readers with good reading comprehension. The group identified as readers with specific reading comprehension disorders were, in general, not significantly different from the other two groups. This study therefore did not provide clear evidence that readers with specific reading comprehension disorders presented with linguistic markers that could differentiate them from the other groups. The clinical implications for speech-language therapists and educators with regards to assessment and intervention were highlighted. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die behaling van geletterdheid is noodsaaklik om te oorleef in ‘n moderne, geïndustrialiseerde en kennisgedrewe samelewing. Kinders met swak taalvaardighede loop die risiko om akademies te faal weens die verskille tussen die orale taal wat alledaags gebruik word en die taalvaardighede wat vereis word om sukses in formele skoolomgewings te behaal. Die impak van swak orale taalvaardighede op die suksesvolle aanleer van leesvaardighede, spesifiek leesbegrip, word dikwels onderskat in die onderrig van jong Suid-Afrikaanse leerders. Narratiefvaardighede vorm die oorgang tussen orale taal en geletterdheid omdat narratiewe ondervinding verskaf in die gebruik van uitgebreide en gedekontekstualiseerde diskoerseenhede wat kinders in skryftaal teëkom. Hierdie studie het die verband tussen narratiefvaardighede en leesbegrip in jong kinders wat besig is om gelettedheid te ontwikkel, ondersoek. Spesifieke linguistiese merkers vir geletterdheid in die narratiewe van ‘n groep Graad 3 leerders van lae sosio-ekonomiese status, is ondersoek. Die hoof navorsingsvrae van die studie was: “Hoe manifesteer die linguistiese gebreke van leerders met swak leesbegrip en spesifieke leesbegripsprobleme in hul orale narratiewe?” en “Is daar linguistiese merkers wat afdoende onderskei tussen leerders met spesifieke leesbegripsprobleme en leerders met algemene swak leesvaardighede?” In ‘n kwasieksperimentele ontwerp is die deelnemers aan hierdie studie toegeken aan drie groepe: Lesers wat bevoeg is op woordvlak en begripsvlak (groep met goeie leesbegrip), lesers wat bevoeg is op woordvlak, maar met swak begrip (groep met spesifieke leesbegripsprobleme) en lesers wat onbevoeg is op woordvlak en begripsvlak (groep met algemene swak leesvaardighede). Protokolle is gebruik om die linguistiese veranderlikes, naamlik woordeskat, narratief mikro- en makrostruktuur, kohesie, koherensie en ander aspekte van verbale taal, te meet. Die resultate van hierdie studie het die verband tussen taalvaardighede en leesbegrip bevestig. Daar is gevind dat lesers met algemene swak leesvaardighede, in vergelyking met lesers met goeie leesbegrip, beduidend swakker presteer het op verskeie linguistiese metings. Die groep wat geïdentifiseer is as lesers met spesifieke leesbegripsprobleme het, oor die algemeen, nie beduidend van die ander twee groepe verskil nie. Hierdie studie het dus nie duidelike bewyse gevind dat lesers met spesifieke leesbegripsprobleme linguistiese merkers vertoon het wat hulle van die ander twee groepe kon onderskei nie. Die kliniese implikasies vir spraak-taalterapeute en opvoeders met betrekking tot assessering en intervensie is toegelig.