Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Classroom–based assessment, also referred to as continuous assessment (CASS), is a formal and important part of the evaluation of South African learners. The weight attached to CASS varies according to the levels of grades. More importantly, it is only in Grade 12 that CASS marks of all the learning areas or subjects are combined with external summative assessment marks for a decision of awarding a National Senior Certificate. Continuous assessment (CASS) is formative in nature. This implies that learners receive feedback on their performance throughout the year. The feedback learners receive ought to prepare them well for the external summative assessment. If learners have been prepared well for the external summative assessment, we would expect their marks to be consistent with their level of achievement in CASS. However, according to the Department of Education (2003c), having witnessed the first year of CASS implementation in 2001, both national and provincial examination authorities realised that the implementation of CASS was problematic in certain schools. In the analysis of the 2001 and 2002 Senior Certificate examination results by the South African Certification Council (SAFCERT), huge discrepancies were found in certain schools between the raw CASS marks and the adjusted examination marks of the same learners in a number of subjects. The SAFCERT reported that in 2001 a total of 10 182 examination centres supplied CASS marks that were more than 20% above the adjusted examination marks. This document-based study examines the extent of the discrepancies between learners’ CASS marks and the marks they obtained in external summative assessment. It also tentatively suggests possible reasons for the discrepancies. To this end, this study compares scores for CASS marks of English First Additional Language (ENGFAL) to scores for the same learners in the external summative assessment. The documents recording learners’ CASS marks come from four schools in Ilembe District, KwaZulu-Natal. Although my mini thesis focuses on the extent of the discrepancy, my analysis also makes some initial suggestions of some possible reasons for the discrepancies between CASS and external summative assessment marks. These tentative reasons are a lack of teacher knowledge in administering CASS; large classes; the demanding administrative load of teachers; an interest in passing as many learners as possible; not wanting to create tension, especially within small, close-knit communities; and in many cases, generally dysfunctional schools. My main suggestions for addressing the problem of discrepancies include: providing better in-service training for teachers in regard to their knowledge of subject content and assessment practices; making available to teachers an item bank with samples of assessment questions and tasks; encouraging teachers to become active participants of professional teacher organisations; encouraging greater parental participation in informal assessment; and by establishing assessment committees in schools. In addition, the government could appoint more teachers to reduce overcrowded schools and classrooms, fund the establishment of functional libraries, promote and monitor English as a medium of instruction from as early as the Intermediate Phase. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: ’n Ondersoek van die Teenstrydighede by Punte vir Deurlopende Evaluering en Eksterne Summatiewe Assessering by Engels Eerste Addisionele Taal in Graad12 Deurlopende evaluering (DE) is ʼn formele en belangrike aspek by die evaluering van Suid-Afrikaanse leerders. Die gewig wat aan DE toegeken word, varieer na gelang van die vlakke van die onderskeie grade. Dit is belangrik om daarop te let dat die DE-punte net in Graad 12 by al die leer areas of vakke gekombineer word met eksterne summatiewe assesseringspunte om die toekenning van ʼn Nasionale Senior Sertifikaat te bepaal. Deurlopende evaluering (DE) is formatief van aard. Dit beteken dat leerders gedurende die jaar deurlopend terugvoer ontvang oor hul prestasie. Die terugvoer wat hulle ontvang, is veronderstel om leerders deeglik voor te berei vir die eksterne summatiewe assessering. Indien leerders deeglik voorberei is vir die eksterne summatiewe assessering, sou verwag kan word dat die punt wat hulle behaal by die eksterne summatiewe assessering ooreenstem met die vlak van hul prestasie by DE. Volgens die Departement van Onderwys (2003c) is daar egter na die eerste jaar van die implementering van DE in 2001 deur beide die nasionale en provinsiale eksamenowerhede tot die gevolgtrekking gekom dat die implementering van DE in sommige skole probleme skep. By die analise van die 2001- en 2002-uitslae van die Senior Sertifikaat eksamen deur SAFCERT is groot teenstrydighede by sommige skole opgemerk tussen die onverwerkte DE-punte en die aangepaste eksamen punte van dieselfde leerders in ʼn aantal vakke. SAFCERT het verslag gedoen dat ʼn totaal van 10 182 eksamen sentra in 2001DE-punte verskaf het wat 20% hoër was as die aangepaste eksamen punte. Die doel van hierdie studie is om die omvang van die teenstrydigheid tussen die punte wat leerders tydens DE behaal het en die punte wat hulle in eksterne summatiewe assessering behaal het, te ondersoek. Die studie sal ook tentatiewe voorstelle maak oor die redes vir die teenstrydigheid. Om dit te kan doen, sal ek die DE-uitslae en die uitslae van die eksterne summatiewe assessering van dieselfde leerders vir Engels Eerste Addisionele Taal vergelyk. Die leerders is afkomstig van vier skole in die IIembe Distrik, KwaZulu-Natal. Alhoewel my minitese op die omvang van die teenstrydigheid fokus, bied my analise ‘n paar moontlike oorsake vir die afwyking tussen DE-punte en eksterne summatiewe assessering aan. Dit kan tentatief toegeskryf word aan: ʼn gebrek aan kennis by onderwysers oor die toepassing van DE, groot klasse, die veeleisende administratiewe las op onderwysers, die strewe om soveel as moontlik leerders te laat slaag om nie spanning veral in klein geslote gemeenskappe te veroorsaak nie en oor die algemeen in baie gevalle bloot disfunksionele skole. My belangrikste voorstelle om die probleem van teenstrydighede aan te spreek, is om meer insette aan onderwysers te voorsien om sodoende hul kennis van vakinhoud en assesseringspraktyke uit te brei, om ʼn item bank met voorbeelde van assesseringsvrae en -take beskikbaar te maak, om onderwysers aan te moedig om aktief deel te neem aan professionele onderwyser organisasies, en om groter ouerbetrokkenheid aan te moedig by informele assessering om assesserings komitees in skole tot stand te bring. In aansluiting hierby moet die regering meer onderwysers aanstel om die oorbevolking in skole aan te spreek, die instel van funksionele biblioteke befonds en Engels as ʼn medium van onderrig van so vroeg as die Intermediêre Fase bevorder en monitor.

D.Litt. et Phil. (Higher Education) / This study investigates the design of a Reading-to-Write programme for students who enter a university with limited literacy competence in English. The history of the design and development of the programme are tracked, examining the design principles that were extracted from the literature and how these were employed in the programme over a period of five years. Having identified that there were no theory-based design principles for literacy programme development in this context, the purpose of the thesis was to capture the evolvement of the literacy course in a design-based format addressing both literacy experts and relevant university administrators. Design-based research has the potential of informing innovative approaches to learning and teaching that can bring about change in educational practice showing how designs develop and require modification. Sustainable innovation, however, requires an understanding of how and why an innovation works within a setting over time and across settings (Brown & Camplone, 1996). The distinct advantage of such a methodological orientation is that it addresses the relationship between research and instructional practices while attempting to find workable solutions that accomplish educational goals (Reinking & Bradley, 2004). In South Africa, where many students come from an impoverished educational background with limited access to books and libraries, the dominant modes and literacy practices of higher education are often unfamiliar and alienating. Because students enter university without the prerequisite intellectual and linguistic basis needed for academic study, there is often a fundamental mismatch between their 'ways of knowing' and the expectations of the institution. For the majority of students the preferred language of instruction is English which is seen to provide access to .a global community. However, English is a primary language for a very small percentage of the South African population and in many instances, students have not acquired it adequately even as a second language at school, because of ineffective teaching methods. At university, students have to expand their often inadequate knowledge of the language of instruction, while they are busy learning their new content subjects.

A middle-aged woman, living in Johannesburg, has an experience which catapults her into changing her life. In the process of confronting her alcoholism, she realizes how patterns of addiction extend to other areas of her life and tries to make sense of the tragic events that have occurred. Her world becomes a different place as she questions everything that she has been taught about relationships, religion, race and her place in society. In the search for answers she uncovers stories about the lives of her parents, grandparents, relatives, friends and acquaintances. Embarking on a journey of discovery and rediscovery through her experiences and those of others, she explores the ways in which the things that she thought she knew defined her behaviour and expression of herself.

This novella presents three characters, each occupying a different sphere of reality. One is a ‘living dead’ who is forced to return to the land of the living for his continued existence. The other is a young woman who, having lost the will to live, must find a purpose if she is to continue living. The third is a young man who dwells more in the inner than the external world. Their lives intersect through the scripture known as ‘a fragment of a bone.’

My novella is set in South Africa in a post-apocalyptic world. The drone technology theorised for the near future is widespread and scattered survivors live under the constant threat of drone strikes. The protagonist tries to negotiate these dangers and the looming threat of a slave empire to reconnect with his friends and family. He encounters bizarre hallucinations and flashbacks as a result of exposure to an unidentified gas.

My poetry investigates the extraordinary in the everyday, exploring my life as a mother and wife, to find the quiet truths that lie there. Using fresh ways of describing familiar experiences, the poems describe tiny, almost-missed moments and voices that have shaped me. Throughout the collection, I imagine my younger selves commenting on my current self and vice versa. Ultimately, my poems use simple words and clean lines to evoke how I feel (and how I want the reader to feel) in each of the moments they describe.

A novella of crime and suspense set in the townships surrounding the mining town of Welkom Two friends, both ex-miners, start a welding business only to see it fail because of interference by corrupt officials To make ends meet, they are drawn into the world of illegal gold-mining, working with criminals who employ ‘zama-zamas’: desperate foreign nationals who are prepared to live and work in the abandoned mine tunnels underground The friends make money, but the dark practices of illegal mining put a strain on their relationship, their values, and their family ties.

This project will focus on a different method to teach pre-reading skills to kindergarten students and to ESL students. The strategy of using nursery rhymes as a tool for teaching pre-reading skills to kindergarteners and second language learners is an avenue to explore while addressing the different challenges facing a teacher. As an educator, we know that children learn through different modalities including auditory, kinesthetic and tactile.

Thesis (PhD)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Towards the close of the last century, a new curriculum was introduced in South Africa: Curriculum 2005. This outcomes-based curriculum (OBE) was a radical break with previous education policy: it aimed at eliminating discrimination and encouraging independent learning. This new curriculum, however, left teachers uncertain and confused largely because the in-service training provided did not provide clear direction. This study first describes the attempt by an English teacher to explore the theoretical base of the new curriculum; it then attempts to ascertain whether the teaching of English would have to change as a result of the OBE Curriculum 2005 and whether material selected in the initial phase of Curriculum 2005 would meet the needs of the learners. The survey of the literature on language teaching pays particular attention to communicative language teaching (CLT) with its emphasis on using the language for relevant, real-life communicative acts. In addition, it investigates the origins and nature of outcomes-based education to determine whether CLT and OBE combined are suitable vehicles for effective language teaching. The literature survey also suggests a disjunction between the South African version of OBE and CLT. The strong emphasis on achieving certain predetermined outcomes in South African OBE, with the underlying assumption that learning is linear, runs counter to the CLT view that language learning cannot be controlled. The survey of the literature on CLT and OBE also reveals the need for relevant, interesting material that promotes purposeful communication, encouraging learners to invest in developing their language skills. CLT requires learner engagement in real communication and OBE promotes independent learning and learner responsibility. In the light of the demands made by continuous evaluation and other record keeping, it is unrealistic to expect teachers to design or even adapt material for classroom use. The semi-empirical part of this study attempts to test the appropriacy of the material and its effect on teaching and learning. A qualitative case study traces classroom events in two grade 8 classes over a period of five weeks using a module taken from the material which was in use at the time at a particular school. This material was specifically acquired by the school with a view to meeting the requirements of the OBE curriculum. Learners in the classes were taught by two different teachers, who recorded their observations, in accordance with a basic observation schedule, during this time. Additional data were produced in two sets of questionnaires. The learners who did the module were asked to indicate their perceptions of language teaching in the previous year as well as during the five weeks when the module was , and a selected group of teachers at local schools completed a questionnaire on their perceptions of the new curriculum. The responses to the questionnaires are analysed in relation to the literature survey and the conclusions reached by the two teachers involved. This study reveals that the custom-designed OBE material is not much different from that in traditional language textbooks. It also highlights the difficulties associated with finding language learning material which reflects the dynamics of real-life communication and is hospitable to using the insights of current language acquisition theory, while at the same time meeting the requirements of a South African OBE approach. In reflecting on what is needed in effective curricular change, this dissertation reveals the importance of involving practising teachers in developing a new curriculum and providing them with the necessary professional development opportunities. In that context, carefully designed and selected learning material is likely to contribute significantly to successful change. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Teen die einde van die vorige eeu is ‘n nuwe kurrikulum, Kurrikulum 2005, ingefaseer in Suid- Afrika. Uitkoms-gebasseerde kurrikulum (UGO), wat ‘n radikale nuwe benadering tot onderrig in hierdie land ingelui het, was daarop gemik om diskriminasie uit te skakel en om onafhanklike leer te vevorder Hierdie nuwe kurrikulum het onderwysers onseker en verward laat vole omdat die indiensopleiding nie duidelik rigtinggewend was nie. Hierdie study beskryf die poging van ‘n Engels-onderwyser om die teoretiese basis van die nuwe kurriculum te peil en dan om vas te stel of die onderrig van Engels sou moes verander as gevolg van UGO/ Kurrikulum 2005 en of die materiaal wat in die aanvangsfase van Kurrikulum 2005 geselekteer is in die behoeftes van die leerders sou voldoen. Die oorsig van die literatuur rakende taalonderrig gee besondere aandag aan kommunikatiewe taalonderrig (KTO), met sy klem op die gebruik van taal vir relevante, lewensgetroue kommunikasie. Verder ondersoek dit die oorsprong en aard van UGO om te bepaal of KTO en UGO gekombineerd voorsiening kan maak vir effektiewe taalonderrig. Dit suggereer dat die Suid- Afrikaanse weergawe van UGO en KTO nie heeltemal met mekaar versoen kan word nie. Die sterk klem op die bereiking van sekere voorafbepaalde uitkomste in Suid-Afrikaanse UGO, met die onderliggende aanname dat leer liniêr is, is teenstrydig met KTO se siening dat taalleer nie beheer kan word nie. Die literatuuroorsig van KTO en UGO openbaar die belangrikheid van relevante, interessante materiaal wat doelgerigte kommunikasie bevorder en leerders aanmoedig om te belê in hul taal vaardighede. KTO vereis dat die leerders deelneem aan werklike kommunikasie en UGO beklemtoon onderwyserfasilitering en leerderverantwoordelikheid. In die lig van die eise wat deurlopende evaluering en ander rekordhouding stel, is dit onrealisties om te verwag dat dat onderwysers materiaal moet ontwerp of selfs aanpas vir klaskamergebruik. Die semi-empiriese deel van hierdie studie poog om die geskiktheid van die materiaal en die effek daarvan op onderrig en leer te ondersoek. ‘n Kwalitatiewe studie vertel wat in twee Gr. 8 klaskamers gebeur het oor ‘n periode van vyf weke toe ‘n module, geneem uit die materiaal wat in gebruik was in ten tyde van die ondersoek, in die klaskamer geïmplementeer is. Die materiaal is spesifiek aangeskaf deur die skool met die oog daarop om die vereistes van die UGO kurrikulum na te kom. Die leerders is onderrig deur twee verskillende onderwysers wat hul waarneemings neersgeskryf het volgens ‘n basiese waarnemingskedule. Addisionele data is verkry met twee stelle vraelyste. Die leerders wat die module meegemaak het, is gevra vir hul persepsies rakende taalonderrig die vorige jaar sowel as gedurende die vyf weke toe die module gebruik is, en’n geselekteerde groep onderwysers aan plaaslike skole het ‘n vraesly voltooi oor hul persepsies van die nuwe kurrikulum. Die response op die vraelyste is ontleed met verwysing na die literatuurstudie en die gevolgtrekkings van die twee onderwysers wat betrokke was . Hierdie studie onthul dat die spesiaal ontwerpte UGO materiaal nie baie verskil van dit wat in tradisionele taalhandboeke te vinde was nie. Verder beklemtoon dit die probleme wat ondervind word met die vind van geskikte taalleermateriaal wat die dinamika van werklike kommunikasie reflekteer en die insigte van die huidige linguistiese teorie aangaande taalaanleer akkommodeer, terwyl dit die vereistes van ‘n Suid-Afrikaanse UGO benadering probeer bereik. Waanner daar gereflekteer word oor wat nodig is vir effektiewe kurrikulêre verandering, openbaar hierdie dissertasie die belangrikheid daarvan om diensdoensde onderwysers te betrek in die ontwikkeling van ‘n nuwe kurrikulum en om hulle toe te rus met die nodige professionele ontwikkelingsgeleenthede. In daardie konteks is dit waarskynlik dat sorgvuldig ontwerpte en geselekteerde leermateriaal aansienlik sal bydra tot suksesvolle verandering.

published_or_final_version / Curriculum Studies / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy