This work investigates vocabulary proficiency in English of a group of students in the Primary Teacher's Certificate course. It is shown that this is the major certification course for teachers in Black education in South Africa, and, that primary school teachers are the major source of English for Black pupils for a considerable period, if not for the duration of their school education. The quality of the teachers' English thus has a major influence on that used by the pupils. In addition to the established needs for proficiency in a national and international medium such as English, it is emphasized that , with the increasing use of English as a medium of instruction, a lack of proficiency will adversely affect general scholastic achievement. The investigation proceeds by two means: (1) a series of vocabulary tests and (2) an error analysis (lexis and morphology) , based on scripts produced by the same group to whom the tests were administered. Prior to the presentation of the tests and the results and conclusions, there is a discussion of what constitutes vocabulary. This is introduced by a discussion of the dichotemy 'structure/lexis', primarily by reference to the writings on structuralism by Charles Fries - This discussion shows that the progress in vocabulary study is intimately related to the as-yet undeveloped state of investigations into the semantics of the language . There is a referenoe to the role of frequency-counts in vocabulary teaching with specific reference to Michael West's General Service List of English Words. In the absence of other prescribed standards of attainment in vocabulary, the General Service List serves as control for the tests , and is itself under examination as a possible major resource for vocabulary teaching. It is shown that structuralism has produced the instructional method known as 'audio- lingualism', which has gained wide credence, not least in the educational system through which the subjects of this study have passed. The contributions and defects of this method are discussed , with particular reference to its deleterious effect on vocabulary teaching. It is shown that vocabulary teaching becomes increasingly important in the later stages of language learning. There is reference to the current emphasis on ' commununicative' language teaching/learning, and it is shown that a major area of application is in the presentation of materials which embody an across-the-curriculum approach. The Pre- Tests are concerned only with the four major 'parts of speech ' and use only items from the General Service List ('G.S.L'). A particular feature is the development of tests based on the 'partial productivity of lexical rules' , which proved significantly effective in distinguishing between testees of high and low proficiency . The Final Tests, compiled from items which discriminated successfully in the Pre-Tests , are presented , and a Post- Final Test form of ultimately successful items is provided. There is a brief theoretical discussion of Error Analysis, and this is followed by the presentation of the categorization of lexical and morphological errors extracted from a corpus produced by the same group which provided subjects for the tests . There is comment on this categorization, which points to both the usefulness and shortcomings of such data . Amongst the conclusions and recommendations are the following: that vocabulary teaching has languished, both because of present inadequacies in semantic investigation, and because of the predominance of structuralism; that vocabulary teaching is important throughout , but particularly in the post-initial stages ; that word-counts (specifically the G. S. L.)have a valuable place in vocabulary teaching, as controls, prompts and suppliers of resource material ; that there is a wide range of proficiency amongst these subjects , even within the limits of a word-count such as the G.S.L. (the most frequent 2000 'words ' in English , with a samantic count, and related items formed by various processes) ; that this range of proficiency and the shortcomings shown are disturbing in teachers- in- training , who are also in their eleventh and twelfth years of formal instruction in English; that there is further cause for concern when it is remembered that their pupils will need English for success in a number of subjects , and will be instructed in English mainly by teachers. drawn from this group ; that there is some evidence of a relationship between vocabulary proficiency and the frequency of items in the G.S .L. (reinforcing the suggesting that the G.S .L. is a useful ' teaching tool ' ) ; that the categorization of errors shows that mastery of the · contents of the G. S. L. would , in theory , eliminate the great majority of errors attested in the categorization, and that mastery of even the most common areas of lexis and lexical formation cannot and should not be taken for granted; and that acquaintance with the contents of a word frequency-count , and with categorizations of errors , will sharpen teachers' perceptions as to the nature of their task and the directions in which vocabulary teaching should proceed.

Guidance and counselling aims to promote the personal growth of the adolescent. However, in the current South African context, it is possible that formalised Guidance instruction and the post of the school counsellor may disappear in many schools as a result of economic rationalisation. If this occurs, the fostering of personal growth will rest with all teachers and it will be vital to utilise all available opportunities. The study of English is one of the areas traditionally seen to promote personal growth, as several aims of English teaching relate to such growth. The purpose of this study is to investigate from the pupil's perspective whether these aims are being fulfilled within 'Model C' CEO schools in order to gauge the potential of English teaching to fulfil the personal growth role of Guidance teaching. Pupils were asked what influence English teaching had on their attitudes and ideas towards life, on themselves and on their development as people. From the data, common themes were established and documented. These themes showed that important aspects of personal growth are indeed fostered by the English teaching of literature, poetry, written work, oral work and visual literacy. This study therefore confirms that English teaching does foster personal growth and that the potential does exist for English teaching to subsume some of the roles of Guidance.

This thesis explores the efficacy of think-aloud protocols (TOLs), and the extent to which the TOL technique is able to reveal the nature of ESL reading interaction with expository prose. The investigation constituted a critical evaluation of current ESL TOL research, which was essentially a theoretical examination of emerging problems derived from an in-depth assessment of current ESL TOL studies. The theoretical examination was supplemented by the practical implementation of the technique in a case study research, utilising three verbal protocols obtained from ESL students at the University of Fort Hare. The close observation afforded by the evaluative case study research paradigm provided the writer - as participant observer - with a further means of judging the merit of TOLs, which corroborated findings from the theoretical evaluation, and enabled a consideration of unanticipated issues which emerged from the practical implementation of the technique. The conclusion was that TOLs seem to have a unique ability to identify aspects of the nature of ESL reading gained from an on-line assessment of reader interaction, provided that TOL research is conducted within certain methodological and analytic research constraints. The writer has proffered suggestions for future ESL TOL research, and feels that the combination of TOL research findings with other measures of reading comprehension could elucidate aspects of ESL comprehension, making a valuable contribution to ESL reading theory and practice.

This study is a description of the language experiences of English Second Language students in their first year at Rhodes University. It took place in the context of the changes that are currently occurring in higher education in South Africa in terms of student populations. More and more students are entering tertiary education institutions, including HWESUs, such as Rhodes University, who are considered non-traditional. These students typically have English as their second, or additional, language, and have not been adequately prepared for university study by their secondary education. This study describes the experiences of three such students in their first year at Rhodes University. Entry into a university is seen not just as acquiring knowledge, but as entering, or attempting to enter, a new culture. It is recognised that all students enter universities with other cultures or literacies already in place. In the case of non-traditional students tbese other literacies are usually at some distance from those of the university. The work of James Gee (1990) is particularly useful in understanding this process of adjusting to the demands of university study and the effect that previous experiences have on this process. This study is an attempt to discover and describe the literacies that these three students brought with them to university and the effect these literacies had on their attempts to enter academic discourse communities of the university. An ethnographic research method was adopted in order to do this. The study is also an attempt to evaluate, from the perspective of the three students, the appropriacy of the various changes that Rhodes University has made since the numbers of non-traditional students has started to increase.

Orientador: Alessandra Del Ré / Banca: Maria Célia Mendonça / Banca: Cibele Krause-Lemke / Resumo: Segundo Bakhtin/Volochinov (2010), a língua(gem) é um fenômeno que se constitui na interação entre os sujeitos e, consequentemente, não é apenas um conjunto de formas linguísticas, mas, sim, de signos carregados de valores culturais que relevam no seu uso o recorte de mundo dado por uma sociedade. Dessa forma, os sujeitos constituem o seu próprio discurso com os discursos outros com os quais entram em contato, revelando o dialogismo da língua(gem). Nas aulas de LE, também podemos observar o diálogo existente entre o discurso dos sujeitos, já que a aquisição/aprendizagem de LE ocorre na comunicação interpessoal e envolve aspectos culturais da sociedade na qual esse processo se localiza. Esta pesquisa (Mestrado) tem como objetivo principal analisar as produções linguísticas em LE (inglês) de crianças que iniciam seu contato formal com essa língua em um ambiente de ensino, no caso uma escola de idiomas no interior paulista. Para tanto, o uso feito da LE pelos aprendizes foi considerado em situações nas quais há uma pergunta e/ou instrução da professora e situações nas quais não há uma pergunta e/ou instrução. No primeiro tipo de situação, a LE aparece no discurso dos aprendizes sob a forma de resposta a uma pergunta feita pela professora, que atua como mediadora entre LE e sujeito-criança no contexto escolar. Já no segundo tipo, as crianças tomam a iniciativa de usar o inglês sem que a professora precise pedir esse uso, fato que, acreditamos, revela de maneira mais evidente uma aproximação das crianças com a língua alvo. Pretendemos, também, elaborar uma reflexão de como a LE é tratada dentro da sala de aula e o que esse tratamento pode acarretar para a aquisição/aprendizagem dos alunos. Acreditamos que a abordagem adotada, a saber, a reflexão bakhtiniana e do Círculo (1976, 1997, 2010) a respeito das noções de língua(gem), subjetividade, gênero etc.... / Abstract: According to Bahktin/Volochinov (2010) language is a phenomenon constituted in the interactions among people and, consequently, it is not a group of signals, but rather of linguistics signs with cultural values that reveal in their use the world view of a society. For this reason, people constitute their own discourse with other discourses with which they have been in contact, revealing the language dialogism. In the foreign language (FL) classes, we can also observe the dialogue that exists between people‟s discourse as the acquisition/learning of a FL happens in the interpersonal communication and involves cultural aspects of the society in which this process occurs. The main objective of this research (Master‟s degree) is to analyze student‟s utterances using a foreign language (English). The students in our study are children that began their formal contact with this language in a school environment, a language school in Sao Paulo countryside. In order to achieve our goal, the use made of the FL by the learners was considered in situations in which there was a question and/or an instruction of the teacher and situations in which there were no questions and/or instructions. In the case of the first type of situations, the FL appears in the learner‟s discourse as an answer for the questions made by the teacher who is the mediator between the FL and the children in the classroom. In the second type, the students take the initiative of using English without the teacher‟s request. We believe that this use reveals more effectively the closeness between the children and the language they are learning. We also intend to elaborate a reflection about how the FL is introduced in the classroom and the consequences to the acquisition/learning process. We believe that our approach, Bakhtin‟s and the Circle‟s (1976, 1997, 2010) view on language, subjectivity, genres etc. contributes significantly to the discussions in the area of FL... / Mestre

The purpose of this study was to analyse formative assessment challenges facing English Language (L2) Secondary school teachers in the Makoni District of Zimbabwe. Data were collected from 25 English Language secondary school teachers pooled from 5 secondary schools in the Makoni District. The study utilised the pragmatic paradigm which allowed the use of the mixed methods approach. The study used the survey research design. Quantitative data were collected through questionnaires while qualitative data were collected through follow-up interviews, documents and non-participant observations. Cross-tabulations were used to present data which were then reported mainly in percentages. While most of the qualitative data were used to buttress findings established through the questionnaires, the other data were categorised into themes and analysed accordingly. Major challenges that were revealed by this study were that teachers used the teacher – centred approach, feedback given to pupils was not detailed, there was less time to assess appropriately and that teachers were not motivated to assess effectively. Remedial activities were not being carried out and that teachers’ training in assessment was not thorough. Shortage of teaching and learning resources and high teacher – pupil ratios were some of the challenges that teachers faced. There was lack of coordination of agencies involved in assessment and that assessment was examinations – oriented. Assessment policy formulation did not involve teachers and that most pupils were not motivated to learn. On the basis of these findings, the study recommended the provision of adequate teaching and learning resources, provision of appropriate pre-service and in – service training programs as well as involving the teachers in the formulation of assessment policies.

Contextualized in the South African Language in Education Policy (LiEP) and the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS), the study aimed at investigating the writing competency of EFAL Grade 12 learners in the two rural public schools. It was the researchers‘ hunch that the learners‘ socio-cultural conditions at which they learn EFAL are not taken into consideration by teachers and that hampers or impedes the development of language and writing. Further, the research sought to unearth the strategies and techniques used by teachers to teach writing in EFAL, and whether these facilitate the development of writing competency, that enhances better performance in other Grade 12 subjects taught through English as a Language of Learning and Teaching (LoLT). The study is informed by the socio-cultural theory, language acquisition theories, and the language learning theories. The study also drew from the writing strategies, writing in the curriculum, and second language learning discourses Framed in the interpretive paradigm and the qualitative approach, the research adopted a case study design. The sample of the study comprised of seven teachers of which two were EFAL teachers and five of these teach content subjects. Twenty four Grade 12 learners constituted the four Focus Groups. The data collection tools comprised of interviews, Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), observation and document analysis. Learners wrote essays and free writing exercises which formed transcripts for document analysis. The purposively selected teachers and the Grade 12 learners were granted interview questions in advance. The collected data was analysed and put under themes as determined by the study‘s research questions. Such themes included; challenges faced by learners when writing in EFAL, strategies used by teachers in teaching writing , perceptions of teachers and learners on learners‘ writing competency and the connection or linkage between learners‘ writing competency in EFAL and content subjects. Learners‘essays and free writing revealed that the learners have limited vocabulary in their FAL. Furthermore, the study made known that learners experience anxiety when they have to answer questions in English and that results in them being incompetent in writing in the target language. Other hindrances to EFAL writing that were revealed by the study included the detrimental effect of social media on the writing competency and lack of motivation to read for writing in English. In addition, the study established that there were teaching approaches that were employed by teachers when teaching writing which included the process writing and integration. Content subject teachers made known to the study that they were not teaching writing to the learners but assess them in essay writing and summaries as required by the school-based assessments in their respective subjects. It was also disclosed in the study that writing encompasses other language skills especially reading. The study also revealed that writing is a skill that is obligatory to be taught because it becomes beneficial to other subjects and that it enhances learners‘ writing for a variety of reasons. Overall, the study made known that there are complex circumstances that Grade 12 learners in rural public schools encounter when engaging in writing in the EFAL. The study concluded that although English could be perceived as a dominant language, it is embedded with multiplicity of challenges in the rural secondary schools where it is used as a LoLT. Such hindrances mostly find expression when learners have to engage in writing activities and encompass; lack of motivation, anxiety, limited vocabulary and the influence of social networks. The study recommended that the EFAL policy makers should not use a blanket approach on how EFAL should be taught but consider the demographic situations of the various sections of South Africa. The study also recommended that code switching which is practiced in bilingual classrooms appears inevitable and therefore should be formalized.

The dawn of democracy in South Africa led to the development of Language in Education Policy (LiEP) as one of the pieces of legislations that promote languages in schools where parents, learners, who have come of age may choose a language for instruction. LiEP, together with the Constitution of South Africa, promote equal value of all eleven official languages spoken in this country. The promotion of language policies clearly shows that language is the bedrock of the academic development of every child. Unfortunately, Spaull, Van der Berg, Wills, Gustafsson and Kotzè (2016) found that South African Foundation Phase learners lack the most basic skill needed for academic achievement, reading for meaning. Spaull et.al (2016) findings show that language problems start during the early years of schooling. This study aimed at finding out the perceptions of school stakeholders about the use of English as LoLT in Grade 9 Social Sciences, and it is located in the Interpretivist Paradigm. In this study, stakeholders are learners because they are central to learning, parents, as they have the responsibility of choosing LoLT for their children and assist them in their schooling career. Lastly, teachers are stakeholders because of their critical role of imparting knowledge and skills during classroom interaction. The researcher uses a Qualitative approach to identify data-collecting tools suitable for this research, and chooses semi-structured interviews and observations. Semi-structured interviews are flexible and allow deeper probing during the interview. The sample consists of nine Grade 9 learners, three teachers of Grade 9 Social Sciences and six parents from the School Governing Body (SGB). The aim of conducting observations was to find out the language used by learners and teachers during classroom interaction. This study found out that most participants prefer learning Social Sciences in English than in isiXhosa. They are aware of the challenges experienced in the classroom when learning in English but they still choose it. From the sample used, participants clearly indicate that learning in English causes some barriers in the learning and teaching process. However, it also became clear that the benefits associated with learning in English make it difficult to put it at the same level as other languages and participants do not link mother tongue to career opportunities. It is also evident that English will enjoy its hegemony until such time that all stakeholders in Education view the mother tongue as a foundation for learning other languages and as a resource as well so that they can use it in the classroom to understand the content. Policy developers must look deeply into the question of LoLT so that learners receive instruction in a language that will assist them in improved academic performance. Teachers must be equipped with adequate skills to assist learners in developing reading and comprehension skills in the classroom. There is a dire need to develop the culture of reading in rural school learners; and teachers must expose learners to a variety of English reading material.

Prompted by increasing demand in South Africa for the development of a focused but flexible English Second Language (ESL) curriculum at university level, this thesis contends that substantial theoretical under-pinning is needed for decisions on ESL course materials. Once the theoretical constructs are determined, a model based on a systematic approach to course design is proposed. It maximizes the individualization of experiential learning, despite the large numbers of students who take these courses, through a multi-form course structure offering four streams of study at three levels of difficulty. Entry is possible at the start of the year and at mid-year. The empirical research which forms the basis of the study is an analysis of the 1985 student group at the University of South Africa (UNISA). Several methods are used, including post-course questionnaires, diagnostic assignments and a detailed language and stylistic error count linked with a clause analysis of a sample of assignments and examination scripts. The model curriculum meets the contextually basic science requirements of a university course, within the parameters of response needed in regard to the ESL student profile determined by the needs and role analysis completed in Chapter 2. Model aims and terminal learning objectives are presented in Chapter 3 as the foundation on which the rest of the thesis is constructed, and include comprehension, applied composition, oral and aural skills, use of reference works, methods of thinking, and occupationally relevant specialist language. In Chapters 4 and 5, in-depth analyses of appropriate course content and methods emphasize the use of Afrocentric English literature in contemporary settings with appropriate readability levels, language in use in specified contexts, development of vocabulary, remedying incorrect usage, comprehension skills, composition skills, development of cognitive processes, oral and listening skills, and the purpose and place of grammar. The final chapters outline approaches to criterion-referenced assessment and evaluation, and suggest appropriate set works and criteria for their selection. The course materials aim at improving English communicative performance. The underlying principles used in developing this course design and its associated materials can be valuably extrapolated and applied at universities and other tertiary institutions. / English Studies / D. Litt et Phil. (English)

M.Ed. (Language Teaching) / Please refer to full text to view abstract