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Daily journal entries completed by ten first grade bilingual Hmong children were collected and studied. The Hmong children were of interest because their cultural back ound involves the use of oral traditions, and a newly developed written language system. This study investigated the ability of the Hmong children to use the English written language to document their thoughts and feelings through daily journal writing. One hundred journal entries for each of the ten students were considered in this study. Children completed their daily journal independently, and freely selected the topic of their journal. Writing samples were categorized in various stages of writing as described by many child development experts. The stages include: 1) pre-communicative, 2) semiphonetic, 3) phonetic, 4) transitional, and 5) correct stage of writing. Three other stages were added to account for all journal entries. They include: 1) non-writing, 2) copying, and 3) application. The degree to which invented spelling occurred in the journal entries was investigated. Results indicated that the Hmong children were able to document their ideas through writing in English. The Hmong children experienced all of the stages of writing except the correct stage. Although invented spelling was evident in the journal entries, no more than twenty-six percent of the words were invented. Thus, a conclusion of this study is that this sample of Hmong children had the ability and interest in spelling words correctly, either through copying or memorization. Daily journal writing was an activity in which the Hmong children had the opportunity to express themselves freely through written language, and it provided the teacher insights into the English writing development of the first grade Hmong children.

Thesis (M. Ed. (Language Education)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / The Foundation Phase Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement’s objective is to equip children from Grade R to Grade 3 with the necessary and relevant knowledge, skills and values that will enable them to become productive, as well as functional participants in the Intermediate and Senior Phases of formal schooling as well as in global societies. However, literacy surveys at both national and international levels continue to demonstrate results that position South Africa at the least achieving levels. This signals that CAPS does not achieve its desired goals regarding learners’ performance and educational development. Given this background, there is a rise in the need for a research of this nature to explore better strategies of equipping learners with rich vocabulary for ease of language learning. This study investigates the development of oral skills (listening and speaking) in two receptive grades in rural foundation phases. The study is a phenomenological case-study which adopts a mixed methodological lens of enquiry to collect and analyse data. Data collection procedures include classroom observations, semi-structured interviews and document analysis. This investigation found that listening and speaking skills are not sufficiently developed in the investigated schools. An intensive exploration of the processes, activities, approaches and resources used for developing listening and speaking skills in both schools demonstrated that teachers lack knowledge and skills for administering activities, applying appropriate approaches and using the available literacy resources to develop listening and speaking skills. The study discussed the contributory factors to the above findings and, therefore, recommends that the Department of Education should provide Grade R teachers with in-service training and support programs. The programs should be intended to acquaint teachers with skills to use materials and to apply strategies in different ways to help all learners develop listening and speaking skills through understandable oral participation. Key words: Listening, Speaking, Literacy, Development, and Learning and Teaching

Thesis (M. A. (English Studies)) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / Interlanguage (IL) is a phenomenon that occurs in different language learning contexts including institutions of Higher Education (HE) were English is used as a language of tuition in South Africa (SA). This study researched the IL of first-year English language students at the University of Limpopo (UL) within Polokwane Municipality in Limpopo Province (LP). The research design was explanatory, and a qualitative approach was used. Through interview sessions with first-year English language students and lecturers responsible for teaching these first-years, important insights into the dynamisms of IL in practice were gained. Some of the key findings of this explanatory study was that first-year English language students were unable to communicate effectively in L2, hence, the IL traits manifested in students’ communication. This enhances some understanding of the challenges they experience inside and outside the classroom. The study re-asserts that IL hampers the students’ optimal participation in the target language learning process. The study further highlights that students’ inadvertent use of IL affect their command of the Language of Learning and Teaching in an English language learning environment. This study has also revealed that although lecturers regard IL as an important teaching and learning resource, they do not seem to hone in IL use in a bid to improve the English language students’ performance and mastery of the Language of Learning and Teaching at first-year level.

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