Magister Educationis - MEd / South Africa is a multicultural and multilingual country, with eleven official languages which include English, Afrikaans, IsiXhosa, IsiZulu, IsiNdebele, Sesotho, Setswana, Sepedi, TshiVenda and Xitsonga. While the nine African languages have official status, they are used for teaching and learning in the Foundation Phase (Grades R – 3) only. English is accorded high prestige and status, and it is used as the main Language of Learning and Teaching (LoLT) from Grade 4 to tertiary level. This occurs mostly in schools with African language-speaking learners only, while English and Afrikaans speaking learners maintain their home languages as LoLT from pre-primary to tertiary education. This study argues that if learners do not have a solid foundation in their home language and in the first additional language (FAL), they may not cope with the demands of the Grade 4 curriculum where English additional language is used as the main LoLT. Therefore, this study explored the teaching and learning of English (FAL) in Grade 3 and the extent to which it prepared learners for transition to English LoLT and their epistemic access to knowledge in Grade 4. The Constructivist and Sociocultural theories were used to understand how the teaching and learning of English LoLT occurred in the selected Grade 3 classroom, in an under resourced township school in the Western Cape. The study made use of a qualitative research approach. Data were collected by means of classroom observations, interviews and document analysis. Interviews were conducted with the Grade 3 class teacher, the Head of Department (HOD) and the principal. Data were analysed thematically. The findings of the study show that the Grade 3 teacher made use of learner-centred strategies in teaching English. However, the learners were not challenged to think critically. Learners had reading and writing difficulties, as well as low proficiency in English. The study concludes that English (FAL) is a barrier to Grade 3 learners’ epistemic access to learning and it could negatively impact on their transition to English LoLT in Grade 4.

MEd (Curriculum Studies) / Department of Curriculum Studies / The study investigated the Impact of Languages Subject Advisors’ roles in Teaching and Learning of Languages in the Intermediate Phase, Vhembe District in Limpopo Province. The study sought to identify the relevant intervention strategies to improve Languages pass rate in the Intermediate Phase. The study used two research methods and the relevant information was gathered using questionnaires and interviews from the two (2) circuits of Vhembe District, namely, Mvudi and Soutpansberg West Circuits. Purposeful and random samplings were used to select 100 languages teachers in the Intermediate Phase, 5 Languages Heads of Departments (HODs), plus 2 Languages Subject Advisors as participants for this study. From these, 05 HODs in Languages participated in the interviews together with the 2 Languages Subject Advisors, hence, 100 Languages teachers responded to the questionnaires. Quantitative data were analysed through the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Qualitative data was analysed thematically. The main finding of this study revealed that the roles that Subject Advisors are playing have a serious impact in enhancing language teaching and learning. The study recommends, among others, that Action Research by teachers should be effective in enhancing the teaching and learning of Languages.

Magister Educationis - MEd / In this study, it is assumed that non-mother tongue speakers of English are faced with the difficulty of writing and learning in English first additional language (FAL) or second language. In the context of Cape Town, this applies to isiXhosa mother-tongue speaking learners who are taught in an additional language, while their counterparts who speak either English or Afrikaans as a home language are taught through the medium of their home languages from primary to tertiary education. Snow (2014:17) claims that learners acquire academic language skills in the home language and are able to transfer those skills into an additional language e.g. English. In addition, if learners have their home language as the LoLT, language transfer may take place easily and the home language structure can assist them when writing in an additional language such as English. Language transfer, according to Odlin (1989:27), is the influence that 2 culminates from the differences or similarities evident between the target language and any other acquired language. There is a belief that strong proficiency in the home language enhances the learning of an additional language easier through language transfer (Odlin, 1989:1). According to Ellis (1994:302) errors mostly occur when there is a negative transfer from the mother-tongue to target language. Aziakpono and Bekker (2010:49) believe that there is certain terminology that cannot be easily transferred from the home language to the target language. However, the issue is not necessarily the transfer of language but rather the expression thereof, especially with individuals who use the home language more than the target language which is often English in South Africa. With regard to language transfer, it should be taken into account that languages have different phonetic and syntactic structures which may impede the learning of an additional language.

A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Curriculum and Instructional Studies, Faculty of Education, 2018. / Writing remains central to effective learning. It is through writing that learners are able to access knowledge, express their ideas and thoughts in different subjects across the curriculum. Through writing, learners are also expected to display the acquired knowledge in their assessments and examinations. Competency in writing is therefore crucial for learners, especially in the last three years of schooling, prior to them entering the demanding writing contexts of higher education. Despite this, writing continues to be a challenge for the majority of learners in South Africa, especially those learners writing in their second language in which they are not competent and confident. Thus, this calls for the special attention to how writing is taught and learnt, specifically at the FET levels. This study, therefore, investigated the nature and pedagogical implication of English First Additional Language Learners (EFAL) writing among Further Education and Training (FET) phase learners in the Pinetown District. Guided by the Socio-cultural Learning Theory, I observed the writing lessons, analysed the types of writing produced by learners and explored the quality of writing among FET learners to understand the extent to which the writing practices and pedagogy meet the expectations of the curriculum. Five FET schools in the Pinetown District were purposively selected to participate in this study. Underpinned by the qualitative framework, the study employed the interpretative paradigm to understand the human experiences of writing within the natural classroom contexts. To gain insights into the writing activities and classroom pedagogy, five writing lessons were observed and recorded using a video camera. To understand the types of writing and the quality of learners’ writing, learners’ written tasks were collected and analysed. Findings from the analysis of the sample of written tasks collected from the five schools indicated that learners produced different types of writing: narrative essays, formal letters, friendly letters, formal letters, obituaries, diary entries, directions, interviews, invitation cards and covering letters. The study also found that this is in line with the curriculum which suggests that learners should be exposed to different types of texts to develop their cognitive and creative writing skills. The study found ii that the learners’ writing contained recurring incorrect spelling, misuse of capitalisation, violation of punctuation rules and incorrect use of tenses. Even though the analysis of the learners’ written tasks revealed that such incorrect use of writing mechanics does not necessarily affect comprehension or meaning of the learners’ texts, they, however, affect the overall judgement of the learners’ writing. Data from classroom observations, lesson analyses and analysis of the curriculum show that, at most, the writing approaches used by the teachers were in line with the writing approach suggested by the curriculum. Findings from the analyses of the writing lessons indicate that teachers mostly used the question and answer method to teach writing in the five schools. This method entails the teachers controlling the interactions in the classrooms through nomination-response cycle. The findings from the analyses of lessons suggest that teachers creatively employed code-switching for pedagogical and pastoral purposes. The study found code-switching to enhance learners’ understanding and thus fulfils an academic purpose, especially in situations where switching to isiZulu explained concepts better. The study concludes that the effectiveness of any curriculum and pedagogy depends on the teachers’ knowledge and understanding of writing and approaches to writing. For the effective development of the learners’ writing, teachers must, firstly, understand their curriculum and implement it in their classrooms. Secondly, the researcher believes that successful teaching and learning of writing also depends on the effective instruction methods that embrace the socio-cultural learning perspectives. Lastly, the researcher found code-switching to be inevitable in second language writing classrooms where the teachers and learners are competent in more than one language. The study recommends collaborative writing activities in the learners’ Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and the recognition of learners’ home language for the learning of second language writing skills.

Learning and assessment are inextricably intertwined, since assessment not only measures learning, but future learning is also dependent on assessment. The purpose of this two phase sequential mixed-methods study was to examine the interplay between informal and formal assessment in Grade 9 EFAL classrooms in order to gain a better understanding of teachers’ assessment practises. Argued from a constructivist point of view, the study endorses continuous assessment (CASS), which balances informal and formal assessment. In order to direct the study towards the stated purpose, the researcher embarked on a literature study to contextualise English as First Additional Language against the background of educational developments in South Africa since 1994 and to examine assessment of English First Additional Language in an OBE framework. The literature study was followed by an empirical study. By applying a sequential mixed-methods research design, 66 conveniently sampled EFAL teachers in the Johannesburg-North District of the Gauteng Department of Education participated in the quantitative phase of the empirical study. By means of a survey as strategy of inquiry, these teachers completed a questionnaire. Six randomly selected teachers from the initial sample participated in the qualitative phase of the empirical study which followed a case study strategy of inquiry and consisted of individual interviews and observations. The empirical research findings revealed that the sampled teachers experienced the official Departmental documents as regulatory, overwhelming and ambiguous and that they gave more attention to formal assessment than informal assessment. Due to this emphasis on formal assessment, the teachers felt uncertain about the purposes of informal assessment which, as a consequence, was considered as less important than formal assessment. A preference of conventional assessment methods was also disclosed which implied that the sampled teachers were not willing to experiment with alternative assessment methods. In conclusion, the researcher discovered that although CASS was implemented in the sampled teachers’ classrooms, learner-centred teaching founded on constructivism with the aim of encouraging scaffolding, was not high on the teachers’ teaching agendas. / MEd (Learning and Teaching), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2013

This study examines the factors that shape decision-making in relation to the development of Learner Teacher Support Materials (LTSMs) in South Africa by focusing on the processes that govern the development of Foundation Phase LTSMs, and on how publishers understand the educational nature of LTSMs that will lead to effective literacy acquisition. Findings are based on elite interviews with members of senior management in the publishing industry, and triangulated with interviews with authors and academic specialists of Foundation Phase. It was found that the close alignment between government directives and processes and the publishing industry form the core of all LTSM development and production, creating some symbiosis as well as restraints. Factors that shape the production of LTSMs include full compliance with the specific outcomes of the curriculum; producing LTSMs that are affordable in terms of set criteria by selection committees; selection committees that, determine acceptance of LTSMs for placement on approved lists; time frames that preclude in-depth research and trialling, a market that is deeply stratified and where this stratification is reinforced by curriculum imperatives relating to language; and the monitoring of classroom productivity through the filling in of Learner Book worksheets. Best practice strategies for literacy acquisition requires materials considerably beyond what the industry is producing for South Africa’s most disadvantaged markets, namely the English First Additional Language market. Teacher training done by both publishers and the Department of Basic Education suggest a different conceptualisation of Teachers’ Guides are required in order for professional development to take place through LTSMs.

Thesis (M.Ed.) -- University of Limpopo, 2018 / This study investigated barriers to the reading of English texts in the rural schools of the Rakwadu Circuit in Mopani District, Limpopo Province. This problem is not only in the said Circuit, it is a world-wide challenge. The research was undertaken in three public secondary schools, with focus on the Grade 9 learners of the said Circuit. Data were collected through audio-taped interviews and observation of learners while reading prescribed texts. It was found that most educators and learners agree that there are barriers to the reading of English texts. The following factors were identified as barriers, namely: lack of libraries, non-parental involvement and insufficient learner-support materials, as well as lack of guided reading books. The study recommends that governmental officials should consider building libraries even in the rural schools and communities. The schools should have a parental involvement policy in which parents are encouraged to take part in the education of their children. The Department of Education should provide sufficient learner-support materials in schools to enhance learners’ reading ability. Educators are to be provided with guided reading materials that will enable them to implement Guided Reading approach. Curriculum advisors should train teachers on how to teach reading.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Education))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

When Outcomes-Based Education (OBE) reached the Further Education and Training (FET) band in 2006, teachers were confronted for the first time with a new curriculum that challenged them to implement a learner-centred approach to teaching, learning and assessment. Since assessment is seen as the heart of effective teaching and learning, this research was aimed at establishing how effective teachers of English First Additional Language (EFAL) in the FET band were in implementing Outcomes-Based Assessment (OBA). A thorough literary survey on OBE and OBA was conducted. This survey included a study of the principles and philosophical underpinnings of OBE and the clarification of the key concepts of OBE and OBA. Various documents on the teaching, learning and assessment of English Second Language from the Departments of Education in New Zealand, Canada and Australia were studied to gain an international perspective. This was followed by an analysis of South African policy documents on the teaching, learning and assessment of EFAL. Empirical research was conducted by means of a survey in which both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection were used. The data analysis revealed that teachers of EFAL in the FET band experience problems with the practical implementation of the curriculum and the assessment thereof. Problems were mainly experienced with setting achievable outcomes, designing lessons, teaching material and learning activities, teaching and assessing in a learner-centred way, employing the most appropriate types and methods of assessment and using feedback to enhance learning. A model for assessment has been designed to fill the gap left between the theory of OBE and OBA as expressed in the NCS for EFAL and the successful, practical implementation thereof. It is anticipated that this model will contribute to the improvement of teaching, learning and assessment of EFAL in the FET band in public schools. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Education))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Learning and assessment are inextricably intertwined, since assessment not only measures learning, but future learning is also dependent on assessment. The purpose of this two phase sequential mixed-methods study was to examine the interplay between informal and formal assessment in Grade 9 EFAL classrooms in order to gain a better understanding of teachers’ assessment practises. Argued from a constructivist point of view, the study endorses continuous assessment (CASS), which balances informal and formal assessment. In order to direct the study towards the stated purpose, the researcher embarked on a literature study to contextualise English as First Additional Language against the background of educational developments in South Africa since 1994 and to examine assessment of English First Additional Language in an OBE framework. The literature study was followed by an empirical study. By applying a sequential mixed-methods research design, 66 conveniently sampled EFAL teachers in the Johannesburg-North District of the Gauteng Department of Education participated in the quantitative phase of the empirical study. By means of a survey as strategy of inquiry, these teachers completed a questionnaire. Six randomly selected teachers from the initial sample participated in the qualitative phase of the empirical study which followed a case study strategy of inquiry and consisted of individual interviews and observations. The empirical research findings revealed that the sampled teachers experienced the official Departmental documents as regulatory, overwhelming and ambiguous and that they gave more attention to formal assessment than informal assessment. Due to this emphasis on formal assessment, the teachers felt uncertain about the purposes of informal assessment which, as a consequence, was considered as less important than formal assessment. A preference of conventional assessment methods was also disclosed which implied that the sampled teachers were not willing to experiment with alternative assessment methods. In conclusion, the researcher discovered that although CASS was implemented in the sampled teachers’ classrooms, learner-centred teaching founded on constructivism with the aim of encouraging scaffolding, was not high on the teachers’ teaching agendas. / MEd (Learning and Teaching), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2013