ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The setting for this study was the University of the Western Cape, Faculty of Community and Health Sciences, first year undergraduate students. All students who participated in the compulsory interprofessional programme were from the following disciplines: Occupational Therapy; Physiotherapy; Psychology; Social Work; Natural Medicine; Dietetics; Human Ecology; Sports Sciences and Nursing. The objectives of this study were to measure the attitudes and perceptions of first year students who participated in an undergraduate interprofessional programme. The attitudes and perceptions were further measured in relation to the specific lecturers involved, the age of the students, their gender, race, background as well their specific discipline. This was primarily a quantitative study incorporating two qualitative questions in which 657 students were issued with a questionnaire designed to determine their attitudes and perceptions towards interprofessional education. A sample size of 264 students resulted in 95% confidence intervals with a maximum precision of 5%. The questionnaire was adapted, with permission, from Cameron; Rennie; DiProspero; Langlois & Wagner (2009). MS Excel was used to capture the data and STATISTICA version 9 (StatSoft Inc. (2009) STATISTICA (data analysis software system), www.statsoft.com.) was used to analyze the data from the questionnaires. Descriptive statistics was used to describe the main features of the sample of this study and summary statistics was further used to summarize the findings of this study in order to communicate the bulk of the information as simple as possible. Two open-ended questions were included at the end of the questionnaire and this was used to triangulate the data. The Kruskal-Wallace test was used to measure the results, whereby a p-value of <0.05 indicated statistical significance. Of all the factors used to measure the attitudes and perceptions of students, the following three were significant: Gender; Race and Discipline. No other factors impact on the attitudes and perceptions of students towards interprofessional education. Student attitudes and perceptions towards interprofessional education were found to be very positive. The findings revealed that the most significant factor in the study was the lack of understanding of various disciplines participating in the programme and their understanding of the relevance of the teaching approach (interprofessional) as well as their specific role in the health care team. This clearly illustrated the need to recommend to the co-ordinating unit of the programme that this be defined more clearly for the students and specifically the Sports Sciences students. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die studie het plaasgevind by die Universiteit van die Wes-Kaap, in die Fakulteit van Gemeenskap en Gesondheidswetenskappe, met eerste jaar voorgraadse studente wat die verpligte interprofessionele program doen. Studente sluit in die volgende dissiplines: Arbeidsterapie; Fisioterapie, Sielkunde, Maatskaplike Werk, Natuurlike Medisyne, Dieetkunde, Menslike Ekologie, Sport en Verpleegkunde. Die doelwitte van hierdie studie was om die houdings en persepsies van die eerste jaar studente wat deelgeneem het in 'n voorgraadse interprofessionele program te meet. Houdings en persepsies was gemeet met betrekking tot die ouderdom geslag, ras,agtergrond sowel dissipline van spesifieke studente. Daar was ook gekyk of die betrokke dosente ń invloed het op studente se houdings en persepsies teenoor die program. Die studie was hoofsaaklik kwantitatiewe met n kwalitatiewe komponent. Vraelyse was uitgereik aan 657 studente om hul houdings en persepsies teenoor interprofessionele onderwys te bepaal. 'n Steekproefgrootte van 264 studente het in 95% vertrouensintervalle met 'n maksimum akkuraatheid van 5%. Die vraelys is aangepas, met toestemming, van Cameron, Rennie; DiProspero Langlois & Wagner (2009). MS Excel was gebruik om die data op te vang en Statistica weergawe 9 [StatSoft Inc (2009) STATISTICA (data-analise sagteware stelsel), www.statsoft.com] is gebruik om die data van die vraelyste te analiseer. Beskrywende statistiek is gebruik om te beskryf die belangrikste kenmerke van die steekproef van hierdie studie. Opsommingstatistiek is verder gebruik om op te som die bevindinge van hierdie studie met die doel om die grootste deel van die inligting so eenvoudig as moontlik te kommunikeer. Twee oop vrae is ingesluit aan die einde van die vraelys en dit is gebruik om die data te trianguleer. Die Kruskal-Wallace-toets is gebruik om die resultate, waar 'n p-waarde van <0,05 aangedui word statistiese betekenisvolheid te meet. Van al die faktore wat gebruik was om die houdings en persepsies van studente te meet, was die volgende drie beduidende: geslag, ras en dissipline. Geen ander faktore impakteer op die houdings en persepsies van studente in interprofessionele onderwys. Studente se houdings en persepsies teenoor interprofessionele onderwys was beduidend positief. Die studie het bevind dat daar ń algemene gebrek aan begrip is vir die relevansie van die program. Dit sluit in hoekom die verskillende dissiplines aan die program deelneem as ook wat hulle spesifieke rolle in die gesondheidsorg span is. Die aanbeveling is dus dat die koördinerings eenheid van die program die kursus meer duidelik sal moet definieer om so doende die studente se kennis in terme van relevansie van die interprofessionele program uit te brei met spesifiek verwysing na die Sport studente.

This study explored language practices of trilingual undergraduate students of mathematics as they made sense of an algebraic task. Specifically, the study set out to explore whether, how and why trilingual undergraduate students used language(s) to make sense of mathematics. In this study a trilingual speaker is viewed as an individual proficient in three languages and whose proficiency in the languages is not necessarily equal. The speaker uses the three languages either separately or by switching between any two in ways that are determined by his/her communication needs. Exploring language practices helped me to understand how students position themselves as they engage with a mathematics task using mathematical Discourses (capital D) in relation to their trilingual language facility. This facility involves the use of either the language of learning and teaching (LoLT) (English) or the switching between two or three of the languages they know. These languages were home languages, including Kiswahili of the students. In tertiary institutions, English is the LoLT while the home languages are neither taught nor used in the classroom. The study used a qualitative inquiry process, specifically a case study approach. It was conducted at a public university in Kenya with a focus on first-year engineering students with mathematics in their programme. Data were collected using a students‟ questionnaire, and clinical and reflective interviews. A structured questionnaire was used to gather the baseline data, which was used for the selection of 15 interview participants. The clinical interviews provided information on language use as the students engaged with the task, explaining each step of the process, while the aim of the reflective interviews was to identify, ascertain and confirm various actions and different languages and language practices that were not apparent during the clinical interview. The interviews were transcribed and 11 paired transcripts were selected for analysis. The data were analysed using the methods of Discourse analysis (Gee, 2005). This analysis explored how students used language in tandem with non-language “stuff” in a single language or when switching between any two languages and how and why each was used. The focus was on the activities and identities they enacted through their interpretation of the given task and in part of the solution process. The findings revealed that when students engaged with mathematics, they drew on the LoLT only, or switched between the LoLT and their home languages or between the LoLT, home languages and Kiswahili. Those who switched did so when they were faced with interpretation challenges, when there was need to emphasise a point and due to habitual practices of switching. They commonly switched silently and communicated verbally in the LoLT. The purpose for code switching was to gain understanding of the task. On the other hand, a trilingual student is likely to remain in the LoLT because content has been taught and tasks presented in the LoLT. The key contribution of this study is its focus on the trilingual language context of undergraduate students of mathematics, an area that has not been researched up to now. Furthermore, this study has added to scholarly work in this discipline by establishing that code switching is not the preserve of students who are learning the LoLT; rather, it is a reality for trilingual students who are competent in the LoLT when they engage with mathematics. / Mathematics Education / D. Ed. (Mathematics Education)

This study explored language practices of trilingual undergraduate students of mathematics as they made sense of an algebraic task. Specifically, the study set out to explore whether, how and why trilingual undergraduate students used language(s) to make sense of mathematics. In this study a trilingual speaker is viewed as an individual proficient in three languages and whose proficiency in the languages is not necessarily equal. The speaker uses the three languages either separately or by switching between any two in ways that are determined by his/her communication needs. Exploring language practices helped me to understand how students position themselves as they engage with a mathematics task using mathematical Discourses (capital D) in relation to their trilingual language facility. This facility involves the use of either the language of learning and teaching (LoLT) (English) or the switching between two or three of the languages they know. These languages were home languages, including Kiswahili of the students. In tertiary institutions, English is the LoLT while the home languages are neither taught nor used in the classroom. The study used a qualitative inquiry process, specifically a case study approach. It was conducted at a public university in Kenya with a focus on first-year engineering students with mathematics in their programme. Data were collected using a students‟ questionnaire, and clinical and reflective interviews. A structured questionnaire was used to gather the baseline data, which was used for the selection of 15 interview participants. The clinical interviews provided information on language use as the students engaged with the task, explaining each step of the process, while the aim of the reflective interviews was to identify, ascertain and confirm various actions and different languages and language practices that were not apparent during the clinical interview. The interviews were transcribed and 11 paired transcripts were selected for analysis. The data were analysed using the methods of Discourse analysis (Gee, 2005). This analysis explored how students used language in tandem with non-language “stuff” in a single language or when switching between any two languages and how and why each was used. The focus was on the activities and identities they enacted through their interpretation of the given task and in part of the solution process. The findings revealed that when students engaged with mathematics, they drew on the LoLT only, or switched between the LoLT and their home languages or between the LoLT, home languages and Kiswahili. Those who switched did so when they were faced with interpretation challenges, when there was need to emphasise a point and due to habitual practices of switching. They commonly switched silently and communicated verbally in the LoLT. The purpose for code switching was to gain understanding of the task. On the other hand, a trilingual student is likely to remain in the LoLT because content has been taught and tasks presented in the LoLT. The key contribution of this study is its focus on the trilingual language context of undergraduate students of mathematics, an area that has not been researched up to now. Furthermore, this study has added to scholarly work in this discipline by establishing that code switching is not the preserve of students who are learning the LoLT; rather, it is a reality for trilingual students who are competent in the LoLT when they engage with mathematics. / Mathematics Education / D. Phil. (Mathematics, Science and Technology Education (Mathematics Education))