Teachers tend to use traditional teaching methods, even though young learners are more digitally oriented. The purpose of this study was to analyse teachers' understanding and practices in grade R classes to clarify their use of digital play for language acquisition. The participants consisted of eight grade R teachers at one selected primary school in an urban area that had access to digital technology. Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory as a theoretical framework informed this study. This qualitative single case study generated data from teacher participants and their interaction with the learners. The data generation included semi-structured individual interviews, focus group interviews, and non-participant observations. Analyses to answer the research questions were conducted by means of thematic analysis. The main finding was that grade R teachers have some knowledge and understanding of digital play and they are willing to try new games, but they feel they need to know more about digital technology and the use of digital games for language acquisition. Recommendations include the need for the development of more digital games relevant to language acquisition and for teachers to adopt relevant pedagogies to benefit from available digital games. A similar study in a rural area and a comparison between this study and such a study will then be useful in determining teachers' understanding and use of digital play for language acquisition. / Onderwysers is geneig om tradisionele onderrigmetodes te gebruik, selfs al is jong leerders meer digitaal georiënteerd. Die doel van hierdie studie was om onderwysers se begrip en praktyke in graad R-klasse te ontleed, om hul gebruik van digitale spel vir taalverwerwing duidelik te maak. Die deelnemers het bestaan uit agt graad R-onderwysers by een uitgesoekte laerskool in ʼn stedelike gebied, met toegang tot digitale tegnologie. Hierdie studie is geïnspireer deur Bronfenbrenner se ekologiese stelselteorie as ʼn teoretiese raamwerk. Hierdie kwalitatiewe enkelgevallestudie het data van onderwyser-deelnemers en hul interaksie met die leerders gegenereer. Die datagenerering het halfgestruktureerde individuele onderhoude, fokusgroeponderhoude en niedeelnemer-waarnemings ingesluit. Die vernaamste gevolgtrekking was dat graad R-onderwysers oor ʼn mate van kennis en begrip van digitale spel beskik en dat hulle bereid is om nuwe speletjies te probeer, maar hulle voel hulle behoort meer te weet van digitale tegnologie en die gebruik van digitale speletjies vir taalverwerwing. Aanbevelings sluit in: die behoefte aan die ontwikkeling van meer digitale speletjies wat op taalverwerwing betrekking het; en dat onderwysers tersaaklike pedagogieë moet inspan om uit die beskikbare digitale speletjies voordeel te trek. ʼn Soortgelyke studie in ʼn landelike gebied en ʼn vergelyking tussen hierdie studie en so ʼn studie sal dan nuttig wees om onderwysers se begrip en gebruik van digitale spel vir taalverwerwing te bepaal. / Barutiši ba na le go šomiša mekgwa ya sekgale ya go ruta, le ge e le gore baithuti ba baswa ba na le tsebo ya theknolotši. Morero wa nyakišišo ye e be e le go sekaseka mašomelo le kwešišo ya barutiši ka diphapošing tša kreiti R go hlalosa tšhomišo ya bona ya papadi ya ditšitale ya go ithuta polelo. Bakgathatema ba bopilwe ke barutiši ba seswai ba kreiti R sekolong se se kgethilwego sa poraemari ka nagasetoropong seo se nago le theknolotši ya ditšitale. Teori ya mekgwa ya ekolotši ya Bronfenbrenner bjalo ka foreimiweke ya teori e thekgile nyakišišo ye. Kheisesetati ye e tee ya khwalithethifi e tšweleditše datha go tšwa go bakgathatema ba e lego barutiši le kopano ya bona le baithuti. Tšweletšo ya datha e akareditše dipoledišano tša motho o tee ka o tee tša go beakanywa seripa, dipoledišano tša go nepiša sehlopha, le ditlhokomelo tša ba go se kgathe tema. Ditshekatsheko go araba dipotšišo tša dinyakišišo di dirilwe ka go šomiša tshekatsheko ya thematiki. Kutullo ye kgolo e bile gore barutiši ba kreiti R ba na le tsebo le kwešišo ye nyane ya papadi ya ditšitale le gore ba rata go leka dipapadi tše diswa, eupša ba kwa ba nyaka go tseba tše ntši ka ga theknolotši ya ditšitale le tšhomišo ya dipapadi tša ditšitale tša go ithuta polelo. Ditšhišinyo di akaretša nyakego ya tlhabollo ya dipapadi tša ditšitale tše ntši tša maleba go ithuteng polelo le gore baithuti ba amogela serutiši sa maleba gore ba holege dipapading tša ditšitale. Nyakišišo ye bjalo nagamagaeng le papišo gare ga nyakišišo ye le nyakišišo ye bjalo gona e tla ba le mohola taetšong ya kwešišo ya barutiši le tšhomišo ya papadi ya ditšitale ya go ithuta polelo. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / M. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

Abstract in English, Sepedi and Sesotho / In this thesis, the researcher used an explanatory sequential mixed methods research design to investigate the role of English academic vocabulary on reading comprehension of grade 11 English First Additional Language (EFAL) learners in the Free State province, Fezile Dabi district in South Africa. The current study is an attempt to determine whether the breadth and depth of vocabulary knowledge have a bearing on grade 11 EFAL learners' reading comprehension, and to examine which one of these variables, that is, breadth or depth of vocabulary knowledge, makes a more important contribution to reading comprehension. It also attempts to investigate the Vocabulary Learning Strategies (VLS) used by grade 11 EFAL learners. For the non-experimental quantitative study, the participants of the study were thirty EFAL learners who were chosen based on available sampling. To collect the relevant data, two tests measuring breadth and depth of vocabulary knowledge (Section A and Section B) and a reading comprehension were administered to all participants. To achieve its aim 1, two independent variables namely, the Vocabulary Levels Test (VLT) which measures vocabulary breadth and Word Associate Test (WAT) which measures vocabulary depth were used. Then, the dependent variable was the reading comprehension test in which the participants were asked to read the passages and answer some multiple choice questions. Pearson product-moment correlations and multiple regression were chosen as the dominant techniques for the statistical analyses. The results obtained from the analysis of the data indicated that while both depth and breadth of vocabulary knowledge play an important role in EFAL learners' reading comprehension performance, depth of vocabulary knowledge makes a more important contribution. The results further revealed that depth and breadth of vocabulary knowledge are positively correlated, that is, those learners who had large vocabulary size had a deeper knowledge of the words, too. Then, the findings from the qualitative study based on the data collected through eight focus group discussion participants about the VLS used by grade 11 EFAL learners, highlight that it is important to explore and broaden learners’ vocabulary learning strategic knowledge. Also, results reflect that learners can take control of their own vocabulary learning as long the teachers train and then offer them opportunities to learn and practice the strategies.The qualitative data for this study was analysed using the content analysis method. / Nyakisiso ye e tserwe ka mekgwa ye mentshi ye e hlakantshitsweng lebaka e le go nyakishisha ka karolo yeo polelo ya Sepediya poleloya tlatselletso e ralokang karolo dithutong tsa polelo ya go bala taodiso mphatong wa lesometee (11) polelong go bana kua porofenseng ya Foreistata e bitswang Fezile Dabi, districting (lefapheng) gona mo Aforika Borwa. Gonabjalo dithuto di ipontsha go ikemisetsa go tseba ka bophara le bogolo ba tsebo ka polelo ya sepedi ka seo e leng sona Mphatong wa le sometee (11), polelong ya tlatselletso ya bana ba mphato wa lesometee ka go bala ga taodisho. Go nyakega di nyakisiso ka mekgwa yeo oka e berekisang ke bana ba Mphato wa lesometee polelong ya tlatselletso. Go thuto yeo e tiilego batseakarolo ba masome a mararo (30) ba polelo ya tletselletso e leng bana ba sekolo bao ba kgethilweng ka mokgwa wa dinyakisiso tse di ntshitswego. Go humana palo ya mannete, dihlahlobo tse pedi (2) tseo ditlago go lekanetsa bogolo le bophara ba tsebo ya go bolela le go bala taodisho e filwe batseakarolo kamoka. Go humana maikemisetso a pele (1). Tseo di ikemetsego di bolelwe, le hlahlobo ya polelo ya mantswe eo e lekanyetsago polelo ka bophara e berekishitswe. Seo se ikemetsego e be ele go bala teko ya taodiso ye batseakarolo ba kgopetsweng go bala ditemana le go araba dipotsiso tse mmalwa tseo dikgethilweng. Dipoelo tseo di humanwego gotswa go dipalo tsa tseo ditserweng ka bophara le go bolela ga polelo kapa yona tsebo ya polelo yeo e ralokileng karolo e bohlokwa go polelo ya tlatselletso go baithuti ka go bala taodiso yeo e tsereng karolo ka bophara kapa bogolo ba tsebo ya polelo e dira gore go be bohlokwa gotseyeng karolo. Dipoelo go tswela pele di bontsha bogolo le bophora ka tsebo polelo di ya kopana di ya tsamaisana nang ka tsela ya maleba, Baithuti ba palo ya godimo bao ba nang le tsebo ya polelo yeo e tibileng ka mantswe le bona baya amega. Gotswa go dinyakisiso tseo di fitisisago go humanwe gore dipalopalo go tswa go dihlopa tse sesawi tseo kapa bao batsereng karolo ka mekgwa ya nyakisiso kapa tsebo ya polelo yeo e berekisitswego go bana ba Mphato wa bo lesometee (11) polelong ya tlatselletso e hlagisa gore go bohlokwa gore bogolo ba baithuti bainyakisisetse ka tsebo ya mekgwa ya polelo. Dipoelo di bontsha thuto ya polelo go barutegi bao barutiwago ba filwe monyetla wa go ithuta le go tsea karolo go mekgwa ya go ithuta e fapaneng. / Mokgwa ona o tswakilweng wa ho hlahloba karolo ya puo ya Senyesemane ka ho bala kutlwisiso ya diithuti tsa Sekolo sa Pele sa Puo ea Senyesemane sa Pele (EFAL) seprofinseng sa Free State seterekeng sa Fezile Dabi, Arika Borwa. Phuputso ya morao tjena ke boiteko ba ho bona hore na bophara le botebo ba tsebo wa mantswe di na le sebopeho sa ho bala sekolo sa EFAL, mme ho hlahloba e nngwe ya mefuta ena, ke hore, bophara kapa botebo ba tsebo ya mantswe, e etsa monehelo wa bohlokwa haholwanyane ho bala kutlwisiso. E boetse e leka ho batlisisa mekgwa ya ho ithuta ya mantswe (VLT) e sebediswang ke barutwana ba 11 EFAL. Bakeng sa dipatlisiso tse ngata, barupeluwa ba thuto ba ne ba e-na le diithuti tse mashome a mararo tsa EFAL tse kgethilweng di thehilwe ho sampole e fumanehang. Ho bokella boitsebiso bo nepahetseng, diteko tse pedi tse lekanyang le bophara ba tsebo ya mantswe (Karolo ya A le Section B) mme kutlwisiso ya ho bala e ne e tsamaiswa ho bohle ba barupeluwa. Ho finyella sepheo sa yona 1, mefuta e mmedi e ikemetseng, e leng. Tlhahlobo ya disebediswatsa vocabulary (VLT) e lekanyang tekanyao ya mantswe le Testing (WAT) e lekanyang e tibeleng ya mantswe e sebedisitsweng. Jwale, moelelo o itshetlehile ka ho bala teko ya kutlwisiso eo barupeluwa ba ileng ba koptjoa hore ba bale dipatlisiso le ho araba dipotso tse ngata. Diphello tse fumanweng ha ho hlahlojwa boitsebiso bo bontshiitse hore ho tseba hore boitsebiso bo bongata bo tebileng le bobopeho ba tsebo ya mantswe bo phetha karolo ya bohlokwa haholo. Diphello di ile tsa tswela pele ho senola hore tsebo le tsebo ya tsebo di tsamaisana hantle, ke hore, baithuti ba neng ba e-na le boholo ba di-vocabulary bana le tsebo e tebileng ya mantswe, hape. Jwale dithuto tse tswang thupelong ya boleng bo thehilweng boitsebisong ba dihlopha tse robedi tsa dipuisano tsa dihlopha tsa dipuisano ka sehlopha sa VLS se sebedisitsweng ka dihlopha tsa bo 11 ba EFAL di bontsha hore ke habohlokwa ho hlahloba le ho atolosa tsebo ya diithuti tsa ho ithuta tsebo. Hape, diphello di bontsha hore barupeluwa ba ka nka boikarabelo ba ho ithuta mantswe ha nako e telele matichere a ntse a kwetliswa mme jwale a ba fa menyetla ya ho ithuta le ho sebeisa manqheka. / Language Education, Arts and Culture / D. Phil. (Education)