Magister Artium - MA / Instructional verbs (such as analyse, summarise, apply, evaluate) have been referred to as performatives and have become the object of initiatives around developing and assessing students' academic literacy competencies. Although there are extensive studies on developing and evaluating performatives such as analyse, apply, create, there is one instructional verb that has not received much attention. It is the verb 'define'. The neglect of 'defining' as a performative in the relevant research on academic literacies may be explained by the low value attributed to this performative in different taxonomies of educational outcomes where it is placed along with verbs such as 'list', 'identify', 'recall' identified as lower-order thinking skills. As a result of the dearth of studies of definition in academic literacy contexts, there are a number of questions that have not been addressed. We do not know the extent to which definitional knowledge may be central to efforts at developing the overall academic literacy of students. We do not know if the language in which students read academic texts (home language or second/third language) affects their ability to differentiate definitions from non-definitions, or to formulate definitions of concepts. This point is especially important as it is all too often assumed that (even without attention to relevant academic literacy development) the use of the home language of students necessarily enhances academic performance. Also, our knowledge is rather limited with respect to how different definitional structures affect the ability of students to recognize definitions in their study materials. It is also not clear how to intervene in order to make it explicit to students what may be expected of them in terms of defining in their academic work. Given the foregoing, this research analyses the notion of ‘definition’ as an integral component of the academic literacy of university students, with the focus being on determining the knowledge around definitions possessed by students in the Linguistics and Xhosa departments of the University of the Western Cape. Specifically, the study assesses the following: the structure of definitions in selected textbooks; students' awareness of the existence of different definitional structures in their textbooks; their ability to identify the concepts being defined in specific passages; their ability to define concepts; their ability to distinguish definitions from non-definitions; and their awareness of how definitions may be introduced. The study also investigates how the language of the textbook (home language versus second/third language of the students) may impact on the performance of students in assessments of definitional knowledge. In terms of theoretical framing, the study is informed by an approach to definitions taken in the field of terminology and by the academic literacy framework which stipulates that students' academic literacy practices are inextricably shaped by different factors such as basic skills possessed by them, institutional ideologies, contexts and issues of power. The research uses a mixed-method paradigm. A total of 100 definitions excerpted from English and isiXhosa textbooks were analysed qualitatively to describe the structure of definitions (in the textbooks), using as parameters the following: definiendum (item to be defined), definiens (meaning) and definitor (link between definiendum and definiens). Quantitative data on students' knowledge of different aspects of the notion 'definition' were collected by means of questionnaires completed by 50 students from each of the Linguistics and Xhosa departments of the University of the Western Cape. While the former have English as their major language of academic literacy, the latter have isiXhosa. Chi-square tests were administered to examine whether or not there was a significant relationship between the language of the questionnaire and students' performance. Overall, the research findings suggest that definition writing is not an autonomous phenomenon; rather, it is socioculturally (e.g. language, discipline) shaped. In this respect, the way definitions are structured in English (in a linguistics textbook) is in many respects different from the way they are constructed in isiXhosa (in books on cultural studies). With regard to students' performance on a range of definition tasks in the questionnaires administered, the findings reveal that the major language of academic literacy (also home language in the case of Xhosa students) may have a positive impact on how students perform tasks requiring them to, for instance, identify definienda (concepts being defined) and definientia (meanings), and/or to spot a definition within a passage. Unlike with these datasets, other findings show that the main language of academic literacy is not a significant explanation of students' underperformance in tasks requiring them to identify a definition that is wrongly introduced and also to produce definitions of their own. The findings underscore the need for explicit teaching as recommended by the academic literacies model. A pedagogical guide outlining how a course on definition could be structured is proposed.

Post-Apartheid South Africa has undergone an educational language policy shift from only Afrikaans and English in education to the representation of all 11 official languages: Afrikaans, English, isiZulu, isiXhosa, isiNdebele, siSwati, Sesotho, Setswana, Tshivenda and Xitsonga. The national languages policy included the Language in Education Policy (LiEP), which stipulates that learners from grades 1- 3 in all ways possible should be provided the opportunity to be taught in their home language (HL). With this change, there has been a need to increase access to African languages in education. The 2007 Status of LoLT report released by the Department of Education (DoE) revealed that since 1996 up to 65% of learners in the foundation phase are being taught in their home language. In other ways, the LiEP has been successful in bridging the gap of access to African languages in the basic education system. With that said, there has been rapid growth of interest in early childhood crosscultural literacy assessment across the globe. Internationally South Africa has participated in the Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Education Quality as well as the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study studies. The design of these particular international studies meant participation in the same assessment but in different languages, calling into question the equivalence of assessments across languages. Assessing across languages should aim to encourage linguistic equivalence, functioning equivalence, cultural equivalence as well as metric equivalence. South Africa has taken part in three cycles of the Progress in International Reading Literacy (PIRLS) study. The purposes of the current study is to present secondary analysis of the prePIRLS 2011 data, to investigate any differential item functioning (DIF) of the achievement scores between English and isiXhosa. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) developed a framework of input, process and output for curriculum process. The framework shows the multiple facets that needs to be considered when implementing a curriculum in a country. The curriculum process framework was used as the theoretical framework for this study. The framework views curriculum success as a process of measuring how the intended curriculum (input) was implemented (process) and should be reflected in the attained curriculum (output). The adapted framework is LiEP as the attained curriculum, as learners in the prePIRLS 2011 are tested in the LoLT in Grades 1-3. Followed by the prePIRLS 2011 assessment, as the implemented curriculum testing the learners’ comprehension skills requires by grade 4 in their HL. Lastly, the attained curriculum refers the learners’ achievement scores in the prePIRLS 2011 study. A sample of 819 Grade 4 learners (539 English L1 speaking learners and 279 isiXhosa L1 speakign learners) that participated in the prePIRLS 2011 study were included in this study. These learners wrote a literary passage called The Lonely Giraffe, accompanied by 15 items. The study made use of the Rasch model to investigate any evidence of Differential Item Functioning (DIF) on the reading achievement of the learners. The findings showed that the items did not reflect an equal distribution. In addition, an item by item DIF analysis revealed discrimination on one subgroup over the other. A further investigation showed that these discriminations could be explained by means of inaccurate linguistic equivalence. The linguistic equivalence could be explained by means of mistranslation and/or dialectal differences. Subsequently, the complexities of dialects in African languages are presented by providing isiXhosa alternative translations to the items. The significance of the current study is in its potential contribution in further understanding language complexities in large-scale assessments. Additionally, in attempts to provide valid, reliable and fair assessment data across sub-groups. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / Centre for Evaluation & Assessment (CEA) / MEd / Unrestricted

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Many South African Foundation Phase learners perform poorly in literacy, especially in reading and writing. The Annual National Assessment (ANA) results show that many Grade 3 learners experience difficulties in reading and in writing sentences from pictures (Howie, Venter, Van Staden, Zimmerman, Long, Scherman & Archer, 2008). The learners also struggle to produce meaningful written sentences, even though they are taught through the medium of their own home languages, including African languages (Department of Basic Education, 2013). To enrich learners’ language and literacy skills, the Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) encourages the use of figurative and metaphorical language through the teaching of folklore. However, CAPS does not provide explicit guidelines on how folklore ought be taught to enhance learners’ literacy skills.

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The purpose of this thesis is to present an isiXhosa task-based syllabus design for police communication. The aim is to provide a theory-based rationale for syllabus design to teach English- and Afrikaans-speaking police officials isiXhosa as a second language in order to communicate with the isiXhosa mother tongue police officials inside the police station (internal), as well as with the isiXhosa speaking community (external). For this purpose, a needs analysis is conducted, i.e. the communication needs and objectives of the police officials are determined. Therefore, the aim is to determine the proficiency level of the police officials in terms of their knowledge about isiXhosa. The thesis undertakes this investigation in order to determine the type of communication used by the police officials. Communicative tasks, appropriate for police officials on an intermediate level, were constructed accordingly for the purpose of identifying central task types. An analysis of each dialogue is done in order to determine the level of cognitive, as well as syntactic complexity. Each of these dialogues can be scaled in terms of their complexity, i.e. the complexity can either be increased or decreased. The aim of the communicative tasks is to teach learners various ways in which different parts of texts relate to one another. Furthermore, the purpose of this thesis is to determine the way in which Task-based Language Teaching can be incorporated into a syllabus design in order to teach isiXhosa to police officials as a second language. The aim of Task-based Language Teaching is to create natural contexts in which communicative tasks can be performed. The communicative tasks should enable the police officials to use the language in order to communicate in the world outside the classroom. The study concludes that specific purpose syllabus design is a multi-faceted process, hence it requires a multi-perspective approach as demonstrated in this thesis. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie tesis is om 'n Taakgebaseerde Sillabusontwerp vir polisiekommunikasie voor te stel. Die mikpunt is om 'n teoreties-gebaseerde rasionaal vir sillabusontwerp te verskaf om sodoende Engels- en Afrikaanssprekende polisielede isiXhosa as tweede taal te leer sodat hulle in staat is om met polisielede in die polisiestasie (intern), asook met die gemeenskap (ekstern) te kommunikeer. Vir hierdie doeleinde is dit nodig om 'n behoefte-analise saam te stel, met ander woorde die kommunikasiebehoeftes en -doelwitte van die polisielede. Die doel is dus om die bevoegdheidsvlak van die polisielede te bepaal in terme van hul kennis rakende isiXhosa. Dit sluit 'n ondersoek in om vas te stel watter tipe kommunikasie deur die polisielede gebruik word. Kommunikatiewe take, geskik vir polisielede op 'n intermediere vlak, is daarvolgens saamgestel om sodoende sentrale taaktipes te identifiseer. Elke dialoog is geanaliseer in terme van kognitiewe, asook sintaktiese kompleksiteit. Elkeen van hierdie dialoe kan georden word in terme van hul kompleksiteit, met ander woorde die kompleksiteit kan of verhoog of verlaag word. Die doel van die kommunikatiewe take is om leerders verskeie maniere te wys waarop verskillende dele van tekste verband hou met mekaar. Verder is die doel van hierdie tesis om te bepaal hoe Taakgebaseerde Taalonderrig in 'n sillabusontwerp inkorporeer kan word om sodoende isiXhosa as tweede taal aan polisielede te leer. Die mikpunt van Taakgebaseerde Taalonderrig is om natuurlike kontekste te skep waarin kommunikatiewe take uitgevoer kan word. Die kommunikatiewe take is veronderstel om polisielede in staat te stel om die taal te gebruik sodat hulle in die wereld buite die klaskamer kan kommunikeer. Die gevolgtrekking van die studie is dat 'n sillabusontwerp vir spesifieke doeleindes, 'n multi-kenmerkende proses is, en dus 'n multi-perspektiewe benadering vereis soos wat demonstreer is in hierdie tesis.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The study investigates the acquisition of vocabulary and passive constructions by 11 four-year-old children simultaneously acquiring South African English, Afrikaans and isiXhosa in low socio-economic status areas in South Africa, with specific focus on the role that input plays in this process. Input is measured in terms of quantity of exposure (at the time of testing and cumulatively over time) and in terms of quality (as determined by the proficiency levels of the speaker(s) providing the input). Results revealed a significant positive correlation between input and proficiency levels in the case of all three the trilinguals’ languages. The interaction between these variables seems to be narrower at lower levels of input, and the effect of reduced quantity of exposure stronger in the case of lexical development than in grammatical development. The proficiency levels of the early developing trilinguals are furthermore compared to those of 10 age-matched monolingual controls for each language. Trilinguals are found to be monolingual-like in their lexical development in the language to which, on average, they have been exposed most over time, i.e. isiXhosa. Thus, as previously found for bilingual development, necessarily reduced quantity of exposure does not hinder lexical development in the input dominant language. Whilst the trilinguals lag behind monolinguals significantly in terms of lexical development in their languages of less exposure, no developmental delay is found in their acquisition of the passive, regardless of the language of testing. This is despite their lower lexical proficiency in English and Afrikaans and their lesser amount of exposure to all three their languages. Although the passive is considered a typically later-developing construction type across languages, research has shown it to be acquired earlier in Bantu languages (of which isiXhosa is an example) than in Germanic languages such as English and Dutch (from which Afrikaans stems). Consequently, the fact that the trilinguals do not exhibit delay in their acquisition of the passive, despite sometimes drastically reduced levels of input, is interpreted as evidence of cross-linguistic bootstrapping: trilinguals seem to be transferring their knowledge of the passive in isiXhosa to English and Afrikaans, enabling the earlier acquisition of this construction in the latter two languages. The study is the first on the trilingual acquisition of English, Afrikaans and isiXhosa by young children, and will hopefully encourage additional research on multilingual language acquisition within the African context. / AFRIKKANSE OPSOMMING: Die studie ondersoek die verwerwing van woordeskat en passiefkonstruksies deur 11 vierjarige kinders wat in lae sosio-ekonomiese areas in Suid-Afrika gelyktydig Suid-Afrikaanse Engels, Afrikaans en isiXhosa verwerf. Die fokus van die studie is op die rol van toevoer in hierdie spesifieke verwerwingsproses. Toevoer word gemeet in terme van hoeveelheid blootstelling (ten tyde van toetsing en kumulatief oor tyd heen) en in terme van kwaliteit (soos bepaal deur die vaardigheidsvlakke van die persone wat die toevoer verskaf). Die resultate toon ’n beduidende positiewe verhouding tussen toevoer en vaardigheidsvlakke in geval van al drie die drietalige kinders se tale. Die interaksie tussen hierdie veranderlikes blyk nouer te wees by laer vlakke van toevoer, en die effek van afname in hoeveelheid toevoer sterker in geval van leksikale teenoor grammatikale ontwikkeling. Die vaardigheidsvlakke van die jong ontwikkelende drietalige kinders is verder ook vergelyk met, in die geval van elkeen van die afsonderlike tale, díé van 10 eentalige sprekers van soortgelyke ouderdom. Die drietalige kinders vertoon soos eentaliges in terme van leksikale ontwikkeling in die taal waaraan hulle gemiddeld die meeste blootgestel is oor tyd heen, d.i. isiXhosa. Dus, soos vantevore bevind vir tweetalige ontwikkeling, vertraag noodwendig verminderde hoeveelhede toevoer nie leksikale ontwikkeling in die toevoer-dominante taal nie. Alhoewel die drietaliges in geval van hulle tale van minder blootstelling beduidend stadiger leksikale ontwikkeling toon as die eentaliges, is daar geen blyke van vertraagde ontwikkeling in terme van hulle verwerwing van die passief nie, ongeag die taal van toetsing ̶ dít ten spyte van hulle laer leksikale vaardigheidsvlakke in Engels en Afrikaans en verminderde toevoer in al drie tale. Die passief word oor tale heen beskou as ’n tipies laat-ontwikkelende konstruksietipe, maar navorsing het bewys dat dit tog vroeër verwerf word in Bantoetale (waarvan isiXhosa ’n voorbeeld is) as in Germaanse tale soos Engels en Nederlands (die taal waarin Afrikaans sy oorsprong het). Die feit dat die drietaliges nie vertraagde ontwikkeling toon in hulle verwerwing van die passief nie, ten spyte van soms drasties verminderde toevoer, word gevolglik beskou as bewyse van kruis-linguistiese ondersteuning (“bootstrapping”): die drietaliges blyk hulle kennis van die passief in isiXhosa oor te dra na Engels en Afrikaans, wat sodoende die verwerwing van hierdie konstruksie in laasgenoemde twee tale bespoedig. Die studie is die eerste oor die drietalige verwerwing van Engels, Afrikaans en isiXhosa deur jong kinders, en die hoop is dat dit sal lei tot verdere navorsing oor veeltalige taalverwerwing binne die Afrika-konteks.

MASTERS FACULTY OF HUMANITIES SCHOOL OF LITERATURE AND LANGUAGE STUDIES STUDENT NO: 0111542N / The study deals with term creation in translation comparing isiXhosa and isiZulu in relation to paraphrasing, borrowing, compounding, semantic transfer and derivation as five major processes used by translators in African Languages to compensate for terminology gap. The study is conducted within the Descriptive Translation Studies approach and it deals with how translator’s strategies are influenced by norms. The extracted source text terms in this study are from the English Constitution as the source text whilst the isiXhosa and isiZulu terms are extracted from the isiXhosa and isiZulu Constitutions respectively. The study has indicated that out of the five selected processes, paraphrasing is the most frequently chosen strategy in African Languages. With regard to borrowing, it has been shown that not all types of borrowing (as discussed by Cluver 1989) are possible in these languages and that every borrowed term has to be modified according to phonological, morphological and orthographical rules of these two languages. The study is concluded by arguing that term creation processes in translation are universal features of translated texts in African languages and they are effective translation strategies in languages of limited diffusion. In addition, translated texts are sources/ depositories of terminology and consequently they can play a role in language development activities.

The study endeavoured to establish what had been done after 1994, by looking at the literature that reported the activities and documents that were produced. This was done against the background of what language policy and planning stand for. How these are conducted and how they influence the language ecology, was also central to our discussions. The analysis of what took place on the ground revealed that all the promising activities that were engaged in immediately post-apartheid were not sustained and did not produce the much anticipated outcomes. Much evidence for the dismal failure can be attributed to lack of accountability on the part of the powers that be. Recommendations are offered, emphasising, among others, an understanding of the importance of languages to their speakers. It is also important to understand the effects of colonisation and apartheid on the dehumanisation of the South African indigenous languages and how this has also influenced the current generation. We also need to demystify the myth that a language that is foreign to the majority of the population can serve as a unifying element and the idea that foreign and colonial languages can help us access education, employment, economy and law. These are some of the things we are advised to heed in our attempt to improve the situation of these languages. An ideal situation has been alluded to for the stakeholders to follow in the steps of those engaged in the Modernity/Coloniality-Decoloniality Collective Project. It follows two closely related directions: one analytic and the other programmatic. The analytic seeks “to excavate the dark side of domination, where racialization on inter-subjective social relations, and the control of knowledge, labor, land, and nature are revealed as operations of power” over the oppressed people (Veronelli, 2015). This goes hand in hand with the programme which is articulated around the notion of decoloniality, intended “to decolonize all areas of the colonial matrix of power to release the fullness of human relations” (Mignolo 2013, quoted in Veronelli, 2015). / African Languages / M.A. (African Languages)

This study examined how isiXhosa-speaking women street traders in Cape Town's Langa Township exercised agency in responding to similar structural constraints and opportunities that affected their livelihoods. Drawing on Giddens's Structuration Theory and Sen's Capabilities Approach, I unpacked and conceptualised agency as five dimensions (reflexivity, motivation, rationality, purposive action and transformative capacity). This analytical framework was then used to assess the ways in which women from a poor township community exercised their agency as street traders. A case study methodology (n=25) was adopted using participant observation and in-depth interviews. Miles and Huberman's thematic coding approach guided the qualitative analysis. The study found that structurally imposed constraints were rooted in class, multiple sources of power dynamics, and material constraints related to health; while opportunities emanated from market mechanisms of supply and demand, community social support systems in the form of social capital and social networks, family support and statutory social welfare programmes. Other key findings included resistance to patriarchy, cultural norms and practices, such as submission to abusive partners and unreasonable demands from extended family members. The findings report structure and agency as mutually constitutive in so far as familial circumstances, previous work experience, social capital, educational achievements and temporality either reinforced or diminished the participants' agency. Three profiles of agency among the women traders emerged from the data. The profiles demonstrated varying degrees of enablement (most enabled, moderately enabled and least enabled) and that individual agency was a distinguishing factor. Reflexivity, as a dimension of agency, presented as more fluid and malleable than the other four dimensions. The findings show that agency is reasonably elastic and it can expand capabilities and opportunities for enablement. Finally, the study proposed a diagnostic tool for assessing and enhancing agency with potential applications in entrepreneurial training for development. My study contributes to a theoretical understanding of the concept of agency, the role it plays in development at a micro-level and criteria for assessment. Furthermore, lessons learnt from the profiles can be applied to development practice and entrepreneurial training among African women traders.

Magister Educationis - MEd / This study investigated the use of folktales in enhancing literacy development among Grade 3 isiXhosa-speaking learners in one Western Cape primary school. It was inspired by my quest to explain the low literacy performance levels of Foundation Phase learners, especially those taught through the medium of African languages. Although learners are taught in their mother-tongue in this phase, the reported national literacy results do not reflect this educational advantage. Education reports continually indicate low literacy levels in the Annual National Assessments (ANAs). Underdeveloped literacy skills are likely to have a negative impact on the child’s academic progress throughout and beyond the schooling years. This study focused on the use of folktales in fostering imaginative and critical thinking as folktales present language in its natural state. They are regarded as the best tool for whole language and literacy development. Folktales are central to the indigenous knowledge system (IKS) which is an educational and cultural tool that exposes children to oral literacy, even before they acquire literacy My enquiry is premised on the idea that technology should not replace the indigenous knowledge that may be acquired through folktales. Instead, deeper sustainable research into the role of folktales in children’s acquisition of indigenous knowledge is of paramount importance for generating creative and analytical responses and for understanding the role of folktales in young children’s education. For these reasons this study applied qualitative research methodology to investigate how teachers make use of folktales to enhance Grade 3 learners’ literacy skills in isiXhosa. It drew on Sociocultural Theory to explore their pedagogical strategies in this endeavour.The findings show that folktales are oral epistemic tools which may be utilised to foster a learnercentred approach that promotes learners’ ability to grasp ideas. The study concludes that folktales are instruments of pedagogical, social and cultural knowledge which may be used across the curriculum.

Thesis (MEd (Curriculum Studies))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The study seeks to investigate how a language is used in teaching and learning of natural science in the intermediate phase, with specific reference to the way in which isiXhosa (learners’ home language) is used alongside English (the resource language and medium of teaching and learning). My research investigated teaching and learning practice materials in two classes and studied the roles of English and isiXhosa in mediating cognitively challenging subject content, particularly natural science concepts and terminology. In chapter two I refer to different theoreticians to advance my argument around the use of language as a tool to promote cognitive development and conceptual understanding in areas of academic learning in this case, natural science. I looked at work done internationally on cognitive development and then explored numerous research projects conducted on the same issue in an African context around the use of indigenous languages in teaching and learning. I also explored the Language in Education Policy underpinning the natural science curriculum statement, particularly the distinction between additive and subtractive bi/multilingualism. I will discuss the language of science and investigate how this highly specialised natural science jargon is used to convey understanding of science to learners who are not native speakers of English. Classroom observations and interviews with teachers are used to gain insight into the use of both isiXhosa and English in everyday teaching and learning. Teaching and learning materials such as textbooks and learners’ work are also explored. These are attempts to determine how natural science concepts and terminology are explained to learners and which language is used and for what purposes? The study concludes that the lack of materials in isiXhosa, coupled with unplanned code switching to English and the extensive use of English borrowings affect learners’ ability to understand cognitively challenging material. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie ondersoek hoe taal gebruik word in die onderrig en leer van natuurwetenskap in die interim fase met spesifieke verwysing na die wyse waarop isiXhosa (die leerders se huistaal) saam met Engels (die taal van hulpbronne en van onderrig-leer). My navorsing het die onderrig en leer praktyke van en materiaal in twee klasse ondersoek en die rolle van isiXhosa en Engels bestudeer waar kognitief-komplekse leermateriaal, veral natuurwetenskap konsepte en terminologie gebruik is. In hoofstuk twee verwys ek na verskeie teoretici om my argument oor die gebruik van taal as instrument om kognitiewe ontwikkeling en konseptuele begrip van natuurwetenskap (in hierdie geval) te bevorder, te ondersteun. Ek ondersoek internasionale perspektiewe op kognitiewe en konseptuele ontwikkeling in akademiese kontekste, in hierdie geval natuurwetenskap, opgevolg deur ‘n verskeidenheid van navorsingsprojekte op dieselfde onderwerp in die konteks van Afrika, veral wat betref die gebruik van inheemse tale in leer en onderrig. Ek neem die Taal in Onderrig Beleid onderliggend aan die natuurwetenskap kurrikulumverklaring in ag, met spesifieke verwysing na die onderskeid tussen aanvullende en afbrekende twee- en meertaligheid. Die taal wat in die natuurwetenskappe gebruik word, word ook onder die loep geneem en die ondersoek fokus op die wyse waarop hierdie hoogs gespesialiseerde vaktaal gebruik word om natuurwetenskap by leerders wat nie huistaalsprekers van Engels is nie, tuis te bring. Klaskamerwaarneming en onderhoude met onderwysers is gebruik om insig te verkry in die gebruik van beide isiXhosa en Engels in daaglikse onderrig en leer. Onderrig- en leermateriaal soos handboeke en leerders se werk is ook ondersoek. Hierdie is gedoen om uit te vind hoe natuurwetenskap konsepte en terminologie aan leerders verduidelik word en watter taal gebruik word vir watter doeleindes. Die studie kom tot die gevolgtrekking dat ‘n gebrek aan onderrig- en leermateriaal saam met onbeplande kodewisseling tussen Engels en Afrikaans en die uitgebreide gebruik van leenwoorde uit Engels beïnvloed die leerders se vermoë om kognitief komplekse materiaal te verstaan.