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Doctorat en sciences psychologiques / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study is motivated by existing information on the discontinuity between home literacy practices and school literacy expectations of learners who typically speak a local variety of their mothertongue which is in various ways different from the standardised language of learning and teaching (LoLT). In this particular case the study refers to Afrikaans as a home language and language in education. The main concern is that these learners typically perform below par in standardised South African literacy tests such as the Annual National Assessment (ANA) and the Systemic Evaluation Test. They show slower achievement of literacy milestones, higher school drop-out rates and less achievement of access to higher learning opportunities (Lahire, 1995; Siegel, 2007). A Narrative Enrichment Programme was developed as a means of investigating questions concerning learners’ levels of language awareness, their understanding and use of different spoken and written genres, registers and varieties of Afrikaans (including their own), and their general appreciation for spoken and written forms of language in narrative and in other everyday uses. The purpose of such an investigation is to better understand the apparent discontinuity between home language practices and school language expectations, and to suggest new ways of addressing difficulties that arise in literacy development as a result of such discontinuity. The first part of the Narrative Enrichment Programme provided learners with an enriched reading, listening and writing environment in which they could engage with novel stories and work towards producing their own little books. The second part of the programme consisted of supporting exercises that addressed narrative structure issues that arose in the course of the first part. Specifically, exercises of picture-sequencing, picture-sentence matching and an exercise called Beginning, Middle and End were used to assess how learners recount the various components and the chronology of a story that was presented to them in the form of a set of topically connected pictures, and in a longer narrative that was read to them. Findings show that learners have a keen appreciation of the spoken form of language in that they loved listening to the stories. One group showed special enthusiasm for retelling stories that they had heard at home. Another aspect of the programme to which learners responded enthusiastically, was the activity of illustrating little books; this they appeared to enjoy more than writing them. Enthusiastic responses of learners are attended to because learning is much more likely to proceed successfully if learners enjoy the developmental activities. Levels of linguistic awareness with regards to genre, register and grammatical aspects such as spelling differed from learner to learner. Learners showed varying degrees of dependence on the already familiar genres of fables and fairy tales. Regarding writing conventions they also showed varying degrees of awareness of (e.g.) appropriate punctuation. Interesting examples of regional language use which included phonological awareness of the spoken form are discussed in considerable detail. There were unexpected findings regarding the influence that learners’ life experiences have on their narrative products. The picture sequencing activities reflected learners’ use of familiar everyday events and artefacts rather than reference to ones unfamiliar to them, which were apparently intended in the set of pictures. The rich and varied data that was collected, illustrates theoretical positions regarding the different kinds of habitus learners encounter, the ways in which educational systems privilege some linguistic resources above others, the connections between language and identity, and the ways in which new forms of literacy may assist in better facilitating learners’ emerging literacy and the learning that such literacy should facilitate. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie is gemotiveer deur inligting oor die diskontinuïteit tussen tuisgebaseerde geletterdheidspraktyke en skoolgeletterdheidsverwagtinge van leerders wat tipies ’n plaaslike variant van hulle moedertaal praat, wat op verskeie maniere verskil van die gestandardiseerde taal wat as medium van onderrig gebruik word. In hierdie geval verwys die studie na Afrikaans as huistaal en taal-in-onderrig. Die kwessies wat hier ter sake is, is dat hierdie leerders tipies benede die verwagtinge presteer in gestandaardiseerde Suid Afrikaanse geletterdheidstoetse soos die Jaarlikse Nasionale Assessering (ANA) en die Sistemiese Evalueringstoets. Hulle bereik geletterdheidsmylpale stadiger as die norm, vertoon hoër skooluitsaksyfers en minder van hulle behaal toegang tot hoër onderwysgeleenthede (Lahire, 1995; Siegel, 2007). ʼn Narratiewe Verrykingsprogram is ontwikkel as ʼn instrument om vrae te ondersoek wat verband hou met leerders se vlakke van taalbewustheid, hulle begrip en gebruik van verskillende gesproke en geskrewe genres, registers en variante van Afrikaans (insluitend hulle eie), en hul algemene waardering vir gesproke en geskrewe vorme van taal in narratief en in ander alledaagse gebruike. Die doel van so 'n ondersoek is om die ooglopende diskontinuïteit tussen huistaalpraktyke en skooltaalverwagtinge beter te verstaan, en om voorstelle te ontwikkel vir die aanspreek van probleme wat in geletterdheisontwikkeling ontstaan as gevolg van so ʼn diskontinuïteit. Die eerste deel van die Narratiewe Verrykingsprogram het leerders voorsien van 'n verrykte omgewing waarin hulle aktief betrokke kon raak by nuwe verhale en kon werk aan die produksie van hul eie klein boekies. Die tweede deel van die program het bestaan uit ondersteuningsoefeninge wat spesifiek kwessies van narratiefstruktuur wat in die eerste deel na vore gekom het, aangespreek het. Meer spesifiek, prentorganiseringsoefeninge, die verbind van sinne aan illustrasies, en 'n oefening genaamd “Begin, Middel en Einde” is gebruik om na te gaan hoe leerders rekenskap gee van die verskillende komponente en die chronologie van ’n verhaal wat aan hulle voorgehou is in die vorm van ʼn stel tematies verwante illustrasies, en in ʼn langer narratief wat aan hulle voorgelees is. Bevindinge toon dat leerders waardering vir die gesproke vorm van taal het, soos geïllustreer in hulle luistergereedheid as stories voorgelees word. Een groep het entoesiasme getoon vir die oorvertel van stories wat hulle by die huis gehoor het. ’n Ander aspek van die program waarop leerders met entoesiasme gereageer het, was die aktiwiteit van illustrasie van hulle boekies; hulle het kennelik die aanbied van visuele illustrasies meer geniet as die skryfproses. Entoesiasme van leerders is as belangrik beskou omdat leerprosesse baie meer waarskynlik geslaagd sal wees as leerders die ontwikkelingsaktiwiteit geniet. Vlakke van taalbewustheid ten opsigte van genre, register en grammatikale aspekte soos spelling, verskil van een leerder tot ’n volgende. Leerders het verskillende grade van afhanklikheid getoon van die fabel- en sprokiegenres. Betreffende skryfkonvensies het hulle wisselende grade van bewustheid getoon van (bv.) gepaste leestekengebruik. Interessante voorbeelde van die gebruik van streektaal, wat fonologiese bewussyn van die gesproke vorm insluit, word in besonderhede bespreek. Daar was onvoorsiene bevindinge betreffende die invloed wat leerders se lewenservaringe op hulle narratiewe produkte gehad het. Die prentordeningsaktiwiteite het leerders se gebruik van bekende alledaagse gebeure en artefakte gereflekteer; hulle het nie verwys na wat vir hulle onbekend was nie al het die stel prente oënskynlik iets anders beoog as wat die leerders daarvan gemaak het. Die ryk en gevarieerde data wat versamel is, illustreer teoretiese posisies rakende die verskillende soorte habitus waarmee leerders gekonfronteer word, die wyse waarop onderwyssisteme party soorte taalvaardighede bo ander reken, die verbande tussen taal en identiteit, en die maniere waarop nuwe vorme van geletterdheid ingespan kan word om leerders se ontluikende geletterdheid en die leergeleenthede wat sodanige geletterdheid fasiliteer, te bevorder.

published_or_final_version / abstract / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / abstract / Linguistics / Master / Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics

published_or_final_version / abstract / Linguistics / Master / Master of Arts

published_or_final_version / abstract / Psychology / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

近年來，香港有不少國際學校和直資學校開辦國際文憑課程（IB，International Baccalaureate），很多非華語學生選擇學習中文作為第二語言。然而，當中很多學生在使用詞彙上產生偏誤，而在二零零八年，香港教育局發布了《中國語文課程補充指引（非華語學生）》諮詢文件中，指出漢字的字形、聲調、語彙都是中文第二語言學習者的難點（香港課程發展議會，2008），這些難點均涉及語素。以往曾有不少研究，探討語素意識與詞彙知識習得的關係，因此，研究者期望以中文第二語言學習者作為研究對象，探討漢語語素意識與詞彙能力的關係。 本研究為量性研究，以語素意識與詞彙能力測驗和單元評估試卷來蒐集數據，並採用相關度測量研究方法分析數據，從而探討國際文憑課程中學項目學生在詞彙上的偏誤類型以及漢語語素意識與詞彙能力的關係，並提出建議以提升中文第二語言學習者的詞彙能力。本研究目的有三：（一）探究香港國際文憑課程中學項目學生在詞彙上的偏誤類型；（二）探究香港國際文憑課程中學項目學生的漢語語素意識與詞彙能力的關係；（三）歸納研究結果，並就教學和後續研究上提出具體建議，作為對外漢語教學之參考。 研究結果顯示，中文第二語言學習者的詞彙偏誤類型以「語音」為主，發展同音語素意識對於減少詞彙偏誤相當重要，此外亦需要加強發展部件規則的意識以及組字規則的概念，幫助他們掌握字形，對於減少詞彙偏誤亦有相當重要的作用。在漢語語素意識與詞彙能力的關係方面，中文第二語言學習者的語素意識對於詞彙能力有預測作用，同音語素意識對詞彙能力的預測作用大於同形語素意識的作用；而心理詞彙的語素意識、心理詞彙的數量及用詞能力三者有互相影響的關係，但仍需要進一步的研究。 International Baccalaureate (IB) Curriculum is adopted by more and more international schools and direct-subsidy schools in Hong Kong. At the same time, more and more non-Chinese speaking (NCS) students choose to study Chinese Language as a second language in IB curriculum. However, the vocabulary learning is one of the difficulties when they learn Chinese. The Education Bureau has published ‘Consultation Paper on Developing a “Supplementary Guide to the Chinese Language Curriculum for Non-Chinese Speaking Students” ’ and points out those NCS students encounter difficulties in learning Chinese graphemes, tones, vocabulary, etc. These difficulties are related to morpheme. Many researchers have conducted to study on relationship between morphological awareness and lexical knowledge. This dissertation aims to study on the relationship between morphological awareness and lexical ability of IB Middle Year Programme (MYP) students in Hong Kong. This is a quantitative research. Data collection includes two tests of the morphological awareness and lexical ability paper-pencil tests and one summative unit test of Chinese Language subject in a school. IB MYP students of two classes participated in this study and their morphological awareness and lexical ability were tested and analyzed by the statistical analysis software. The objectives of the study are: (1) Analysis on the types of lexicon errors of IB MYP students in Hong Kong; (2) Analysis on the relationship between morphological awareness and lexical ability of IB MYP students in Hong Kong; (3) Suggestions on developing of morphological awareness in learning Chinese Language as a second language. The results find that most of the lexicon errors were related to the tones and radical components of Chinese character, it is suggested to develop the homophone awareness and the orthographic awareness of Chinese character to reduce the lexicon errors. The morphological awareness of students has influence on student’s lexical ability. The homophone awareness has a closer relationship with lexical ability. The morphological awareness of the mental lexicon has an influence on the amount of mental lexicon and the ability of using lexicon. It is suggested to develop the morphological awareness of students in teaching Chinese as a second language to further study the relationship between the development of morphological awareness and mental lexicon in the future. / published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of instructional approaches to phonics and morphological awareness on literacy development of second-language learners. Of the 106 Chinese-speaking adolescents in a 6-hour English training programme, about half were taught affix and root meanings, while others were taught basic phonic rules. The focus lay on teaching students how to break words apart into meaningful parts and clusters of sounds. Chinese adolescents receiving morphological instruction performed significantly better on affixed word production and vocabulary knowledge by inferring word meanings from word parts. They seemed better able to discriminate affixed words on the basis of prefix and suffix. This study provides empirical evidence for the importance of teaching morphemes in the English-as-second-language curriculum. / published_or_final_version / Educational Psychology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

D.Litt. et Phil. / This study argues that the Critical Language Awareness Perspective adds an essential dimension to language learning and teaching. It further holds that this dimension brings to consciousness both the learners’ and teachers’ critical awareness of language use. It is this awareness that exposes the non-neutrality of language as a medium of communication. The CLA perspective engages both language learners and teachers in questioning and responding to the common-sense assumptions that are linguistically mediated. It also helps them to critically use language to achieve their own objectives. Three of these could be to use language in order to progress well with their studies, find employment and to change their societal psychic and thinking for the betterment of the general public. In this way the CLA perspective assists in developing responsible citizenry. This study therefore examines whether the Critical Language Awareness Perspective is part of the English Second Language programme in grade eleven ESL classes in the Goldfields area. It begins by examining the literature that indicates that the CLA perspective is a significant component of the any language teaching and learning practice. It then examines the empirical data in order to confirm that the CLA perspective does not form part of ESL teaching and learning practice in the context under investigation. It finally suggests possible solutions that could be adopted to facilitate the incorporation of CLA in the ESL class.