Thesis (docotral)--Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität zu München. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 221-235).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Queensland University of Technology, 1977. / Includes bibliographical references (p. [387]-410) and index.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Spanish and Portuguese, 2005. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 66-08, Section: A, page: 2906. Advisers: James F. Lee; Kimberly L. Geeslin. Title from dissertation home page (viewed Oct. 9, 2006).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, 2004. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 66-01, Section: A, page: 0163. Chair: Kathleen Bardovi-Harlig. Title from dissertation home page (viewed Oct. 12, 2006).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Linguistics, 2006. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-05, Section: A, page: 1710. Adviser: Kathleen Bardovi-Harlig. "Title from dissertation home page (viewed June 20, 2007)."

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis reports on research into the attitudes of multilingual students at the Universities of Stellenbosch and the Western Cape towards their mother tongues and other languages. With specific focus on attitudes towards English, Afrikaans, and Xhosa, the study aimed to establish in which domains these language attitudes are manifested, and to identify reasons for the attitudes observed. Upon completion of these components of the research, a comparison was drawn between the language attitudes reported by students of the two universities. In order to gain insight into the themes mentioned above, an online language attitude questionnaire was administered to 140 students from the two universities. Detailed analysis of this data indicates that the participants of this study display the most favourable attitudes towards English, followed by Afrikaans. Participants displayed the least favourable attitudes towards the indigenous languages, although none of the eleven official languages of South Africa were ranked unfavourably by a large percentage of the participants. The data further indicates that English is the preferred language in formal domains while the mother tongues of the participants are preferred in informal domains. Finally, despite the implementation of different language policies that appear to appeal to different linguistic loyalties, no significant differences were found when comparing the language attitudes of the students from the two universities. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie tesis doen verslag van ʼn ondersoek na multitalige studente aan die Universiteite van Stellenbosch en die Wes-Kaap se houdings teenoor hulle moedertale en ander tale. Met die spesifieke fokus op houdings teenoor Afrikaans, Engels en Xhosa het die studie probeer vasstel in watter domeine dié taalhoudings manifesteer en wat die redes vir die waargenome houdings is. Na die afhandeling van hierdie komponente van die navorsing is ʼn vergelyking getref tussen die taalhoudings wat deur die studente aan die twee universiteite gerapporteer is. Ten einde insig in die bogenoemde temas te bekom, is ʼn aanlyn taalhoudingsvraelys deur 140 studente aan die twee universiteite voltooi. In diepte ontleding van die data toon dat die respondente die gunstigste houdings teenoor Engels openbaar, gevolg deur Afrikaans. Respondente het die minste gunstig teenoor die inheemse tale reageer, hoewel geeneen van die elf amptelike tale van Suid-Afrika deur ʼn groot persentasie van die respondente ongunstig geplaas is nie. Die data dui verder daarop dat Engels die taal van voorkeur is in formele domeine terwyl die respondente hulle moedertale in informele domeine verkies. Uiteindelik is bevind dat ten spyte van die implementering van verskillende taalbeleide wat oënskynlik tot verskillende taallojaliteite spreek, daar geen beduidende verskille geblyk het toe die taalhoudings van die twee universiteite se studente vergelyk is nie.

<p> This mixed methods study examines the difference in high school foreign language learners&rsquo; acquisition of French oral proficiency skills by types of task. This study also examines the roles of the student learners and the teacher in developing oral proficiency skills during two different types of tasks in the high school foreign language classroom, namely the power of the social interactions between learner groups and between learners and teacher in developing oral proficiency. Over the course of an eight-week unit of study, three participating French 2 classes and one participating French teacher completed a prescribed series of speaking tasks. Class one completed only information gap tasks. Class two completed only dictogloss tasks. Class three alternated each task types every other week. Learner pre- and post-test scores were collected from the World Languages Department&rsquo;s speaking test for the unit. ANOVA was conducted using the quantitative data collected. While no significant differences were present between classes, qualitative findings indicate that the learners and the teacher have created powerful constructs of learning and that students were able to progress conversational skills across a unit of study. Teacher interviews, classroom observations, and video transcripts display the scaffolding of learning inside the classroom and lend insight to the roles of the learners and the teacher in the development of high school foreign language learner oral proficiency skills. The findings of the study suggest that the tasks, implemented through social interactions in the classroom, and constructed by the teacher&rsquo;s purposeful design, support foreign language learner oral proficiency development. The manner in which the participating teacher in this study implemented the taught curriculum demonstrates the influence of scaffolding, support systems, and the ability of learners to take ownership over their learning.</p><p>

Statement of the Problem: Specifically, how suitable is a textual language in communicating “irrational concepts” and religious myths designed to explain the irrational? Furthermore, how important is the mastery of a textual language apropos of our conceptual processes and in what ways can the structure of a specific language-game impact on a person’s conceptual abilities? To undertake this enquiry, certain assumptions will have to be made. For example, it is accepted that everything we interpret and ultimately understand is mediated solely through language in the broad sense (which includes visual cognition or literacy). Here it is accepted that without language we cannot think. Indeed, even our most private thoughts are based on a language, which embodies communally sanctioned criteria. Hypothesis: It is then the premise of this dissertation that the very architecture of a person’s mother-tongue has a profound influence on the worldview and perception of a particular person. Also it is possible to consider that certain languages, by virtue of their very structure, either hinder or facilitate certain cognitive development or potential. Further, if we could but increase the linguistic proficiency of our citizens, we will be better positioned to develop a critical mass of people who are problem solvers, mathematicians and conceptualizers; and who will address the shortfall of graduates in science, engineering, technology and business in South Africa. If in any way accurate, this would tend to imply that (inter alia) the retention rate of potential graduates in the SET and business disciplines will be significantly improved if educational policy-makers embraced even the most basic tenets of the linguistic paradigm.

Over the past decade, a sizeable body of research has addressed issues in metacognition, the way in which the learner plans, implements and monitors cognitive behavior (Garofalo and Lester, 1985). This type of consideration is of interest to studies which try to build models of human cognitive process for such applications as artificial intelligence and/or curriculum development. To form one's own mental map of a body of knowledge is to discover a structure of, or to impose a structure on, that body of knowledge. In the case of secondary school mathematics curricula, the student is typically discovering structure which is to some degree made explicit in the presentation of the material. However, when the language of instruction is not the student's first language, when the student is unaccustomed to many of the communication conventions of the language of instruction and of the subject register as well, fewer assumptions can be made about how the student is navigating around the body of knowledge. In this study, the relatively scarce questions asked by ESL (English as a Second Language) students in a secondary school English-speaking mathematics classroom were observed over time. The data provide some evidence of the natural manner in which the students attempt to form a mental map of the body of knowledge under exploration. The body of research on classroom questions (e.g. Sinclair and Coulthard, 1975) has focused almost entirely on questions asked by the teacher. Questions asked by students differ in both form and intention from questions asked by teachers, however; as a result the methods of analysis employed in studies of teacher questions are inappropriate for the analysis of student questions. A more appropriate method of analysis for this study's examination of student questions about a body of knowledge was found to be an ethnographic one which regarded questions as a means of eliciting aspects of a structured knowledge domain. Mohan's (1986) knowledge framework, which embodies a structured taxonomy of topics and tasks, is used here to categorize the data according to the type of knowledge sought through each student question. Observed differences between the surface content of student questions and the context-apparent intention of these questions provide some insight into how students may be assisted to better ask the questions which they use to seek help in their navigation of bodies of knowledge. Published teaching materials intended for ESL students of secondary mathematics are examined here for relevance to the students' need to develop help-seeking strategies; suggestions for more effective accommodation of this need are made. Computer software developed by the researcher for exploration of possibilities in computer aided instruction in question formation is described. / Education, Faculty of / Language and Literacy Education (LLED), Department of / Graduate

A dissertation submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in the Department of English at the University of Zululand, 2002. / Before the emergence of democracy in South Africa, the apartheid regime had brought linguistic imbalance. In 1994 the new government of South Africa set out to address the imbalances created by the apartheid government. Prior to 1994, English and Afrikaans were the only official languages in South Africa. In order to address this situation the new government elevated nine of the South African languages to the same status with English and Afrikaans. The government then introduced the new languages in education policy, which aims at promoting multilingualism in education. Therefore the main focus of this research is on the implementation of the new language in education policy taking into consideration the sociolinguistic situation of the country. The empirical study was conducted in 1999 and 2000. Questionnaires were distributed to respondents. Non-scheduled interview and observation data was collected from five black African high schools in Eshowe district. In addition data was collected from one Superintendent of Education Management in Eshowe district. The main findings indicated that Afrikaans had been phased out in most schools that were studied. Hence, English and Isizulu were the remaining languages that were taught and learned. Moreover, the sociolinguistic situation indicated that IsiZulu was the predominant languages spoken largely in schools and in communities where schools are situated. Having considered the main findings it was evident that there is still a tremendous challenge on the actual implementation of the new language in education policy, which emphasises promotion of multilingualism. However, the sociolinguistic situation suggested that bilingualism involving IsiZulu would be more appropriate. The research looked at the theoretical understanding of the concepts of bilingualism and multilingualism. The concepts are defined in the research to bring more understanding on individual multilingualism and societal multilingualism or bilingualism. This research further concentrates on literature review which discusses the new language in education policy, kinds of bilingualism or multilingualism, the current debate on the language in education policy and the language policy implementation plans. Furthermore, it was important in the literature review to look at the theories of second language acquisition. The theories that were reviewed and evaluated are; Krashen's monitor model, interlanguage theory, linguistic universals, acculturation / pidginisation theory and cognitive theory. After reviewing these theories language teaching theories or approaches are also discussed. The language teaching theories that were reviewed and evaluated are; the structural approach, the functional approach and the interactional approach. In addition, the research discussed the research methodology after which the data that was collected was presented. The findings were then interpreted followed by the conclusion and recommendations.