published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

This aim of this study was to investigate the extent to which writing skills offered in the one-year intensive English course and in the 75 hour course of Speaking and Writing Skills, prepare students for academic writing in the subjects which are offered through the medium of English. The study focused on first year Economics and Management.

M.Phil. / With this study the better understanding of the skills in, the background with relation to and the attitude towards communicative Afrikaans of .a specific group of Public Administration students of the Technikon Northern-Transvaal is investigated. The focus is principally on the socio-cultural factors that influence the mastering of Afrikaans. The reseach design, including the problem identification, is vested in the theoretical Vygotskyan concept of zone of proximal development. Founded on the theories of both MM Bakhtin and LS Vygotsky, the researcher establishes an own interpretation of the zone of proximal development, when she proposes an integration thereof with the H-model as thought heuristics (Henning 1996). According to this integrated model, the study of students' zone of proximal development in Afrikaans as foreign language encompasses the study of: their language skills; their knowledge of the language; personal and socio-cultural influences; and their metalinguistic skills. This exposition serves as framework for data gathering, data analysis and chapter division. The format of the study is that of case studies which implies that an in-depth investigation is done of various types of data - obtained from a quantitatively small, but sociologically representative group of Public Adminsitration students, The various types of data which are referred to, are: data from talks delivered; written texts; data from listening and reading protocols; and data from interviews. With the interpretation of the data an attempt is not only made to come to an own understanding ("verstehen" - Weber (1958)) of the community of learners' experience and usage of Afrikaans, but also to cultivate a sensitivity for this with the wider teaching and research community.

Nous définissons les stratégies d'usage de la langue de la façon suivante : il s’agit de stratégies langagières que les élèves appliquent en résolvant des exercices en langue cible (par exemple de DEL 2). Afin d’analyser ces stratégies langagières, nous menons une étude qualitative auprès de 14 écoliers suivant un cursus franco-allemand à Baden-Baden. Nous demandons aux élèves de résoudre des exercices de français tirés des Évaluations nationales des acquis des élèves. Nous appliquons la méthode de la pensée à voix haute. Les élèves choisissent s'ils verbalisent leurs pensées en langue allemande ou française. L'objectif principal de notre étude est d'analyser et d'éliciter les stratégies d'usage de la langue.Environ 1000 stratégies ont été observées et codées avec le logiciel MAXQDA. Les stratégies cognitives sont les stratégies qui ont été appliquées le plus souvent par les élèves testés - en tout presque 350 fois. La langue de base choisie par les élèves pour les protocoles à voix haute était le français et pas l'allemand. / This thesis reports on an empirical study of 3rd and 4th grade students in a German-French bilingual school. The study consisted of research subjects solving exercises by using the thinkaloud method, after which film and transcription analysis allowed for a detailed examination of the strategies used during the exercises. Such strategies have been termed "language usagestrategies" and have been distinguished from learning and communication strategies. This distinction is important because when students use their L2 in this context, their goal is not to learn the language or to communicate, rather, it is to solve the exercise. The students used and combined many cognitive, compensatory, metacognitive, social and affective strategies during the Think aloud Protocols. Also the individual interviews revealed that the students manifested a large number of language usage strategies, suggesting that they are conscious of strategy usage when using their L2.

Thesis (MA. (Translation Studies and Linguistics)) -- University of Limpopo, 2013 / The study sought to investigate the challenges that the learners and educators encountered in learning and teaching when they use English as a medium of instruction. The study reveals that African languages, along with their culture are being dominated by English. Most of Pedis’ learners cannot speak Sepedi without mixing it with English, and most of African people usually read English books and neglecting the Indigenous books. In addition, the study shows that learners performed better when they were taught in Sepedi than in English. The educators’ responses showed that learners have difficulties in understanding English as the medium of instruction and that they code-switch from English to Sepedi to enhance understanding.

This thesis is based on a conversation about gender identity and the pronoun hen in an episode of the radio programme Tendens on Swedish public radio, P1. The participants of the conversation are a scholar and a journalist/show-host. The goal of the research has been to analyse how the conversation is constructed from its context and which topics that occur. The goal of the research has also been to analyse how the participants of the conversation position themselves and how the conversation composes and re-composes norms and values regarding gender identity in society. Critical discourse analysis, completed by Conversation analysis has been the theoretical and methodological approach. The result shows that the conversation functions well within its context and that the host Söderqvist and scholar Milles undertakedifferent parts and contributions in the interaction. The host undertakes the part as the presenter and questioner of problems and topics, which Milles then refute in her role as an expert. The result also shows that Söderqvist and Milles give voice to a diversity of topical and interactional positionings in the conversation, but that Söderqvist mainly positions himself as the audience’s representative. Furthermore the result shows that the participants recreate gender identity norms in the conversation. Milles dictums also carry tendencies to create and broaden norms.

Despite the prevalence of bilingual identity among linguistic minority youth in Canada, few studies have empirically investigated its acculturative consequences. This study explores the nature of bilingual identity, as determined by language confidence, in various ethnolinguistic contexts. More specifically, it investigates the relation between language confidence and identity as moderated by ethnolinguistic vitality. It also verifies whether bilinguals can be distinguished from predominantly unilingual participants on factors related to the maintenance of identity, namely subjective ethnolinguistic vitality and language usage and evaluates the impact of ethnolinguistic vitality on these differences. Data from the Survey on the Vitality of Official-Language Minorities collected by Statistics Canada among francophones outside of Quebec and anglophones in Quebec (N = 7377) was used for analysis. The results of univariate and multivariate analyses of variance show that language confidence is significantly related to levels of identity for all regions. Bilinguals are significantly distinct from predominantly monolingual participants on most factors for maintenance of identity. However, among all francophone samples, bilinguals most resemble the franco-dominant participants. The implications of these findings on the understanding of the nature of bilingual identity are discussed. Malgré la prévalence de l’identité bilingue parmi les jeunes de groupes minoritaires linguistiques au Canada, peu d’études ont vérifié ses conséquences acculturatives de façon empirique. Cette étude explore la nature de l’identité bilingue telle que déterminée par la confiance langagière, dans divers contextes ethnolinguistiques. De façon plus spécifique, la relation entre la confiance langagière et l’identité, modérée par la vitalité ethnolinguistique est examinée. Par ailleurs, l’étude explore si les gens bilingues se distinguent de ceux qui ont une prédominance langagière sur des facteurs liés au maintien de l’identité, soit la vitalité ethnolinguistique subjective et l’utilisation langagière, et évalue l’impact de la vitalité ethnolinguistique sur ces différences. Les analyses ont été menées à partir des données de l’Enquête sur la vitalité des minorités de langue officielle de Statistique Canada recueillies auprès des francophones de l’extérieur du Québec et des anglophones du Québec (N = 7377). Les résultats d’analyses univariées et multivariées dévoilent que pour chacune des régions ethnolinguistiques, la confiance langagière est significativement liée à l’identité. Les bilingues se distinguent significativement de ceux à prédominance langagière sur la plupart des facteurs importants au maintien de l’identité. Toutefois, parmi les groupes francophones, les bilingues ressemblent le plus aux participants franco-dominants. Les conséquences de ces résultats sur la compréhension de la nature de l’identité bilingue sont discutées.

This aim of this study was to investigate the extent to which writing skills offered in the one-year intensive English course and in the 75 hour course of Speaking and Writing Skills, prepare students for academic writing in the subjects which are offered through the medium of English. The study focused on first year Economics and Management.

The study investigates the interface between the variables - language attitude and language use in a development context, and attempts to determine the contribution of language to Rwanda's post-conflict development, reconstruction and reconciliation. It examines the language attitudes and language use patterns of 53 students from Rwanda's public universities focusing on how students, who are all Rwandan citizens, view the role of Kinyarwanda, French, English and Kiswahili languages in twelve core areas of post-conflict development. Although post-conflict development is socio-economic, previous historical and political factors affecting Rwanda's violent past play a role as new forms of linguistic categorization - Anglophone and Francophone - emerge which may be used to camouflage previous ethnic categorizations that have had disastrous effects in Rwanda. Further, social categorizations laden with salient features of linguistic identity may influence the implementation of the post-conflict development programmes, and also affect the pace and pattern of reconciliation in Rwanda. Conclusions are based on eclectic sources: quantitative, qualitative, historical and participatory, with patterns of analysis established from secondary and historical data. The study is also grounded in the Communication Accommodation Theory that rests on issues of divergence and convergence during interaction where emerging language identities dovetail with language attitudes and language use, resulting in an interface that influences the implementation of Rwanda's post-conflict development programmes. Additionally, it is argued that the African languages such as Kinyarwanda and Kiswahili, should be considered as vehicles for Rwanda's post-conflict development, although Kinyarwanda, the home language, has in the past really not served an intranational unifying function. On the other hand, Kiswahili, unlike Kinyarwanda, has no divisive myths and identities that would inhibit post-conflict development; it is an important language in the East and Central African region where post-conflict Rwanda will play a positive and active role, and would be a language to be positively developed. / African Languages / D.Litt et Phil. (African Languages)

Cette thèse aborde la réalité virtuelle pour l’apprentissage médiatisé du français ou de l’allemand langue étrangère. L’étude analyse comment l’immersion et l’interaction en réalité virtuelle peuvent faire émerger un sentiment de présence dans l’environnement virtuel, et ainsi contribuer à contextualiser la situation d’apprentissage. Une centaine de lycéens français et allemands ont expérimenté trois environnements virtuels, développés par le projet européen EVEIL-3D. À l’issue d'un jeu sérieux immersif en langue cible, ils ont témoigné de leur expérience. L’analyse de ce corpus souligne la subjectivité de l’expérience en réalité virtuelle. En étudiant la production en langue cible, les stratégies d’usage de la langue, l’interactivité, l’engagement corporel et l’accompagnement de l’apprenant pendant l’immersion, la recherche montre les apports et les limites de la réalité virtuelle comme dispositif d’apprentissage des langues médiatisé par les technologies numériques. / This doctoral thesis explores virtual reality as a digital environment for language learning, specifically for French or German as a foreign language. The study examines how immersion and interaction in virtual reality generate a sense of presence in the virtual environment and thus contribute to a contextualization of the learning situation.Approximately one hundred pupils from French and German secondary schools tested three immersive environments of the European project EVEIL-3D. After using a foreign language in an immersive serious game, pupils were surveyed on their virtual reality experience. Results show the importance of subjectivity of the experience. This research additionally investigates speaking in the foreign language, language usage strategies, interactivity, physical engagement and how to support the pupils during immersion. Finally, it points out both the drawbacks and opportunities of using virtual reality as a digital environment for language learning.