This study aimed at establishing and analysing the literacy practices in the rural and urban communities and their effect on the academic achievements of learners. It also aimed to establish the impact of other factors, such as the exposure to the language of examination, the level of parents formal education and the quality of parental mediation in the their children's academic work, which could be responsible for the imbalance between the rural and urban learners academic achievements. This study endeavours to established that the literacy practices in urban areas prepare learners for schooled and global literacies while the literacies in rural areas are to localised and thus impoverish the learners initial literacy development. This study also seek to determine the extent to which the current language policy in education in Uganda favours the urban learners at the expense of the rural learners as far as the acculturation into and acquisition of the schooled and global literacies are concerned.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the views of students and lecturers at the University of Namibia about teaching and learning. The study specifically determined the views of students and lectures in relation to language, teaching, learning and assessment as well as what we might learn from analysis of these views to assist in improving teaching, learning and assessment.

Technology, in one or more of its various forms, is now a part of everyday life for most South African citizens. Many schools are equipped with various forms of technology, at great cost to sponsors, schools, parents or the government. However, this technology is not always exploited and full use is not made of it. As access is not the issue, other factors needed to be considered: in this case, teachers’ beliefs, attitudes and knowledge. This thesis explores the cognitive factors which affect the acceptance and use of technology. Teacher cognition and the factors which influence teacher cognition were examined. Following Borg, teacher cognition is defined as “the unobservable cognitive dimension of teaching – what teachers know, believe and think” (Borg, 2003, p. 81). Teacher cognition determines whether or not a teacher will use technology, if the external barrier of access is removed. In order to study the various aspect of teacher cognition, a case study was performed, which studied 6 teachers at 4 schools. All the schools in this study had some level of access to technology. Following Borg, initial experiences with the educational system (i.e. the teacher’s experience as a learner), teacher training, the context the teacher worked in (as well as social factors and private use) and classroom experience were all examined in order to discover the factors which most affect technology acceptance in teaching. The findings show that having easy access to well-maintained and functioning technology cannot be underestimated. In the study, support from other teachers, particularly those in leadership roles, led to an increase in technology use. This support needed to be explicit; general support did not seem to be effective. These findings suggest that technology integration needs to happen at a ‘whole school’ level.

The growing interest and access to massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPG) has opened up significant new scope for educational methodologies, from standard language teaching options through to formalising the skills that a ‘player’ develops through their quests and other activities. This scope is extensive and has created numerous opportunities for innovation both within education and the world of work. This is evidenced by the increasing presence of educational establishments in the virtual world, with Second Life being the most popular for conventional educational purposes. In Second Life and many other realms participants are earning some income and in some cases enjoying a reasonable living from online activities, while developing their skills base. These MMORPGs may open opportunities for promoting language acquisition provided this is located within a suitably attractive realm; ‘players’ would then engage in activities that would contribute to their abilities to use the indigenous languages in everyday life. This article explores how such a system could be developed and the likely contribution it could make to promote a multilingual environment at school and post school levels. Further, it will identify the implications for the future of teaching and learning through the harnessing of MMORPGs.

This study sought to critically investigate the contribution of the ordinary people in the creation of a language policy and its subsequent implementation in Zimbabwe. The study was prompted by the realisation of the near-absence of a coherent language policy framework in Zimbabwe. The language policy situation in Zimbabwe is not clearly stated. A hotch-potch of statutes support the status, creation and implementation of languages that are spoken by the citizens of the country. The country’s supreme law, the constitution is silent about the necessity of a broad-based language policy in Zimbabwe. Only three languages Shona, Ndebele and English are considered to be major in a country with 16 known languages. This situation does not support the development of languages particularly the indigenous languages. Indigenous languages are not considered as a suitable medium of instruction from the third year of primary schooling up to tertiary level. Indigenous languages play a critical role in culture, economics and politics. The study argued that ordinary people have creative ways of contributing to the development of a language policy because these people are constantly creating new words and vocabulary that they implement in their day to day struggle with nature and other social classes. Authorities in Zimbabwe are yet to view the role of indigenous languages in development as a cornerstone of socio-economic and political progress. African languages, particularly the Shona language that was the main unit of analysis in this study revealed its capacity to handle complex ideas. It was recommended that when Shona and other indigenous languages are accorded the status of official languages of the country and then provided with the financial resources and linguistic expertise to develop them then, a coherent language policy can become a living reality in Zimbabwe. / Africam Languages / D. Litt. et Phil. (African Languages)

This dissertation considers the factors affecting the acquisition of a second language and those factors thought to be the most important in the acquisition of English as a second language. An examination of the theories of language acquisition is followed by a literature study and discussion of the factors appearing to be of importance in second language acquisition. The account of the empirical investigation, conducted in an English medium school in Botswana, includes the formulation of hypothesis, discussion of the sample, a description of the measuring instruments used and a summary of the general procedure followed. The results of the empirical investigation suggest that the most important factors in the acquisition of English as a second language are age, intelligence, the amount of English spoken at home, pupil perception of parental support and first language acquisition. In conclusion, some of the educational implications of this investigation are considered. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

This research is a case study which sought to investigate the educational implication of code switching in a multilingual school in Matatiele. Since the dawn of democracy in South Africa, the language policy has sought to promote multilingualism and also honours the cultural diversity existing in this country. It is against this background that the study was conducted. The present study also sought to investigate the occurrences and nature of code switching in the classroom context. In South Africa, the Language in Education Policy prescribes that English as Language of Learning and Teaching be practiced from Grade 4 upwards, alongside home languages. At school, it seems that teachers are not empowered regarding the approach towards code switching. The study investigates whether the use of code switching in a classroom context is in line with the Language in Education Policy. It also looks at the implications of trilingual instruction (which is the use of three languages) in content subjects in the classroom. Functions of code switching were examined as well. This empirical research study used qualitative research methods. Qualitative research provided the study with insight into code switching in the educational context. This study encompassed specific techniques for collecting data, mainly observations. Notes were also of some assistance and were jotted down while observation was underway to supplement what could not be captured by the video, such as emotion and feelings. The study concluded that code switching plays a significant role in an English as Second Language (ESL) classroom context. / Linguistics and Modern Languages / M. A. (Linguistics)

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:32:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2012-10-25Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T21:04:45Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 bedran_pf_dr_sjrp_parcial.pdf: 169118 bytes, checksum: 79d00ad7a0b39de7f353e5cc60318179 (MD5) Bitstreams deleted on 2015-06-30T11:22:10Z: bedran_pf_dr_sjrp_parcial.pdf,. Added 1 bitstream(s) on 2015-06-30T11:23:06Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 000707195_20171025.pdf: 158158 bytes, checksum: cc55a07a519c28739851f0b199ff2ae1 (MD5) Bitstreams deleted on 2017-11-06T13:12:12Z: 000707195_20171025.pdf,. Added 1 bitstream(s) on 2017-11-06T13:13:00Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 000707195.pdf: 1730355 bytes, checksum: f4e9a9302b2b24d7e1124cea175a0e2c (MD5) / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / Baseando-se na necessidade de compreender a formação inicial de professores de línguas no e para o contexto virtual a partir da constituição de uma comunidade de prática (CdP), a presente pesquisa objetivou investigar os recursos humanos, metodológicos e tecnológicos que foram utilizados por uma professora-mediadora e por professores em formação inicial na configuração de uma CdP e se e como estes recursos possibilitaram o desenvolvimento de uma prática reflexiva por parte dos envolvidos. O referencial teórico que fundamentou este trabalho foram as pesquisas sobre formação pré-serviço de professores na contemporaneidade sob uma perspectiva sociocultural, CdP e formação tecnológica do professor. Para realizar essa pesquisa qualitativa de cunho etnográfico, contamos com a participação de seis brasileiros professores-aprendizes de italiano como LE e uma professora-mediadora formadora de professores de uma universidade pública do interior paulista. O contexto de investigação foram as sessões de mediação realizadas por meio do chat do Windows Live Messenger, de encontros presenciais, do uso de videoconferência do aplicativo Oovoo e por meio do ambiente wikispaces (wiki). Essas sessões configuraram-se como uma prática coletiva e um ambiente propício para o desenvolvimento de uma CdP, em que se buscava abordar questões vinculadas à experiência prática dos professores-aprendizes enquanto professores de sua língua materna e aprendizes de língua estrangeira. Os resultados obtidos, a partir da triangulação dos dados e das perspectivas, mostraram que o uso de instrumentos e ambientes tecnológicos e dos recursos humanos, metodológicos e tecnológicos constituíram um verdadeiro habitat tecnológico que serviu de base para o desenvolvimento da CdP, em que se buscava instigar o desenvolvimento... / Based on the need to understand the initial education of language teachers in and for virtual context through the settlement of a community of practice (CoP), the present study aimed to investigate the human, technological and methodological resources that were used by a mediator and teachers in initial education in the setting of a CoP and whether and how these resources enabled the development of reflective practice on the part of those involved. The theoretical basis that underpinned this work was contemporary research on pre-service education of teachers from a sociocultural perspective, CoP and teacher technology training. To accomplish this qualitative ethnographic research, we had the participation of six Brazilian teachers-learners of Italian as a foreign language and one mediator teacher educator at a public university in São Paulo. The research context were the mediation sessions conducted through chat on Windows Live Messenger, face to face meetings, use of videoconferencing at Oovoo and through wikispaces (wiki). These sessions represented a collective practice and an environment conducive to the development of a CoP, as they sought to address issues related to the practical experience of teachers-learners as teachers of their mother tongue and foreign language learners. The results obtained from the triangulation of data and perspectives showed that the use of technological tools and environments and human, methodological and technological resources represented a real technological habitat that served as the basis for the development of the CoP, which sought to encourage the development of reflective practice. The characteristics of the tools and environments used to perform the mediations were instrumental in determining their use or the continuity of use by community members, as well... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)

Orientador: Silvana Mabel Serrani / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Estudos da Linguagem / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-11T15:37:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Ladeia_Rita_M.pdf: 6568341 bytes, checksum: 9311b87c4602d9cb1f78da3026ad7f0c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007 / Resumo: Este trabalho tem por objetivo estudar critérios de complementação de livros didáticos para o ensino de inglês como língua estrangeira na grade curricular de Ensino Médio. A proposta de complementação baseia-se em princípios multidimensional-discursivos e utiliza antologias de contos como fonte deflagradora de práticas pedagógicas. Considerando as diretrizes legais oficializadas pelos Parâmetros Curriculares Nacionais, defendemos que planejamentos de cursos de línguas tenham como referencial teórico o entendimento da língua enquanto discurso. Num primeiro momento, discutimos as concepções de língua, discurso, ensino e aprendizagem que norteiam a adoção de livros didáticos e a escolha de recursos complementares, do ponto de vista de professores e escolas. O trabalho conta com uma análise multidimensional-discursiva de livros didáticos adotados por escolas particulares da cidade de São Paulo. Foram pesquisadas as escolas obtiveram avaliação de aprendizagem superior a 70% (setenta por cento), de acordo com o Exame Nacional do Ensino Médio (ENEM) do ano de 2005. Apresenta também exemplos de complementação dos referidos livros, a partir de antologias de contos brasileiros e norte- americanos. Finalmente, relatamos um estudo de caso com foco na formação de professores e discutimos algumas mudanças nas formações imaginárias e discursivas dos professores em relação à aplicabilidade de enfoques multidimensionais e discursivos na aula de língua estrangeira, bem como algumas de suas resistências ao processo de mudança / Abstract: This paper aims at studying criteria for complementing English as a foreign language course books in senior high-school curricula. The proposal for complementation of materials is based on multidimensional-discursive principles and uses anthologies of short stories as source of material development. Taking into consideration the directions by the National Curriculum Framework, known as PCNs, we defend that the planning of language courses be based on the understanding of language as discourse. At first we discuss the conceptions of language, discourse, teaching and learning that guide the choice of books and complementary materials, from the point of view of teachers and schools. The research counts on a multidimensional-discursive analysis of some of the books adopted by private schools in the city of São Paulo which reached an evaluation superior to 70% (seventy per cent), according to the National Exam that measures learning results in Brazilian Senior High-schools, known as ENEM. The data used is based on the statistics from the year 2005. It also includes examples of complementation of the referred books based on anthologies of Brazilian and American Short Stories. Finally, we report a case study aiming at teaching development and we discuss some changes in the teacher¿s representations concerning the applicability of multidimensional-discursive approaches in foreign language classes, as well as their resistance to the changing process / Mestrado / Lingua Estrangeira / Mestre em Linguística Aplicada

M.Ed. (Curriculum Studies) / The aim of this study was to throw light on the communicative needs of Afrikaans-speaking pupils at secondary level at Westbury (and by implication, of similar socio-economic communities), and to establish whether the present approach to achieve the level of communication competence expected from them. The investigator's hypothesis is that the current approach ignores the need of the older pupil to gain a cognitive insight into the rule structure of the target language, and proposes that the failure to address this need may very well contribute to poor communicative ability. Current views on second and foreign language acquisition are examined. These are related to present syllabus requirements and current methodologies in the light of the constraints operating in the particular community. Tests are designed to cognitive insight into a English, the Tenses, plays establish' empirically whether poor particular set of syntactic rules in a significant role. In the final chapter the insights: gained from both the theoretical and the empirical investigation are discussed, followed by a recommendation that the need for revising second language teaching methodology be explored in the light of these insights. It is claimed that sufficient evidence exists to suggest that more attention to a cognitive approach in second language teaching at secondary level will have a positive impact on the level of communicative skills achieved.