This study was designed to examine the impact of rote repetition strategies (RRSs) on the retention of newly learned vocabulary items on both immediate recall test (IRT) and delayed recall test (DRT) in the Saudi Arabian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context. The RRSs included in this study were the following:1. Silent repetition (SR): repeating the foreign word with its first language (Ll) translation silently2. Verbal repetition (VR): repeating the foreign word with its first language (L1) translation out loud3. Silent-written repetition (SWR): repeating the foreign word with its first language (Ll) translation silently while writing it down4. Verbal-written repetition (VWR): repeating the foreign word with its first language (L1) translation out loud while writing it downThe following hypotheses were investigated in this study:1. For Saudi EFL college learners rote repetition (RR) is an effective learning strategy in vocabulary learning for both short and long term retention.2. In terms of their impact on short-and-long-term retention, the four RR strategies investigated in this study are predicted to be ranked as follows: VWR > SWR > VR > SR.Four treatment groups with a total of one hundred and thirty three freshmen Saudi students majoring in English language and translation participated in this study. Each group was introduced to one of the above repetition strategies, trained to use the strategy, and instructed to carry out a vocabulary learning task using the specified strategy. The learning task was a memorization task of new English words with their Arabic equivalent translations. An iaanediate recall test (IRT) was administered right after the learning task was carried out followed by a one-week delayed recall test (DRT).The results obtained from participants' scores on both recall tests indicate that rote repetition strategies are effective strategies for Saudi EFL college students and help them in increasing their retention scores. The results also indicate that the SWR and VWR are more effective memorization strategies than VR and SR. The former strategies yielded better retention not only on the IRT but also on the DRT.College of Architecture / Department of English

Amended bibliography in back pocket. / Bibliography: leaves 409-426. / xix, 426 leaves : ill. (chiefly col.), maps ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Philosophy, 1996

Thesis (MA (General Linguistics))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / This thesis reports on an investigation into the possibility of first language (L1) transfer in the initial stages of the second language (L2) acquisition of Xhosa by adolescent beginner learners with, respectively, English and Afrikaans as their L1. Researchers in L2 acquisition are still debating about the possible transfer from learners’ L1s to their interlanguage grammars in the initial stages of L2 acquisition. Some researchers claim that L1 transfer does indeed occur (the Full Transfer hypothesis – see for example Schwartz & Sprouse 1996), while others claim that L1 transfer does not occur (the No Transfer hypothesis – see for example Clahsen & Muysken 1986). Against this background, two tasks were designed to determine whether or not beginner learners’ performance, specifically in terms of verb placement in Xhosa, indicates that L1 transfer occurs in the initial stages of L2 acquisition. It is argued that the results of this investigation provide evidence in support of the Full Transfer hypothesis. Finally, the implications of the results of this investigation for L2 teaching in a multilingual environment are discussed.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: During the course of my work as Communications lecturer at a multicultural university, I have noticed differences in the manners in which Sesotho-speaking and Afrikaans-speaking students make the same requests to me while speaking English. There exists a possibility that these second language (L2) requests could be deemed inappropriate and/or unintelligible by first language (L1) speakers of English. It is possible that miscommunication may result when requests by one culture group is judged as inappropriate and/or unintelligible by another. The aims of my study were to investigate (i) whether there are indeed differences in the manners in which L1 Sesotho and L1 Afrikaans speakers make requests when speaking English and (ii) how the differences in the (a) politeness, (b) formalness, (c) appropriateness, (d) grammaticality and (e) intelligibility of these requests made by the above-mentioned two groups manifest, as judged by L1 speakers of English. In terms of research methodology, I elicited requests in English from two culturally and linguistically different groups of students (17 L1 Afrikaans and 17 L1 Sesotho) by means of a written scenario completion task. One scenario involved a high imposition situation and the other a low imposition. The requests made by the two groups were then analysed using the Cross Cultural Speech Act Realisation Project (CCSARP) framework of Blum-Kulka, House and Kasper (1989a). Each request was also judged by eight L1 English speakers. Data analysis showed that there are indeed differences in the way in which Afrikaans- and Sesotho-speaking people put forth English requests. In terms of CCSARP categories, the Sesotho speakers used more alerters and more politeness markers than the Afrikaans speakers did. Sesotho and Afrikaans speakers also differed in their responses to high and low imposition situations – for example, Sesotho speakers used more grounders in the low imposition request than in the high imposition request, whereas Afrikaans speakers’ requests showed the reverse pattern. In terms of ratings received by L1 speakers, although Sesotho speakers’ requests were judged as more polite, Afrikaans speakers’ requests were judged as more appropriate and grammatically correct. The findings have implications for curriculum design: By being mindful of the workings of intercultural verbal and nonverbal communication and by acknowledging that people from different cultural backgrounds bring to a conversation certain culturally inherited factors which influence them and the interlocutors, I can use the results of this study to better inform the different L1 groups in my classes how to change their requesting behaviour so as to make requests that are judged by L1 English speakers as being appropriate. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Tydens my werk as Kommunikasie-dosent aan ‘n multikulturele universiteit het ek verskille opgelet in die manier waarop Sesotho-sprekende en Afrikaanssprekende studente dieselfde versoeke aan my rig wanneer hulle Engels praat. Die moontlikheid bestaan dat hierdie tweedetaal- (T2) versoeke as ontoepaslik en/of onverstaanbaar beskou kan word deur eerstetaal- (T1) sprekers van Engels. Dit is moontlik dat miskommunikasie kan ontstaan wanneer versoeke deur een kultuurgroep as ontoepaslik en/of onverstaanbaar beoordeel word deur ‘n ander kultuurgroep. Die doelstellings van my studie was om die volgende te ondersoek: (i) of daar inderdaad verskille bestaan in die manier waarop T1 Sesotho- en T1 Afrikaanssprekendes versoeke in Engels rig en (ii) hoe verskille in die (a) hoflikheid, (b) formeelheid, (c) toepaslikheid, (d) grammatikaliteit en (e) verstaanbaarheid van hierdie versoeke deur bogenoemde twee groepe manifesteer, soos beoordeel deur T1-sprekers van Engels. In terme van navorsingsmetodologie het ek versoeke in Engels van twee kultureel en talig verskillende groepe studente (17 T1 Afrikaans en 17 T1 Sesotho) ontlok deur gebruik te maak van ‘n geskrewe scenario-voltooiingstaak. Een scenario het ‘n versoek met ‘n hoë afdwingingsvlak (imposition) behels en die ander met ‘n lae afdwingingsvlak. Die versoeke gerig deur die twee groepe is toe geanaliseer deur gebruik te maak van die sogenaamde Cross Cultural Speech Act Realisation Project (CCSARP)-raamwerk van Blum-Kulka, House en Kasper (1989a). Elke versoek is ook deur agt T1-sprekers van Engels beoordeel. Data-analise het aangedui dat daar wel verskille is in die manier waarop Afrikaans- en Sesotho-sprekendes versoeke in Engels rig. In terme van CCSARP-kategorieë het die Sesotho-sprekendes meer attentmakers (alerters) en meer hoflikheidsmerkers as die Afrikaanssprekendes gebruik. Sesotho- en Afrikaanssprekendes het ook verskil in hul reaksie op hoë en lae imposisie-situasies – Sesotho-sprekendes het meer redeverskaffers (grounders) in die lae afdwingingsversoek as in die hoë afdwingingsversoek gebruik terwyl Afrikaanssprekendes die teenoorgestelde gedoen het. Alhoewel die Sesotho-sprekendes se versoeke as meer hoflik beskou is deur die T1-sprekende beoordelaars, is Afrikaanssprekendes se versoeke as meer toepaslik en grammatikaal korrek beskou. Die bevindinge het implikasies vir kurrikulum-ontwerp: Deur bewus te bly van die aard van interkulturele verbale en nie-verbale kommunikasie en deur te erken dat persone van verskillende kulturele agtergronde sekere kultuur-inherente faktore na ‘n gesprek toe bring wat hulle en hulle gespreksgenote beïnvloed, kan ek die resultate van hierdie studie gebruik om die verskillende T1-groepe in my klasse beter in te lig hoe om hul versoekgedrag aan te pas om versoeke te kan rig wat as toepaslik beskou word deur T1-sprekers van Engels.

This study examines input and interactional modifications in a multilingual chemistry class at the Port Elizabeth Technikon. The investigation constituted observing lectures presented in chemistry and analysing the data so obtained within a framework developed from a study of current theories on the relationship between language and cognition and the role of input. It was further informed by data gathered from interviews with the lecturer, questionnaires administered to the students and separate focus group discussions with first language and second language speakers of English. The conclusion is that the lecturer's interactional and input modifications make the subject content accessible to both first language and second language learners. I have made suggestions for future research in this area in the belief that the data gathered in this case study offers some useful pointers for the retraining of teachers of multilingual classes in a tertiary context.

One of the issues that have been debated at length in second language acquisition research circles is that of error-feedback and its desirability. Although there is as yet no conclusive evidence concerning its effectiveness in contributing towards the acquisition of a second language, a number of studies that have been conducted bear evidence to its desirability in L2 classrooms. This research then, was concerned with the way teachers of content subjects reacted to their learners' linguistically erroneous responses during oral interaction in their classes. The participants were four teachers who, with their pupils, are second language speakers of English . Three of these were content subject teachers while the fourth one teaches English. The data was collected from a class of Std 5 pupils in a rural school in the Eastern Cape where the lessons of these teachers were observed and audio-taped. Subsequently some of them were transcribed and analysed. The analysis of the data revealed that teachers in content subject classes, who teach through the medium of English showed more concern for content than for linguistic errors despite the fact that they are expected to extend the pupils' chances of second language acquisition.

Orientador: Maria José Rodrigues Faria Coracini / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Estudos da Linguagem / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-20T21:27:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Souza_LigiaFranciscoArantesde_M.pdf: 3654187 bytes, checksum: fa690ba798147224903c0258ea7fd5c1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012 / Resumo: Pretendemos, neste trabalho, a partir do referencial teórico da Análise de Discurso, tecer problematizações sobre a constituição identitária de professores brasileiros de línguas chamadas estrangeiras, a partir da análise das representações de língua, de professor, aluno e de ensino-aprendizagem que emergem em seus dizeres. A hipótese que norteia esta pesquisa é a de que a constituição identitária do professor brasileiro de línguas estrangeiras é construída, predominantemente, por representações que indiciam processos de identificação imaginária. Para tanto, analisamos recortes discursivos selecionados de entrevistas orais com professores brasileiros de língua inglesa, espanhola e francesa, buscando, na materialidade discursiva, traços da constituição identitária desses professores, levando em conta o contexto da (pós-) modernidade em que estão inseridos. Objetivamos com esta pesquisa, que se insere na Linguística Aplicada, na área de língua estrangeira, e mais especificamente na linha de pesquisa "subjetividade e identidade, desconstrução e psicanálise", contribuir para a discussão em torno da formação de professores de línguas estrangeiras, a partir da problematização das consequências do contato com uma língua dita estrangeira na identidade do sujeito. Da análise dos registros foi possível depreender que, no dizer sobre a prática, se entretecem as experiências vividas pelos entrevistados como alunos, de forma que o processo identitário do professor se dá a partir das representações de professor (e de aluno) e de ensinar-aprender que são construídas ao longo da vida, por meio de identificações imaginárias. Observamos também que a representação de aluno, no dizer dos entrevistados, constrói-se com referência a si mesmo, o que sugere o efeito de sentido (e/ou o desejo) de homogeneidade, como se todos os alunos fossem iguais e aprendessem da mesmo maneira. Percebemos que o dizer dos entrevistados sobre a prática está perpassado pelo desejo do controle e da completude, o professor é dito como o principal responsável pelo ensino-aprendizagem; no entanto, além de construir verdades, os entrevistados também (ex)põem, durante a entrevista, suas angústias e medos e discorrem sobre a prática frequentemente como uma tentativa. Concluímos que a formação do professor não deve ser considerada como fechada em um determinado período, pois as identificações acontecem ao longo da vida, e constroem as indissociáveis representações de língua, ensino-aprendizagem, professor e aluno, o que interfere diretamente na prática e nos dizeres sobre a mesma / Abstract: Based mainly on discoursive concepts, on the so-called French Discourse Analysis studies, this research aims at problematizing the identity constitution of Brazilian teachers of foreign languages by analyzing their representations - which emerge through the utterance of these teachers - of: language, teacher and student, and the teaching-learning process itself. The hypothesis which bounds this paper is that the identity constitution of the Brazilian teacher of a foreign language is mainly built up by representations that enable imaginary identification processes. Discoursive excerpts were analyzed and selected from oral interviews with Brazilian teachers of foreign languages (English, Spanish, and French). The analysis consisted on seeking through the discoursive materiality involved identity constitution traits of these teachers, within the (post-)modern context. In this sense, situated in the Applied Linguistics field, within the foreign languages concentration area, aligned with the "subjectivity and identity, deconstruction and psychoanalysis" studies, this research aims at contributing to the discussion around the foreign languages teachers' education, by bringing up the consequences of the contact between foreign language and the subject's identity. Based on data, it was possible to apprehend that the utterance about teaching practice is connected somehow to the interviewers' previous experiences as students. So that the identity process is due from the representations of: teacher (and student), and the teaching-learning process, which are build up during their lives by means of imaginary identifications. It was also possible to apprehend that the representation of student, emerged through the interviewers' utterance, is built up as a reference to themselves, which may suggest an effect on meaning (and/or a desire) of homogeneity, as if all the students were equal or could have learned the same way. Moreover, we understand that the teaching practice is crossed by the desire of control and completeness. The teacher is said to be the main responsible for the teaching-learning process; on the contrary, more than building up truths, interviewers had also exposed their anguish and fears, frequently stating their practice as an attempt. In conclusion, we understand that teacher education shouldn't be considered as a certain period of time because the identifications occur along the subject's life, and they build up inseparable representations of language, teachinglearning process, and teacher and student ? what interferes directly on the utterance about the teaching practice / Mestrado / Lingua Estrangeira / Mestre em Linguística Aplicada

M.A. / The changing circumstances in South Africa up to date can be seen as the inspiration for the investigation of how language teaching, and language learning is affected by this. Dramatic reform is taking place in South Africa regarding changing political and constitutional views on education, with a rapidly increasing trend towards Multicultural education. Multicultural education is a trend that has manifested itself worldwide. The primary goal is to accommodate pupils of diverse and different cultures in one education system. Language teaching must therefore also change in order for it to still be sensible and useful for the learner with regard to future consideration eg. higher learning, career opportunities and everyday communication. This study investigated the possibility that certain relevant aspects from the fields of psychology and sociology have an effect on the way a learner acquires/learns the language, in this instance Afrikaans First Language. Furthermore the study also examines the way which the teacher has to adapt/adjust to these different influences in his/her method of teaching. From an applied linguistic perspective, we find that language skills form part of the language user's communicative competence. This study endeavours to place language teaching within the framework of a communicative approach to language teaching with the emphasis on the needs of the language learner, the functionality of the acquired skills (to eventually eradicate illiteracy and communicative incompetence) and the active participation of the language learner in the teaching activities (discussions, debates, projects etc.).

M.A. (Linguistics) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

The print literacy competencies of many South African teachers and the learners they teach are inadequate. Evidence from local and international evaluations and research attests to this. Based on the understanding that a teacher, whose literacy level is less than adequate, is in a weak position to teach others how to read and write, the imperative to systematically address the issue of poor teacher and learner literacy levels, provided the impetus for a careful investigation of the methodology and theory of the Learning to Read: Reading to Learn pedagogy. Originally developed in Australia and applied in primary, secondary and tertiary contexts, this literacy pedagogy was described as a means of rapidly improving the literacy competence of all learners, across all subject areas. Using an approach located within the tradition of interpretative educational theory, the meaning of the theory and practice of the Learning to Read: Reading to Learn pedagogy was explored. As a result of the enquiry undertaken, it was found that the Learning to Read: Reading to Learn approach provides a practical means of enhancing epistemological access. Access of this nature is a precondition for success of learning in schools and in tertiary education. The LR:RL pedagogy provides a carefully structured means of holding literacy at the centre of learning. The sequence of practical steps theoretically rooted in three powerful – but usually separate realms of discourse, is a central contribution of the pedagogy to field of literacy development. Intersecting three discrete disciplines, represented by Bernstein’s model of education as pedagogic discourse, Vygotsky’s model of learning as a social process and Halliday’s model of language as text in social context gives rise to a unique literacy pedagogy. The theory that emerges from use, in a range of situations, over many years, and the carefully sequenced practice, together offer a sound means of addressing the challenges of literacy and learning prevalent in the South African context. iii This thesis argues for a reading based theory of teaching as a means of meeting the challenges of literacy and learning head on. The capacity to learn independently from written text is critical for progress within the schooling and tertiary systems. The Learning to Read: Reading to Learn pedagogy provides a means of realizing such a theory of teaching. Simultaneously teaching print literacy, while teaching the content of curricula, is proposed as a way of bringing about effective learning. Within the context of teacher education, the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) of many teachers is acknowledged to be inadequate. However, there is a key dimension missing for the construct of PCK to be truly useful for South African teachers. Print literacy is as an essential determinant of the knowledge of teachers. The construct of PCK can thus supplemented by foregrounding reading and writing as essential elements of this category of teacher knowledge. Thus the content of the teacher education curriculum is taught as the reading and writing competence of teachers is developed. Similarly, within the school context, the Learning to Read: Reading to Learn pedagogy can be used to teach required content and teach the requisite high level reading and writing skills needed by all learners to progress successfully through the schooling system.