Technikons were established in order to meet the need for skilled labour in the field of Engineering and Technology. Yet, within the Transkei it is found that there is a greater need for literacy training as a means of contributing to social and economic upliftment as technological advancement cannot take place within an illiterate society. As the Eastern Cape Technikon is based within the Transkei, a challenge is put to this institution to meet the needs of its surrounding community. Thus besides providing technologically -orientated education, the question is put as to how the Technikon could address illiteracy in the area. A study of countries which have addressed these issues is made and an investigation into the problem within the area is carried out. Based on conclusions drawn from these, recommendations are made. These do not necessarily pertain to all technikons but can be considered when approaching the issue of literacy/illiteracy . / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Comparative Education)

Dissertation (Master of Consumer Science)--University of Stellenbosch, 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The role which education can play in the upliftment of individuals and families has been receiving increasing attention by the South African government because it is regarded as each individual's right to reach his/her full potential. However, the way in which education is presented is the defining factor, which determines the sustainability of the subsequent development. The purpose of the study was to determine how Consumer scientists could contribute to transformative learning as well as the increasing of individual's levels of empowerment and knowledge. A literature study was undertaken to present a synopsis of emancipation education and transformative learning within the context of Consumer Science. Several methods of education, the underlying concepts to transformative learning, methods to bring about transformative learning, several phases in transformation of perspectives, the outcomes of the emancipation education method, the role of the Consumer scientist as emancipation educator as well as practical teaching methods were also included to support the empirical part of the study. A housing literacy programme was adapted and presented according to two different methods of education, namely emancipation and technical methods to represent the empirical part of this study. The housing literacy programme was presented to women in Calvinia and Williston living in government subsidised houses. During the implementation of the emancipation method of education, the transformation framework was used in conjunction with the action research model to adapt the programme and to identify any transformation that took place. In experimental design, the emancipation and technical methods were compared in terms of an increase in empowerment and knowledge. The status of empowerment and knowledge of both groups was determined before the programme, directly after the programme as well as two months thereafter. Quantitative data was obtained from the questionnaires on empowerment and knowledge, while qualitative data was obtained from the action research model as well as the transformation framework. The result of the quantitative data showed a clear difference between the group taught with the emancipatory method, and the group taught with the technical method in tenus of the increase in levels of empowerment and knowledge. The group taught with the emancipatory method showed higher levels of empowerment and knowledge than the group taught with the technical method directly after the programme as well as two months thereafter. The levels of empowerment and knowledge of the group taught with the emancipatory method showed significant statistical differences from before the presentation of the programme until two months thereafter. This suggests the sustainable character of an increase in empowerment and knowledge. Results obtained from the qualitative data also indicated the occurrence of distorted meaning schemes as well as modification thereof. This study showed that using the emancipation method of education when presenting a Consumer Science programme could induce transformation. The quantitative data also proved the emancipation method of education to be more effective than the technical method when aiming to increase an individual's level of empowerment and knowledge. It is therefore important that Consumer scientists be aware of all the characteristics of the emancipation method of education as well as transformative learning in order to induce change in individuals and families and to lead them to selfdependence. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die rol wat onderwys in die opheffing van individue en gesinne kan speel, het die afgelope paar jaar toenemende aandag van die Regering van Suid-Afrika gekryaangesien dit as elke individu se reg gesien word om sy/haar volle potensiaal te bereik. Die wyse waarop onderwys aangebied word, is egter die bepalende faktor in die volhoubaarheid van die ontwikkeling wat daardeur teweeggebring word. Die doel van die studie was daarom om te bepaal hoe Verbruikerswetenskaplikes kan bydra tot transformatiewe leer en die verhoging van bemagtigingsen kennisvlakke van individue. 'n Literatuurstudie is onderneem om 'n oorsig oor emansipasie opvoeding en transformatiewe leer binne die konteks van Verbruikerswetenskap te gee. Verskeie onderrigmetodes, die konsepte onderliggend aan transformatiewe leer, metodes om transformatiewe leer te bewerkstellig, verskeie fases in perspektieftransformasie, die uitkomste van die emansipasie onderrigmetode, die rol van die Verbruikerswetenskaplike as emansipasie opvoeder en praktiese onderrigtegnieke is bestudeer om die empiriese gedeelte van die studie te ondersteun. Vir die empinese gedeelte van die studie is 'n behuisingsgeletterdheidsprogram aangepas en volgens twee verskillende opvoedingsmetodes, naamlik die emansipasie- en tegniese metode aangebied. Die behuisingsgeletterdheidsprogram is aangebied aan vroue van Calvinia en Williston wat in staatsgesubsidieerde huise woon. Met die toepas van die emansipasie opvoedingsmetode is die transformasieraamwerk saam met die aksienavorsingsmodel aangewend om die program aan te pas en die transformasie wat voorgekom het te identifiseer. In die eksperimentele ontwerp is die emansipasie en tegniese metodes met mekaar vergelyk in terme van bemagtiging- en kennisverhoging. Bemagtiging- en kennisstatus van albei groepe is voor die program, direk na die program, sowel as twee maande daarna bepaal. Kwalitatiewe data is uit die aksienavorsingsmodel en die transformasieraamwerk verkry, terwyl kwantitatiewe data uit die bemagtigings- en kennisvraelyste verkry is. Die resultate van die kwantitatiewe data het aangedui dat daar wel 'n verskil is ten opsigte van die verhoging van bemagtiging- en kennisvlakke tussen dié groep wat volgens die emansipasie metode aangebied is en dié groep wat volgens die tegniese metode aangebied is. Die groep wat volgens die emansipasie metode onderrig is se totale bemagtigingsvlak, sowel as hul kennisvlak was direk na die program asook twee maande daarna hoër as dié van die groep wat volgens die tegniese metode aangebied is. By die bemagtiging- en kennisvlak van die groep wat volgens die emansipasie metode onderrig is, het daar 'n betekenisvolle statistiese verskil van voor die programaanbieding tot twee maande daarna voorgekom, wat op die volgehoue aard van bemagtiging- en kennisverhoging dui. Die resultate wat verkry is uit die kwalitatiewe data het verder aangetoon dat daar wel verdraaide betekenisskemas by die deelnemers voorgekom het asook wysiging daarvan. Tydens hierdie studie is bevind dat transformatiewe leer teweeggebring kan word met die aanbied van 'n Verbruikerswetenskapprogram volgens die emansipasie opvoedingsmetode. Die kwantitatiewe data wat verkry is, het ook getoon dat die emansipasie onderrigmetode meer effektief as die tegniese metode is om die verhoging van individue se bemagtiging- en kennisvlakke teweeg te bring. Verbruikerswetenskaplikes moet daarom kennis dra van die eienskappe van die emansipasie opvoedingsmetode en transformatiewe leer om sodoende volgehoue verandering by individue en gesinne teweeg te bring en om hul tot selfstandigheid te lei.

This research focuses on the reading of self-help books, or ‘advice literature’, by Intermediate Phase teachers in Soweto schools. The study is based on Bourdieu’s concept of habitus, other theories about the nature of literacy practices and how initial literacy is mediated. It includes a survey of the political and social factors that may have influenced the teachers’ attitudes to reading. It includes interview data on the topics they favour, their perceptions of the effects of such books on their own lives, whether or not they read other genres, such as children’s books, and whether or not their reading impacts on the methods they use in teaching children to read. It therefore contributes to a broader understanding of the literacy habitus of the subject group, and, viewed within the context of the literacy crisis in South African schools, provides insights into their attitudes towards reading and the reasons why they often fail to extend their learners’ reading abilities beyond the level of basic decoding.

Thesis (M.A. (Information Studies)) --University of Limpopo, 2018 / A large number of first year entering undergraduate students at tertiary institutions at Tshwane University of Technology lack skills and competencies for accessing relevant academic information for their assignments and other academic projects they are engaged in. To overcome this problem academic libraries at this institution organise Information Literacy Training Programme (ILTP) to equip students with such skills and competencies. This research investigated if there is any impact that ILTP has among first year entering undergraduate students attached to the Faculties of Humanities and Management Science, who have attended this programme at Tshwane University of Technology, at Polokwane campus. The study adopted both quantitative and qualitative research approaches through a questionnaire and focus group interview respectively to measure the information literacy skills and competencies of first year entering students before and after t attending ILITP.The study sought to measure (a) Students’ perception of information literacy; (b) Students’ ability to use library resources; (c) Students familiarity with different library resources before and after attendance of the programme. The study found that most of the first entering students had a different perception of information literacy. Furthermore, the student’s abilities to use library resources and their familiarity with library resources were very little before they attended the programme. It was only after they attended the programme that they were familiar with some of the library resources and their abilities to use those resources improved. Therefore this study discovered that ILTP has a positive impact of the academic success and performance of first entering students, even though it is minimal.The study recommends that information literacy education for students should be continuous so that students should not lose focus of what they have learnt in the formal Information Literacy Training Programmes. Furthermore, teaching of information literacy should be compulsory to all first year entering students across all faculties offered at Tshwane University of Technology and this will attach some form of accreditation to them to encourage participation.

The content of books published for adult beginner readers reveals as much about how literacy is understood and valued as it does about how literacy learners are viewed and constructed. This research consists of a description and analysis of the corpus of easy readers or stories published specifically for adult beginner readers in South Africa from 1990 to 2000. It is based on the assumption that texts can be used as evidence of the educational theories which underpin and inform them. The research consist of three parts: the development of analytical tools; a broad descriptive review of books published in all South Africa's official languages; a detailed content analysis of English books. The analytical tools are derived from research into children's literature, dominant conceptions of the meanings and purposes of adult literacy and research into gender and language. The corpus of books is examined in terms of literary quality, pedagogy and ideology. 120 books published in all South African languages are analysed according to various criteria relating to genre, theme, setting and design. The 38 English books in the sample are, in addition, analysed in depth in relation to plot, narrative features, character, emotions, direct speech, gender, imagery and readability. The research reveals that unlike fiction for children beginner readers, fiction for adult beginner readers in South Africa is relatively restricted in terms of genre, theme and literary quality in general. While a significant number of stories conform to conventional notions of what constitutes good fiction, many others are simply overdetermined vehicles for "development" messages - non-fiction masquerading as fiction. Despite the presence of a surprising number of humorous titles, many of the books are characterised by overtly moralising and didactic themes.The majority of the books do not substantially challenge stereotypes. The readership is generally portrayed as docile, predictable, hard-working, decent and stoical. Male characters tend to be more varied and complex and female characters conform to their stereotypical roles. Stories are mostly set in domestic, racially homogeneous domains populated by poor African people. Although there are notable exceptions to the above trends, the stories generally depict an uncontested, harmonious, homogeneous and docile world. In terms of issues relating to pedagogy the corpus reveals an overwhelming dominance of English second language books. This suggests that literacy acquisition in mother tongue African languages is not a serious endeavour in the current South African context. In terms of readability features, aside from surface similarities, there are wide discrepancies between publishers. Books are mainly written in naturally occurring language and do not appear to be written with predictability or decodability features particularly in mind. The analysis overall illustrates the complex nature of fiction for adult beginner readers which has to meet the simultaneous demands of readability and engagement. The corpus of books for adult beginner readers reflects competing conceptions of the purposes of promoting adult literacy: functionality, immediate application and relevance versus long-term development of reading through the evocation of emotion and imagination. / Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2003.

The study investigates the use of the Asifunde! materials by educators and learners in mother tongue literacy classes at two learning sites namely, Msunduzi and uMngeni Municipalities located in KwaZulu-Natal. The study focuses on the ways in which the Asifunde! Materials (learners' workbook, educators guide and easy readers) are used in the classroom. The study contributes to a gap in current literature on the use of materials by adult educators and learners. The study poses one critical question: "How do educators and learners in ABE classes use the Asifunde! materials?" This question is further elaborated into six subquestions: • Do educators mediate the content? If so, how? • How much time do educators spend on each section/page/unit? • To what extent do educators discuss the content and exercises with learners? • What is the learners' response (interest/extent of engagement/amount of discussion and enjoyment)? • How does the level of the material match the learners' needs? • How much communication is there between learners about the content of the material? Asifunde! materials were developed in response to call of the then Minister of Education Kader Asmal for a National Literacy Campaign in 1999. The Asifunde! material is a literacy course developed specifically for adults who have not had educational opportunities in the past. Its emphasis is on reading and writing mother tongue as well as on the implementation of these skills. The study is on literacy and literacy learning, which is understood here as the study of reading and writing processes that learners use as they engage in interpreting text Topics such as: literacy acquisition; purposes of literacy; the role of materials in acquisition of literacy; approaches to teaching reading and writing; and the educator as mediator of learning, are explored in the literature review as they are pertinent to the study. The study revealed that: 1. The use of the learner's book and the educator's guide varies between educators. 2. The educators do not fully understand the educational rationale behind the materials. 3. Learners respond positively to the materials. 4. There is very little use of the easy readers by both the educators and the learners. 5. Learners' learning and progress is largely influenced by the educator's use of the materials. 6. The learners are very excited about learning to read English now that they are competent in reading and writing their mother tongue. The study presents the following recommendations: 1. Training of educators in the use of the material. 2. The revision of the educator's guide to accommodate a range of educators in terms of experience and creativity. 3. Clarification of the focus and purpose of the materials regarding reading and writing. 4. Emphasis on the importance of the easy readers. 5. Inclusion of longer writing exercises towards the end of the book. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2004.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the degree in Masters of Technology in Nursing, Durban University of Technology, 2014. / Background The rapid growth in information and communication technology (ICT) in the 21st century has impacted all spheres of human activity, including the health sector. The change introduced by ICT requires educational institutions to relook at the way in which they develop and implement their education programmes. In contemporary clinical practice environments, ICT skills are providing benefits for nurses as well as for the patients they care for. Aim The aim of the study was to investigate the status of usage of ICT by academic staff, students and administrators within campuses of the KwaZulu-Natal College of Nursing which consists of 11 main campuses and 14 sub-campuses. Methodology A quantitative, cross sectional study was conducted which included academic staff, administrative staff, and students (R425 and R212) of the KwaZulu-Natal College of Nursing. A random sample of 576 individuals participated in the study consisting of academic staff (176); administrative staff (30) and students (340). Participants completed a questionnaire that established their demographic data and ICT usage. Results The questionnaire response rate was academic staff (80%), students (89%) and administrative staff (93%). The findings showed that while respondents were able to manage work related activities; they experienced poor access to computer training with 66% indicating they had access to computer training. The access to computer training for the administrative staff was 50%, with 8% of rural and 1% of urban students having access to training. The majority of academic staff have access to desktop computers with there still being a divide in terms of rural access as compared to urban access p=0.24. Significantly more administrative staff had access to desktop computers than those who do not p<.0005. The access to desktop computers for students was low, with 22% of respondents in both rural and urban campuses indicating that they have access. Access to the internet was low for all respondent groups with a significant difference between those who have access compared to those who do not have access p=<.0005, for both the academic and student groups. There is a low use of ICT for the purposes of teaching and learning with the majority of respondents (60%) indicating that they do not use ICT for teaching compared to those who do p=.0007. All respondent groups have experienced poor ICT support with the majority indicating that they do not receive ICT support p=<.0005. The usage of the online library was low for all groups, with 61% of academic staff, not accessing the online library for reasons of access, or knowledge about the library, 23% of urban students and 20% of rural students have indicated ever using the online library. Conclusion The study highlights the need for the KZNCN to be on par with higher education institutions globally in access to and usage of ICT. Benchmarking with higher education institutions in the health and other sectors is essential, in order for the KZNCN to benefit from the trend in incorporating technology into the teaching and learning process. Strong collaboration is necessary between the KZNCN as an academic institution and clinical health facilities to ensure that the developments in ICT within both sectors are reflected in the teaching and learning process, so that graduating nurses are able to function effectively. Clear policy documents and guidelines are required for the KZNCN which reflect the norms required for both ICT equipment and systems to enable functioning of the institution within an increasingly technological environment.

Thesis (MPhil) -- University of Stellenbosch, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The state of media literacy in South Africa was investigated on the basis of a case study. A survey was conducted among grade 10 learners in two Free State schools which are amongst the top achievers academically to determine if these learners possess the knowledge linked with media literacy. It was found that the majority of these learners do not. It is therefore imperative that the media industry promotes media literacy through assistance to teachers and independent training programmes aimed at learners. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: 'n Ondersoek na die stand van mediageletterdheid in Suid-Afrika is aan die hand van 'n gevallestudie gedoen. Die aan- of afwesigheid van kennis wat mediageletterdheid veronderstel, is met behulp van 'n vraelys onder gr. 10-leerders aan twee van die Vrystaat se voorste (akademiese) skole gemeet. Die navorser het bevind dat die meerderheid van dié leerders nie oor dié kennis beskik nie. Die bevindinge dui op die noodsaaklikheid van steun aan onderwysers vanuit die bedryf asook die aanbied van onafhanklike opleidingsprogramme deur mediamaatskappye

The Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM) is a standardised health literacy test developed in the United States that has been previously administered and researched in South Africa (Lecoko, 2000). It is an objective vocabulary test which uses item recognition of 66 health-related words where recognition is measured by pronunciation. It is designed as a screening instrument to identifY the health literacy levels of patients in clinics. Lecoko (2000) found the REALM to be largely inapplicable in a South African setting, in that only eight out of the 66 words could be deemed acceptable, in that they could be either both adequately pronounced and adequately comprehended or both inadequately pronounced and inadequately comprehended. This may have occurred for a number of reasons, including the administration of the test in a population for whom English is a second or other language, and inaccurate measurement of pronunciation and comprehension of words, with a key problem being that the choice of words in the original REALM may not accurately represent the range of conditions and issues in a South African healthcare setting. This thesis was therefore premised on the principled relexicalisation of the REALM, that replacement of the words used in the test, using a sample gathered from health information and promotion texts in local clinics, would improve its applicability. In this regard, an exhaustive sample was gathered and analysed and 66 new words were chosen. The test was also modified to include a more principled approach to pronunciation and comprehension issues, and to account for language proficiency differences in administering an English language test in an English second language population. This modified test, referred to as the REALM-M was administered to a group of respondents who were statistically similar to the group to whom the REALM had originally been administered, and the results were compared. It was found that relexicalisation increased the number of acceptable words on the test from eight to 38. However, researching the key discourses surrounding health literacy and comparing these with current discourses about literacy beyond the field of health care revealed that despite improved content validity over the REALM, the REALM-M lacked construct validity. This provided the opportunity to discuss the discourses of health literacy and to suggest the application of alternative paradigms in this field.

A thesis submitted to the Wits School of Education, Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Johannesburg 2016. / This study examines literacy experiences of grade 3 learners as they transition into grade 4 in two primary schools in Gauteng. In the first school IsiZulu and Sepedi are the languages of teaching and learning in the foundation phase and learners transitioned to English in grade 4, while English is the language of learning and teaching in the second school. The study poses four questions. The first explores whether reading and writing in the foundation phase adequately prepare learners for the academic and cognitive demands of the intermediate phase. The second and third questions investigate the strategies used by learners and teachers to negotiate the transition and how those strategies could be understood and explained in relation to the increasing academic and cognitive demands of the literacy curriculum. The fourth question examines the role of language as children transition into grade 4. The study draws on the ecological systems theory by Bronfenbrenner (2005) and adopts a socio-cultural orientation to literacy, drawing on scholarship in New Literacy Studies (Street, 2007). The research design was a collective case study in the qualitative paradigm. Classroom observation, interviews and document analyses gathered over 9 months comprise the data. Two grade 3 classes were observed for three months in each school before ten focus learners were identified and these children were followed into grade 4. One grade 4 class was studied in each school for six months. What emerges from the data is that, at a macrosystemic level, curriculum change is a major factor in what happens to learners as they move across grades. The time of this study coincides with a curriculum transition from the National Curriculum Statement (NCS) to the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) of 2011 and 2012. When curriculum transition was not clear to teachers, and they did not buy into it, the effect on the mesosystem was confusion, anxiety and frustration on both teachers and learners that resulted in negative attitudes and poor delivery. The choices of language of learning and teaching schools make for the literacy instruction of their learners an important factor in transition. Language alone is a huge demand and resource factor (Bronfenbrenner, 2005) in learner literacy learning. In both schools the majority of learners accessed literacy through languages that were different from their home languages. This compromised learners’ access to and conception of academic texts. There are complex physical, structural, psychological and academic transitions a learner must deal with at the mesosystemic level on reaching grade 4. Inadequate literacy skills impact negatively on learners’ academic and social transition from one phase to another in multiple ways. Psychologically, learners had a sense of fear of the next grade and when their fears were confirmed it made transition challenging when dealing with grade 4 work. Structurally, the organisation of teaching changed from one teacher to many teachers, and hence many subjects with different expectations on learners. Some teachers had inadequate pedagogical knowledge, did not communicate within and across grades, and had generally autonomous conceptions of literacy, resulting in learners’ literacy development being compromised. At the microsystemic (classroom) level learners were confronted by grade 4 academic and literacy demands that the foundation phase did not equip them for. Reading and writing practices changed in grade 4. Vocabulary, fluency and comprehension skills learners brought from grade 3 became inadequate for the demands of grade 4 work. Also absent in grade 4 was the environmental print and other supports learners had in grade 3. When learners’ complex, challenging situations were compounded by poor teaching, inconsistent literacy practices, lack of resources, large classes and timetabling issues some learners lost interest, accepted their fate and developed negative attitudes to schooling. Carelessness surfaced, written work was not prioritised and often not completed, while other learners sought support from the exosystem in the form of parents and siblings to hedge the challenges of transition. Consequent to this study there was a realisation among teachers in the two schools that they could do something about transition and literacy. An appetite for knowledge and revisiting of pedagogical practices was rekindled among some teachers. Transition and literacy became topical issues in both formal and informal teacher conversations. This raises questions about the coordination and smooth cooperation between systems which further research may tap into. / MT2017