This thesis reports on a critical literacy intervention with a grade 9 class the purpose of which was to raise awareness and change attitudes and perceptions towards gender. Texts are not neutral, and critical literacy is a way of examining a wide variety of texts in order to discern the values and ideologies behind them. In this way social inequalities and injustices are revealed and the reader is empowered to change the status quo (Janks 1993, 2001, 2010; Fairclough 1989 and 1992; Comber 2001 and others). At the same time their language and thinking skills should improve. Critical literacy is not separate from literacy, but rather an approach which raises awareness and facilitates critical engagement (Stevens and Bean 2007; Woodridge 2001). However, the ability to read effectively is important for the development of critical literacy (Sanders 1994; Hall 1998). Attitudes towards gender are socially constructed and deeply acculturated. Despite gender rights being protected under the South African Constitution (1996), and social justice issues such as gender empowerment being articulated in Curriculum 2005 this is not evident in schools where hegemonic masculinity and patriarchal attitudes manifest themselves in sexual harassment, gender violence and discrimination (Bhana 2005 and 2009; Morrell et al 2009). Changing these attitudes is difficult, but critical literacy offers an approach which can empower both boys and girls. This research used a mixed methods approach as this is flexible and allows for changes as the research progresses. Both qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques have been used in order to achieve triangulation and complementarity. Triangulation verifies, while comlementarity is used to enhance, clarify and elaborate on, data collected from different sources. Thus the mixed methods research leads to greater validity and reliability than a single method. The findings of this research are threefold. The first is that a critical literacy approach is difficult to implement if learners have weak reading skills. In order to engage critically with texts learners need decoding skills and fluency (Rasinski et al. 2004; Morris and Gaffney 2011) as well as a range of skills such as the ability to draw inferences, make judgments, evaluate and analyse what they are reading. This research reveals that the learners in grade 9 do not have the requisite reading ability to engage meaningfully with critical literacy. Reading comprehension tasks are inadequately completed and they are reading at a level well below their chronological ages. Furthermore, few of them come from a background where books and reading is valued, therefore few of them read for pleasure. In addition, this deficit in reading affects their ability to decode visual texts in the form of advertisements effectively. Changing attitudes to gender is challenging as these are deeply acculturated in the school and the wider society (Morrell et al 2009). In class when the message being imparted goes against embedded cultural values the boys decline to participate; in less formal situations the boys display hegemonic masculinity indicating that they have greater power and status than girls. Although Curriculum 2005 gives a special place to social justice issues and critical literacy is one of the Language, Literacy and Communication specific outcomes, the learners in grade 9A do not appear to have meaningfully engaged with it, despite being the only group to have followed Curriculum 2005 since they entered school in grade 1. The results of this research suggest that reading is central to creative thinking and problem-solving and thus needs to be addressed across all school grades, learning areas and subjects. In addition, if gender equity is to be attained, the school and the wider community need to be involved and public role models have to be seen to lead the way. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Edgewood, 2011.

This study investigated the information literacy of aspirant barristers in Nigeria and examined the steps undertaken to restructure the legal education system in Nigeria. It explored the connection between contextual influences and professional development, particularly with respect to the concept of legal information literacy and the value of acquired educational skills in the context of legal practice in Nigeria. The theoretical framework that underpinned the study was derived from the application of Kuhlthau’s (1993) Information Search Process (ISP) and Byström’s (1999) theory of Information Activity in Work. Kuhlthau’s model was relevant for investigating issues of uncertainty in the information seeking behaviour of the aspirant barristers and further confirmed the empirical validity of the model in the educational and workplace contexts. Byström’s theory was also valuable in analysing problems of task complexity experienced by the aspirant barristers in information use. The study employed a case study method; the data collection process involved the administration of questionnaires to the aspirant barristers and law firms to which they were assigned for vocational training. A mixed method approach was used to provide complementary insights to the findings of the study. Key findings from the study were supportive of the importance of information literacy as being central to the development of professional competence of the aspirant barristers which can be achieved through re-structuring the teaching methods and curricula of the Nigerian Law School. Outcomes from the study also pointed to a need for greater collaboration between the legal education system and the legal profession in narrowing the gap between the teaching and practice of law in Nigeria. Collaboration with academic librarians and legal information specialists is also necessary with respect to the role that these two groups can play in the design and implementation of an information literacy framework for the legal education system in Nigeria. The study makes recommendations for the adoption and integration of information literacy as a conceptual framework into the curriculum of the Nigerian Law School. In this way skills training can be enhanced. The information literacy model, designed as part of the recommendations from this study, provides guidelines for the various processes by which a teaching model that is unique to the context of the legal education system in Nigeria can be developed, tested and implemented. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2012.

This study investigated teachers’ competency in mediating information literacy in the classroom. At the heart of the problem was teachers’ own understanding of information literacy and their competency in information literacy education. The significance of the study is based on the following premises: information literacy is inferred in all the national curriculum statements; first year university students are expected to be able to learn independently from information resources, access and use information increasingly available online only, and write assignments based on research papers but their preparation at the school level appears inadequate and disparate; the education ministry has queried teachers’ lack of abilities in teaching research assignments and projects, often the vehicle for information literacy; and school librarians, the traditionally accepted purveyors of information literacy education, are scarce in South Africa making teachers the default information literacy educators. Further support for the study comes from the international literature: there is continued vocalization of the importance of information literacy through its association with inquiry-based learning. In teacher education certain assumptions have been questioned such as teachers’ innate abilities to mediate information literacy through their subject; and trainee teachers not needing information literacy education. Twenty nine participants in an information literacy education course at the University of the Western Cape formed the purposive sample. A mixed methods approach combined quantitative and qualitative modes of research and data. Data collection methods and tools included a pre- and post-course questionnaire, journals, interviews and assignment artefacts. The overriding mode of inquiry for the current study was qualitative. The principal theories guiding the study are constructivism, inquiry-based learning, and the process-based approach to information seeking behaviour. The important elements of an inquiry model, that incorporate information literacy, such as process learning, asking good questions, motivation, scaffolding, mediated learning and metacognition formed the kernel of the study. The study achieved its purpose in showing in a nuanced way that teachers, having undergone information literacy education, could teach their learners information literacy to a greater or lesser extent using a guided inquiry project. The course intervention saw participants progressing from a limited, unclear understanding of information literacy to having a satisfactory grasp of information literacy (education). Formerly, participants presented learners with a research project accompanied sometimes with a list of instructions, but only saw the completed project at the end. The course taught participants that information literacy needs to be made explicit in the classroom. One of the biggest challenges was using web-based information. The research shows that teachers need to be conversant and comfortable in the web environment and this conversion takes time and persistent breaking down of barriers. Using a change agency continuum, the study shows the participants’ varying degrees of change of beliefs from transmission teaching to using a guided inquiry approach. In comparing a (school) librarian’s approach to information literacy to the teachers’, the most glaring differences were teachers’ initial acceptance that information literacy occurs instinctively; that libraries were storehouses of “stuff” such as books; that textbooks are adequate for research projects; and that the ethical use of information was inconsequential. The study suggests that alternative sociological theories such as ICT for Development or Chatman’s Information Poverty could better explain the historical effect of teachers’ unequal access to information and the challenge of educating teachers in information literacy education in developing countries. The study recommends that all teachers receive information literacy education as part of their pre-service teacher training and that practicing teachers receive effective in-service training in mediating projects in the classroom. Teacher education policy documents need to make more explicit reference to information literacy education. The absence of the position of school librarian requires serious consideration as the lack of access to an organised, functioning school library continues to thwart literacy and information literacy. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2012.

The introduction of the new curriculum in South Africa has introduced a new approach to literacy in the early years of the Foundation Phase (Grade R – 1), which has a strong emphasis on emergent literacy. The National Curriculum Statement (NCS) for English – Home Language describes this approach as balanced “because it begins with children’s emergent literacy, it involves them in reading real books and writing for genuine purposes, and it gives attention to phonics”. For many teachers in South Africa, this means moving away from the “reading readiness approach” which held that children were not ready to read and write until they were able to perform sub-skills such as auditory discrimination and visual discrimination, and had developed their fine and large motor skills to a certain level. The purpose of this study was to trace and document children’s emergent literacy development in a Grade R class over a period of two months. More specifically, the intention was to investigate whether it was possible for trained, motivated teachers who have access to everyday resources in otherwise ordinary South African schools, to achieve the Assessment Standards set out in the NCS for Home Language in Grade R. In this school-based case study, the sample consisted of 4 children from 1 preschool in Queenstown, South Africa. The participants were selected according to gender and language because these appear to be significant factors in literacy development. The interpretive approach was used to collect and analyse data. Data were gathered from three main sources; (1) a research journal, (2) semi-structured interviews with the parents of the 4 participants, and (3) samples of the participants’ spontaneous writing. These were then triangulated to give credibility, objectivity and validity to the interpretation of the data. The findings revealed that: (1) Social class, language and to a lesser extent gender emerged as factors which impacted significantly on the children’s literacy development, resulting in some children progressing more quickly than others. In South Africa, language is an indicator of social class. The English-speaking children had a socioeconomic and language advantage which enabled them to make considerable strides in their literacy development. In contrast, the Xhosa-speaking children were disadvantaged by their socioeconomic and language circumstances, which made their literacy progress much slower. (2) The disparities between the English and Xhosa-speaking children in terms of the stability and structure of their families, had a considerable impact on their literacy performance. (3) Finally, teachers in English medium classes need to be aware of these factors. They need to design strategies and interventions to help those children who are learning in their additional language to achieve at similar levels to their English-speaking peers. If this is not done, the gap between the literacy achievements of the English-speakers and speakers of other languages will get wider and wider as time goes by.

This study aims to explore four grade 3 teachers’ understanding of teaching reading in Rukwangali, a home language in Namibia in Kavango region and to observe the strategies they use as well as the activities they set for their learners. During my School Based Studies (SBS), I noticed that learners were not reading with understanding. My interest was also stimulated by a study carried out in Namibia that found that the literacy levels for Namibian learners were poor compared to those of other African countries. This is a qualitative case study carried out within an interpretive paradigm. It seeks to understand the meaning that people attached to human actions. I selected the participants purposefully and in terms of convenience, as all three schools selected are situated in Rundu, the town in which I work as a college lecturer. The research tools I employed were semi-structured interviews, document analysis, classroom observation, and stimulated recall discussions on the lessons I observed. I used a variety of methods to triangulate data and enhance validity. This study reveals that teachers use multiple methods to teach reading. These methods include phonics and syllabification to help struggling learners to decode difficult and long (polysyllabic) words and the look-and-say method for whole word recognition and meaning making at word and sentence level. In addition, they also use the thematic approach to teaching and learning to expand learners’ vocabulary and enhance their understanding of the texts they read and to make their lessons learnercentred. However, the problems of language, lack of reading books written in Rukwangali and large class sizes constrain the teachers from teaching in a more learner-centred way. Therefore, the study gives some tentative recommendations to remedy this situation.

The aim of this research was to better understand teacher's beliefs about visual literacy and to explore how their beliefs influence their teaching practice. In order to investigate this, a case study was conducted that comprised of lesson observations and semi-structured interviews with two secondary school English home language educators. The backdrop to the research was the implementation of the new national curriculum for grade 10. The participants, though well educated and experienced teachers, felt their training had been inadequate in the area of teaching visual literacy and although they acknowledged the importance of visual literacy, it seemed to have a fairly low priority in their actual teaching practice. In particular, very little attention was given to the production of multimodal texts by learners. The reason for this low priority may be related to the requirements of the formal assessment programme as well as limited lesson time in which to cover an extensive curriculum. The research findings would seem to suggest a need for in-service training in this area as well as access to suitable learning support materials and teacher resources.

The ability to utilise information and communication technologies (ICTs) has become a new literacy for the twenty first century. This literacy raises a number of challenges for teachers’ vis-à-vis their technical ability, knowledge and expertise in ICTs. These challenges are also identified by the White paper on e-Education as: participation in the information society, impact of ICTs on access, cost effectiveness and quality of education, and integration of ICTs in the teaching and learning process. There is a gap in the ability of learners and teachers to use ICTs effectively, to access online content, to create content of their own, to communicate and collaborate, and to integrate technology into teaching and learning. There is also little evidence of technology integration into classroom activities such as systematic planning and implementation of lessons. This study describes barriers to effective technology integration in senior secondary schools. This was a qualitative case study conducted in technology rich senior secondary schools in the Tshwane North District, Gauteng Province. Data was collected from semi-structured interviews with office-based and school-based officials, focus group interviews with learners, lesson observations and document study. The findings point to lack of ICT specialist teachers to teach students computer skills, lack of teaching experience with ICTs, lack of support from the Department of Education, insufficient technology resources and absence of desired integration of ICTs in the curriculum. The long term aim of the study is to make substantive recommendations on the integration of ICTs in teaching and learning. In conclusion, this study clearly indicates that there are schools around Gauteng Province with computer technologies that are not used for teaching and learning. Based on the research findings and suggestions for further research, a national strategy for designing and implementing computer technology policy should be developed in Tshwane North Region to integrate technology effectively into teaching and learning. This will help teachers to plan and teach with technology and assist learners to become technologically compliant with 21st century demands. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

Thesis (MTech(Education)--Cape Technikon, Cape Town, 2001 / This study presents a theoretical evaluative framework for information literacy initiatives. The evaluative framework is based on a holistic behavioural taxonomic approach incorporating affective, cognitive, and physical domains. In this study the behavioural taxonomic approach was applied to the evaluation of a historical information literacy initiative, the IFYE (Integrated First Year Experience), developed by the Cape T echnikon in 1997, South Africa. The motivating factor behind the evaluation was to determine whether it would be suitable as an implementable initiative at other institutions in the Western Cape. This coincided with the aims of Infolit, who had invited institutions of Higher Education to submit pilot projects on information literacy in a drive to promote information literacy throughout the Western Cape. Although the IFYE initiative may not have realised its full potential, information literacy has drawn continued interest and other initiatives have since been developed. Application of two eXlsttng taxonomles, demonstrated distinct limitations in their application and a new taxonomy was developed within the South African educational context. The new taxonomy was applied to the theoretical evaluation of an innovative elearning information literacy initiative developed by the Cape Technikon in 2000, which has been accepted by Infolit for wider implementation throughout the Western Cape. The final section of the study presents recommendations based on the evaluation of the elearning initiative, information literacy initiatives in general, and structural changes to the developed taxonomy. Areas for further research are also discussed.

Orientador: Raquel Salek Fiad / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Estudos da Linguagem / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-25T18:48:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Pasquotte-Vieira_ElianeAparecida_D.pdf: 3192754 bytes, checksum: e8a96418111cab8ad4b08a2677fd8dac (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014 / Resumo: Situada na Linguística Aplicada e com o objetivo de refletir a partir de uma perspectiva discursiva e etnográfica sobre a integração dos sujeitos a práticas letradas acadêmicas, esta tese está fundamentada, por um lado, nas proposições teóricas de Bakhtin (2006 [1929-30]; 2003 [1952-1953]; 1993 [1919-1921]; 1976 [1926]) sobre enunciação, dialogismo, alteridade, construção de sentidos, posicionamentos discursivos, gêneros discursivos e, consequentemente, sobre a relação sujeito e linguagem como um fenômeno social, histórico e essencialmente dinâmico; e, por outro, nos aportes teórico-metodológicos dos "Letramentos Acadêmicos", segundo estudos desenvolvidos ao longo dos últimos 15 anos por autores britânicos, como Lea (1999), Lea & Street (2006 e 1998), Lillis (2008, 2003, 2001 e 1999), Lillis & Scott (2007), Street (2010 e 2009). Dessa maneira, esta tese se constrói segundo uma perspectiva etnográfico-linguística, desenvolvida mais especificamente a partir do que Lillis (2008) tem entendido como "história do texto", ou seja, uma concepção teórico-metodológica que considera simultaneamente para a análise tanto o texto quanto dados de outras naturezas que estão ao redor do texto, num contexto específico que o envolve. Assim, a partir de um estudo de caso, esta tese se constrói sobre uma discussão teórico-analítica que privilegia dados diversificados, provindos de um exame de qualificação de dissertação de mestrado em Agricultura e Ambiente, com o objetivo específico de refletir sobre a "história do texto" da mestranda [S] a partir do processo dialógico que envolveu (a) a versão escrita de sua dissertação entregue para o exame de qualificação, (b) as notas escritas dos professores da banca sobre essa dissertação, (c) os comentários orais dos professores e da mestranda durante o exame de qualificação e (d) os fragmentos extraídos de uma entrevista concedida pela mestranda após o exame. Para investigar essa "história do texto", a análise dos dados ocupou-se de três categorias para sua delimitação: (i) os posicionamentos sócio-históricos ocupados pelos sujeitos ? no sentido bakhtiniano ? no momento em que o exame de qualificação ocorreu, (ii) as interlocuções e (iii) as relações de poder ali estabelecidas. Verificou-se que o diálogo ocorrido durante o exame de qualificação constituiu-se num importante processo de negociação que, através da alteridade, levou a mestranda a (re)significações sobre a prática acadêmico-científica de escrita da dissertação de mestrado e a (re)posicionamentos como um sujeito discursivo. A conclusão é de que esse processo dialógico de negociação é fundamental às práticas letradas acadêmicas, as quais emergem bem mais de sujeitos discursivos do ponto de vista bakhtiniano do que de sujeitos envolvidos apenas com o desenvolvimento de habilidades de escrita ou com a socialização do saber acadêmico. Esta tese busca, dessa forma, contribuir com os estudos dos Letramentos Acadêmicos à medida que, por esse prisma, é possível deslocar o discurso do déficit e da crise da escrita existente nas esferas acadêmicas para uma perspectiva que toma os letramentos acadêmicos como práticas letradas situadas socioculturalmente e, por isso, sempre demandam processos de integração segundo uma perspectiva discursiva e de negociação dialógica / Abstract: This thesis is situated in Applied Linguistics and reflects from a discursive and ethnographic perspective on the integration of subjects in academic literacy practices. For this reason, this work is founded, on the one hand, on Bakhtin¿s concepts (2006 [1929-30], 2003, [1952-1953], 1993 [1919-1921], 1976 [1926]) of enunciation, dialogism, process of meaning, speech subjects, speech genres, and consequently on the relationship between subjects and language as a social, historical and dynamic phenomenon. On the other hand, this work is developed on the basis of the theoretical and methodological contributions from the "Academic Literacies" studies, which have been conducted over the past 15 years by British authors as Lea (1999), Lea & Street (2006 and 1998), Lillis (2008, 2003, 2001 and 1999), Lillis & Scott (2007), Street (2010 and 2009). Hence, this thesis is underpinned by a linguistic ethnographic perspective, based more specifically on what Lillis (2008) has understood as "text history", that is, a theoretical and methodological framework for the simultaneous analysis of the text and of other data from the situated context "around the text". As a case study, this thesis is founded on a theoretical and analytical discussion that emphasizes diversified data stemming from a qualifying exam of a masters dissertation in Agriculture and Environment, with the specific aim to reflect on the "text history" of the masters student [S], across the dialogic process involving (a) the written version of her dissertation for the qualifying exam, (b) the written notes from the professors of the Qualifying Committee on this dissertation, (c) the oral comments from the professors and [S] during the qualifying exam and (d) extracts from the interview with [S] after the exam. For the investigation about this "text history", the data analysis has focused on three categories: (i) the socio-historical placements of the subjects ? in Bakhtin¿s sense of the term ? during the qualifying exam, (ii) the interlocutors in dialogue, and (iii) the power relations established among the subjects in the place and time in which the dissertation qualifying exam took place. It was found that dialogue during the qualifying exam constituted an important negotiation process because, through the alterity, [S] was building her (re)meanings on the academic-scientific practice of writing of the masters dissertation and her (re) placements as a speech subject. The conclusion is that the dialogic process of negotiation is crucial to academic literacy practices because these practices emerge more from speech subjects from the Bakhtin¿s viewpoint, than of subjects that have worked only with writing skills or socialization of academic knowledge. Thereby, this thesis aims to contribute to Academic Literacies studies considering that the dialogic perspective is able to move the debate about the writing deficit and the writing crisis in the academic spheres to a place where academic literacies have been taken as socially and culturally situated practices. These practices require constant processes of integration according to a discursive perspective and dialogic negotiation / Doutorado / Lingua Materna / Doutora em Lingüística Aplicada

Orientador: Terezinha de Jesus Machado Maher / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Estudos da Linguagem / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-23T12:25:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Lima_MarianaBatistade_M.pdf: 1030666 bytes, checksum: 5d0c59a403c76230309f61959c9a5922 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013 / Resumo: O propósito do estudo relatado nesta dissertação de mestrado foi o de descrever e discutir as representações de professores universitários acerca da escrita acadêmica de seus alunos, com foco no uso do recurso de "copiar e colar" (com ou sem a explicitação da fonte). O aparato teórico utilizado incluiu discussões sobre o conceito de letramento, segundo a perspectiva dos Novos Estudos do Letramento (LEA; STREET, 2006, dentre outros) e sobre a construção de identidades culturais em práticas envolvendo a leitura e a escrita de textos (VÓVIO, 2008; ZAVALA 2010). Também o conceito de plágio, entendido como uma prática situada sócio-historicamente (SCHNEIDER, 1999), assim como as noções de autoria (CHARTIER, 1999) e de propriedade intelectual (BAZERMAN, 2010) são discutidas, considerando a necessidade de se atentar para o modo como esses constructos teóricos são redefinidos pelos novos valores evocados pela cibercultura (BRITO, 2012). A pesquisa aqui referida é de cunho qualitativo/interpretativista e se filia à corrente da Linguística Aplicada chamada de ideológica (MOITA LOPES, 2006). Os 10 participantes da pesquisa lecionam em instituições universitárias públicas ou privadas, na região sudeste do país. O corpus de análise foi gerado em entrevistas semi-estruturadas (BONI, QUARESMA, 2005), que ocorreram de três maneiras distintas: a) pessoalmente; b) em troca de e-mails ou c) por chat em rede social. Os resultados obtidos por meio das análises dos registros gerados sugerem, entre outras questões, não haver consenso, nas representações dos participantes, quanto ao plágio ser, ou não, uma estratégia produtiva utilizada pelo aluno para tentar lidar com suas dificuldades em relação à escrita na universidade. A expectativa é que este trabalho forneça, aos responsáveis pela elaboração de currículos para o Ensino Superior, subsídios que possam ajudá-los a encontrar maneiras de efetivamente promover a aquisição dos letramentos acadêmicos / Abstract: The aim of the study described in this dissertation was to reflect upon issues related to university professors' representations of their students academic writing, focusing specifically on the use of "cut and paste" as a resource, with or without proper reference as to original sources. The theoretical bases of the work included concepts such as literacy, taking the contributions of the New Studies of Literacy (LEA; STREET, 2006, among others) as primary references, and cultural identities construction in practices involving the reading and writing of texts (VÓVIO, 2008; ZAVALA, 2010). The concept of plagiarism, understood as a social-historical situated practice (SCHNEIDER, 1999), as well as the notion of authorship (CHARTIER, 1999) and intellectual property (BAZERMAN, 2010) were also discussed, taking into account the need to consider the way these constructs theoretical have been redefined by the new values evoked by the cyber culture (BRITO, 2012). The qualitative/interpretative based research study here described is affiliated with the area of Ideological Applied Linguistics (MOITA LOPES, 2006). The analyzed corpus consisted of semi-structured interviews (BONI, QUARESMA, 2005) with 10 participants who work in public or private university institutions in the southeastern region of Brazil. These interviews were conducted in three distinct ways: a) personally; b) through e-mails interchange or c) during a social network chat. As far as the participants' representations is concerned, results derived from data analysis suggests, among other things, that there is no consensus as to whether plagiarism could be considered, or not, a productive strategy used by some students in order to try to deal with their difficulty regarding academic writing at the university level. It is expected that this dissertation will provide University curriculum policy makers with useful insights that may enable them to pursue ways of effectively promoting the acquisition of academic literacy competences / Mestrado / Multiculturalismo, Plurilinguismo e Educação Bilingue / Mestra em Linguística Aplicada