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.

This thesis examines the development of children's reading skills, in both the mother tongue and English as a foreign language, during their first four years of school. It is an attempt to enter the reading world of very young learners in underdeveloped, mainly rural communities in search of practical insights into the teaching of reading in the junior primary classroom. The research focuses specifically on two approaches to reading instruction. The first is the approach traditionally used in black South African schools, characterised by teacher-centredness and rote-recall techniques. The second is a more progressive and communicative approach encapsulated in the language courses of the Molteno Project. Both approaches, and their theoretical underpinnings, are described in some detail. The context of language-in-education policy in South Africa is also reviewed. The research then tests the hypothesis that a communicative approach to reading pedagogy produces measurably better results in pupils than more traditional methods. The research explores the use of quantitative methods of evaluation, giving justification for their use, and examines the practicability of standardised EFL tests at junior primary level. Existing tests are evaluated and found wanting. The process of developing and administering original hybrid-communicative tests is described. The results of these, which were administered over four years to a total of some 6 000 pupils across the first four years of school, are assessed. Implications for testers, teachers, educational administrators and educational NGOs are extrapolated.

We provide a tool for communicating about insects in isiZulu to facilitate research and knowledge sharing in the fields of indigenous knowledge, cultural entomology, environmental education and community extensioninvolving isiZulu speakers. A total of 213 different names for 64 insect specimens were encountered among a sample of 67 respondents in 11 communities distributed across the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. This list includes 93 names that can be considered core isiZulu vocabulary and which are widely used to identify insects that are agriculturally, medically, domestically, culturally or ecologically common or significant. Substantial variation was found regarding the names for particular insects, especially between regions, suggesting dialectal differences between isiZulu speakers. Grammatical and social variation in names was also recorded. This study highlights interdisciplinary teamwork in the field of indigenous knowledge research and the influences affecting the standardisation of South African languages for technical and scientific work.

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 study aimed to investigate how Grade 11 Biology teachers mediate learning through code-switching from English to Oshiwambo. It was triggered by my experience as a teacher when I came to observe that the majority of teachers still use the home language during their lessons though the language policy for schools in Namibia clearly states that English should be used as a medium of instruction from Grade Four onwards. The research was carried out at Happy Secondary School (pseudonym), a rural government school in Omusati Region, Namibia. It was a qualitative case study underpinned by an interpretive paradigm. The unit of analysis was the mediation of learning through codeswitching from English to Oshiwambo. Document analysis, questionnaires, interviews (semistructured, focus group, stimulated recall interviews) and lesson observations were used as data gathering techniques, to ensure adequate coverage, validity and trustworthiness of the data gathered. The study adopted Vygotsky’s social constructivism and the socio-cultural perspective in conjunction with Shulman’s Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) as the theoretical frameworks. The data analysis process entailed organising data into themes from which four analytical statements were then derived in relation to the research questions. The study found that both Biology teachers and learners view code-switching as a useful tool in making learners understand the biological concepts. The study revealed that Biology teachers code-switch from English to Oshiwambo to make learners understand better, increase participation, explain concepts, elaborate, for disciplinary purposes, when giving examples of everyday knowledge events and when asking questions. The study also revealed that learners code-switch mainly for good communication, easier self-expression, due to loss of words, when unprepared to explain concepts and due to fear of making mistakes. It emerged, however, that both teachers and learners experience some challenges when codeswitching from English to Oshiwambo is used to mediate learning in Biology lessons. These include time constraints, lack of biological terms in Oshiwambo, different Oshiwambo dialects and the language policy. In addition, learners also lose the opportunity to learn English and find it difficult to answer questions in the examinations. The study revealed that Biology teachers and learners try to overcome these challenges by good lesson preparation, mini-teaching, using English/Oshindonga dictionaries or simply by adhering to the language policy.

M.Ed. (Language Teaching) / The lack of proper regard for language variation and the heterogeneous nature of language in the teaching of Afrikaans First Language Secondary Phase caused various problems. Not only individuals but the whole Afrikaans language community and the language itself suffered. Language variation is actually recognised in the learning content and teaching approach of the latest Afrikaans First Language syllabus. However, because of the inadequate recognition in the syllabus and the current complexity of the Afrikaans language community, it is necessary to provide guidelines for augmenting the syllabus to improve the teaching-learning situation. This study therefore proposes appropriate learning content with regard to the heterogeneous nature of language, language variation and specific problems in the Afrikaans language community. In order to accommodate all the varieties of Afrikaans and speakers of these varieties in the teaching-learning situation, a multi-variety approach is recommended. With that in mind a strategy to implement a multi-variety approach and the teaching of the complex phenomenon, language variation in Afrikaans First Language Secondary Phase is proposed.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Language Education)) -- University of Limpopo, 2020 / The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (Act 108 of 1996) mandates that “the official languages of the Republic are Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga, Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, isiXhosa and isiZulu” (Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996: 4). However, only English has continued to be used as the language of teaching and communication in almost all institution of higher education. The Language Policy for Higher Education in South Africa (DBE, 2002) calls on all institutions of higher learning to develop African languages. The Bill of Rights (Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996:10) asserts that “everyone has the right to receive education in the official language or languages of their choice...”. In consensus with this, the Language Policy of the University of Limpopo (1996:3) mandates the institution, to uphold the legislative provision of multilingualism as defined and laid out in Section 6 (1) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (1996), the Language Policy and Plan for South Africa (2000). In addition, the National Language Policy Framework (2002), and the Ministerial Committee’s Report on the Development of Indigenous African Languages as Mediums of Instruction in Higher Education (2005). However, no practical plans to meet the mandates of these language policies have been made, except in the teaching of the language as a module. Many Xitsonga university students face challenging linguistic contexts when they enter institutions of higher learning. The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of students and lecturers of the use of the Xitsonga language in teaching, learning and communication at the University of Limpopo. The Xitsonga students often codemix and codeswitch during lectures and social interactions. The researcher had to identify, describe, analyse and reflect on the kinds of learning and communication practices that emerged in this context. The investigation is an ethnographic case study of the language attitudes and behaviours of the students and lecturers at the University of Limpopo. The researcher spent time with Xitsonga students and lecturers in the School of Education and in the School of Languages and Communication Studies, where Xitsonga is offered as a module. The researcher used her class in the School of Education and observed lectures in the School of Languages and Communication Studies to develop a case, which can be used to enrich an understanding of other cases. The study was qualitative in nature within interpretivism paradigm. Research techniques namely interviews, documentary analysisvii and observations were used for data collection. Critical discourse analysis (CDA) and thick descriptions were used to analyse the data coded into themes to highlight the power play between English and the indigenous languages, with particular reference to Xitsonga. The results indicated that the environment at the University of Limpopo does not afford Xitsonga students the desire and motivation required to communicate in Xitsonga. The researcher also observed that language is only recognised for greeting purposes and cultural activities. As such, most Vatsonga students do not contribute to the development of the language. The study therefore recommends that the institution language policy be revised and implemented accordingly to cater appropriate use of the SOVENGA languages. Keywords: Language Learning, Communication, Xitsonga, Indigenous African Languages, Language Policy, Planning, Implementation and Evaluation, Motivation, Attitude, SOVENGA

The Portland Japanese School (hoshuukoo) was established as a supplementary Saturday school by a Japanese business group of Portland (Shokookai). The mission of this school is to provide Japanese education to Japanese students who eventually go back to Japan and continue to study in the Japanese school system. My previous project found that Japanese parents, who are long term U.S. residents, want to send their children to the Portland hoshuukoo for the purpose of giving a heritage Japanese education. Utilizing a case study qualitative approach, the current study administered a questionnaire to heritage Japanese students and interviewed them, their parents, the school administrator, and teachers to shed light on their perceptual differences in expectations towards hoshuukoo. The data collected through the questionnaire and interview found that while the school maintains the original mission that hoshuukoo is to provide Japanese national education to those who will go back to Japan and continue to study in the Japanese schooling, the parents of heritage Japanese students expect that their children learn the Japanese language and culture and become "Japanese-like" person who acquires "Japanese-ness" from the education and experiences at the Portland hoshuukoo. It was also found that the teachers are aware of the gaps between the heritage Japanese students' needs for Japanese as a heritage language instruction and the school's mission but they have not been able to fulfill the student needs and expectations due to the absolute mission of the school and lack of time and resources. While there is the teacher's dilemma towards education to the heritage Japanese students, Portland hoshuukoo still carries a role as a place able to provide a heritage Japanese education with some conditions: which require heritage Japanese students tremendous effort and require their parents great support for their children. Considering that the heritage Japanese students at the Portland hoshuukoo may increase in future, this study suggests that now is the time to rethink or revise the school's mission to fulfill expectations and needs of students and parents at Portland hoshuukoo.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

In response to the parental and societal demands, more schools have implemented "Using Putonghua to teach Chinese" (UPe) school-based curriculum. As schools have different contextual factors, ensuring the quality of the curriculum becomes a major concern. This study aims to explore the essential elements of an effective UPC school-based curriculum, improve its quality, identify and share the successful experiences and difficulties teachers encountered in the implementation process. Action research and evaluations done collaboratively with teachers were conducted to address the four research questions: (1) What are the crucial elements of an effective UPC school-based curriculum? (2) How well is the existing curriculum? (3) How can teachers use the evaluation data to improve quality of the curriculum? (4) What are the key success factors and problems teachers encountered? / The evidence collected showed that the degree of teachers' involvement in evaluating the UPC school-based curriculum has an impact on enhancing the quality of the curriculum. Teachers' involvement could take the form of: (1) observation to increase the awareness and sensitivity of using Putonghua to teach Chinese; (2) reflection to enhance the understanding of using Putonghua to teach Chinese and to improve the effectiveness of teaching and learning; (3) discussion to reach consensus of the missions and objectives set; (4) evaluation to develop teachers' ability in making professional judgments; (5) utilization of the evaluation data to provide feedback to the curriculum. Moreover, the study showed that a systematic framework helps in making reflection and evaluation, effective team work fosters doing of the evaluation that enhances teachers' professional development and optimizes curriculum development. It also helps the school to explore the good school-based curriculum practices. As for the difficulties, teachers found it hard to solve all the teaching and learning problems at once. The lack of relevant knowledge, the extra workload and long working hours add up to put stress on them. / The research findings are constructive to the development of UPC school-based curriculum evaluation criteria. They facilitated regular reviews on the quality assurance, enhanced the overall development, contributed knowledge to the construction of the UPC school-based curriculum and the assessment theory. In practice, the successful experiences of the target teachers served as good reference for other schools. / The study targeted at 7 Chinese language teachers from 2 secondary schools. An evaluation framework was first developed, then used to assess the two existing UPC school-based curricula. The researcher also observed and interview the target teachers to understand their views and feelings. Through comparing and contrasting the two school cases, the researcher explored how the degree of teachers' involvement in evaluating the curriculum affected the effectiveness of the outcomes. / With adoption of 15 assessment dimensions and 82 evaluation criteria, the study shows an effective UPC school-based curriculum should measure the intended, the implemented and the learned curriculum. The intended curriculum was found to be the best, followed by the implemented curriculum and the learned curriculum being the worst. The result implied that the objectives of the UPC school-based curriculum were clearly defined but the effectiveness of the learning outcomes fell short of the expectaion. A major problem of the intended curriculum was the lack of resources, thus making the infusion of Putonghua element into the Chinese language lessons and the integration of the two subjects difficult. Different school characteristics were found in the implemented curriculum. The roles of the two media of instruction were clear. However, teachers could not adjust their teaching methodologies and this also complicated the problem of learner diversity. The learning outcomes of the students also differ when the UPC school-based curriculum objectives were set differently in the two schools. / 蔡若蓮. / Thesis submitted: 2010年12月. / Thesis submitted: 2010 nian 12 yue. / Adviser: Sin Pui Derek Cheung. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 73-04, Section: A, page: . / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2011. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 430-451). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [201-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest Information and Learning Company, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in Chinese and English. / Cai Ruolian.