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A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Arts in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (D.Phil) in the Department of General Linguistics at the University Of Zululand, South Africa, 2017 / The study of ESL students’ experiences with literary texts generated a theoretical model accounting for the intricate relationships among some interwoven phenomena. The model was informed by the precepts of the systematic procedures of Strauss and Corbin (1990) and the attendant central phenomenon, causal conditions, contextual and intervening conditions, interactional strategies as well as the consequences. The central phenomenon that emerged focused on how ESL students interact with textual features such as language difficulty, lexical difficulty, and length of the text by employing strategies to bring about better text comprehensibility. The causal condition for the phenomenon is that some ESL students face lexical and general language difficulty when studying literary texts because of their relative lexical impoverishment. When students consult dictionaries to mediate lexical difficulty, reading fluency is adversely affected; and the condition is exacerbated by the length of the text which brings about loss of plot navigation whereby some readers forget parts of the plot due prolonged engagement in the context of available reading time. The context under which the phenomenon obtains is conspicuous in poetry in the form of authority of interpretation – a phenomenon which grapples with the quandary of orthodox interpretation as postulated either by the student or the assumed more knowledgeable other, the lecturer. The attendant property is that interpretation resonates as a positive higher level cognitive appeal to the more competent reader and a challenge or difficulty to the less competent reader. In the novel (as well as other genres) the manifestation of the phenomenon comes about during assessment where there is a lack shared outcomes or criterion referencing, which leads to unsatisfactory student performance. Students have to adopt interactional strategies to mediate the situation by relying on internet summaries and analyses. Other interactional strategies include relying on the lecturer’s decoding of the text, thereby expecting a banking pedagogy from the more knowledgeable other; relying on the peers’ decoding of a literary text; and shared or collaborative reading which leads to a convergence of different viewpoints and interpretations. These strategies are facilitated by the intervening conditions like the relevance of themes; the ability of the reader to relate to the text; the novel’s being laden with exploratory ideas; and the drama’s interactive nature. Conversely, they are constrained by such conditions as the effect of the heavy workload; drama’s barren exposition; internet summaries only treating peripheral content; and the discrepancy between lecturing and assessment styles. The interactional strategies have a positive and a negative bearing on the ESL readers’ engagement with literary texts. The positive consequences of relying on the internet summaries and analysis include the provision of an entry point to the text; creation of expectation and activation of the schemata; it also results in active reading for some readers, and it facilitates the reading of the long texts. Conversely, the practice is also considered to result in passive reading as it is no longer necessary for some readers to make conjectures; the discovery element is taken away hence the aesthetic value of the text dwindles; and it adversely affects the student-lecturer didactic relationship for ethical reasons. The strategy of relying on the lecturer and peers leads to dependency when they do not read texts on their own

Thesis (M.Ed.) -- University of the North, 1992 / Refer to the document

This exploratory case study aims to develop a set of best practices for integrating online discussion forums into the foreign language curriculum, focusing specifically on a group of learners in an advanced French grammar course at a large, public U.S. university. During a period of two months, 26 participants completed a series of tasks designed to provide three different types of data: 1) exploration and analysis of interactional, linguistic, and social features of Web forum discourse; 2) participation in Web forums; and 3) feedback from students. Since the feedback received from two questionnaires was ultimately the most consistent and reliable type of data collected, this study focuses on students' participation patterns and their perceptions of Web forums as a communication space having the potential to provide opportunities for learning French. Although some students indicated that they would neither consider visiting a French-language Web forum nor actually visit one, in both cases, more than half of the participants who completed these questionnaires indicated that they would both consider visiting a French-language Web forum and might actually visit one. Since encouraging students to use French beyond the classroom and to engage in the lifelong use of French for personal enrichment (following the Communities standard of the U.S. Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century), at least one goal of this study-the main goal-has been partially achieved.

Digital learning is becoming increasingly prevalent in colleges and universities in the United States (Allen & Seaman, 2013; Godev, 2014), including in the social field of second language learning. In larger language programs in particular, online and blended (partially online) courses are gaining popularity, such as the recently cited "hybrid revolution in Spanish-language learning" (Long, 2014, p. 1). Administrators look to digital solutions to tight finances, a lack of classroom space, and student demands. A current challenge in the field is helping instructors and students adapt to digital pedagogy and a new perspective: Technology provides innovative possibilities for instruction and interaction, not solely a distance replication of face-to-face courses (Blake, 2009, 2013, 2014; Goertler, 2011, 2014). To be successful, digital learning must include pedagogically sound course design and adequate support for both instructors and learners, requirements that may make this trend not as economical as originally believed (Godev, 2014).Responding to Hermosilla's (2014) declaration that "a pending task is to gather accurate data on existing hybrid Spanish programs in US colleges and universities in order to carry out comparative studies" (p. 3), this dissertation examines lower-division blended courses of languages other than English currently or recently taught at U.S. colleges and universities. The dissertation follows Wu's (2015) assumption that the courses appearing in the prior research literature might not be representative of the vast number of blended courses that now exist. The dissertation draws upon an original survey of 121 instructor and administrator participants representing 52 language programs and 13 languages, interviews with 21 of these participants, and surveys of 35 students in 4 participants' classes. Conducted using mixed methods and thematic analysis, the dissertation provides information about blended course designs so that other institutions can learn from them and emulate them. The study explores the choices that underlie the selection and development of curricula, materials, and technologies in blended language courses; student, instructor, and administrator perspectives on these courses; and support (training, professional development, and resources) available to participants. Most participants (98 in total) reported being very or somewhat satisfied with the current setup of their blended courses. Variables correlated with instructor satisfaction included a greater number of years of instruction (overall and in the blended format), instructors' amount of influence over the curriculum and materials, their choice of teaching blended classes, and the availability of technology training in their programs. Themes emerging from the interviews included an emphasis on the communicative approach, the use of textbook website packages and (in a few cases) open educational resources, a frustration with inadequate student preparation, instructor autonomy, and varying levels of support for instructors and students. Blended courses in basic language programs are best served when instructors choose their level of technological integration, contribute to the course design, and are offered preparation and support related to both technology and teaching methods. The study recommends ways that institutions, departments, instructors, and students of languages can make the most of digital pedagogy, not only in officially blended courses, but also in courses across the spectrum of technological integration, from fully face-to-face to fully online. Useful strategies include selecting and creating technological materials that align with the skills that instructors and administrators want students to develop, providing training and support for both pedagogy and technology to new and continuing instructors, and offering technological support to students. The lessons of this study are applicable not only to courses that are officially blended, but also to all language programs considering or evaluating new technological integrations.

Thesis (M.A.T.) -- School for International Training, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 92-93).

I den svenska skolan idag har ca 15 % av eleverna utländsk bakgrund. Enligt Skolverketsstatistik så klarar de utländska eleverna sig sämre i de nationella proven i matematik än svenska elever. Syftet med studien är att se hur fyra elever med invandrarbakgrund klarar av problemlösning i en gruppdiskussion i matematik på gymnasienivå. Eleverna i studien är allafödda i Sverige med invandrade föräldrar. Den empiriska datan består av observation av en gruppdiskussion, när eleverna löser ett matematiskt problem, samt efterföljande enskilda intervjuer. Observationen analyserades utifrån problemlösningsprocessens fyra ingående delar: Förstå, Planera, Genomföra och Värdera. Intervjuerna gjordes för att förtydliga och klargöra vad som framkommit under observationen. Resultatet visar på problem att tolka och förstå innehållet i texten och problem med de förekommande signalorden. Gällande det matematiska innehållet uppvisade eleverna brister iförståelsen kring följande begrepp: uttryck, variabler, ekvationer och likhetstecken. Nyckelord: Matematik, Begrepp, Språk, Problemlösning, Elever i behov av stöd, Andraspråk / In the Swedish school today we have approximately 15% students with a foreign background.These students usually show lower results on National tests than the Swedish students inmathematics. The purpose of this study is to investigate how four students with immigrantbackground in high school deal with problem solving during a group discussion with the help of the Swedish language and how the language affects the problem solving. The students are born in Sweden but have parents who are born in a foreign country. The empirical data consists of an observation of a group discussion in mathematical problemsolving. The observation was analyzed based on Understanding - Plan - Implement – Evaluate.The pupils were interviewed to clarify what has emerged during the observation. At least two phenomena became obvious, firstly the students have problems with readingcomprehension and secondly they have problem with understanding the following concepts:expressions, variables, equations, and the equal sign. Keywords: Mathematics, Concepts, Language, Problem solving, Special needs, Second languages

Magister Artium (Psychology) - MA(Psych) / The central aim of this study was to explore the identity formation of black African middle class young adults in the context of their educational and language experiences in ex-model C schools. The study was motivated by a need to understand how socio-historical events which play out in language in education policies and practices, affected the identity constructions of young black adults who had been through a schooling system where English was used as the language of instruction. The study adopts social constructionism as the epistemological position, given that it considers individuals’ identities to be socially, historically and culturally constructed. Postcolonial approaches to identity construction were utilised, influenced by the works of Frantz Fanon and Hussein Bulhan. The study utilised a qualitative design, using semi-structured interviews as the method of data collection. Three participants who formerly attended ex-model C schools were interviewed. One interview was conducted for each participant. Thematic analysis was then used as a method of data analysis to identify the ways these young adults make sense of their experiences relating to identity constructions. With regard to the findings of the study, three main themes were identified, namely making sense of the new school environment, identity construction, and the role of language in the participants’ lives. Overall, findings of the study revealed that identity constructions were not static, but instead reflected the historical and social processes in which the participants lived. The participants adapted to the language of the school, and considered themselves to be multilingual as they were able to communicate in the language that was required for economic success. The present hegemonic status of English was accepted by the participants, because the ability to communicate in this language meant job security and an ability to communicate beyond boundaries. The mother tongue was still used by these participants, but it was used in contexts which were deemed appropriate by the participants. Race and class as markers of difference emerged as important constructs for identity formation. In conclusion, it was found that these young adult speakers of indigenous African languages were negating their mother tongue in the school and in social and economic contexts. In some cases, this led to alienation or feelings of inferiority. Indigenous African languages need to be promoted in the educational setting, and further acknowledged in other sectors of society and the economy. If African languages are presented as having some sort of utility in the economic sector, this will hopefully result in a change of attitude amongst indigenous African language speakers towards their own languages, contributing to the construction of multilingual identities which will reflect a truly democratic society.

Certaines études, et notamment PISA 2009, soulignent qu’il existe un écart important en France dans les compétences en lecture entre les élèves allophones et les élèves francophones, et que ces derniers réussissent mieux. Cette thèse postule que pour toute réussite éventuelle à l’école, des compétences solides en lecture, et au niveau exigé pour la classe de référence, sont indispensables. Ce postulat est encore plus valable pour les élèves inscrits dans une école secondaire, le public visé par ce travail.Cette étude, basée sur une démarche qualitative, examine six dispositifs d’accueil linguistique pour collégiens allophones nouvellement arrivés en France et aux États-Unis, en vue d’éclairer et de comparer les pratiques de formation à la littéracie scolaire en L2 employées dans les structures éducatives de ces deux états. Bien que la littératie comprenne habituellement des compétences en lecture et à l’écrit, ce travail se concentre sur la première de ces deux compétences (sur la lecture). Cette thèse fournit une lecture à la fois sociolinguistique et didactique des dispositifs étudiés. D’abord, elle examine les textes législatifs, en vigueur en France et aux États-Unis, concernant la prise en charge des élèves allophones nouvellement arrivés dans ces deux pays. Cette analyse a pour but de déterminer si ces textes stipulent des compétences en lecture à développer dans les dispositifs d’accueil linguistique et celles qui devraient être acquises avant que ces élèves ne sortent définitivement des structures éducatives adaptées et intègrent une classe ordinaire. La thèse examine ensuite les notions de littératie et de littératie scolaire, et met en avant des compétences nécessaires en lecture pour une réussite éventuelle à l’école. En dernier lieu, elle souligne des pratiques didactiques, mises en avant par des travaux scientifiques réalisés en contexte nord-américain, pour le développement de la lecture en L2, et vérifie de quelle manière elles sont prises en considération dans les six dispositifs d’accueil linguistique examinés dans cette étude. Au terme de cette thèse, il a été démontré que ces pratiques sont plutôt bien intégrées dans les structures éducatives américaines, et moins bien dans les structures françaises. Cette thèse révèle également que les enseignants principaux, intervenant dans les dispositifs d’accueil américains, disposent de toute une panoplie d’outils pédagogiques pour les aider dans leur travail, matériaux dont ne bénéficient pas les enseignants intervenant dans les dispositifs correspondants en France. / Studies, and notably PISA 2009, have highlighted that foreign students enrolled in French schools significantly lag behind their French counterparts in terms of reading proficiency. This study postulates that grade-level reading proficiency is a pre-requisite to achieving in school and to having fair access to the curriculum. This is even more the case for adolescent second language learners enrolled at the secondary level, the student population on which this study is focused.Based on a qualitative paradigm, this work analyzes six language programs designed for second-language learner newcomers enrolled at the middle school level in France and in the United States. The study reveals and compares the practices used in these six programs for the teaching of academic literacy in L2. Literacy most generally comprises skills in both reading and writing. The focus of this study, however, is on academic reading. The programs have been analyzed from both a sociolinguistic and language-teaching perspective. First, the study examines the legislation in place in France and the United States, regarding the schooling of second language learners in these two countries. This section determines if these texts stipulate the reading skills that need to be developed and achieved by these students during their stay in, and before exiting, the language programs. It then examines the notions of literacy and academic literacy, and endeavors to determine the reading skills necessary for potential success in a mainstream middle school classroom. Lastly, the study examines the best practices, cited in the literature, for the teaching of academic reading to adolescent second language learners. It then investigates if, and how, these practices are incorporated into the six different language programs. Upon conclusion, results of the study revealed that these practices are relatively well incorporated in the American programs but, overall, are not widely used in the programs observed in France. The results also reveal that the teachers of French as a second language working in these programs significantly lack, compared to their American counterparts, research-based teaching materials and models, as well as means of assessment.

2010 a été proclamée Année croisée de la Russie en France, mais quel est le statut de la langue russe au sein de l’enseignement public français depuis la désagrégation de l’Union soviétique en 1991 ? quelles sont les politiques linguistiques et éducatives des deux pays à l’égard de la langue russe en France métropolitaine ? pourquoi les élèves faisant actuellement leurs études en France choisissent le russe comme la langue vivante prioritaire (LV1, LV2) ? quelles images de la Russie ont les apprenants et les enseignants en France ? Afin de donner des réponses à ces questions, nous avons d’abord fait l’état des lieux sur la situation actuelle de l’enseignement du russe en dressant la liste des établissements où le russe est enseigné, les effectifs aux niveaux académique et national, les changements depuis 1991 (dus aux activités publiques ou associatives) ; puis dans un second temps, à partir d’un échantillon représentatif de quatorze Académies de France, nous avons étudié les représentations sociolinguistiques des apprenants et recueilli les témoignages des enseignants. La méthodologie du travail repose sur une enquête par questionnaire, ainsi que par entretiens individuels avec des professeurs de russe, l’objectif étant de déterminer les motivations, d’analyser les représentations et de déduire les problèmes rencontrés lors de l’enseignement / l’apprentissage du russe. Finalement, il est question des perspectives et des stratégies pour la promotion du russe en France. / While 2010 was announced as the “Year of Russia” in France, what in fact is the status of the Russian language within the French public education system since the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991? What are the language policies of both the French republic and the Russian federation with regard to the teaching of the Russian language in Metropolitan France? Why do pupils choose Russian as their first or second foreign language? Finally, what image do French students and teachers have of Russia? In order to answer these questions we must firstly examine the current situation with regard to the teaching of Russian in France. We will look at the establishments where Russian is taught, the number of pupils at both the academic and national levels, and the changes since 1991 (due to public or associative activities). Secondly, starting from a representative sample (case study) of fourteen academies in France, the sociolinguistic representations of pupils and the teachers’ testimonies were studied. The research methodology is based on survey by questionnaire andindividual interviews. These studies are then used to determine the motivations, analysing the representations and deducing the problems encountered in the teaching and learning of Russian. Finally, the prospects and promotion strategies of Russian language in France were given.