There is a generally accepted reality among first and second language reading researchers and practitioners that learners who study in a second or foreign language are almost always at a disadvantage, particularly in the area of reading. In light of this learners who register for high school study each year in South Africa are very often under prepared for high school education and many of these learners also have low levels of reading ability. This has an adverse effect on their chances of academic success. In order to meet the reading needs of these learners, educators need to develop effective instructional means for teaching reading comprehension and reading strategy use. It is evident from the volume and quality of research published that the teaching of reading strategies enhances the learners' reading comprehension ability. The purpose of this study was to: • determine what reading strategies Grade 11 ESL learners use; • determine what reading strategies should be taught; • determine how and when reading strategies should be taught in the ESL classroom; • determine what the effect of an implemented reading strategy programme is on the reading comprehension of the Grade 11 ESL learners participating in this study; and • provide guidelines in terms of the composition (i.e. format, outcomes, content, teaching method 1 approach, etc.) of a reading strategy instruction programme. In this study a quasi-experimental pretest - posttest control group design was used. The participants in this study included a total of 60 Grade 11 ESL learners from a high school in the Eastern Cape. Two intact randomly selected classes participated in the study. Both males and females participated in the study and ranged in age from 18 - 22 years. The Reading Performance Test in English: Advanced Level (Roux, 1996) and a Reading Strategy Questionnaire based on the work of Oxford (1990), Pressley and Afflerbach (1995) and Pressley et al. (1995) was used in this study. A t-test was used to determine whether the mean scores of the experimental and control group differed statistically significantly from each other. Cohen's (1977) effect size d was used to determine whether the mean differences were practically significant. The results of the study can be summarized as follows: The results indicated that the learners who followed the reading strategy programme and received strategic reading instruction (experimental group) obtained both statistically and practically significantly higher marks on the reading comprehension test (posttest) than did the learners in the control group. The posttest results indicated that the learners in the experimental group used certain strategies statistically (p<0.05), as well as practically significantly (small to large effect size), more often than the learners in the control group. The reading instruction programme developed in this study focuses on five reading strategies, namely guessing the meaning of words from the context, making inferences, predicting what is to come in a text, identifying the main idea and summarising. The programme presents an overview of the guidelines for a reading strategy instruction programme. It outlines the purpose, target group, content and other aspects, instruction, classroom procedure and assessment concerning a meaningful reading strategy instruction programme. English Second Language teachers may find it worth their while to implement reading strategy training models of a similar nature in order to develop their learners' proficiency in reading comprehension and reading strategy use. / Thesis (Ph.D. (English))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007

The dissertation examines the roots of modernity at the turn of the 20th century through the prism of the relationship between nationalism and internationalism. This seemingly incompatible affiliation between the two ideological archenemies has produced one of the most intriguing paradoxes of modern history. While theoretically attempting to reject nationalism as a transient product of capitalism, Marxism has in practice oftentimes exploited its appeal and utilized its extensive institutional repertoire. The study traces the evolution of Marxism’s conceptualization of the nationality question—a slow shift from an outright rejection of nationalism to an acceptance of its progressive features, complexity, varieties and influences. Interweaving intellectual and cultural studies in history with the political and intellectual history of the European Left, the study offers an intricate narrative of the crossroads of two important ideologies in theory and practice. The dissertation’s comparative and transnational approach reveals several important hitherto superficially explored aspects of Marxism’s difficult dialogue with nationalism. Firstly, it re-evaluates Karl Marx and Friedrich’s views on the nationality question, from its outright denial to limited acceptance and application. Secondly, it re-examines the multitude of Social Democratic responses to nationalism before the Great War. The advent of mass politics and the popularization of Marxist ideas produced a range of diverse socialist responses to the national conundrum throughout Europe. A comparison of Western (French and German), East Central and Eastern European (Austrian, Polish and Russian) and Soviet attitudes highlights some of the startling similarities and differences between the various groups’ ideological constellations. Finally, the dissertation uses the case study of the Communist Workers’ Party of Poland (Komunistyczna Partia Robotnicza Polski, KPRP) to reveal certain insights about the cumulative heritage of Marxist thought on nationalism. An analysis of the KPRP reveals a lot not only about a national party’s struggles with nationalism (challenging many historiographical questions), but also about the diverse conceptualizations of Marx and Engels’ thought on nationalism, about European Social Democracy’s debates about the phenomenon, and about the Soviet nationality policy (within and outside the Soviet Union).

The dissertation examines the roots of modernity at the turn of the 20th century through the prism of the relationship between nationalism and internationalism. This seemingly incompatible affiliation between the two ideological archenemies has produced one of the most intriguing paradoxes of modern history. While theoretically attempting to reject nationalism as a transient product of capitalism, Marxism has in practice oftentimes exploited its appeal and utilized its extensive institutional repertoire. The study traces the evolution of Marxism’s conceptualization of the nationality question—a slow shift from an outright rejection of nationalism to an acceptance of its progressive features, complexity, varieties and influences. Interweaving intellectual and cultural studies in history with the political and intellectual history of the European Left, the study offers an intricate narrative of the crossroads of two important ideologies in theory and practice. The dissertation’s comparative and transnational approach reveals several important hitherto superficially explored aspects of Marxism’s difficult dialogue with nationalism. Firstly, it re-evaluates Karl Marx and Friedrich’s views on the nationality question, from its outright denial to limited acceptance and application. Secondly, it re-examines the multitude of Social Democratic responses to nationalism before the Great War. The advent of mass politics and the popularization of Marxist ideas produced a range of diverse socialist responses to the national conundrum throughout Europe. A comparison of Western (French and German), East Central and Eastern European (Austrian, Polish and Russian) and Soviet attitudes highlights some of the startling similarities and differences between the various groups’ ideological constellations. Finally, the dissertation uses the case study of the Communist Workers’ Party of Poland (Komunistyczna Partia Robotnicza Polski, KPRP) to reveal certain insights about the cumulative heritage of Marxist thought on nationalism. An analysis of the KPRP reveals a lot not only about a national party’s struggles with nationalism (challenging many historiographical questions), but also about the diverse conceptualizations of Marx and Engels’ thought on nationalism, about European Social Democracy’s debates about the phenomenon, and about the Soviet nationality policy (within and outside the Soviet Union).

Ambedkar’s role as an Indian political leader during the late colonial period has attracted increased attention politically and historically. However, there is a startling disconnect between the modern, often mythological, construction of Ambedkar and the near forgotten historical figure. His broader programme for social uplift of the underprivileged is often lost in the record of his conflict with M. K. Gandhi and the Indian National Congress and their role as the dominant nationalist group in India at the time. The deification that has resulted from his use of Buddhism as an emancipatory identity has obscured his interpretation of it as a secular political tool in a political debate shaped and dominated by religious identity. This thesis will argue that the Buddhist conversion was a continuation of his political and social programme, not, as some have suggested, a retreat to religion after failing to secure reforms to Indian law and society. / February 2009

Thesis (doctoral)--University of Stockholm, 1984. / Added t.p. with thesis information and the work's abstract inserted. Includes bibliographical references (p. 180-184).

Inaug.-Diss.--Münster. / Includes bibliographical references.

Ambedkar’s role as an Indian political leader during the late colonial period has attracted increased attention politically and historically. However, there is a startling disconnect between the modern, often mythological, construction of Ambedkar and the near forgotten historical figure. His broader programme for social uplift of the underprivileged is often lost in the record of his conflict with M. K. Gandhi and the Indian National Congress and their role as the dominant nationalist group in India at the time. The deification that has resulted from his use of Buddhism as an emancipatory identity has obscured his interpretation of it as a secular political tool in a political debate shaped and dominated by religious identity. This thesis will argue that the Buddhist conversion was a continuation of his political and social programme, not, as some have suggested, a retreat to religion after failing to secure reforms to Indian law and society.

XIX ir ypač XX amžius pasižymėjo stipriomis ideologijomis, kurios ne tik keitė pasaulio ir žmonių gyvenimus, bet ir turėjo įtakos visoms vėlesnėms kartoms. Šio darbo tyrimo objektas – XIX – XXI amžiaus ideologijos kritika. Bandant suprasti pačias svarbiausias ideologijas, neišvengiamai tenka gilintis į marksizmo, kaip vieną iki šių dienų svarbiausią ideologiją ir pabandyti suprasti, kur slypi marksizmo fenomenas. Žinoma, čia neišvengiamai tenka kalbėti ir apie kitas ideologijas, tokias, kurias neigė pats marksizmas – tai ir buržuazijos ideologija ir hegelizmo ideologija. Todėl darbo tikslas ir problema – atskleisti kuo įvairesnį ideologijų vaizdą ir parodyti, kaip evoliucionavo pati marksizmo ideologija, kuri – jau galima teigti – nėra vienalytė. Joje mes galime aptikti pačią ideologijos šerdį: kuomet mistifikacijos neįmanoma atpažinti „iš vienos“ pusės. Be abejo, toks darbas negali pretenduoti į paprastos ir aiškios „tiesos“ suradimą, o iškelti tikslais ir problemos – tik nuoroda, kuri nurodo, kuria linkme judama. Aptariant vieną po kito marksizmo klasiką, juos analizuojant, aptariant jų samprotavimus apie teorinį marksizmo įgyvendinimą, galime geriau suprasti, kaip evoliucionavo marksizmas ir kodėl XX amžiuje jo įgyvendinimas buvo toks nevykęs. Didžiosios ideologijos negimsta be žmonių lūkesčių. Kita vertus, kuomet kalbame apie ideologijos kritiką – labai dažnai – mes jau kalbame apie pačią ideologiją. Visi didieji ideologai neigė kurią nors ideologiją ir įrodinėjo, kad jų... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The 19th century and 20th century in particular were famous for strong ideologies, which not only changed the world and the lives of people but also made some influence on the subsequent generations. The object of the paper is the criticism of ideology in the period of the 19th-21th centuries. In order to understand the most important ideologies, it is inevitable to go deep into Marxism, as one of the most important ideologies, and try to understand the phenomenon of Marxism. It is also necessary to speak about other ideologies that Marxism has been denying: Bourgeoisie and Hegelism. The goal and the problem of this paper aim at revealing the variety of ideologies and showing how Marxist ideology evolved (which is not indiscrete anymore). In this ideology there is a core of ideology: mystification cannot be recognized “on one” side. Of course, this paper cannot put in for the simple and clear finding of the truth, while the goals and problems are only references to the direction we move. Describing the classics of Marxism one after another, analyzing them and commenting on their reasoning about the theoretical implementation of Marxism, the evolution of Marxism, and the failure of its implementation in 20th century can be better understood. The greatest ideologies do not emerge without people’s expectations. On the other hand, when speaking about the criticism of ideology, it is often referred to the ideology itself. The greatest ideologists denied some of the ideologies... [to full text]

There is a generally accepted reality among first and second language reading researchers and practitioners that learners who study in a second or foreign language are almost always at a disadvantage, particularly in the area of reading. In light of this learners who register for high school study each year in South Africa are very often under prepared for high school education and many of these learners also have low levels of reading ability. This has an adverse effect on their chances of academic success. In order to meet the reading needs of these learners, educators need to develop effective instructional means for teaching reading comprehension and reading strategy use. It is evident from the volume and quality of research published that the teaching of reading strategies enhances the learners' reading comprehension ability. The purpose of this study was to: • determine what reading strategies Grade 11 ESL learners use; • determine what reading strategies should be taught; • determine how and when reading strategies should be taught in the ESL classroom; • determine what the effect of an implemented reading strategy programme is on the reading comprehension of the Grade 11 ESL learners participating in this study; and • provide guidelines in terms of the composition (i.e. format, outcomes, content, teaching method 1 approach, etc.) of a reading strategy instruction programme. In this study a quasi-experimental pretest - posttest control group design was used. The participants in this study included a total of 60 Grade 11 ESL learners from a high school in the Eastern Cape. Two intact randomly selected classes participated in the study. Both males and females participated in the study and ranged in age from 18 - 22 years. The Reading Performance Test in English: Advanced Level (Roux, 1996) and a Reading Strategy Questionnaire based on the work of Oxford (1990), Pressley and Afflerbach (1995) and Pressley et al. (1995) was used in this study. A t-test was used to determine whether the mean scores of the experimental and control group differed statistically significantly from each other. Cohen's (1977) effect size d was used to determine whether the mean differences were practically significant. The results of the study can be summarized as follows: The results indicated that the learners who followed the reading strategy programme and received strategic reading instruction (experimental group) obtained both statistically and practically significantly higher marks on the reading comprehension test (posttest) than did the learners in the control group. The posttest results indicated that the learners in the experimental group used certain strategies statistically (p<0.05), as well as practically significantly (small to large effect size), more often than the learners in the control group. The reading instruction programme developed in this study focuses on five reading strategies, namely guessing the meaning of words from the context, making inferences, predicting what is to come in a text, identifying the main idea and summarising. The programme presents an overview of the guidelines for a reading strategy instruction programme. It outlines the purpose, target group, content and other aspects, instruction, classroom procedure and assessment concerning a meaningful reading strategy instruction programme. English Second Language teachers may find it worth their while to implement reading strategy training models of a similar nature in order to develop their learners' proficiency in reading comprehension and reading strategy use. / Thesis (Ph.D. (English))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007

Die sukses van enige masjienvertaalsisteem hang grootliks van die hoeveelheid en kwaliteit van die beskikbare afrigtingsdata af. n Sisteem wat met foutiewe of lae–kwaliteit data afgerig is, sal uiteraard swakker afvoer lewer as n sisteem wat met korrekte of hoë–kwaliteit data afgerig is. In die geval van hulpbronarm tale waar daar min data beskikbaar is en data dalk noodgedwonge vertaal moet word vir die skep van parallelle korpora wat as afrigtingsdata kan dien, is dit dus baie belangrik dat die data wat vir vertaling gekies word, so gekies word dat dit teksgedeeltes insluit wat die meeste waarde tot die masjienvertaalsisteem sal bydra. Dit is ook in so n geval uiters belangrik om die beskikbare data so goed moontlik aan te wend. Hierdie studie stel ondersoek in na metodes om afrigtingsdata te selekteer met die doel om n optimale masjienvertaalsisteem met beperkte hulpbronne af te rig. Daar word ook aandag gegee aan die moontlikheid om die gewigte van sekere gedeeltes van die afrigtingsdata te verhoog om sodoende die data wat die meeste waarde tot die masjienvertaalsisteem bydra te beklemtoon. Alhoewel hierdie studie spesifiek gerig is op metodes vir dataselektering en –manipulering vir die taalpaar Engels–Afrikaans, sou die metodes ook vir toepassing op ander taalpare gebruik kon word. Die evaluasieproses dui aan dat beide die dataselekteringsmetodes, asook die aanpassing van datagewigte, n positiewe impak op die kwaliteit van die resulterende masjienvertaalsisteem het. Die uiteindelike sisteem, afgerig deur n kombinasie van verskillende metodes, toon n 2.0001 styging in die NIST–telling en n 0.2039 styging in die BLEU–telling. / Thesis (M.A. (Applied Language and Literary Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.