Research has shown that literacy acquisition and the ultimate realisation of literacy, comprehension of the written text requires more than the ability to decode individual words. This study brings together a synthesis of current research on early language acquisition, language structure, vocabulary development and its intrinsic underpinning of comprehension in monolinguals thereby providing a theoretical framework for a comparative study of limited English proficient learners (LEP’s)/English language learners (ELLs) acquiring first time literacy with the attendant vocabulary deficits and age appropriate decoding skills. A quantitative and qualitative study examines the statistical differences between reading, vocabulary, rapid automatic naming (RAN/decoding) and comprehension when a learner born of foreign parents acquires first time literacy in a language other than the language spoken at home. The study isolates and specifies an at risk educational minority through the identification of a hidden comprehension deficit (HCD). In summarising the main findings from the literature review and the empirical investigation, an “at risk educational minority” was identified and isolated through the identification of the HCD. The envisioned outcome was achieved and the hypothesis accepted. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Inclusive Education)

The problem this study addresses is the continuing ineffective teaching of English as a Second Language (ESL) despite the popularity of in-service (INSET) programmes. As a means of situational analysis, ethnographic approaches were used to investigate the INSET participants in the four-year degree programme at the University of Botswana. Responses to one inventory containing second language teaching activities showed that the activities respondents know to characterize ESL classrooms do not facilitate much verbal teacher-pupil/pupil-pupil interaction. Responses to another inventory containing idealised course content showed evidence of needs the preparation programme was ignoring. This confirmed one of two study hypotheses that: there are specific second language teaching needs being ignored by preparation programmes for primary school language teachers. Document analysis verified the assumptions about what classroom English Language Teaching (ELT) was expected to achieve. However, lesson observation revealed that the products of the programme still taught and perceived English as a mental exercise, with the following results: the lessons were complicated, uninspiring, unenjoyable, restrictive, and ineffective. Questionnaire and interview results confirmed the second study hypothesis that: the confidence of non-native English-speaking teachers (non-NESTs) with regard to competence in English, which affects the effectiveness and efficiency of their teaching, is low. As a solution a model specifying the essential programme components for preparing ELT specialists in the primary school is proposed. The proposed model is however not prescriptive and the proposed content is neither exhaustive nor limiting, but only broadly suggestive of the content of each instructional component. It is hoped that the product of the proposed model will become not only a well-educated person in the arts but also a highly proficient and self-confident person in ELT. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Didactics)

This study investigates awareness and use of communicative language teaching methodology (CLT) in a foundation programme at an institution of higher learning in the Sultanate of Oman, where rapid expansion and a reliance on expatriate skills has resulted in the employment of predominantly native English teachers, many with inadequate formal teacher training. The qualitative research methodology employed involved a core of five teachers using three data-gathering instruments and ten additional English language teachers who responded to a questionnaire. The study finds that the majority of teachers have inadequate knowledge of the CLT approach and do not use it in the classroom. The findings suggest that an adapted version of CLT which embraces local contextual and sociocultural conditions may be pedagogically viable. The study draws comparisons between the idea of a hypothetical, “adapted” version of CLT and the notions of “particularity, practicality and possibility” as suggested by Kumaravadivelu (2006). / English Studies / M.A. (Specialisation in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, TESOL)

The senior secondary school learners' limited English proficiency motivated the researcher to investigate the extent to which contextual and learner factors contributed to this problem. The ultimate aim was to recommend guidelines for dealing with the problem. The review of literature and empirical methods of research were used to this effect. The literature review revealed that the learners' societal, home/family and school/classroom contexts contributed to learners' development ofESL proficiency. It further showed that the independent learner factors (i.e. learner factors that are not influenced by the context from which the learner comes and/or in which SLA takes place) and dependent learner factors (i.e. learner factors that are completely or partly subject to the influence of the context from which the learner comes or in which SLA takes place) significantly influenced the development ofESL proficiency. With its focus on language learning strategies, the empirical investigation found a significant relationship between the learners' level ofESL proficiency and use of direct strategies (i.e. strategies that involve the mental processing of the target language, albeit in different ways and for different purposes). The investigation found no significant relationship between the learners' level of ESL proficiency and use of indirect strategies (i.e. strategies that underpin the process of language learning). Several contextual and learner factors were found to influence the relationship between the learner's strategy use and the development ofESL proficiency. These findings formed the basis for recommending specific guidelines for dealing with limited ESL proficiency, as well as recommending possible directions for future research. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Didactics)

Text in English / There is an abundance of multilingual education (MLE) studies internationally and locally. Studies show that MLE is a global issue. South Africa is a unique country since it has assigned eleven languages official status at the national level. The multilingual nature of this country calls for the implementation of MLE. This study seeks to argue that if mother tongue, the language of wider communication as well as other languages are important, the transition should be geared towards MLE rather than to second language (L2). The question is how the transitioning to MLE is embraced in South Africa. This study is an attempt to examine the transitioning to MLE in South Africa schools with reference to Limpopo Province. The study mainly explored the Language-in-education policy (LiEP) implementation and practices in the selected schools as well as examining schools’ compliance with the pedagogical motivations and theories dealing with transition to multilingual education. The study used both quantitative and qualitative methodologies to corroborate the data obtained by using one method to reduce the limitations of another method. In quantitative research, questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were used to gather data from principals, parents, teachers and learners. In the qualitative research methodology, observations and document analysis methods of collecting data were employed. Purposive sampling was the major sampling method to ensure that relevant data was collected. Qualitative data was analysed thematically. LiEP and the National Language Policy Framework (NLPF) formed the major analytical framework for this study. Cummins’ theories (1978), bi/multilingual education models as well as the Language management theory form the theoretical framework that guided this study. The theories emphasise the link between mother tongue and the development of L2. The findings of this study show the misunderstandings of the LiEP, the implementation of early transitional bilingual education as well as the lack of confidence in the ability of African languages to provide quality education. The study generally suggests that language policies should be dealt with differently due to the contexts which they address. This study concludes by suggesting a working model that is suitable for the unique linguistic situations of schools. / Linguistics and Modern Languages / D. Litt. et Phil. (Linguistics)

This study explored language practices of trilingual undergraduate students of mathematics as they made sense of an algebraic task. Specifically, the study set out to explore whether, how and why trilingual undergraduate students used language(s) to make sense of mathematics. In this study a trilingual speaker is viewed as an individual proficient in three languages and whose proficiency in the languages is not necessarily equal. The speaker uses the three languages either separately or by switching between any two in ways that are determined by his/her communication needs. Exploring language practices helped me to understand how students position themselves as they engage with a mathematics task using mathematical Discourses (capital D) in relation to their trilingual language facility. This facility involves the use of either the language of learning and teaching (LoLT) (English) or the switching between two or three of the languages they know. These languages were home languages, including Kiswahili of the students. In tertiary institutions, English is the LoLT while the home languages are neither taught nor used in the classroom. The study used a qualitative inquiry process, specifically a case study approach. It was conducted at a public university in Kenya with a focus on first-year engineering students with mathematics in their programme. Data were collected using a students‟ questionnaire, and clinical and reflective interviews. A structured questionnaire was used to gather the baseline data, which was used for the selection of 15 interview participants. The clinical interviews provided information on language use as the students engaged with the task, explaining each step of the process, while the aim of the reflective interviews was to identify, ascertain and confirm various actions and different languages and language practices that were not apparent during the clinical interview. The interviews were transcribed and 11 paired transcripts were selected for analysis. The data were analysed using the methods of Discourse analysis (Gee, 2005). This analysis explored how students used language in tandem with non-language “stuff” in a single language or when switching between any two languages and how and why each was used. The focus was on the activities and identities they enacted through their interpretation of the given task and in part of the solution process. The findings revealed that when students engaged with mathematics, they drew on the LoLT only, or switched between the LoLT and their home languages or between the LoLT, home languages and Kiswahili. Those who switched did so when they were faced with interpretation challenges, when there was need to emphasise a point and due to habitual practices of switching. They commonly switched silently and communicated verbally in the LoLT. The purpose for code switching was to gain understanding of the task. On the other hand, a trilingual student is likely to remain in the LoLT because content has been taught and tasks presented in the LoLT. The key contribution of this study is its focus on the trilingual language context of undergraduate students of mathematics, an area that has not been researched up to now. Furthermore, this study has added to scholarly work in this discipline by establishing that code switching is not the preserve of students who are learning the LoLT; rather, it is a reality for trilingual students who are competent in the LoLT when they engage with mathematics. / Mathematics Education / D. Ed. (Mathematics Education)

The importance of China as world power has led to a growing interest in and demand for learning Mandarin as a Foreign Language (MFL) worldwide. This study focuses on a comparative study of the provision of MFL in higher education in China and in South Africa. A conceptual framework was provided by examining theories of language policy planning and second language or foreign language acquisition as well as an overview of MFL provision in Chinese and South African higher education. MFL policy in China is characterised as a diffusion policy driven by economic globalisation, „soft power‟ and culture, and supported by legislation, funding and implementation. In South Africa, no specific policy underlies MFL, although motivation for MFL provision is given through strategic economic relations between South Africa and China. Against this background, a mixed-method inquiry conducted in two phases examined MFL at three purposefully selected universities in China and at the four university providers in South Africa. Phase One investigated lecturer perceptions of MFL tuition using a researcher-designed questionnaire; Phase Two explored student experiences of MFL using semi-structured interviews with purposefully selected MFL students in both countries. Findings indicated similarities in lecturer profile and differences in lecturers' perceptions regarding institutional support for MFL, particularly in institutions offering degrees in MFL, the MFL classroom environment and the curriculum. Student participants identified differences in studying MFL abroad in China and at home in South Africa in terms of class scheduling, peer and tutor support, student enrolments and design of educational programmes. All language skills were acquired more rapidly in the immersion learning context in China than in the first language dominant South African context, especially communication skills. Similarities were demonstrated in the emotional dimension of learning a new language, the main needs of MFL students, the opportunity to use or speak Mandarin, motivation to study Mandarin, and the challenges characteristic of Mandarin as a language. Recommendations for improvement of practice were given in terms of immersion context creation, opportunity to learn support, Confucius Institute facilities and exchange programmes for study abroad, lecturer and tutor improvement, and the establishment of an incentive to learn mechanism in South Africa. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Comparative Education)

L'amélioration de la maitrise du français langue première chez les élèves du primaire au Québec dépend de plusieurs facteurs. L'enseignant peut jouer un rôle dans ce processus, sa formation universitaire lui fournissant les connaissances nécessaires afin d'encadrer le développement des compétences langagières de l'élève. Une de ces compétences joue un rôle privilégié dans l'utilisation et la maitrise de la langue, il s'agit de la compétence lexicale, la capacité à comprendre et à utiliser les unités du lexique, aussi bien à l'oral qu'à l'écrit. Afin d'encadrer le développement de la compétence lexicale en français langue première des élèves du primaire, les enseignants doivent eux-mêmes posséder un bon niveau de compétence lexicale, mais aussi détenir un certain nombre de connaissances sur le fonctionnement du lexique lui-même, c'est-à-dire des connaissances métalexicales. Le référentiel québécois de la profession enseignante (MEQ, 2001b) ne détaille pas les connaissances métalexicales que doit posséder l'enseignant pour mener les tâches associées à ses activités d'enseignement/apprentissage du lexique. En outre, la plupart des universités québécoises n'offrent pas de cours dédiés explicitement à la didactique du lexique. Pourtant, ce sont dans les cours de didactique que sont dispensées les connaissances théoriques et pratiques nécessaires au futur enseignant pour assumer les tâches de planification et de pilotage des activités d'apprentissage et d'évaluation des compétences des élèves. La relative absence de cours de didactique du lexique en formation initiale pourrait s'expliquer par le fait qu'il s'agit d'une discipline encore jeune dont les fondements théoriques et pratiques sont en cours de développement. Cette thèse en didactique du français langue première s’intéresse donc aux contenus linguistiques de référence de la didactique du lexique, ainsi qu’à la formation des maitres au primaire dans cette même discipline. Le travail de recherche effectué afin de tenter de remédier au problème soulevé a permis la réalisation de deux objectifs complémentaires. Le premier a consisté en la construction d’une ontologie des savoirs lexicologiques, qui permet de représenter à l’intérieur d’une hiérarchie de notions l’ensemble des connaissances disciplinaires de référence de la didactique du lexique. Cette représentation a ensuite été utilisée pour spécifier et structurer les contenus d’un module de cours en didactique du lexique visant le développement des connaissances métalexicales chez les futurs enseignants du primaire au Québec. L’ontologie et le module de cours produits ont été évalués et validés par des experts de chacun des domaines concernés. L’évaluation de l’ontologie a permis de vérifier la méthode de construction de celle-ci, ainsi que différents aspects relatifs à la structuration des concepts dans l’ontologie. L’évaluation du module de cours a quant à elle montré que les contenus de cours étaient pertinents, les méthodes pédagogiques employées appropriées et le matériel de cours développé bien conçu. Cela nous permet d'affirmer que le module de cours en didactique du lexique se présente comme un apport intéressant à la formation des futurs enseignants du primaire en français langue première au Québec. La recherche dans son ensemble présente enfin une contribution pertinente à la didactique du lexique, son caractère original résidant entre autres dans le fait d’avoir développé un mécanisme d’exploitation d’une base de connaissances (ontologie des savoirs lexicologiques) pour la conception didactique (module de cours en didactique du lexique). / To improve first language learning in Québec primary schools, several variables must be taken into account, one of them the teachers themselves. Their training gives them the necessary knowledge to guide pupils in the development of their linguistic competences. One of these, lexical competence, plays a central role in the mastery of language. Lexical competence is the ability to understand and use lexical units, in oral speech as well as in written speech. To help pupils develop their lexical competence, teachers must not only themselves possess an appropriate level of lexical competence, but must in addition have acquired a certain amount of metalexical knowledge, that is, knowledge about the structure of the lexicon. The ministerial guide to the teaching profession (MEQ, 2001b) provides no guidance regarding metalexical knowledge required of future teachers. Moreover, there are no courses specifically devoted to lexical didactics. It is nevertheless in these kinds of courses that future teachers learn to prepare and guide activities in vocabulary acquisition and to evaluate their pupils' lexical competence. The scarcity of these kinds of courses in Québec universities may be explained by the youth of the discipline, whose theoretical linguistics foundations are still under construction. This dissertation on the didactics of French as a first language addresses the question of reference linguistic content for lexical didactics, as well as the training of future teachers in that discipline. Our research led to two complementary outcomes. The first outcome was to construct an ontology of lexicological knowledge. The second was the use of the ontology to specify and structure the content of a course in lexical didactics, devoted to the acquisition of metalexical knowledge by future teachers. Both the ontology and the course have been evaluated and validated by domain experts. The evaluation of the ontology supported the method used for its elaboration, as well as the structure of the concepts in the ontology. The evaluation of the course indicated that the course's content and pedagogical methods were correct and that the learning and teaching material were well designed. These results prove that the course is a useful tool for improving a teacher's training in lexical didactics. Our research as a whole makes a meaningful contribution to the intended domains, by developing a way to use a knowledge base (the ontology of lexicological knowledge) for educational purposes (a course in lexical didactics).

L'amélioration de la maitrise du français langue première chez les élèves du primaire au Québec dépend de plusieurs facteurs. L'enseignant peut jouer un rôle dans ce processus, sa formation universitaire lui fournissant les connaissances nécessaires afin d'encadrer le développement des compétences langagières de l'élève. Une de ces compétences joue un rôle privilégié dans l'utilisation et la maitrise de la langue, il s'agit de la compétence lexicale, la capacité à comprendre et à utiliser les unités du lexique, aussi bien à l'oral qu'à l'écrit. Afin d'encadrer le développement de la compétence lexicale en français langue première des élèves du primaire, les enseignants doivent eux-mêmes posséder un bon niveau de compétence lexicale, mais aussi détenir un certain nombre de connaissances sur le fonctionnement du lexique lui-même, c'est-à-dire des connaissances métalexicales. Le référentiel québécois de la profession enseignante (MEQ, 2001b) ne détaille pas les connaissances métalexicales que doit posséder l'enseignant pour mener les tâches associées à ses activités d'enseignement/apprentissage du lexique. En outre, la plupart des universités québécoises n'offrent pas de cours dédiés explicitement à la didactique du lexique. Pourtant, ce sont dans les cours de didactique que sont dispensées les connaissances théoriques et pratiques nécessaires au futur enseignant pour assumer les tâches de planification et de pilotage des activités d'apprentissage et d'évaluation des compétences des élèves. La relative absence de cours de didactique du lexique en formation initiale pourrait s'expliquer par le fait qu'il s'agit d'une discipline encore jeune dont les fondements théoriques et pratiques sont en cours de développement. Cette thèse en didactique du français langue première s’intéresse donc aux contenus linguistiques de référence de la didactique du lexique, ainsi qu’à la formation des maitres au primaire dans cette même discipline. Le travail de recherche effectué afin de tenter de remédier au problème soulevé a permis la réalisation de deux objectifs complémentaires. Le premier a consisté en la construction d’une ontologie des savoirs lexicologiques, qui permet de représenter à l’intérieur d’une hiérarchie de notions l’ensemble des connaissances disciplinaires de référence de la didactique du lexique. Cette représentation a ensuite été utilisée pour spécifier et structurer les contenus d’un module de cours en didactique du lexique visant le développement des connaissances métalexicales chez les futurs enseignants du primaire au Québec. L’ontologie et le module de cours produits ont été évalués et validés par des experts de chacun des domaines concernés. L’évaluation de l’ontologie a permis de vérifier la méthode de construction de celle-ci, ainsi que différents aspects relatifs à la structuration des concepts dans l’ontologie. L’évaluation du module de cours a quant à elle montré que les contenus de cours étaient pertinents, les méthodes pédagogiques employées appropriées et le matériel de cours développé bien conçu. Cela nous permet d'affirmer que le module de cours en didactique du lexique se présente comme un apport intéressant à la formation des futurs enseignants du primaire en français langue première au Québec. La recherche dans son ensemble présente enfin une contribution pertinente à la didactique du lexique, son caractère original résidant entre autres dans le fait d’avoir développé un mécanisme d’exploitation d’une base de connaissances (ontologie des savoirs lexicologiques) pour la conception didactique (module de cours en didactique du lexique). / To improve first language learning in Québec primary schools, several variables must be taken into account, one of them the teachers themselves. Their training gives them the necessary knowledge to guide pupils in the development of their linguistic competences. One of these, lexical competence, plays a central role in the mastery of language. Lexical competence is the ability to understand and use lexical units, in oral speech as well as in written speech. To help pupils develop their lexical competence, teachers must not only themselves possess an appropriate level of lexical competence, but must in addition have acquired a certain amount of metalexical knowledge, that is, knowledge about the structure of the lexicon. The ministerial guide to the teaching profession (MEQ, 2001b) provides no guidance regarding metalexical knowledge required of future teachers. Moreover, there are no courses specifically devoted to lexical didactics. It is nevertheless in these kinds of courses that future teachers learn to prepare and guide activities in vocabulary acquisition and to evaluate their pupils' lexical competence. The scarcity of these kinds of courses in Québec universities may be explained by the youth of the discipline, whose theoretical linguistics foundations are still under construction. This dissertation on the didactics of French as a first language addresses the question of reference linguistic content for lexical didactics, as well as the training of future teachers in that discipline. Our research led to two complementary outcomes. The first outcome was to construct an ontology of lexicological knowledge. The second was the use of the ontology to specify and structure the content of a course in lexical didactics, devoted to the acquisition of metalexical knowledge by future teachers. Both the ontology and the course have been evaluated and validated by domain experts. The evaluation of the ontology supported the method used for its elaboration, as well as the structure of the concepts in the ontology. The evaluation of the course indicated that the course's content and pedagogical methods were correct and that the learning and teaching material were well designed. These results prove that the course is a useful tool for improving a teacher's training in lexical didactics. Our research as a whole makes a meaningful contribution to the intended domains, by developing a way to use a knowledge base (the ontology of lexicological knowledge) for educational purposes (a course in lexical didactics).

The problem this study addresses is the continuing ineffective teaching of English as a Second Language (ESL) despite the popularity of in-service (INSET) programmes. As a means of situational analysis, ethnographic approaches were used to investigate the INSET participants in the four-year degree programme at the University of Botswana. Responses to one inventory containing second language teaching activities showed that the activities respondents know to characterize ESL classrooms do not facilitate much verbal teacher-pupil/pupil-pupil interaction. Responses to another inventory containing idealised course content showed evidence of needs the preparation programme was ignoring. This confirmed one of two study hypotheses that: there are specific second language teaching needs being ignored by preparation programmes for primary school language teachers. Document analysis verified the assumptions about what classroom English Language Teaching (ELT) was expected to achieve. However, lesson observation revealed that the products of the programme still taught and perceived English as a mental exercise, with the following results: the lessons were complicated, uninspiring, unenjoyable, restrictive, and ineffective. Questionnaire and interview results confirmed the second study hypothesis that: the confidence of non-native English-speaking teachers (non-NESTs) with regard to competence in English, which affects the effectiveness and efficiency of their teaching, is low. As a solution a model specifying the essential programme components for preparing ELT specialists in the primary school is proposed. The proposed model is however not prescriptive and the proposed content is neither exhaustive nor limiting, but only broadly suggestive of the content of each instructional component. It is hoped that the product of the proposed model will become not only a well-educated person in the arts but also a highly proficient and self-confident person in ELT. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Didactics)