This study looked at the effect of written and oral comments on students' writing. The research hypotheses were that the use of oral comments would improve the overall quality of the students papers, increase the length more, and cause more changes in content than the use of written comments. On the other hand, the use of written comments would cause a greater decrease in grammatical errors in the students' papers than oral comments. The tests used to evaluate these hypotheses were the holistic writing scale used by the Test of Written English (TWE), a word count, a content percentage scale developed by the researcher, and an adaptation of Brodkey and Young's Composition Correctness Score (1981). The procedures used in the study were as follows: Three different classes were used. Each class was randomly divided in half. After the students had written the first draft of an essay assignment given by their teacher, they were assigned to either the written or the oral group. Students in the written comments group received written comments only on their papers. Students in the oral conference group had conferences with their teachers about their papers. Then the students wrote a second draft of their papers. At this point, the process was repeated; students wrote a second paper. After this first draft, those students who had received written comments on the first paper had oral conferences, and those who had had oral conferences received written comments were revised based on these comments.

Thesis (M.Ed. (Language Education)) --University of Limpopo, 2011. / This study investigated the effect of cultural background on comprehension of English texts by second language learners. The study specifically aimed at determining whether cultural background had any effect on comprehension of English texts by second language learners and whether the second language learners’ cultural background could help them comprehend unfamiliar texts. The background of the study in this mini dissertation was followed by the discussion on the literature available on this topic. This study followed a case study design which utilized 89 respondents from the Further Education and Training band of a rural secondary school in the north of Limpopo province. Data was obtained through the completion of questionnaires and answering of questions from a comprehension test based on English culture. The findings showed that there was no total comprehension of the text by learners who use English as a second language. Learners of English as a second language need to possess specific cultural schemata to comprehend texts that are unfamiliar to them. This study was informed by the schema theory. There is a significant effect of cultural background on the comprehension of English text by second language learners. KEY WORDS: Schema theory. Culture Comprehension. Cultural background

Includes bibliography (p. 260-276). / xi, 276 p. : ill. ; 31 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Draws on aspects of socio-cultural theory of second language acquisition in addition to the exploration of the formal structure of ESL instruction. Data collection and analysis has employed a combination of the ethnographic and ethnomethodological approaches. By including the wider situational context, this study provides a new dimension in addressing issues of language education. It demonstrates the usefulness of making connections between linguistics and language education to gain insights into formal language acquisition in school. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Centre for European Studies and General Linguistics, 2003

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This thesis was a critical analysis of students academic second language writing at Sokoine University of Agriculture. Student writing in English as a second language in higher education has excited much interest in the English as a Second Language writing research and discussion in Tanzania. The interest was motivated by frequent criticisms from examiners regarding students literacy performance in the English as a Second Language writing in the post primary and higher education where the language of instruction is English as is configured in the Tanzanian language policy.

As its title suggests, this dissertation examines second/foreign language literature teaching (and learning) with an emphasis on linguistic approaches to the study of literature. The approaches referred to are those which theorise language use - this includes literary texts - as a communicative context, that is, functional grammar and critical discourse analysis. The dissertation argues for the inclusion of literary texts in second/foreign language teaching and learning on the grounds that, at higher education level, the study of literature can develop in students important knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes which are necessary both for their (the students') functioning in a multicultural society, and for the development of a critical civil society, as outlined in current policy documents relating to the transformation of the South African higher education system. The dissertation consists of two distinct parts: a theoretical section, followed by a practical application. In the theoretical section, a rationale is developed for the inclusion of second/foreign language literature. The following critical questions are asked: 1. What place do second/foreign language literary studies have in the present higher education context? - This question is explored against the background of present higher education policy. 2. What place could, or perhaps should, second/foreign language literary studies have, or rather, which knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes can be taught using them? - Here, theories of understanding (Gadamer and Habermas), as well as their bearing on language learning and the development of critical thought, are discussed. 3. Which theories of language and discourse can be used to develop the critical understanding, interpretation and communication skills that are required in society? - The goal of this exploration is to gauge which theories best address the requirement of higher education to produce criticality. To round the dissertation off, an attempt is then made to apply the considerations developed in 1 - 3 in a concrete classroom situation. For this purpose, a teaching and learning project that took place in the second semester of 2000, is described, and its results evaluated and discussed, against the background of what is presently required of higher education in terms of its contribution to society. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2001.

This thesis was a critical analysis of students academic second language writing at Sokoine University of Agriculture. Student writing in English as a second language in higher education has excited much interest in the English as a Second Language writing research and discussion in Tanzania. The interest was motivated by frequent criticisms from examiners regarding students literacy performance in the English as a Second Language writing in the post primary and higher education where the language of instruction is English as is configured in the Tanzanian language policy.

Theoretical perspectives on error treatment in second language acquisition research are divided on the effect and desirability of corrective feedback on the learner's output. Theorists like Krashen (1982), believe that correction hampers acquisition because it encourages the learners to avoid difficult structures and to focus on form rather than on meaning, while Long (1977) contends that error treatment possibly speeds up interlanguage development although errors disappear slowly. Edmondson (1985) asserts that bringing errors to the learner's attention helps learning and that error - treatment contributes to consciousness-raising which is important for language acquisition. Research findings present conflicting evidence on the effects of corrective feedback on those for whom correction is meant. Some researchers report no concrete findings on the relationship between corrective feedback and learning outcomes (Hendrickson (1978) and Brock, Day and Long (1986)). Others, for example, Chaudron (1977) and Crookes and Rulon (1985) report differential effects of corrective treatments. Salica, Ramirez and Stromquist and Wren (cited in Chaudron 1988) report some evidence of feedback on error resulting in the learner's ability to self-correct. However, Hendrickson (1978) reports that some direct types of corrective procedures have been found to be ineffective. This research investigated a teacher's oral error treatment policy in different types of English lessons in a situation where L2 pupils study English as a subject according to an LI syllabus. The findings of this case study reveal that the teacher's manner of correction, when he decides to correct, is subtle and indirect. Rarely does he correct overtly and explicitly as his concern is to avoid hurting the error maker's feelings. He defers treatment and ignores most of the oral errors that learners make during classroom interaction. Pupil perceptions of their teacher's corrective treatments were positive although some of the pupils reported that they found his corrections confusing and intimidating at times. Most of them expressed , a wish to have their speech errors attended to explicitly, preferably by their teacher as his treatments were found to be motivational and unabrasive. Some of the pupils were opposed to peer correction for fear of ridicule. They also felt that fellow pupils did not always provide correct treatments. All the pupils in this study were of the opinion that oral error treatment is desirable because they believe that it improves their performance in English.

This research was undertaken as the first cycle of an action research project. The aim was to develop a course within the English Language 1 for Academic Purposes (ELAP) course at Rhodes University, which would facilitate the conceptual development of students in relation to the topic of Culture. The implementation of the course was researched, using students' writing, interviews, staff meeting discussions and video-taping of certain classes. Ten students volunteered to 'be researched'. The types of initial 'commonsense' understandings of culture held by students are outlined and the conceptual development which they underwent in relation to Culture is examined. Students' perceptions of the approaches to learning required in ELAP and the Culture course in particular are explored. The involvement of the ELAP tutors in the course and in the research was a learning experience for them, and this became-another focus of the research. The findings of the research support the argument for using challenging subject matter in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses, provided that the learning process is carefully scaffolded. An underlying assumption is that ways of thinking and learning in university courses need to be explicitly taught to students and the study concludes that lecturers of mainstream courses could also learn from the findings of research such as this. The study also shows the potential power of participatory action research to involve practitioners in research and enhance their understandings of aspects of their practice. Finally, it notes the need to value subtle developments in students and to see them as being part of a longer term process.