Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: As the number of Asian students studying English abroad continues to increase, there is a growing need for language learning programs that help students to increase their English proficiency in the most effective way possible. Studies have shown that exposure alone is not sufficient for improving proficiency. The question is: “Can a second language (L2) learner truly learn the target language if they do not like the people who speak it?” Schumman’s (1978) acculturation theory proposes that the degree to which a learner integrates into the target culture through decreasing their social and psychological distance from it will determine the degree to which they learn the target language. Central to this process is the learner’s attitude toward the target language and the target culture. By fostering positive attitudes toward the target language and culture, can we aid L2 students in transforming the L2 input that they receive while studying abroad into meaningful intake through which they can, in turn, achieve greater proficiency in the L2? This thesis explores the above questions through a research study investigating the relationship between attitude toward the target language and target culture, and L2 proficiency; amount of L2 input and L2 proficiency; and amount of L2 input and attitude toward the target language and target culture. A small-scale study was conducted with Korean L2 English students studying abroad in the USA. Ten participants completed a language background questionnaire, an attitude questionnaire, and an English proficiency test. The data collected via these instruments were analysed to determine if any correlations exist between the above-mentioned three sets of variables. Results showed no correlations between attitude and L2 proficiency. However, descriptive analysis showed a clear positive correlation to exist between several L2 input variables and L2 proficiency, and between L2 input and attitudes toward the target language. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Namate die aantal Asiese studente wat Engels oorsee studeer toeneem, styg die behoefte aan taalonderrig-programme wat studente help om hulle Engelse vaardigheid op die mees effektiewe wyse moontlik te ontwikkel. Studies toon dat blootstelling op sigself nie voldoende is vir die bevordering van taalvaardigheid nie. Die vraag is: “Kan tweedetaal- (T2-) leerders werklik ’n teikentaal aanleer indien hulle nie hou van die sprekers van daardie taal nie?” Schumman (1978) se akkulturasie-teorie stel voor dat die mate waartoe leerders hulself in die teikenkultuur integreer deur hulle sosiale en psigologiese afstand daarvan te verminder, bepalend is van die mate waartoe hulle die teikentaal sal aanleer. Sentraal tot hierdie proses is die leerders se houding teenoor die teikentaal en die teikenkultuur. Deur positiewe houdings teenoor die teikentaal en -kultuur onder T2-studente te bevorder, kan ons hulle help om die T2-toevoer wat hulle tydens oorsese studies ontvang te omskep in sinvolle T2-inname wat verhoogde T2-vaardigheid tot gevolg kan hê? Hierdie tesis verken die bostaande vrae op grond van ’n navorsingstudie wat ondersoek doen na die verhouding tussen T2-vaardigheid en houding teenoor die teikentaal en -kultuur; hoeveelheid T2-toevoer en T2-vaardigheid; en hoeveelheid T2-toevoer en houding teenoor die teikentaal en -kultuur. ’n Kleinskaal-studie is uitgevoer met Koreaanse T2-Engelssprekers aan’t studeer in Amerika. Tien deelnemers het elk ’n taalagtergrond-vraelys, ’n houding-vraelys en ’n Engels-vaardigheidstoets voltooi. Die data wat deur middel van hierdie instrumente ingesamel is, is geanaliseer ten einde vas te stel of daar enige korrelasies bestaan tussen die bogenoemde drie stelle veranderlikes. Resultate toon geen korrelasies tussen houdings en T2-vaardigheid nie, maar beskrywende analise dui wel op ’n duidelike positiewe korrelasie tussen verskeie T2-toevoer-veranderlikes en T2-vaardigheid, asook tussen T2- toevoer en houdings teenoor die teikentaal.

Since gaining academic status in South African schools, the Arabic language has always been under the spotlight. In Gauteng schools, the focus of discussion is the validity of the Nāšiٓēn as a prescribed text book and the methodology best suited to achieve linguistic competence in the language. In order to teach the language, an accurate observation of the Arabic language by means of phonetics and psychology is a prerequisite, hence the practical study of language or the study of philology is scrutinized. In the literature study, the research discusses different interconnected themes i.e. how the brain acquires language; developments into teaching methods; it asks can language be learnt by imitating native speakers; are we born with the innate ability to learn a second language. A review of current methodology is undertaken. Suggestions are pragmatically motivated rather than being theoretically motivated. The eclectic approach is preferred with the intention of providing the most efficient access to Arabic forms and structures. The educational implications are discussed with a view to formulate language principles on which recommendations and suggestions can be formulated. / Religious Studies and Arabic / M.A. (Arabic)

Student motivation in FET colleges in South Africa is generally considered to be underresearched. Seyfried (1998, p. 54) contends that "motivations of participants still receive too little attention in the planning of vocational programmes". In an attempt to explore how motivational variables interact with English language leaming, this mixed-method study focused on FET marketing students studying English as part of their three-year vocational qualification. In the first phase, three focus group discussions were conducted with students from the three levels in the programme - a total of 16 students. These interviews were transcribed and coded according to a theoretical model that was adapted from Domyei's Extended Framework of Motivation (1998). In the second phase, 195 questionnaires were distributed, of which 142 were used in the final analysis. The results of these were indexed according to the theoretical model. Initial data processing enabled the creation of two analytical models for use in data analysis - one to analyse focus group data and the other to analyse questionnaire data. The study found a link between instrumentality, integrativeness, identity and perceived motivational orientations. It was also clear that orientation did not automatically translate into motivation. Another link was found between self-worth, self-efficacy and goal orientation. Perceived L2 competence, self-concept and identity also interacted strongly: participants who saw themselves as most alienated from their culture, also saw themselves as more competent in the L2, than their peers who identified more closely with their own culture. A predictable link was found between linguistic self-confidence, willingness to communicate [WTC] and language use anxiety. What made this finding interesting was that participants seemed to fear being judged by native English speakers to a greater extent than being judged by their peers. Finally some factors emerged as detracting from motivation, while others played a contributing role. While this is to be expected, it was interesting to note which factors fell into which category.

This action research study covers the period November 1983 to August 1985, and is an ethnographic account of what started as a small-scale attempt to assist black teachers of English at the Standard 6, 7 and 8 level, in Grahamstown. During this period, the writer was employed by the South African Council for Higher Education's Grahamstown branch as a part- time English tutor of black and coloured teachers engaged in private study for the Joint Matriculation Board and UNISA. It was under Sached's aegis that the project started, with the writer holding the belief that poor matriculation examination results obtained by blacks were at least partially caused by poor English language communication skills. It was hoped that assistance to black teachers of English as a second language (ESL) at the chosen level (Standards 6, 7 and 8) would be of some help in freeing black students from the necessity of having to achieve academically and linguistically at the same time, in Standards 9 and 10.

The case study, which is described in this thesis, is concerned with two aspects of second language teaching and learning, namely process writing and 'teacher development'. Ten Zulu speaking, English second language teachers in Durban, Natal, participated in a series of process writing workshops. Before the workshops, they were given opportunities to reflect, in interviews, upon their own past and present writing practices. After the workshops there were follow-up interviews to elicit their further understanding of what is involved in writing. The workshop materials were compiled and written by the researcher. The aims of the research project were, in summary, the following: to let the teachers, who are teachers of writing in their classrooms, become participating writers themselves; to make the process writing workshops be a reflective activity through which the participants would develop as teachers. The entire case study is positioned within critical theory, as a philosophical framework, in which the teachers' reflections upon their writing experiences is seen as emancipatory practice. The research project was small scale and predominantly qualitative. A narrative, 'explanation-building' analysis of the entire findings forms the major part of the thesis. The writing workshops gave the teachers in this study occasion to experience process writing; furthermore they were enabled to reflect in detail on their experiences. It is suggested that teacher training colleges and in-service courses incorporate the 'writing workshops for teachers ' concept, as an activity for growth and development. Further research may take the form of long term action research into how teachers who have attended such workshops implement the insights they have gained in their classrooms.

This study set out to formulate criteria for evaluating reading comprehension materials intended for ESL readers in~high schools in South Africa. Such criteria may help teachers in selecting textbooks which have theoretically-informed reading programmes. It was first necessary, therefore, to isolate those points from reading comprehension theory that could be included in the criteria. Secondly, other checklists/criteria in ESL evaluation were examined to identify a framework within which to work. In the first draft, questions to be included in the criteria/checklist were formulated using justification from reading comprehension theory. A focus group technique was then used to obtain preliminary feedback on the usability of the checklist. Suggestions from the focus group were used to revise the cri teria . A final checklist was prepared which teachers could use as an instrument to evaluate reading comprehension programmes in language textbooks.

The following is a case study of three Foundation Phase teachers' classroom practice while using the Open Learning Systems Education Trust (OLSET) Radio Learning Programmes, "English In Action" Level Two materials with their Grade Two learners. This case study describes and analyses the feedback strategies of the three teachers. The radio learning programmes have been developed to provide teachers with an effective interactive set of materials to assist their learners in the acquisition of English. These audio materials also provide teachers with opportunities to be creative and responsive to their learners' specific needs. The feedback strategies described in this study are the teachers' use of their learners' mother tongue, correction oflearner error, and use of praise and encouragement during the three Teacher-Led Activity (TLA) segments of the radio programmes. These TLAs give teachers approximately 12 minutes per lesson during which they are called on to manage the materials according to their learners' specific needs. The TLAs are specifically designed to give learners the opportunity to use and respond to English in particular contexts. This study examines three teachers' feedback to their learners in order to find out what kind of feedback has been made. An attempt has also been made to analyse the nature of the feedback. It was found, from the description and analysis of the teachers' feedback, that when teachers used their learners' mother tongue this was more often used to translate words or phrases which were part of the radio narrator's instructions to the learners and these translations were then repeated in English. Teachers corrected very few learner errors. The most common form of correction was to model the correct form and have the learners repeat this. In spite of claiming that correction of errors was important and all three teachers said they did correct their learners' errors, there was very little evidence of this practice in the sample described in this study. The use of praise and encouragement was a strategy that all three teachers claimed they practised but almost no instances of the use of praise were described. The three teachers used only the word "good" to praise any of their learners' efforts and, in fact, all three used this only twice in each of the three lessons described in this study. In terms of language learning a number of factors have been compared. Some of these include teachers' repetition oflearners' answers and their correction oflearner responses by modelling. They were also observed allowing a variety of learner response as well as ensuring a number of individual learners were able to respond. These factors appear to have enhanced the language learning in the classrooms. However, it was also observed that the teachers needed more support in order to develop more explicit strategies to use their learners' mother tongue, to praise learners and to correct learner error purposefully in their classroom practice. There is a need for guidance to be given teachers in the development and use of open-ended questions and strategies which could encourage the development of higher order language skills in their learners. These findings will influence OLSET's teacher development curriculum. It is envisaged that strategies and activities designed to provide teachers with opportunities to reflect on their own practice with regard to the feedback they provide will be incorporated into the workshops and teacher support systems provided by OLSET's teacher development team.

Teaching Arabic as foreign language is a fairly new field of study, particularly in Western Universities. The aim of this thesis is to discuss one aspect of this field by concentrating on text-book analysis and evaluation. In carrying out this task we have formulated a set of questions to serve as parameters in the collection and analysis of data relevant to this task (appendix II). The subject of this practical study is vol. 1, entitled "Arabic for Beginners" of a series of books used for teaching Arabic to foreign adults at the Arabic Language Institute. Our study utilises a number of notions and considerations which are applicable to text-book analysis and evaluation generally. In Appendix I we deal with some of these points in an attempt to specify the theoretical dimension presupposed by our practical analysis. The thesis contains two main parts:- the theoretical part which deals with different aspects belonging to the teaching of Arabic as a foreign language, including the characteristics of the Arabic language and the teaching of sounds, vocabulary, constructions, and culture. The practical part, on the other hand, is concerned with the practical application and the outcome of the analysis of the text-book in terms of a set of criteria which may have applicability outside the immediate realm of Arabic foreign language teaching. The thesis contains four chapters. Chapter one deals with the characteristics of the Arabic language and its importance as a foreign language; it also concentrates on the objectives of Arabic language teaching as well as on the problem of syllabus design in relation to this language. Chapter two gives a general outline of the institutes and the materials of teaching Arabic as a foreign language in Saudi Arabia. Chapter three deals with the importance of sounds, vocabulary, constructions and culture, paying attention to their place in the text-book of teaching Arabic as a foreign Language. Chapter four sets out the results of applying the criteria of text-book evaluation to the book under investigation, pointing out its positive and negative features in the areas of sounds, vocabulary, constructions and culture.

The Huang and Van Naerssen (1987) survey in Southern China proved conclusively that the more fluent Chinese L2 learners ofEnglish used more communicative strategies than their not :fluent counterparts. This study was an attempt to repeat the Huang and Van Naerssen study in a different setting with L2 learners of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. L2 learners of English at secondary level were chosen from four countries in which I had recently lived and worked. In addition an attempt was made to empirically test the validity of Schumann•s (1978) acculturation hypothesis on models for which it was not originally intended. A correlation was being sought between the level of acculturation ofL2 learners and their fluency in English. A cloze test was given to the one hundred and twenty-five L2 learners in the study in order to gauge their level of proficiency in English. A survey was then presented to L2 learners in all four countries, Chile, Paraguay, South Africa and Botswana. Part One of the survey asked questions related to acculturation. Part Two asked the same communicative questions used in the South China study. The results from the survey were inconclusive though the raw data for the communicative strategies and acculturation helped to show that the more proficient the student in English, the more likely he or she was to use communicative strategies or show a higher level of acculturation. The results were not statistically significant. / English Studies / M.A. (English)

This study investigated the oral proficiency of ESL teacher trainees in different discourse domains. The sample for the study consisted of twenty ESL teacher trainees in their final year at a College of Education. Different methods were used to measure the teacher trainees' oral proficiency in the English Communication Skills class while engaging in less formal conversations and in more formal teaching of content subjects during Practice Teaching. Three categories of constructs for oral proficiency were measured: Accuracy and fluency, classroom language and non-verbal communication. The findings supported the hypothesis: The oral proficiency of ESL teacher trainees is more satisfactory in some discourse domains,e.g. casual conversation, than in others, e.g. formal teaching. Although these findings cannot be regarded as conclusive they raise awareness of the problem. Recommendations were made on how to address the problem of poor oral performance of ESL teachers and teacher trainees teaching content subjects. / Linguistics and Modern Languages / M.A. (Specialisation in Applied Linguistics)