M. Tech. Language Practice / The aim of the study is twofold: firstly, to find out whether information and communication technology (ICT), used for computer-mediated communication (CMC), can be used for outof- class communication (OCC) by first year students and their lecturers at a university of technology campus in Mpumalanga; and secondly, to establish whether CMC can be used to improve the English language proficiency of students.

published_or_final_version / Language Studies / Master / Master of Arts

This research examines a multi-level language ability ESL secondary school classroom in relation to Lave and Wenger’s (1991) community of practice and Dörnyei and Ottó’s (1998) L2 motivation conceptual frameworks. Both qualitative and quantitative methodologies were employed. Case study data were collected through monthly interviews, semi-monthly observations, and monthly written journals over 3 months in Toronto from 6 participants (5 students and 1 teacher). Also, students who had been in Canada 5 years or less, and ESL teachers were invited to complete an on-line questionnaire. Results indicate that the multi-level classroom positively and negatively impacts participation and motivation. Participants define the most striking factor to impact participation and motivation as themselves; this links the two conceptual frameworks because “self-regulation” in the Actional Phase (Dörnyei & Ottó, 1998) can be better understood by legitimate peripheral participation or the ability to “imagine” and “align” oneself (Lave & Wenger, 1991). In this multi-level classroom, self-regulation is when students actively imagine possible selves who are aligned with their family or peer goals, or when faced with disengagement, students envision new roles for themselves in the classroom to overcome barriers and realign themselves with shared family or peer goals. In these cases, alignment drives imagination; however, students also use imagination to create alignment. When lower level learners see advanced students as possible selves, they feel hope for their future. Similarly, advanced learners recall their past selves when seeing their lower level peers and feel empathy for them. This interaction cements student alignment and sets a context conducive to cooperative learning which enhances students’ abilities to remain aligned with their families. Overall, this research highlights the interplay of imagination and alignment which impacts student identity. Moreover, it reveals that one aspect of the Post-actional Phase in Dörnyei and Ottó’s (1998) model, “self-concept beliefs,” can be enhanced by the notion of identity in Lave and Wenger’s (1991) framework. Finally, these findings could serve to change policy and improve programming and serve as an archive for future research.

Thesis (MPhil (General Linguistics))—University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The term "schizophrenia" refers to a psychiatric condition which affects an individual's thought and speech (Eaton and Chen 2006). The verbal expression of schizophrenics can therefore be used as a tool for insight into the nature of schizophrenia as well as the cognitive processes of schizophrenics (Wróbel 1990:1). This thesis reports on a comparative evaluation of three pragmatic assessment tools, namely the Pragmatic Protocol (Prutting and Kirchner 1987), the Profile of Communicative Appropriateness (Penn 1985), and the Framework for Assessing (Children's) Conversational Skills (Rumble 1988), in order to establish which of these tools is most suitable for assessing the first language (L1) and second language (L2) pragmatic abilities of late bilingual schizophrenics. Four late bilingual schizophrenic patients participated in this study. A thirty minute informal interview was conducted with each of the participants in both their L1 and L2 and the speech samples were transcribed and then analysed by means of each of the pragmatic assessment tools. A careful examination of the results yielded by the three assessment tools, showed, firstly, that when presenting the results of a pragmatic assessment of schizophrenic speech, it is crucial that both quantitative and qualitative information be included: if the latter is excluded, a significant amount of information is hidden from the clinicians and/or linguists doing the assessment, as well as the people to whom they report their findings. Secondly, with respect to the characteristics of schizophrenic speech, the three instruments used in this study show that whereas most of the aspects of schizophrenics' linguistic abilities seem intact, their pragmatic skills are definitely impaired. Thirdly, regarding differential symptomatology in bilingual schizophrenics, this study concludes that none of the three assessment tools contributes to a better understanding of this phenomenon, and that, in fact, it is highly unlikely that any pragmatic assessment tool would be able to capture this phenomenon. Finally, it is recommended that clinicians assess bilingual patients in both languages, whenever possible, in order to determine the full range of symptoms experienced by the patient, to gain a better indication of the severity of the illness and to track the progress of the illness. / AFRIKAANS OPSOMMING: Die term "skisofrenie" verwys na 'n psigiatriese toestand wat 'n individu se denkprosesse en spraak beïnvloed (Eaton en Chen 2006). Die verbale uitinge van skisofrene kan dus gebruik word om insig oor die aard van skisofrenie, sowel as die kognitiewe prosesse van skisofrene, te verkry (Wróbel 1990:1). Hierdie tesis lewer verslag oor 'n vergelykende evaluering van drie pragmatiese assesseringsinstrumente, naamlik die "Pragmatic Protocol" (Prutting en Kirchner 1987), die "Profile of Communicative Appropriateness" (Penn 1985), en die "Framework for Assessing (Children's) Conversational Skills" (Rumble 1988), om sodoende vas te stel watter een van hierdie drie die mees gepaste instrument is vir die assessering van tweetalige skisofrene se pragmatiese vaardighede in hul eerstetaal (T1) en tweedetaal (T2), spesifiek in gevalle waar die T2 later (d.w.s. nie binne die eerste sewe lewensjare nie) verwerf is. Vier sulke tweetalige skisofrene het deelgeneem aan die studie. Daar is met elkeen van die deelnemers 'n informele onderhoud gevoer vir 30 minute in hul T1, gevolg deur 30 minute in hul T2. Die onderhoude is getranskribeer en daarna geanaliseer deur middel van elk van die drie assesseringsinstrumente. 'n Noukeurige ondersoek en vergelyking van die resultate van die drie instrumente het eerstens getoon dat dit belangrik is om die resultate van 'n pragmatiese analise van skisofreniese spraak op beide 'n kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe wyse aan te bied: wanneer kwalitatiewe inligting weggelaat word, bly 'n betekenisvolle hoeveelheid van die informasie verborge vir die klinici en/of taalwetenskaplikes wat die assessering doen, asook die mense aan wie hulle hulle bevindinge rapporteer. Tweedens, met betrekking tot die eienskappe van skisofreniese spraak, wys die drie instrumente wat in hierdie studie gebruik is dat alhoewel meeste aspekte van skisofrene se taalvaardighede ongeskonde is, hulle pragmatiese vaardighede ooglopend aangetas is. Derdens, rakende differensiële simptomatologie in tweetalige skisofrene kom hierdie studie tot die gevolgtrekking dat geen van die drie instrumente bydra tot 'n beter begrip van hierdie verskynsel nie, en dat dit selfs hoogs onwaarskynlik is dat enige pragmatiese assesseringsinstrument hierdie verskynsel sou kon vaslê. Uiteindelik word daar aanbeveel dat klinici, wanneer dit ookal moontlik is, tweetalige pasiënte in beide tale behoort te assesseer om sodoende die volledige reeks van simptome wat 'n pasiënt ervaar vas te stel, om 'n beter aanduiding te bekom oor die erns van die siekte, en om die progressie van die siekte te volg.

South Africa is a country with 11 official languages including English. English, however, dominates the educational sector, as medium of instruction. This is despite a plethora of research that shows the cognitive advantages of mother tongue instruction and language policies that promote additive bilingual approaches. As subtractive language approaches characterise poor schooling contexts, the outcomes for students are poor. This is because they do not develop proficiency in any language. The abolition of apartheid in South Africa and the advent of democracy in 1994 resulted in dramatic changes in the education system. Nevertheless, the medium of instruction from Grade four has remained English. Consequently, for the majority of the population the education is in their second language. This study takes place in the higher education setting of a TVET college, namely the Dower Campus in Port Elizabeth. It focuses specifically on Level 2 (first year) Life Orientation students to consider the effect English has, as medium of instruction, on the academic performance of students. There is concern about the status of TVET colleges. Even though the higher education sector has transformed, these skills based colleges are still given inferior status in the eyes of the general public and students themselves. These students may be particularly at risk of success given that they have lower entry requirements than other students in the higher education sector. The subject Life Orientation was used to examine the effect of English on student performance. Life Orientation has come under scrutiny for its usefulness and it cognitive value. This study argues that it is a valuable subject for students at colleges, equipping them with knowledge to succeed at studies and in society at large. However, the pass rates for Life Orientation have been consistently low. The study wanted to probe the role of English in this performance. To address the aims and objectives of this study, relevant literature and various multilingual approaches were reviewed to determine which strategies might be most effective in helping students cope with English as medium of instruction. The study also presents a case for the development of indigenous languages as medium of instruction. The study used a mixed methods approach, that is both qualitative and quantitative methods, to explore the use, attitude and perceptions of English among lecturers and students. The research used an interpretive approach and the study took the form of a case study. The researcher took the stance of being a non-participant observer. Qualitative data was obtained through the use of interviews while quantitative data was obtained through the use of questionnaires. The interviews were recorded and transcribed by a transcriber. Data was analysed using a thematic approach. The results showed that majority of the students did not speak English frequently nor had it as a home language yet they all had a positive regard for the language. Many factors were responsible for student performance in Life Orientation such as attitude to subject, theoretical versus practical components of the subject and student background. However, the medium of instruction played a large role in this performance. Though lecturers foregrounded the importance of English as medium of instruction, they recognise that it was a barrier to understanding and affected student performance. Analysis of the lecturer interviews and the questionnaires with students revealed that students were experiencing difficulty speaking, reading and writing in English. Lecturers adapted their teaching strategies when teaching by including translanguaging strategies of code-switching to facilitate understanding. The data also indicated that code switching was considered by the lecturers to be the most suitable method in teaching to student. Code-meshing and written translations of material were not strategies employed by lecturers. Students indicated that they would prefer to write assignments drafts initially in mother tongue. The findings also suggested that it was necessary for the lecturer to use a variety of multilingual strategies to ensure that students enjoy success in Life Orientation. Based on the findings, this study makes recommendations regarding the teaching and learning of English to students which includes the use of multilingual classroom strategies, collaboration with language lecturers and development of a multilingual language policy to aid in the understanding and acquisition of English terminology used in LO content. Such a language policy should also seek to develop indigenous languages as mediums of instructions at the college.

Thesis (MEd (Education)--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2016. / The study explores how teachers, in English medium Foundation Phase classrooms, use support strategies to improve Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) in learners whose home language is not English. The research design adopted for this study was an ethnographic case study that was analysed through qualitative methods at one primary school in the Western Cape. The participants were three teachers in their Foundation Phase classes, chosen on the basis of the phenomenon studied. The focus was to evaluate how successful the language support strategies are and to determine any gaps in the strategies used. Validity was assessed by means of lesson observations, supported by interviews and analysis of the teaching documents. Further, to increase the trustworthiness of the study, findings were compared across these data sources and methods to triangulate the results. Findings illuminated: (i) Factors impacting language teaching; (ii) Strategies used by teachers; (iii) Teachers’ understanding of support strategies; (iv) Teachers’ understanding of CALP; (v) Effectiveness of the support strategies; and (vi) Gaps in the strategies teachers used in improving CALP. Data were intentionally analysed to identify pervasive patterns and main themes in the data and a thematic report foreground the voices of the research participants. The study raised questions about the teachers’ practice in teaching CALP. Teachers taught using familiar methods, taught to a task and lacked linguistic structures in their lessons. Finally, the study report ended with a list of limitations and recommendations for future research in strategies that the Foundation Phase teacher can use to improve the CALP in South Africa’s schools.

Il existe un nombre croissant de tests de langues sur le marché. Ces derniers se répartissent en plusieurs catégories selon leur forme et leur fonction: tests de positionnement, d’acquisition et de progrès, de compétence, de certification, tests diagnostiques et enfin tests d’aptitude. La conception du test de positionnement POSILANG, entièrement adossé au Cadre européen commun de référence pour les langues (CECRL), force à s’interroger sur le processus général d’évaluation des compétences en LVE, à définir ce que sont les bonnes pratiques, à explorer la compatibilité de l’approche communicative-actionnelle prônée par le Cadre avec le format automatisé. Les atouts visés par le dispositif sont la gratuité, la praticité, la fiabilité, l’accessibilité, l’interactivité ainsi que l’authenticité. L’élaboration des items doit tenir compte des usages situés de la langue dans des situations de communication réelles. Conçu localement, en intégrant la situation particulière du site universitaire bordelais, le test est prévu pour évaluer le niveau de compétences des bacheliers en anglais, accédant à l’Enseignement Supérieur. L’évaluation de la version pilote de POSILANG, menée dans le cadre de la présente recherche, montre que POSILANG permet bien de déterminer à la fois le niveau en langue global de candidats et leur niveau par domaine de compétence. Le test remplit aussi une fonction diagnostique, en pointant les lacunes des candidats. Le positionnement par domaines de compétences permet de créer différents groupes de niveaux aussi homogènes que possible pour les enseignements obligatoires d’anglais et pour remédier aux difficultés langagières repérées. / In education today, a great number of language tests are available. These tests can be divided into different categories according to their features and function: placement tests, acquisition and progress tests, certification tests and aptitude tests. The POSILANG placement test offers many advantages. The test is conceived in accordance with the Common European framework of reference for languages (CEFR). It therefore complies with the majority of the parameters laid down in this official document and adheres to an action-oriented approach. POSILANG also benefits from being free of charge, readily available, reliable, interactive and authentic. The latter is achieved by using language taken from real life situations for the conception of items. The test has been designed for local use on the campus of Bordeaux University and takes into account the specificities of this environment. Its aim is to assess the competence level of secondary school leavers as they enter the higher education system. POSILANG is able not only to assess the overall language level of participants, but also the level in three separate areas of competence. It has a diagnostic function centered on pinpointing the weaknesses of students. The placement of students according to the different areas of competence enables teachers to form student groups with similar language levels, so as to address the specific instructional needs identified by the test.

D.Phil. (Linguistics) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

Att elever har tilltro till sin språkliga förmåga är betydelsefullt både i och utanför skolan. Genom en god språklig förmåga kan eleven ta till sig viktig information och eleven tillgodogöra sig undervisning. Tilltro till språklig förmåga är av betydelse för att bli en aktiv demokratisk medborgare i samhället. Enligt grundskolans styrdokument utvecklar elever tilltro till språklig förmåga genom kommunikation och språkliga aktiviteter såsom att samtala, läsa och skriva. Kommunikativ undervisning kan bidra till att stärka elevens språkkunskaper, lärande och identitetsutveckling. Denna studie granskar tilltro till språklig förmåga och har som syfte att bidra med kunskap om hur fem lärare beskriver vilka kritiska moment som finns i arbetet med att främja elevers tilltro till den språkliga förmågan i skolämnet svenska.  För att besvara studiens syfte användes följande frågeställningar:  Hur beskriver lärarna elevernas tilltro till den språklig förmåga? Hur beskriver lärare att de arbetar för att främja elevernas tilltro till den språkliga förmågan? Studiens teoretiska inramning utgörs av sociokulturellt perspektiv. Begrepp som stöttning och den proximala utvecklingszonen är centrala och återkommande. Data har samlats in med hjälp av semistrukturerade intervjuer av fem lärare. Intervjusvaren har analyserats med inspiration av kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Sammanfattningsvis visar resultatet att lärarna kopplar ihop tilltro med att eleven har självförtroende, vågar lita på sin egen förmåga och känner sig trygg i det sammanhang eleven befinner sig i. Att eleverna har en god språklig förmåga beskriver lärarna som viktigt. Några av lärarna beskriver språklig förmåga kopplat till klassrumsundervisningen, andra beskriver dess betydelse ur ett samhällsperspektiv. De deltagande lärarna beskriver att de använder sig av olika metoder i sitt arbete för att främja elevernas tilltro och utveckling. Dessa är cirkelmodellen, kooperativt lärande och språkutvecklande arbetssätt. Metoder likt dessa, som möjliggör språkliga aktiviteter tillsammans med andra under stöttning av lärare, förstås i studien som kritiska för att främja elevers tilltro till språklig förmåga. / The fact that students have confidence in their language ability has many advantages both inside and outside school. Through good language ability, the person can absorb important information and the student assimilates teaching. Belief in linguistic ability is important for becoming an active democratic citizen in society. According to the compulsory school's governing document, students develop confidence in language ability through communication and language activities such as talking, reading and writing. Such teaching can help strengthen the student's language skills, learning and identity development. This study problematizes confidence in language ability and aims to contribute with knowledge of how five teachers describe the critical elements that exist in the work of promoting students' confidence in the language ability in the school subject Swedish. To answer the purpose of the study, the following questions were used: How do the teachers describe the students’ confidence in their language ability? How do teachers describe that they work to promote students' confidence in language skills? The theoretical framework of the study consists of a socio-cultural perspective. Concepts such as support and the proximal developmental zone are central and recurring. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews where five teachers were interviewed. The interview results have been analysed with inspiration from qualitative content analysis. In summary, the results show that the teachers link confidence with the student having self-confidence, daring to trust their own abilities and feeling secure in the context in which they find themselves. That the students have a good language ability, the teachers describe as important. Some of the teachers describe linguistic ability linked to classroom teaching, others describe its significance from a societal perspective. The participating teachers describe that they use different methods in their work to promote students' confidence and development. This is the circle model, cooperative learning and language development methods. Methods like these that enable language activities together with others under the support of teachers are understood in the study as critical to promote students' confidence in language ability.

Thesis (MAud (Interdisciplinary Health Sciences. Speech-Language and Hearing Therapy)--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / Individuals are increasingly undergoing bilateral cochlear implantation in an attempt to benefit from binaural hearing. The main aim of the present study was to compare the speech recognition of children fitted with bilateral cochlear implants, under binaural and monaural listening conditions, in quiet and in noise. Ten children, ranging in age from 5 years 7 months to 15 years 4 months, were tested using the Children’s Realistic Index for Speech Perception (CRISP). All the children were implanted with Nucleus multi-channel cochlear implant systems in sequential operations and used the ACE coding strategy bilaterally. The duration of cochlear implant use ranged from 4 years to 8 years 11 months for the first implant and 7 months to 3 years 5 months for the second implant. Each child was tested in eight listening conditions, which included testing in the presence and absence of competing speech. Performance with bilateral cochlear implants was not statistically better than performance with the first cochlear implant, for both quiet and noisy listening conditions. A ceiling effect may have resulted in the lack of a significant finding as the scores obtained during unilateral conditions were already close to maximum. A positive correlation between the length of use of the second cochlear implant and speech recognition performance was established. The results of the present study strongly indicated the need for testing paradigms to be devised which are more sensitive and representative of the complex auditory environments in which cochlear implant users communicate.