Whole language approach.

M.Ed. (Psychology of Education) / As the South African education system is moving towards complete reorganisation and fundamental restructuring, teachers have been forced to take a look at the language being used in their now multilingual classrooms and also at their own teaching of language, as opposed to the teaching of school-based literature. Some teachers see this as a challenge, and with the attention now being paid in the school curriculum to the communicative use of English, are attempting to change their beliefs and conceptions about instruction, language and learning. For many teachers of English second language pupils, the answers lie in the whole language philosophy, as it stands for justice, democracy, and empowerment and against injustice and a stratified society. However, the whole language movement grew from an original focus on the reading, writing and learning processes of native speakers of English, and is only beginning to affect second language learners. The focus of this study is therefore on the implementation of whole language with English second language pupils, with the aim of improving the instruction and education of these learners as well as enhancing the support systems and training for whole language teachers. The whole language philosophy is it different way of thinking about teaching and learning, and thus teachers need to be continually encouraged to examine their own assumptions about learning and teaching. The theory framework for this study includes readings in the origins of whole language, the whole language belief system, English second language learning and connections between whole language and English second language pedagogy. The theoretical framework is constructed with the aim of supporting the construct and approaching the research question from different angles. The nature of the research question presupposes a monographic study as research format, which in tum directs the research to observations, an individual interview and document analysis. The discussion of the monographic study takes place against the background of the qualitative research paradigm. The teacher and Grade One English second language pupils of a Language Assistant Programme, characterised by whole language principles, are the target group of this study. The findings of the inquiry indicate that the whole language philosophy can be applied to English second language learners, but needs to be complemented with an understanding of second language acquisition and English second language teaching methods. It was also found that teachers need continual support in transforming the whole language philosophy into practice and in examining their own beliefs and assumptions about learning and instruction.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of four instructional methods - context clues, definition, elaboration technique, or word parts and word families- on the vocabulary growth and acquisition of adults enrolled in a community college developmental reading course. The study investigated whether performance in any or all of the four instructional methods was moderated by age or language. Seventy-three respondents participated in the study. Participants were enrolled in one of five sections of College Reading Preparatory II (REA0002) offered in the Spring of 2009 at Indian River State College in Fort Pierce, Florida. All five sections of REA0002 were taught by the same professor, a tenured faculty member, chair of the developmental reading department and Associate Professor of Developmental Reading at Indian River State College. The instruction and tests in all five sections of REA0002 were consistent with the research design which insured continuity and consistency in the use of the four instructional methods. All participants received the same treatment and quizzes. During the course of the study, participants first received a pretest, then the treatment or instruction, followed by an instructional quiz, and a delayed post-test was administered at the end of the study. An analysis of the data, which included the pretest, instructional quizzes with four quizzes independently and then combined for an aggregate score for an immediate post-test, and the delayed post-test, yielded mixed results. The four instructional quizzes independently showed definition instruction to have the highest positive impact on student learning. In a measure of gains from pretest to instructional quizzes immediately after treatment, significant improvement in student learning was found only with word parts instruction. / In a measure of performance from pretest to immediate post-test (aggregate score of instructional quizzes) there was a significant gain in students' vocabulary competence, and from pretest to delayed post-test there was a significant decrement in students' vocabulary competence. Age and language moderated vocabulary competence. Further tests of equivalency were mixed and should be interpreted cautiously, as there were a very small number of students in the group of 25 years or older and non-native English speakers. / by Jodi McGeary Robson. / Thesis (Ed.D)--Florida Atlantic University, 2009. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2009. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

This qualitative study investigated the teaching of reading in Grade 3 multilingual classes in one school in the Western Cape. It focused on the teaching strategies employed by teachers in teaching reading, the challenges teachers encountered in teaching reading to multilingual classrooms and the resources available to enhance reading in these classes. Data were collected by means of classroom observations and interviews with teachers. The findings of the study show that teachers experience problems with regard to the teaching of reading in Grade 3 classes. Firstly, learners have no competence in English which is the main language of learning and teaching and this has a negative impact on their reading abilities. Secondly, while code switching is one of the popular strategies in facilitating teaching and learning, it may be problematic in multilingual classrooms in that it may exclude other learners from the content explained in a different language. Thirdly, print rich environments enhance learners’ reading skills, but many underprivileged schools lack multilingual materials. The study concludes that teacher development is essential for the development of literacy in schools.

This qualitative study investigated the teaching of reading in Grade 3 multilingual classes in one school in the Western Cape. It focused on the teaching strategies employed by teachers in teaching reading, the challenges teachers encountered in teaching reading to multilingual classrooms and the resources available to enhance reading in these classes. Data were collected by means of classroom observations and interviews with teachers. The findings of the study show that teachers experience problems with regard to the teaching of reading in Grade 3 classes. Firstly, learners have no competence in English which is the main language of learning and teaching and this has a negative impact on their reading abilities. Secondly, while code switching is one of the popular strategies in facilitating teaching and learning, it may be problematic in multilingual classrooms in that it may exclude other learners from the content explained in a different language. Thirdly, print rich environments enhance learners’ reading skills, but many underprivileged schools lack multilingual materials. The study concludes that teacher development is essential for the development of literacy in schools.

This investigation is a case-study of adolescent literacy practices and some of the texts arising from them. Forty-five texts were initially analysed for their generic structure and semiotic composition from within the traditions of the sociolinguistic paradigm. Findings from these two processes of analysis were then reinterpreted from a Deleuzean perspective with the aim of opening out otherwise imperceptible generative forces implicated in differences between the creation of online texts such as MXIT instant messages; Facebook texts and emails, and traditional print-and-paper school based writing. The context for the study was a Pietermaritzburg government girls’ only high school. A mixed-methods approach was used throughout the research process. The sample of twelve learners was purposefully selected from across two grade 9 classes to whom subject-English was taught. The core component of the data is a single writing exercise in which the pupils were asked to write a film appraisal as 1) a MXIT or SMS message; 2) an email; 3) a Facebook message and 4) a conventional film review. There are two major findings from this study. First, in some contexts, adolescents demonstrate a high degree of differentiated control over the structural, linguistic and semiotic composition of their writing in English; second, in online literacy, there is a complex configuration of motivating contextual variables that teenagers co-opt. These generate dynamic forces that serve adolescents’ own social and affective purposes and which can supersede, subvert or cooperate with the stated purpose of a genre. A Deleuzean framework helps reveal the complex processes underlying adolescent literacies and enables the beginning of an interrogation of the pedagogic implications of recent innovations in communication technology and practices. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2012.

Graduation date: 1993

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1992. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 222-230). Also available via the Internet.

This study critically examines my classroom practice in teaching young learners aged four-and-a-half to six years old. It focuses on the following research question: How can I create a stimulating environment in my classroom to promote awareness of and a love for reading? My classroom-based action research methodology places me, the practitioner, at the centre of the investigation. The work examines closely my professional values and my strong belief in the capacity of learners to be curious, absorb and make sense of what they encounter and experience in a stimulating environment. It investigates how such an environment develops the potential of learners to love and embrace reading. The process of engaging reflectively and analytically in practitioner research has helped me to gain a better understanding of my learners’ needs and to improve the ways in which I promote reading in the reception year of formal schooling. I claim that the creating of a stimulating environment in my classroom is grounded in my ability to motivate, model and scaffold the learners to engage in reading confidently. Together, the learners and I have created a living theory of education, one that is open to further reflection and development. Ongoing interaction between theoretical discourse and practical experiences enable me to develop my professional knowledge and to synthesize my values and practice. The investigation continuously confirms the advantages of a print-rich environment and how it can be used to promote a love for reading amongst young learners. The claims and knowledge generated in this study are personal and true for me, while the living transformational process demonstrates how I have developed professionally.

M.Ed. (Psychology of Education) / Two critical problems experienced by significant numbers of children in the junior primary phase of school are, difficulties with reading and the lack of motivation to read. It is important that the reluctant reader receives the necessary help to become an efficient and motivated reader as reading influences many aspects of the child's life besides scholastic achievement, for example self-concept and social interaction. This study consists of a literature survey, the aim of which is to identify strategies and to develop guidelines for the construction of a reading motivation programme for reluctant readers who may also be experiencing reading problems. In an attempt to achieve the above goals use has been made of: 1) the language-experience approach, 2) the incorporation of cognitive and metacognitive strategies. The language-experience approach is a means of teaching children to read by capitalizing on their interests, experiences, and oral language facility. Students dictate stories and accounts based on their experiences; these materials are then used as the basis of the reading programme. This approach has distinct advantages for reluctant readers as it capitalizes on the child's unique experiences: Interest is virtually guaranteed as reading and sharing their own stories boost the morale of children whose previous reading experiences may have been fraught with failure. The aim of teaching metacognitive strategies for reading is to make the pupil aware of himself as a reader so that he realizes that he is in control of the reading process. The reader must become aware of his thought processes during reading: This reflection on personal thought processes is called "metacognition".