The thesis analyses the accuracy and fluency exhibited in the spoken advanced-learner English of Czech students of English philology. It draws its data from a learner corpus comprising fifty 15-minute interviews with these learners and from a parallel native-speaker corpus of forty-nine 15-minute interviews. As regards accuracy, the learner data is analysed using techniques of error analysis. Salient features of advanced learner English are identified and the subsequent quantitative analyses reveal that throughout the entire group of students (which is characterized by what revealed itself to be a wide proficiency span) two groups of error types are found to be much more frequent than any other, namely errors in the use of articles and tenses. For the fluency measurements a small selection of variables has been chosen to describe speed fluency (speech rate) and breakdown fluency (the frequency of unfilled and filled pauses), and the results are compared with those for the parallel native-speaker corpus. The analysed native speakers are found to produce speech at a generally much higher rate than the majority of the learners. There does not appear - at least in the light of the given sample - to be any direct correlation between fluency and the frequency of errors. Moreover, the learners are found...

Continuous change and competition in the working environment necessitate increased efficiency and productivity which require different and enhanced skills and abilities. It is therefore important that the right people with the right skills are selected and employees are developed to enable them to meet the organisational and national demands of the future. This dissertation investigates the relationship between learning potential, English language proficiency and work-related training test results to establish why some production employees perform better on work-related training test results than others. The results indicate that there is no significant relationship between the work-related training test results and either learning potential or English language proficiency. There is, however, a significant correlation between learning potential and English language proficiency. It might be worthwhile exploring the availability and adequacy of assessors as well as the motivational level of the production employees as factors that influence the progress made with work-related training test results. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / MCOM (Industrial Psychology)

This research investigated the possible correlation between English proficiency and academic success in Internal Auditing 1 of learners registered at the Vaal Triangle Technikon. Acquisition of a Second language was investigated with reference to Additive and Subtractive bilingualism, Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills, and Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency. Factors that influence the acquisition of a L2 were also discussed. Factors that influence learning through a Second language, problems experienced by learners learning through a Second language and the coping mechanisms they use were investigated. The specific language situation in South African education was explained starting with a short historical background of English in South African schools. General problems experienced at schools, language problems experienced at schools, the language proficiency of teachers and how they cope with the language problems were discussed. Language problems experienced by the learners and its effect on higher education were also investigated. A questionnaire was used to gather information regarding respondents' school history, First language, experiences with English as a subject at school, experiences of English as language of instruction, and their views on Internal Auditing 1 as a subject. Respondents' English proficiency was determined through three instruments, namely Grade 12 English Second language results, an English proficiency test and an English writing performance test. There is a discrepancy between tile respondents' own perception of their English proficiency and their English proficiency as reflected by their Grade 12 English Second language results, the proficiency test and the writing performance test. While respondents felt that their English proficiency is average or above average, the tests indicated that their English proficiency is very low. Despite the respondents' very tow levels of English proficiency they reported that they did not find the English used in different situations relating to Internal Auditing 1 difficult and no significant correlation could be determined between their English proficiency levels and their academic success in Internal Auditing 1. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

Although the merits of practical work in physics are often questioned, it remains part of physics curricula world-wide. In distance education the incorporation of practical work into the curriculum is considerably complicated by the unique logistics of the setting and the high cost involved. The research reported in this thesis emanated from the need to improve the practical work module for first year physics at the University of South Africa, one of the largest distance education universities in the world. Specifically, the home-based component which, up to the commencement of the research had been entirely text-based, needed to be addressed. To this end it was necessary to identify a valid and attainable set of objectives and to determine the characteristics, abilities and needs of the students in the target group. A survey polling the viewpoints of South African physics lecturers and students about the objectives of practical work was conducted and an extensive student profile comprising a biographic, cognitive and affective component was compiled. Biographically, the target group is unique in the sense that it consists mainly of adult learners, a large percentage of whom study in a second language. The cognitive component of the profile covered aptitude, proficiency in English, mathematics and the integrated science process skills and level of cognitive development, all of which were investigated for possible influence on performance in practical work. On an affective level, students displayed a very positive attitude towards practical work, seated mainly in their need for concrete exploration of the theory. A practical work module structured around an experiential learning cycle adapted to the distance education environment was subsequently designed. The study material developed for the module comprised an interactive study guide on data processing and experimental procedure, a home experiment kit with accompanying workbook and a laboratory manual. From the pilot study forming part of the development process, it was found that students performed significantly better in an assignment based on home-experimentation than in any of the pen- and paper assignments preceding it. Based on the results of the pilot study, a full home experiment kit was designed, evaluated, refined and implemented. / Physics / D.Phil. (Physics)

The syllabi for the subject English in both Swedish compulsory and upper secondary school state in the core content for English that it should provide the opportunity to learn how to use linguistic strategies in speech, i.e. oral communication strategies. However, we as teachers are not informed by these documents what oral communication strategies are and which ones are to be preferred. For this reason, we as future teachers of English, posed the following research questions: What are oral communication strategies according to the literature, and how are these assessed in terms of being positive and negative strategies? According to research what factors correlate with strategy use, and what are the potential pedagogical implications for the Swedish school context? To answer these questions, we have read and analyzed fourteen different empirical studies regarding communication strategies. The first question was answered by analyzing the empirical studies and relevant theory. We found various definitions in our studies, stemming from different theoretical perspectives. However, they all define oral communication strategies as serving the purpose of furthering interaction. Furthermore, by comparing the definitions in the Swedish syllabi for English and the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages to our literature, we were able to answer the second part of the first question. The literature shows that there is a preference for achievement strategies over avoidance or reduction strategies. To answer the first part of the second question, some studies indicated a positive correlation between strategy use and the level of proficiency. Regarding pedagogical implications, some studies indicate that explicit strategy training has a positive effect on oral performance. Drawing on the results of these studies and the theoretical framework provided, we conclude that achievement strategies are to be preferred and that they should be taught explicitly.

État insulaire situé au large des côtes sénégalo-mauritaniennes, le Cap-Vert a été peuplé à partir dela fin du 15e siècle de colons européens et d’esclaves africains. Il a hérité de cette histoire, unesituation diglossique où le portugais est la langue officielle alors que le créole, aujourd’hui dénommé« langue cap-verdienne », – né des contacts linguistiques luso-africains – est le véhicule del’expression quotidienne. L’histoire de la société cap-verdienne plonge aussi ses racines dans cellede l’émigration et de la mobilité nationale et internationale. Si les conditions climatiques ont pousséde nombreux Cap-Verdiens à l’exil, aussi bien en Afrique qu’en Europe ou aux Etats-Unis, leshandicaps d’ordre structurel ont, par ailleurs, favorisé les migrations constantes des îliens à l’échellemondiale.À partir d’enquêtes menées aussi bien au Cap-Vert qu’en France, sont étudiées les différences decompétences langagières entre des Cap-Verdiens ayant acquis leur(s) langue(s) dans chacun deces pays. L’analyse s’appuie essentiellement sur leurs parcours personnels et accorde une attentionparticulière aux formes de bilinguisme des uns et des autres. Les observations, qui portent a priorisur le créole, le portugais et le français, prennent en compte des productions orales spontanées etprovoquées et des productions écrites, car elles sont révélatrices de la compétence orale. / Island state located off the Senegalese-Mauritanian coast, Cape Verde was inhabited from the late15th century by European settlers and African slaves. He inherited this story, a diglossic situationwhere Portuguese is the official language while Creole, now called « Cape Verdean language », -born of Luso-African language contacts – is the vehicle of everyday expression. The history of CapeVerdean society is also rooted in that of emigration and national and international mobility. If weatherconditions have prompted many Cape Verdean to exile, both in Africa than in Europe or the UnitedStates, structural handicaps have also favored the constant migrations of islanders worldwide.Through surveys conducted both in Cape Verde and France, are studied differences in languageproficiency between Cape Verdean who acquired their languages in each of these countries. Theanalysis is based primarily on their personal journeys and pays particular attention to the forms ofbilingualism of each other. The study, which focuses at first on Creole, Portuguese and French,include spontaneous and induced oral productions, and written productions, which are indicative oforal proficiency.

Adopting the Ecological Contextual Model of Acculturation and Adjustment (Birman, 1994; Trickett, 1996) and the Stress and Coping paradigm (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984, 1986, 1991), the present thesis explored the psycho-social, work, and marital adjustment of 200 established older middle-aged refugees from the Former Yugoslavia living in the Ottawa area. More specifically, three studies were conducted to examine specific stressors and resources of relevance to the adjustment of Former Yugoslavian men and women, across the following three distinct life domains: psycho-social, work, and marital. Study I explored the potential buffering effects of interpersonal trust on the relational growth of Former Yugoslavian refugees. Results demonstrated that interpersonal trust moderated the negative effects of war-related trauma on the relational growth of Former Yugoslavian women. No such buffering effect was found for the men. Study II investigated Former Yugoslavians' work adjustment by exploring the influence of pre-migratory work-related expectations-outcome congruence, occupational mobility, work stress (general and discrimination), as well as personal (education, English language proficiency) and social resources (support at work) on their work satisfaction and distress. Results indicated that different factors emerged as significant predictors of work satisfaction and work distress for Former Yugoslavian men and women. Study III explored the potential moderating role of marital resilience on the relationship between marital stress (general and acculturative) and marital adjustment. Results showed that marital resilience moderated the negative effects of marital stress on the marital adjustment of Former Yugoslavian women. No protective effect of marital resilience was found for the men. Taken together, the results of the three studies provide support for the relevance and importance of studying the stress, resources, and adjustment of refugees across contexts and gender. Given that important gender differences were found in different adaptational domains, the need to study further the impact of gender in refugees is reinforced. The findings are discussed within the current gender and migration literatures as well as the multidimensional theories of cross-cultural adjustment. Theoretical, research, and clinical implications were presented, along with recommendations for future research.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Language Education)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / Many studies in the field of English second language learning have been conducted in the past years. The studies focused on language skills such as speaking, reading, writing and language structures. In so far as the writing skill is concerned, the researchers have a consensus that it is difficult. South African English first additional language learners are no exception to the challenges posed by writing, hence this study explores these challenges which are due to learners’ inability to apply process writing stages in creative writing activities. The study explores the challenges faced by Grade 12 learners in creative writing in Seshego circuit, Limpopo Province. Intervention strategies would then be designed so that learners could improve the writing challenges. The study focuses on twelve (12) Grade 12 learners and two Grade 12 teachers using a qualitative research method. The study uses a phenomenological research design hence it is based on the participants’ lived experiences. Data collection methods such as classroom observation, teacher interviews and document analysis were used in the study. Data collected from each of the above mentioned data collection methods, was coded according to emerging common themes which were further labelled into basic themes for interpretation. The findings suggest that learners lack creativity due to poor vocabulary, and this results in L1 transfer. The findings also suggest that some learners do not have a detailed knowledge of the requirements of the process writing stages. The study recommends explicit teaching of process writing stages so that learners can familiarise themselves with what is required of them in the stages. The study also encourages collaborative learning since research indicates that learners may improve writing if they learn from their peers. More written work to learners is also recommended.

Research shows academic literacy is a challenge for students classified as Long-Term English Language Learners (LTELLs). In the pseudonymous Windy Desert School District (WDSD), there are 17,365 students classified as LTELLs. Of these students, the majority are falling short of English academic literacy goals on the Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State for English Language Learners (ACCESS for ELLs) test and 67% do not graduate from high school. This quantitative study examined the predictive relationship between ACCESS English language proficiency subscale scores in the language domains of speaking, listening, reading, and writing and course semester grades in English 9, English 10, and English 11. This longitudinal study, informed by theorists Cummins and Krashen, followed a cohort of 718 Grade 9 students for 3 years (2012-2015). Of the 718, only 161 participant data sets were valid for the final ordinal logistic regression analysis. ACCESS subscale scores in speaking, listening, reading, and writing comprised the predictor variables and English course semester grades comprised the criterion variables. Results revealed that LTELLs' ACCESS subscale scores in listening, reading, and writing were significant predictors of their English course grades whereas speaking scores were not. For each predictor variable, a 1-unit increase in the predictor decreased the likelihood of receiving a lower grade in the course. Social change can result from the WDSD using ACCESS results to create and implement effective instructional programs that develop LTELLs' proficiency in the language domains found significant in predicting their academic grades, thereby increasing their language proficiency, academic grades, and graduation rates over time.

Denna studie undersöker högstadielärares erfarenheter av hemläxor i svenska som andra­­språk. Studiens syfte är att synliggöra hur lärare bedömer förhållandet mellan läxor och språklig progression. En sociokognitiv teori tillämpas för att förstå lärares motivation till att dela ut läxor och anledningen till läxans utformning. Fem högstadielärares erfaren­heter av hemläxor i svenska som andraspråk undersökts i semistrukturerade, enskilda interv­juer, där lärare beskriver hur de arbetar med läxor i sin under­visning. I resultatdelen an­vänds en tematisk innehållsanalys för att redovisa utfallet i material. Studiens resultat visar att lärarna anser att läxor gynnar den språkliga progres­sionen hos L2-elever genom att de repeterar språkliga moment så att de befästs i minnet. Vid utformningen av läxan krävs det anpassning efter språklig nivå och individ. Även hur läxan förankras, introduceras och följs upp är avgörande för dess effekt på språk­ut­vecklingen.