Thesis (PhD (General Linguistics))--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / Bibliography / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The attainment of literacy is crucial for survival in a modern industrialised, knowledge-driven society.
Children with poor language skills are at risk for academic failure because of the differences
between oral language used in daily interactions and the language skills needed to succeed in a
formal school environment. The impact of poorly developed oral language skills on the successful
acquisition of reading skills, particularly reading comprehension, is often underestimated in the
education of young learners in South Africa. Narrative skills form the bridge between oral
language and literacy by providing experience in using the extended and decontextualized
discourse units that children will encounter in written language. This study investigated the
relationship between narrative skills and reading comprehension skills in young learners who are
developing literacy. Specific linguistic markers of literacy in the narratives of a group of Grade 3 learners
from communities with low socio-economic status were examined.
The main research questions this study attempted to answer were: “How do linguistic deficits of
learners with poor reading comprehension and specific reading comprehension deficits manifest
in their oral narratives?” and “Are there linguistic markers that decisively distinguish between
learners with specific reading comprehension deficits and learners with general poor reading
skills as compared to learners with normal reading comprehension?” In a quasi-experimental
research design, the Grade 3 participants in this study were assigned to three groups: Readers who
are competent at word level and comprehension (good reading comprehension group), readers
who are competent at word level but poor at comprehension (specific comprehension disorder
group) and readers who are poor at both word level and comprehension (poor reading
comprehension group). Measurement protocols were used to assess the linguistic variables of
interest, namely vocabulary, narrative micro- and macrostructure structure, cohesion, coherence
and other aspects of oral language. The results of this study confirmed the relationships between
language skills and reading comprehension. It was found that readers with general poor reading
skills performed significantly poorer on a variety of linguistic measures than readers with good
reading comprehension. The group identified as readers with specific reading comprehension
disorders were, in general, not significantly different from the other two groups. This study
therefore did not provide clear evidence that readers with specific reading comprehension
disorders presented with linguistic markers that could differentiate them from the other groups.
The clinical implications for speech-language therapists and educators with regards to assessment
and intervention were highlighted. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die behaling van geletterdheid is noodsaaklik om te oorleef in ‘n moderne, geïndustrialiseerde en
kennisgedrewe samelewing. Kinders met swak taalvaardighede loop die risiko om akademies te
faal weens die verskille tussen die orale taal wat alledaags gebruik word en die taalvaardighede
wat vereis word om sukses in formele skoolomgewings te behaal. Die impak van swak orale
taalvaardighede op die suksesvolle aanleer van leesvaardighede, spesifiek leesbegrip, word
dikwels onderskat in die onderrig van jong Suid-Afrikaanse leerders. Narratiefvaardighede vorm
die oorgang tussen orale taal en geletterdheid omdat narratiewe ondervinding verskaf in die
gebruik van uitgebreide en gedekontekstualiseerde diskoerseenhede wat kinders in skryftaal
teëkom. Hierdie studie het die verband tussen narratiefvaardighede en leesbegrip in jong kinders
wat besig is om gelettedheid te ontwikkel, ondersoek. Spesifieke linguistiese merkers vir
geletterdheid in die narratiewe van ‘n groep Graad 3 leerders van lae sosio-ekonomiese status, is
ondersoek.
Die hoof navorsingsvrae van die studie was: “Hoe manifesteer die linguistiese gebreke van
leerders met swak leesbegrip en spesifieke leesbegripsprobleme in hul orale narratiewe?” en “Is
daar linguistiese merkers wat afdoende onderskei tussen leerders met spesifieke
leesbegripsprobleme en leerders met algemene swak leesvaardighede?” In ‘n kwasieksperimentele ontwerp is die deelnemers aan hierdie studie toegeken aan drie groepe: Lesers wat
bevoeg is op woordvlak en begripsvlak (groep met goeie leesbegrip), lesers wat bevoeg is op
woordvlak, maar met swak begrip (groep met spesifieke leesbegripsprobleme) en lesers wat
onbevoeg is op woordvlak en begripsvlak (groep met algemene swak leesvaardighede).
Protokolle is gebruik om die linguistiese veranderlikes, naamlik woordeskat, narratief mikro- en
makrostruktuur, kohesie, koherensie en ander aspekte van verbale taal, te meet. Die resultate van
hierdie studie het die verband tussen taalvaardighede en leesbegrip bevestig. Daar is gevind dat
lesers met algemene swak leesvaardighede, in vergelyking met lesers met goeie leesbegrip,
beduidend swakker presteer het op verskeie linguistiese metings. Die groep wat geïdentifiseer is
as lesers met spesifieke leesbegripsprobleme het, oor die algemeen, nie beduidend van die ander
twee groepe verskil nie. Hierdie studie het dus nie duidelike bewyse gevind dat lesers met
spesifieke leesbegripsprobleme linguistiese merkers vertoon het wat hulle van die ander twee
groepe kon onderskei nie. Die kliniese implikasies vir spraak-taalterapeute en opvoeders met
betrekking tot assessering en intervensie is toegelig.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/6755 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Klop, Daleen |
| Contributors | Anthonissen, C. A., Tuomi, S. K., University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | xv, 278 p. : ill.(some col.) |
| Rights | University of Stellenbosch |
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