A minor dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master
in Education
Faculty of Humanities University of the Witwatersrand / As a prescribed Grade 12 IEB (Independent Exams Board) English Home Language (HL) text,
Absolution written by Patrick Flanery (2012) has proven to be a very difficult text to teach. It
is for this reason that I have chosen to conduct research into the various ways that Grade 12
teachers have approached the teaching of this novel. In my experience as a Grade 12 English
teacher my engagement with a vast variety of IEB prescribed English texts has been wholly
accessible to learners and teachers, offering complete engagement and understanding of the
various concepts explored within each text. As IEB (Independent Exams Board) prescribed
English texts remain prescribed for the duration of two years, each year provides an opportunity
to further develop my experience in conveying the nuances relating to theme, character and
style. In my experience, such a process has always been achievable, satisfying and highly
rewarding; however the option to select Absolution as the Grade 12 English Home Language
set text for 2015 and 2016 presented challenges due to the complexities of both style and
content inherent in this text.
The unusually dense nature of this text has made it extremely difficult for Grade 12 learners to
engage with the novel in a profound way. It is for this reason that I would like to conduct
research into the methods and underlying models for teaching literature that IEB English
teachers have used when approaching the teaching of this specific text in their Grade 12 English
classrooms. Drawing on the models for teaching literature as first proposed by Ronald Carter
and Michael Long (1991) as well as Gillian Lazar (1993), various teacher approaches will be
investigated.
Using a qualitative method of research, questionnaires were completed by two teachers from
an independent school for girls and three teachers from an independent school for boys.
Focused group interviews were conducted with one teacher from each of the schools as a way
of clarifying certain responses to the questionnaire that was initially completed. Careful
analysis of the data provided through both the questionnaire and the focused group interview,
led to the conclusion that understanding literary theory as well as the context in which the novel
is set is fundamental in allowing for an intensive study of the novel as well as a clear
understanding of the nuances contained within the novel. / Andrew Chakane 2021
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:wits/oai:wiredspace.wits.ac.za:10539/31339 |
| Date | January 2017 |
| Creators | Pooley, Megan Lisa |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | application/pdf |
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