English First Additional language is introduced to the non-speakers of the
language in Grade 1. This is in line with the Curriculum Assessment Policy
Statement, which requires English to be introduced to Grade 1 learners
irrespective of their home language or their language background (Department of
Basic Education, 2012). To the majority of learners in South Africa, English is a
second or a third language. Learning a new language poses numerous
challenges, such as inability to decipher the sound system of the language.
Moreover, primary school classrooms are known for being action filled and
accommodative of what is known as "productive noise", which makes it difficult for
Foundation Phase teachers to be audible to all learners in the classrooms. Options
that are commonly used to reduce noise are hanging curtains and fitting tennis
balls on the legs of chairs. This study focused on the use of a dynamic sound field
amplification system as one way to improve acoustics in the classroom.
The purpose of this study was to document the teachers’ experiences when using
dynamic sound field amplification system. Although this study was not an
intervention, the concept evaluation was used to understand teachers’
experiences and challenges as regards the background noise in their classrooms.
This study was conducted in three Grade 1 mainstream classrooms where English
First Additional Language is used for teaching and learning in the North West
Province, South Africa.
The classroom observations afforded me the opportunity to see how the learners
reacted in the improved acoustic classroom. Lastly, the discussions with the
teachers enabled me to hear how they feel about the use of the dynamic sound
field amplified system. Components of the Programme Theory Evaluation with its relevance on change
underpinned this study. For the purpose of this study I focused on the five steps or
levels of theory of change i.e. inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes and impact
(Evaluation Exchange, 2006). The practical application of the Programme Theory
Evaluation guided the documentation of the teachers’ experiences.
The use of dynamic sound field amplification system helped with the early
identification of learning barriers and interventions in the three schools. This
lessened the number of learners who were wrongly referred to special schools
because of poor performance. Teachers’ health, high rates of absenteeism and
voice fatigue were reduced, and classroom management was facilitated.
The study found that the participants were not aware of the importance of
acoustics in the classroom before dynamic sound field amplification system was
introduced. They had to speak at the top of their voices and often repeated
themselves for their learners to hear and understand. The dynamic sound field
amplification system changed all that, the teachers’voices were amplified and
that improved the acoustics in the three classrooms. The dynamic sound field
amplification system is effective in the overcrowded classrooms where the
background noise is normally high; it operates by amplifying the teacher’s voice
relative to the background noise. The teacher’s amplified voice remains constant
all the time and equally audible to all learners in the classroom at all the times.
(DiSarno, Schowalter & Grass, 2002).
The recommendations of this study are to share the information gathered from the
three schools and the two district officials with the senior management of the North
West Department of Education. They will be in the position to study the outcomes
and assist schools accordingly by deciding if they see the importance of treating
acoustics in the classrooms. / Early Childhood Education / PhD / Unrestricted
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:up/oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/67794 |
| Date | January 2018 |
| Creators | Marumo, Mpho Otlametse |
| Contributors | Phatudi, Nkidi Caroline, M.MARUMO@WEBMAIL.CO.ZA, Joubert, Jacomina Christina |
| Publisher | University of Pretoria |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | © 2018 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. |
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