Per Linguam-A Journal of Language Learning最新文献

{"title":"Improving reading strategies and assessments used by educators to enhance learner academic success","authors":"V. Loopoo, R. Balfour","doi":"10.5785/37-1-984","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5785/37-1-984","url":null,"abstract":"Learning to read is a crucial component of early education. Theorists have found a strong connection between reading skills and the level of academic and professional success enjoyed by an individual. The way an individual learns to read is crucial to achieving academic success; therefore, the methods used to teach reading need to be effective for optimal success. A substantial body of research demonstrates that literacy is fundamental to success in the formal education system and in most cases, the principal site for learning to read and write is assumed to be the primary school, usually in the early years. While there are many perspectives and methods used at school level, teachers will only succeed when they teach explicit strategies to decode words and their meanings and comprehension instruction. Using a mixed-methods approach, this article aimed to identify and explore teaching and assessment strategies employed by educators in Grade R at primary school level pertaining to the teaching of literacy. It emerged that although certain strategies do seem to promote greater acquisition of literacy, there is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to using literacy to promote the likelihood of achieving academic success.","PeriodicalId":43109,"journal":{"name":"Per Linguam-A Journal of Language Learning","volume":"33 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"87965178","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ukwakhiwa kwemibhalo kusetyenziswa izixhobo zolwimi: Ulwazi lolwimi kootitshala nakubafundi abaqeqeshelwa ubutitshla","authors":"Simthembile Xeketwana","doi":"10.5785/37-2-953","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5785/37-2-953","url":null,"abstract":"Ubuchule bokubhala isiXhosa njengolwimi lokufunda nokufundisa kufuna isakhono esilolwe kakuhle, kwabo basisebenzisayo. Xa kubhalwa isiXhosa kuphendulwa imibuzo okanye kubhalwa imibhalo exoxayo, echazayo njalo njalo, iba sisakhono esinzima kakhulu kubafundi. Oku kubanzima kakhulu xa kulindeleke ukuba umfundi abhale umbhalo ochubekileyo, noyondeleleneyo unika intsingiselo ngalo nto umfundi athetha ngayo. Ukwaleka, ukubhala isiXhosa nezinye iilwimi zesiNtu kubaluleke kakhulu, ingakumbi kule mihla apho isiXhosa sinakho ukusetyenziswa njengolwimi lokufunda nokufundisa. Ingxaki ethande ukuvela kumaziko emfundo ephakamileyo ingakumbi kumaSebe elwimi zesiNtu kunye nalawo aqeqesha ootitshala abaza kufundisa ngezi lwimi (isiXhosa) kukuba abafundi aba bantetho isisiXhosa abakwazi ukubhala ngesiXhosa. Kuphando olwenziwe ngokuthi kuphononongwe imibhalo yabafundi abakunyaka wesithathu nowesine, kufunyenwe ukuba eneneni ukubhala ngumngeni kakhulu kubo. Abafundi bayabetheka kakhulu ukwakha izivakalisi, bethobela imigaqo yegrama efana nezivumelanisi zentlonko/zenjongosenzi, ukwakhiwa kwezivakalisi ngokwemigaqo yokubhala kuyasilela kakhulu kubafundi. Eli phepha liza kunika iziphumo zoluphando, ligxile ngakumbi kwigrama nemibhalo emide. Eli phepha likwajolise ukongeza kumsebenzi osele wenziwe ukuphuhlisa ukubhalwa kwesiXhosa, ngokuthi linike abafundi abaqeqeshelwa ubutitshala ulwazi lolwimi. Emva koko liza kunika izindulululo ezinokusetyenziswa ukufundisa abafundi abantetho isisiXhosa ukubhala ngononophelo.ABSTRACT Writing isiXhosa as a language of learning and teaching requires a sharpened skill to those who are writing in the language. It is been clear that the students struggle to write in isiXhosa when they are either answering questions of writing expositional academic work. Thus, it become difficult when the students are expected to write cohesively, and with meaning. Additionally, to write in isiXhosa is vital these days especially where isiXhosa like other African languages can be used as languages of learning and teaching. The identified persisting problem from the institutions of higher learning, in particular African languages and teacher educations faculties with isiXhosa is that the preservice isiXhosa speaking students are not able to write in isiXhosa. This paper looked at the assignments produced by preservice teachers of isiXhosa both in 3rd and 4th years of the B.Ed programme. The study found that the preservice isiXhosa speaking students’ writing is not good at all. The students struggle to write in isiXhosa taking into account the grammar rules (morphemes) such as subject or object concords, sentence constructions with cohesion. This papers presents the results of the study done among the preservice teachers, where they have produced long essays in their modules. Furthermore, it looks at the work that has been done in isiXhosa to understand writing as a skill. Finaly the papers provides recommendations pertaining to teacher training, where there","PeriodicalId":43109,"journal":{"name":"Per Linguam-A Journal of Language Learning","volume":"61 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"75121581","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Written narratives of Grade 5 learners with developmental language difficulties: A group discussion intervention study","authors":"S. Moonsamy","doi":"10.5785/37-1-969","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5785/37-1-969","url":null,"abstract":"Increased demand on a learner’s linguistic, cognitive and metacognitive abilities is expected at higher grades in schools. The application of cognitive and metacognitive strategies when learning is, however, not always automatic, therefore explicit mediation to retrieve and apply these processes appropriately, is essential. This paper aims to compare the linguistic experiences of Grade 5 learners with Developmental Language Difficulties (DLD) when writing a narrative, pre- and post-discussion intervention. The intervention approach is grounded in Feuerstein (2006) and Vygotsky’s (1934/1987) theories of cognitive development. This quantitative and qualitative study was a quasi-experimental, pre- and posttest design. The sample consisted of 10 Grade 5 learners from a remedial school. The pretest written narratives preceded the intervention phase and were followed by the posttest narratives. The macro- and microstructure of the written narratives were analysed, using an adapted framework based on Fey’s (2001) and Moonsamy’s (2009) analysis protocol. Explicit discussions on writing processes should generalise to familiar and novel tasks required in all learning situations. The findings suggest that interventions, using group discussions, were beneficial for learners with DLD where knowledge was coconstructed. Improvements in microstructure were evident while the macrostructure remained the same at post-intervention. This study contributes to evidence-based practice for learner instruction in mainstream and special needs environments.","PeriodicalId":43109,"journal":{"name":"Per Linguam-A Journal of Language Learning","volume":"26 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"86892244","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Principles of language teaching and learning for expanding and improving classroom input strategies","authors":"M. Al-Amri","doi":"10.5785/36-1-794","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5785/36-1-794","url":null,"abstract":"This study analysed the possibilities of implementing principles of language teaching and learning for expanding and improving classroom input strategies. Thirty-three English as a foreign language student teachers participated in the study for four weeks. Data were collected through Likert-type surveys, written assessments and a third-party interview. Findings indicated that (1) participants showed a high level of perceived knowledge; (2) participants showed a high level of content knowledge on written tests; (3) students expressed positive attitudes towards the learning approach (i.e., grounding input strategies in well-established principles of teaching and learning); and (4) participants performed better in the post-videotaped evaluation than in the pre-videotaped evaluation.","PeriodicalId":43109,"journal":{"name":"Per Linguam-A Journal of Language Learning","volume":"17 8 1","pages":"47-58"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82888215","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Scaffolding for content knowledge of home language learning by collaborative online dictionaries","authors":"M. V. D. Merwe","doi":"10.5785/36-1-893","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5785/36-1-893","url":null,"abstract":"Dictionaries provide language learners and language users with lexical information and serve as mediating, supporting tools during language learning. Online dictionaries in the form of wikis can be assembled by dictionary users themselves. Their construction (selection of terminology and content of descriptions) in the home language class facilitates learning. During the learning process, dictionary users (university students, in this case) construct new knowledge and meaning based on their own experiences and motivations. The article is based on reflective feedback from a dictionary project undertaken in a faculty of education at a university in the Western Cape. Senior home language students were guided to collaboratively develop an online dictionary of language for specific purposes, thereby improving their communicative skills in addition to their lexical and academic subject vocabulary knowledge. Technology-enhanced language learning was mediated through a task-based language learning process. Data were generated by means of questionnaires that presented students with an opportunity to critically reflect on the use of technology as well as their own construction of knowledge by describing different scaffolding strategies in the selection of vocabulary employed during the process of wiki compilation. Positive results from the study highlight the benefits of appropriate, collaborative use of technology during language learning in a home language class. A new scaffolding model for learning content knowledge in the home language in a technology-enabled environment is proposed in the article.","PeriodicalId":43109,"journal":{"name":"Per Linguam-A Journal of Language Learning","volume":"25 1","pages":"1-14"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"84023403","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Investigating the reading comprehension ability of Grade 9 (Form 2) learners at Bulawayo Central District high schools in Zimbabwe","authors":"Thenjiwe Gumede, Naomi Boakye","doi":"10.5785/36-1-938","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5785/36-1-938","url":null,"abstract":"Reading ability is important in education, as it transcends all forms of learning. Poor reading ability usually means that a learner will encounter academic challenges and perform poorly at school. Grade 9 (form 2) learners in Zimbabwe were thought to have been disadvantaged during Zimbabwe’s economic turmoil from 2006 to 2008. There were so many disruptions and instances of absenteeism in government schools during that period that these learners, who were in grade R at the time, may not have received adequate reading instruction. The aim of the study was to investigate the reading comprehension levels of grade 9 (form 2) learners in Bulawayo Central District high schools in Zimbabwe to determine whether they were disadvantaged by the disruptions, and to what extent. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to collect data to establish the learners’ reading proficiency and to determine what factors influenced their reading proficiency. Forty-eight learners from government schools and 22 from private schools voluntarily wrote a reading comprehension test and provided narratives on their reading development. The test results were analysed using ANOVA and the narratives were analysed using content analysis. The test results showed that the reading comprehension level of the cohort of grade 9 (form 2) learners in government schools was below that expected for grade 4. The narratives of the government school learners were also fraught with errors, whereas private school learners wrote better narratives. The study therefore showed that the reading proficiency of the government school learners who were in grade R in 2008 was below the required level. The learners’ reading development seems to have been adversely affected by the national disruptions. Recommendations are made for interventions to improve the reading proficiency of grade 9 learners in government schools before they pursue tertiary education.","PeriodicalId":43109,"journal":{"name":"Per Linguam-A Journal of Language Learning","volume":"41 1","pages":"71-89"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"78537271","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Teachers' beliefs about the implementation of communicative language teaching at primary school level in Zimbabwe","authors":"Mildred Shingirirai Nyamayedenga, L. Jager","doi":"10.5785/36-1-888","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5785/36-1-888","url":null,"abstract":"Communicative language teaching (CLT) is considered as a teaching approach that assists learners to achieve communicative competence. However, it seems as though a major gap exists regarding how teachers’ beliefs affect the implementation of CLT in primary school. In the study reported on here, we examined how primary school teachers’ beliefs affect the way in which CLT is implemented in Zimbabwe using a case study of five purposively selected teachers. The analysis aimed to explore what the teachers believed about CLT and how their beliefs were reflected in their classroom practices. The study adopted an inductive thematic analysis that permitted an understanding of how teacher beliefs affected classroom practice through teacher–learner and learner–learner interactions. Data from classroom observations, interviews, documents and field notes were analysed to reveal the phenomenon under study. A major finding of this study reveals that teachers hold beliefs that are not in support of the use of CLT. These beliefs are pedagogical and methodological, and both influence the way in which CLT is implemented. Teachers had their own ideas about CLT and the activities that should be used when implementing it. The teachers’ beliefs were established through observing how teachers implemented CLT and through the knowledge that they had about the approach. In view of the foregoing major finding, it is recommended that teacher training colleges should not emphasise traditional methods of teaching but rather focus more on CLT as a teaching approach.","PeriodicalId":43109,"journal":{"name":"Per Linguam-A Journal of Language Learning","volume":"27 1","pages":"59-70"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"84902722","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The roles of phonological awareness, rapid automatised naming and morphological awareness in isiXhosa","authors":"Maxine Schaefer, Tracy N. Probert, Siȃn Rees","doi":"10.5785/36-1-878","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5785/36-1-878","url":null,"abstract":"The current paper examines the unique contributions of phonological awareness (PA), rapid automatised naming (RAN) and morphological awareness (MA) to oral reading fluency (ORF) in isiXhosa. No published study has yet explored the individual contributions of these three cognitive-linguistic skills to reading in isiXhosa. Sixty-six grade 3 home language isiXhosa learners were assessed on these cognitive-linguistic skills. Results from a linear regression analysis showed that only RAN and MA, but not PA, were significant concurrent predictors of ORF. These results suggest that the role of PA in reading in grade 3 learners in isiXhosa may have been overestimated because other important predictors of reading have not been controlled. Our data also suggest that grade 3 isiXhosa learners may make use of the morpheme as a grain size in reading. Our study highlights the need for longitudinal research which explores the roles of PA, MA and RAN in reading development in order to inform reading pedagogy in isiXhosa and other Southern Bantu languages.","PeriodicalId":43109,"journal":{"name":"Per Linguam-A Journal of Language Learning","volume":"11 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"87705408","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The role of parents in the teaching of English First Additional Language in the rural area of Limpopo","authors":"M. Motseke","doi":"10.5785/36-1-860","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5785/36-1-860","url":null,"abstract":"Parents, through their communication with their children, play an important role in the linguistic development of these children. The linguistic development of children proceeds from the mastery of the mother tongue to the learning of the second language. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of parents in their children’s learning of English First Additional Language (EFAL). The study was conducted at a rural school in the Limpopo Province. The study was qualitative in nature, and an interpretivist approach was followed. Purposive sampling was used to select participants. Eight parents participated in the study. Of the eight parents, seven were female. All the participants were unemployed, and their ages ranged between 22 and 50 years. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. The collected data were categorised and themes were identified. It was found that the parents played little or no role in their children’s learning of EFAL. The parents were unable to help their children with EFAL homework, to visit the teachers of their children, to monitor the academic (EFAL) progress of their children, and to provide their children with English reading material. It is recommended that parents should be encouraged to visit the school regularly, to check if homework was done and to provide their children with English reading material.","PeriodicalId":43109,"journal":{"name":"Per Linguam-A Journal of Language Learning","volume":"10 1","pages":"112-124"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"72823700","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The impact of texting language on Nigerian students: a case study of final year linguistics students","authors":"Jimoh Junior Braimoh","doi":"10.5785/36-1-900","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5785/36-1-900","url":null,"abstract":"This article reports on research which examined whether the use of mobile phone text messaging is responsible for the reported presence of abbreviations in students’ written work at the University of Benin. I argue that the frequent use of short messaging service (SMS) abbreviations may not be attributed only to the reported increase in the use of abbreviations in the written work of students. Other factors, such as the purpose of the writing and the students’ state of mind, might also be determinants of whether students use abbreviations or not. The research was based on the analysis of a questionnaire distributed to final-year linguistics students of the University of Benin in 2015, during their regular classes at the main campus of the University of Benin. In total, 62 final-year students from the Department of Linguistics and African Studies at the University of Benin participated in the in-class survey. The professor of the students obtained ethical clearance and provided 72 notebooks, 126 written assignments and 85 examination scripts of the same students to the researcher for analysis and validation of their responses to the questionnaire. The analysis indicated that SMS abbreviations were carried over into students’ written classwork. However, one cannot categorically state that SMSs are the reason why students use abbreviations in their written work as widely reported because the evidence from this study does not support such a claim.","PeriodicalId":43109,"journal":{"name":"Per Linguam-A Journal of Language Learning","volume":"5 1","pages":"15-31"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"87638164","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}