The effect of teaching text organisation on reading in English as a second language
- Authors: Silburn, Gail Deirdre
- Date: 1991
- Subjects: English language -- Study and teaching -- Foreign speakers
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1372 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1001438
- Description: This research investigated the effect of teaching text organisation on reading in English second language to schoolgirls. All subjects underwent a training programme of five one-hour sessions on consecutive school days. The experimental group were trained in the use and recognition of top-level organisation as a reading strategy, based on work done by Bartlett (1978) and Carrell (1985). The control group were trained in unrelated grammar exercises. A pre-test was administered to each group before their programme began. Post-test 1 was administered immediately after the training was completed, and Post-test 2, three weeks later. These tests required a written recall of two passages once they had been read, and an answer to a question on their organisation. The null hypotheses stated that the experimental group's training in the use and recognition of top-level organisation as a reading strategy would make no difference in their ability to read and recall information or to recognise and use top-level organisation in their recalls. For the quantity of information recalled, no differences were found in the Pre-test and Post-test 1; a statistically significant difference was found in Post-test 2 in favour of the experimental group. For the quality of information recalled, the control group remembered more top-level idea units in the Pre-test; there was no difference in Post-test 1; the experimental group did better in three out of five levels in Post-test 2. There was no difference in the Pretest in either group's use of the passage's top-level organisation to structure recalls, but the experimental group did better in both post-tests. The control group did better in the Pre-test in recognising the passage's top-level organisation, but the experimental group did better in both post-tests. The null hypotheses were rejected as the experimental training made a difference, although this difference only became apparent three weeks later, and not immediately after the training. The experimental group's nullifying the control group's Pre-test advantage in Post-test 1 and surpassing it in Post-test 2, powerfully supports Bartlett's and Carrell's findings that teaching the strategy did make a difference and that this effect could be maintained over three weeks
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1991
- Authors: Silburn, Gail Deirdre
- Date: 1991
- Subjects: English language -- Study and teaching -- Foreign speakers
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1372 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1001438
- Description: This research investigated the effect of teaching text organisation on reading in English second language to schoolgirls. All subjects underwent a training programme of five one-hour sessions on consecutive school days. The experimental group were trained in the use and recognition of top-level organisation as a reading strategy, based on work done by Bartlett (1978) and Carrell (1985). The control group were trained in unrelated grammar exercises. A pre-test was administered to each group before their programme began. Post-test 1 was administered immediately after the training was completed, and Post-test 2, three weeks later. These tests required a written recall of two passages once they had been read, and an answer to a question on their organisation. The null hypotheses stated that the experimental group's training in the use and recognition of top-level organisation as a reading strategy would make no difference in their ability to read and recall information or to recognise and use top-level organisation in their recalls. For the quantity of information recalled, no differences were found in the Pre-test and Post-test 1; a statistically significant difference was found in Post-test 2 in favour of the experimental group. For the quality of information recalled, the control group remembered more top-level idea units in the Pre-test; there was no difference in Post-test 1; the experimental group did better in three out of five levels in Post-test 2. There was no difference in the Pretest in either group's use of the passage's top-level organisation to structure recalls, but the experimental group did better in both post-tests. The control group did better in the Pre-test in recognising the passage's top-level organisation, but the experimental group did better in both post-tests. The null hypotheses were rejected as the experimental training made a difference, although this difference only became apparent three weeks later, and not immediately after the training. The experimental group's nullifying the control group's Pre-test advantage in Post-test 1 and surpassing it in Post-test 2, powerfully supports Bartlett's and Carrell's findings that teaching the strategy did make a difference and that this effect could be maintained over three weeks
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1991
How selected Grade 7 participants develop conceptual understanding in solving algebraic problems as a result of participating in a screencast intervention
- Authors: Wienekus, George Renier
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Algebra -- Study and teaching -- South Africa , Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- South Africa , Problem solving in children , Algebra -- Ability testing , Algebra -- Computer-assisted instruction
- Language: English
- Type: thesis , text , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/176833 , vital:42763
- Description: This research project is an interventionist case study, oriented in the interpretive paradigm, which aims to investigate how selected Grade 7 participants develop conceptual understanding in solving algebraic problems as a result of participating in screencast interventions. The aim of my screencast intervention programme, which lies at the heart of this study, is to develop practices, inter alia, of how such devices and software may be “used to develop conceptual rather than procedural or decorative knowledge” (Larkin & Calder, 2015:1) in solving linear equations. The planned intervention was delivered in the form of a series of screencasts: these take the form of audio-video lessons with an emphasis on the visual impact, and were recorded using an application called Explain Everything. The screencast interventions were delivered via Google Classroom and included animations supported by such conceptual explanations of early algebra as are relevant to Grade 7 students, and in line with the South African Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements - Department of Education, 2011. The fundamental components of an early algebraic equation that would be relevant to a Grade 7 student were considered and used to develop an analytic framework. This was based on a taxonomy designed according to four identified “clusters” in order to analyse the workings of the purposefully selected Grade 7 participants who were video recorded and questioned in a talk-aloud interview while they completed a post-intervention pencil-and-paper test. What emerges from this research project is that there is a significant need for specific and concentrated technology-based techniques, such as the interventions undertaken here, and that exploration and development in the field could benefit the delivery of a pedagogy for algebra. The pedagogical methods implemented and studied in the form of screencasts proved to be successful and were well received by the learners particularly in relation to the conceptualisation of “symbol sense” and transformation in early algebra. The structure and design of the screencast interventions were important in supporting the acquisition of these concepts and were demonstrated to be worthwhile tools for an epistemological application in a classroom or teaching context. , Thesis (MEd) -- Rhodes University, Faculty of Education, Education, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-04
- Authors: Wienekus, George Renier
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Algebra -- Study and teaching -- South Africa , Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- South Africa , Problem solving in children , Algebra -- Ability testing , Algebra -- Computer-assisted instruction
- Language: English
- Type: thesis , text , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/176833 , vital:42763
- Description: This research project is an interventionist case study, oriented in the interpretive paradigm, which aims to investigate how selected Grade 7 participants develop conceptual understanding in solving algebraic problems as a result of participating in screencast interventions. The aim of my screencast intervention programme, which lies at the heart of this study, is to develop practices, inter alia, of how such devices and software may be “used to develop conceptual rather than procedural or decorative knowledge” (Larkin & Calder, 2015:1) in solving linear equations. The planned intervention was delivered in the form of a series of screencasts: these take the form of audio-video lessons with an emphasis on the visual impact, and were recorded using an application called Explain Everything. The screencast interventions were delivered via Google Classroom and included animations supported by such conceptual explanations of early algebra as are relevant to Grade 7 students, and in line with the South African Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements - Department of Education, 2011. The fundamental components of an early algebraic equation that would be relevant to a Grade 7 student were considered and used to develop an analytic framework. This was based on a taxonomy designed according to four identified “clusters” in order to analyse the workings of the purposefully selected Grade 7 participants who were video recorded and questioned in a talk-aloud interview while they completed a post-intervention pencil-and-paper test. What emerges from this research project is that there is a significant need for specific and concentrated technology-based techniques, such as the interventions undertaken here, and that exploration and development in the field could benefit the delivery of a pedagogy for algebra. The pedagogical methods implemented and studied in the form of screencasts proved to be successful and were well received by the learners particularly in relation to the conceptualisation of “symbol sense” and transformation in early algebra. The structure and design of the screencast interventions were important in supporting the acquisition of these concepts and were demonstrated to be worthwhile tools for an epistemological application in a classroom or teaching context. , Thesis (MEd) -- Rhodes University, Faculty of Education, Education, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-04
Investigating factors inhibiting the implementation of IQMS in a South African school
- Authors: Mji, Lwazi Knowledge
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Education, Secondary -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Evaluation Educational change -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Educational leadership -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape School management and organization -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Teacher effectiveness -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1586 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003468
- Description: After the 1994 elections education reform has been characterized by the introduction of laws and policies, including IQMS, that seek to reconcile post‐apartheid traditions to practices that would address deficiencies borne by the era in the education field. The IQMS is a clear reaction to the autocratic mode of evaluation that operated during the apartheid era and is a major shift from the old paradigm of external evaluators. It was designed to review performance and identify strengths and weaknesses, encouraging personal and professional development, drawing on peer and collegial feedback rather than official Department of Education surveillance. However, recent studies have shown that the IQMS has failed and is failing to achieve what it was intended to achieve. This study examines the reasons for this failure in a secondary school in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. This research is an interpretive case study that uses observation, document analysis and interviews utilising theories of learning organizations, management and leadership. The study reveals that the policy is not applied in the way it was intended and is failing in this regard. The policy process has been bureaucratised and suffers from superficial compliance. The developmental thrust of the policy seems to have been lost. It was also discovered that the involvement of teacher unions has both positively and negatively affected the implementation process and that the support schools receive from the department is not enough to keep the policy alive in schools. This research is likely to benefit school principals, policy makers and implementers, and IQMS coordinators, as it provides clarity on the issues restraining IQMS implementation in schools. The study also demonstrates the need for school principals to consider adopting transformational leadership as a strategy to lead teachers against political influence and expose them to professional development opportunities.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
- Authors: Mji, Lwazi Knowledge
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Education, Secondary -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Evaluation Educational change -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Educational leadership -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape School management and organization -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Teacher effectiveness -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1586 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003468
- Description: After the 1994 elections education reform has been characterized by the introduction of laws and policies, including IQMS, that seek to reconcile post‐apartheid traditions to practices that would address deficiencies borne by the era in the education field. The IQMS is a clear reaction to the autocratic mode of evaluation that operated during the apartheid era and is a major shift from the old paradigm of external evaluators. It was designed to review performance and identify strengths and weaknesses, encouraging personal and professional development, drawing on peer and collegial feedback rather than official Department of Education surveillance. However, recent studies have shown that the IQMS has failed and is failing to achieve what it was intended to achieve. This study examines the reasons for this failure in a secondary school in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. This research is an interpretive case study that uses observation, document analysis and interviews utilising theories of learning organizations, management and leadership. The study reveals that the policy is not applied in the way it was intended and is failing in this regard. The policy process has been bureaucratised and suffers from superficial compliance. The developmental thrust of the policy seems to have been lost. It was also discovered that the involvement of teacher unions has both positively and negatively affected the implementation process and that the support schools receive from the department is not enough to keep the policy alive in schools. This research is likely to benefit school principals, policy makers and implementers, and IQMS coordinators, as it provides clarity on the issues restraining IQMS implementation in schools. The study also demonstrates the need for school principals to consider adopting transformational leadership as a strategy to lead teachers against political influence and expose them to professional development opportunities.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
An investigation of the effects which using the word processor has on the writing of standard six pupils
- Authors: McKenzie, Donald John
- Date: 1994
- Subjects: Written communication -- Study and teaching -- Data processing Word processors in education Language arts -- Computer-assisted instruction English language -- Writing--Study and teaching
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1648 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003531
- Description: In order to discover to what extent the use of the word processor affects the motivation of high school students when engaged in writing tasks, and to determine the effects of the word processing on the length and quality of their work and editing, two groups, carefully matched in terms of prior computer experience, intelligence and language ability were given eight writing tasks. The test group used word processors while the control group used pen and paper. Their behaviour was closely observed and their writing was subsequently compared. It was found that while the test group were more motivated and spent longer both writing and editing their work, the quality of the work of both groups was similar. The degree of editing was greater for the test group. The conclusion is that there is a place for the use of the word processor in the English classroom, but specific strategies need to be developed to optimise its benefits.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1994
- Authors: McKenzie, Donald John
- Date: 1994
- Subjects: Written communication -- Study and teaching -- Data processing Word processors in education Language arts -- Computer-assisted instruction English language -- Writing--Study and teaching
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1648 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003531
- Description: In order to discover to what extent the use of the word processor affects the motivation of high school students when engaged in writing tasks, and to determine the effects of the word processing on the length and quality of their work and editing, two groups, carefully matched in terms of prior computer experience, intelligence and language ability were given eight writing tasks. The test group used word processors while the control group used pen and paper. Their behaviour was closely observed and their writing was subsequently compared. It was found that while the test group were more motivated and spent longer both writing and editing their work, the quality of the work of both groups was similar. The degree of editing was greater for the test group. The conclusion is that there is a place for the use of the word processor in the English classroom, but specific strategies need to be developed to optimise its benefits.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1994
Parental preferences regarding medium of instruction in primary schools in the Nongoma district of Kwazulu-Natal
- Authors: Mhlanga, Samkelisiwe Isabel
- Date: 1995
- Subjects: Native language and education -- South Africa Language and education -- South Africa Education -- Parent participation -- South Africa Language policy -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1686 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003569
- Description: This thesis looks at what choice of medium of instruction (MOl) parents in a rural village in KwaZulu would make if they had the opportunity to choose. The background to this choice goes back to 1979, when Education and Training Act No. 90 established the mother tongue as MOl from Sub A to Std 2 in Department of Education and Training (DET) primary schools, followed by a sudden transition to English medium of instruction - (EMl) in Std 3. Though by 1990 98% of the schools had opted for EMI, conditions were not favourable for a sudden transition and the policy led to high drop-out rates. The problems encountered by teachers and learners were researched and documented by Macdonald in the Threshold Project Reports (1990). Although the Minister initially ignored the Project's findings, in May 1991 he admitted that his department's language policy was leading to serious educational disadvantages. The explosive situation that culminated in the 1976 school uprisings led to the amendment of the Act. There was concern among people involved in educational language policy that parents had not been given sufficient information to make informed educational choices. They feared that many parents would, largely out of ignorance, opt for straight-for-English, when in fact the conditions in the schools were not conducive to the success of that choice option. The widespread assumption about the parents choosing straight-for-English was based on anecdotal evidence. I decided to investigate this matter in the Nongoma area. My findings pointed to very healthy attitudes towards the mother tongue and there was even a measure of understanding of the place of mother tongue instruction in the beginner classes. But even though the respondents wanted their language to be respected, they also wanted their children to acquire a good education in English, so as to be eligible for jobs in an economy that emphasises the importance of English.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1995
- Authors: Mhlanga, Samkelisiwe Isabel
- Date: 1995
- Subjects: Native language and education -- South Africa Language and education -- South Africa Education -- Parent participation -- South Africa Language policy -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1686 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003569
- Description: This thesis looks at what choice of medium of instruction (MOl) parents in a rural village in KwaZulu would make if they had the opportunity to choose. The background to this choice goes back to 1979, when Education and Training Act No. 90 established the mother tongue as MOl from Sub A to Std 2 in Department of Education and Training (DET) primary schools, followed by a sudden transition to English medium of instruction - (EMl) in Std 3. Though by 1990 98% of the schools had opted for EMI, conditions were not favourable for a sudden transition and the policy led to high drop-out rates. The problems encountered by teachers and learners were researched and documented by Macdonald in the Threshold Project Reports (1990). Although the Minister initially ignored the Project's findings, in May 1991 he admitted that his department's language policy was leading to serious educational disadvantages. The explosive situation that culminated in the 1976 school uprisings led to the amendment of the Act. There was concern among people involved in educational language policy that parents had not been given sufficient information to make informed educational choices. They feared that many parents would, largely out of ignorance, opt for straight-for-English, when in fact the conditions in the schools were not conducive to the success of that choice option. The widespread assumption about the parents choosing straight-for-English was based on anecdotal evidence. I decided to investigate this matter in the Nongoma area. My findings pointed to very healthy attitudes towards the mother tongue and there was even a measure of understanding of the place of mother tongue instruction in the beginner classes. But even though the respondents wanted their language to be respected, they also wanted their children to acquire a good education in English, so as to be eligible for jobs in an economy that emphasises the importance of English.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1995
A critical investigation of leadership in a Technical, Vocational Education and Training college in the Eastern Cape
- Authors: Chagi, Nonkonzo
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Technical education -- South Africa , Vocational education -- South Africa , Educational leadership -- South Africa , Postsecondary education -- South Africa -- Administration
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/140045 , vital:37827
- Description: Far-reaching reforms of the TVET college system – including a merger and frequent revisioning of the colleges’ role in the educational landscape of South Africa – have focused renewed attention on this sector. The fact that the sector has been plagued by poor performance – even to the extent that several colleges have been placed under administration – suggests problems at the level of leadership. This study sought to explore key role-players’ understanding of the leadership and management challenges faced by a TVET college and, by examining responses to these challenges, develop a sense of what leadership means in the sector. The study drew on three leadership theories – distributed leadership, transactional leadership as depicted in political models of management, and critical leadership – to help make sense of the findings. A qualitative case study design was used to explore key respondents’ views and lived experiences. The respondents were the principal, two deputy principals, a council member, three campus managers and a programme head. Interviews, questionnaires and document analysis were the chief data collection tools. The study found that critical leadership was the dominant approach at the college. This was revealed in the college leadership’s awareness of broader societal needs and its own role in operating in a socially just manner. College leadership also revealed signs of rejecting the status quo and opposing state control and bureaucracy, in favour of reactionary initiatives. There was limited evidence of distributed and transactional leadership. In fact, ‘leadership’ as such, seemed not to be part of the college discourse, suggesting that the concept and habit of leadership was not broadly discussed, shared and promoted. This sense was strengthened by the fact that at the time of the study, the college was headed by a charismatic and visionary leader. Indeed, the problem at the college seemed to be the Department of Higher Education and Training, which has failed the college in a number of ways.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Chagi, Nonkonzo
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Technical education -- South Africa , Vocational education -- South Africa , Educational leadership -- South Africa , Postsecondary education -- South Africa -- Administration
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/140045 , vital:37827
- Description: Far-reaching reforms of the TVET college system – including a merger and frequent revisioning of the colleges’ role in the educational landscape of South Africa – have focused renewed attention on this sector. The fact that the sector has been plagued by poor performance – even to the extent that several colleges have been placed under administration – suggests problems at the level of leadership. This study sought to explore key role-players’ understanding of the leadership and management challenges faced by a TVET college and, by examining responses to these challenges, develop a sense of what leadership means in the sector. The study drew on three leadership theories – distributed leadership, transactional leadership as depicted in political models of management, and critical leadership – to help make sense of the findings. A qualitative case study design was used to explore key respondents’ views and lived experiences. The respondents were the principal, two deputy principals, a council member, three campus managers and a programme head. Interviews, questionnaires and document analysis were the chief data collection tools. The study found that critical leadership was the dominant approach at the college. This was revealed in the college leadership’s awareness of broader societal needs and its own role in operating in a socially just manner. College leadership also revealed signs of rejecting the status quo and opposing state control and bureaucracy, in favour of reactionary initiatives. There was limited evidence of distributed and transactional leadership. In fact, ‘leadership’ as such, seemed not to be part of the college discourse, suggesting that the concept and habit of leadership was not broadly discussed, shared and promoted. This sense was strengthened by the fact that at the time of the study, the college was headed by a charismatic and visionary leader. Indeed, the problem at the college seemed to be the Department of Higher Education and Training, which has failed the college in a number of ways.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
Exploring the role of corrective feedback in helping Grade 8 learners to improve the accuracy of their written English: an action research case study
- Authors: Miranda, Zoachina Nangobe
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:2072 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1021167
- Description: This action research study explored and analysed the role of teacher corrective feedback in helping Grade 8 learners to improve the accuracy of their written English as their second language. Therefore, the goals of this study were to examine the kind of language errors my grade 8 learners’ made in their writing, to find out whether these errors could be categorized linguistically, and to determine if they were errors, mistakes or lapses. The study further analysed how learners responded to my feedback, and also determined which feedback strategies worked best to help my learners deal with their errors, mistakes or lapses. This study set out to look at six learners from one Grade 8 class of 40 learners. The data were gathered from six written essay scripts, and each learner wrote four essay draft revisions. The learners’ written essays were analysed by means of checklists in order to identify the types and patterns of errors made. Errors such as punctuation, past tense verbs, spelling and vocabulary were identified, analysed and categorized to provide insights into reasons underlying the instances in which they were committed. The findings of this study showed that factors underlying learners’ written errors included mother-tongue interference, overgeneralization, fossilization, translation, lack of concentration, and carelessness. The findings further showed that corrective feedback on learners’ draft revisions provided them with extensive exposure and practice in English, enabled them to internalize language rules, and reduced the tendency to commit errors in their writing. The findings further suggest that procedures such as multiple-draft activities, indirect feedback, direct feedback, focused corrective feedback, error correction and written feedback with explicit corrective comments improved their levels of writing. Furthermore, putting these procedures into practice and reflecting critically on how to apply them helped enrich my own teaching practices and development in relation to the provision of corrective feedback to improve accuracy in learners’ writing. The findings are discussed in the context of the related literature. This study should be read by ESL teacher-trainers, ESL teachers, ESL student-teachers and ESL learners/students in general.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Miranda, Zoachina Nangobe
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:2072 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1021167
- Description: This action research study explored and analysed the role of teacher corrective feedback in helping Grade 8 learners to improve the accuracy of their written English as their second language. Therefore, the goals of this study were to examine the kind of language errors my grade 8 learners’ made in their writing, to find out whether these errors could be categorized linguistically, and to determine if they were errors, mistakes or lapses. The study further analysed how learners responded to my feedback, and also determined which feedback strategies worked best to help my learners deal with their errors, mistakes or lapses. This study set out to look at six learners from one Grade 8 class of 40 learners. The data were gathered from six written essay scripts, and each learner wrote four essay draft revisions. The learners’ written essays were analysed by means of checklists in order to identify the types and patterns of errors made. Errors such as punctuation, past tense verbs, spelling and vocabulary were identified, analysed and categorized to provide insights into reasons underlying the instances in which they were committed. The findings of this study showed that factors underlying learners’ written errors included mother-tongue interference, overgeneralization, fossilization, translation, lack of concentration, and carelessness. The findings further showed that corrective feedback on learners’ draft revisions provided them with extensive exposure and practice in English, enabled them to internalize language rules, and reduced the tendency to commit errors in their writing. The findings further suggest that procedures such as multiple-draft activities, indirect feedback, direct feedback, focused corrective feedback, error correction and written feedback with explicit corrective comments improved their levels of writing. Furthermore, putting these procedures into practice and reflecting critically on how to apply them helped enrich my own teaching practices and development in relation to the provision of corrective feedback to improve accuracy in learners’ writing. The findings are discussed in the context of the related literature. This study should be read by ESL teacher-trainers, ESL teachers, ESL student-teachers and ESL learners/students in general.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Exploring the influences of an intersemiotic complementarity teaching approach on Grade 9 Namibian learners’ sense-making of chemical bonding
- Aikanga, Frans Paulus Shintaleleni
- Authors: Aikanga, Frans Paulus Shintaleleni
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Physical sciences -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Namibia , Chemical bonds , Semiotics , Cognition in children , Communication in education , Language and education -- Namibia , Visual learning , Verbal learning
- Language: English
- Type: thesis , text , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/178281 , vital:42927
- Description: Anecdotal evidence from my 10 years’ experience teaching Grade 9 Physical Science in Namibian schools revealed learners’ difficulty with making sense of chemical bonding. The Junior Secondary examiners’ reports in recent consecutive years (2014, 2015, 2016 & 2017) also revealed this challenge among Grade 10 learners (Namibia. Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture [MoEAC], 2017). The language of learning and teaching (LoLT) for most school subjects (including Physical Science) in Namibia is English, which is taken as a second language by most learners (Kisting, 2011). The results of the English Language Proficiency test written by all principals and teachers in Namibia show that most are not proficient in this language (Kisting, 2011). This has raised concern as to how teaching of content subjects may be undertaken effectively with English as the LoLT. In Namibia, chemical bonding is part of the chemistry section of Physical Science, taught as a sub-topic under the Matter section, where the nature, characteristics, and behaviour of three states of matter are explained. The difficulty students have with chemical bonding is identified as being due to complex chemical concepts (Chittleborough & Mamiala, 2006), and the specialised language of the topic these concepts involve (Gilbert & Treagust, 2009). Additionally, this difficulty may be ascribed to lack of suitable pedagogic approaches, which is linked to science teachers not being fluent in the LoLT. Despite this link, Johnstone (1982) posits that addressing the challenge of teaching and learning chemical knowledge requires teachers’ understanding of three levels of representation: macroscopic, sub-microscopic, and symbolic. Addressing this challenge may be accomplished by using multimodality in teaching, which is achievable via intersemiosis of different semiotic modes, drawing from Systemic Functional Linguistics. This is due to non-linguistic modes also having the potential to make meaning as language does, and the fact that language alone cannot fully enable effective meaning-making in discourses that are inherently multimodal, such as science. Some studies have suggested that the intersemiosis of visual and verbal semiotic modes has the potential to enable more meaning-making of scientific discourse than either of these two alone. The study reported on in this thesis has built on such previous studies in order to explore the influences of a visual-verbal intersemiotic complementarity teaching approach on Grade 9 Namibian learners’ sense-making of chemical bonding. No studies from Namibia exploring these influences on Grade 9 learners could be found. This revealed the knowledge gap that this study aimed to contribute to filling. I accomplished this goal by embarking on a two-cycle action research study. The first cycle followed a traditional teaching approach and assessment, whereas the second cycle, the intervention, included a visual-verbal intersemiotic complementarity teaching approach and assessment. I achieved visual-verbal intersemiotic complementarity teaching and assessment by coordinating spoken and written language with visuals in the form of diagrams and physical models. The critical paradigm was adopted to explore the influences of this pedagogic approach, with the underlying aim of exploring the intervention approach for bringing about a change in learners’ sense-making of chemical bonding, compared to traditional approaches that do not consider intersemiosis. This study is informed by Vygotsky’s (1978) social constructivism to account for learning as a product of social construction, and Halliday’s (1978) Systemic Functional Linguistics to account for the role played by semiotic modes in making meanings. This study involved collecting qualitative data that were accessed via document analysis, structured lesson observation, the teacher’s and learners’ reflective journals, and the pre- and post-test. Collecting these data was facilitated by a critical friend. The results reveal a positive influence of the visual-verbal intersemiotic complementarity teaching approach on Grade 9 Namibian learners’ sense-making of chemical bonding. This influence was realised in the noticeable shift from the learners’ discourse (use of talk and visuals) being perceptual (which is less scientific) to being idea-based (which is more scientific). Learners were also found to be self-motivated and keen to learn complex chemical bonding concepts after the intervention – another sign of their making sense of the topic. The implications of this study include that visual-verbal intersemiotic complementarity should be considered a pedagogic approach to chemical bonding by curriculum developers and reviewers, teacher training institutions, and science textbook authors. , Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, Education, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-04
- Authors: Aikanga, Frans Paulus Shintaleleni
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Physical sciences -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Namibia , Chemical bonds , Semiotics , Cognition in children , Communication in education , Language and education -- Namibia , Visual learning , Verbal learning
- Language: English
- Type: thesis , text , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/178281 , vital:42927
- Description: Anecdotal evidence from my 10 years’ experience teaching Grade 9 Physical Science in Namibian schools revealed learners’ difficulty with making sense of chemical bonding. The Junior Secondary examiners’ reports in recent consecutive years (2014, 2015, 2016 & 2017) also revealed this challenge among Grade 10 learners (Namibia. Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture [MoEAC], 2017). The language of learning and teaching (LoLT) for most school subjects (including Physical Science) in Namibia is English, which is taken as a second language by most learners (Kisting, 2011). The results of the English Language Proficiency test written by all principals and teachers in Namibia show that most are not proficient in this language (Kisting, 2011). This has raised concern as to how teaching of content subjects may be undertaken effectively with English as the LoLT. In Namibia, chemical bonding is part of the chemistry section of Physical Science, taught as a sub-topic under the Matter section, where the nature, characteristics, and behaviour of three states of matter are explained. The difficulty students have with chemical bonding is identified as being due to complex chemical concepts (Chittleborough & Mamiala, 2006), and the specialised language of the topic these concepts involve (Gilbert & Treagust, 2009). Additionally, this difficulty may be ascribed to lack of suitable pedagogic approaches, which is linked to science teachers not being fluent in the LoLT. Despite this link, Johnstone (1982) posits that addressing the challenge of teaching and learning chemical knowledge requires teachers’ understanding of three levels of representation: macroscopic, sub-microscopic, and symbolic. Addressing this challenge may be accomplished by using multimodality in teaching, which is achievable via intersemiosis of different semiotic modes, drawing from Systemic Functional Linguistics. This is due to non-linguistic modes also having the potential to make meaning as language does, and the fact that language alone cannot fully enable effective meaning-making in discourses that are inherently multimodal, such as science. Some studies have suggested that the intersemiosis of visual and verbal semiotic modes has the potential to enable more meaning-making of scientific discourse than either of these two alone. The study reported on in this thesis has built on such previous studies in order to explore the influences of a visual-verbal intersemiotic complementarity teaching approach on Grade 9 Namibian learners’ sense-making of chemical bonding. No studies from Namibia exploring these influences on Grade 9 learners could be found. This revealed the knowledge gap that this study aimed to contribute to filling. I accomplished this goal by embarking on a two-cycle action research study. The first cycle followed a traditional teaching approach and assessment, whereas the second cycle, the intervention, included a visual-verbal intersemiotic complementarity teaching approach and assessment. I achieved visual-verbal intersemiotic complementarity teaching and assessment by coordinating spoken and written language with visuals in the form of diagrams and physical models. The critical paradigm was adopted to explore the influences of this pedagogic approach, with the underlying aim of exploring the intervention approach for bringing about a change in learners’ sense-making of chemical bonding, compared to traditional approaches that do not consider intersemiosis. This study is informed by Vygotsky’s (1978) social constructivism to account for learning as a product of social construction, and Halliday’s (1978) Systemic Functional Linguistics to account for the role played by semiotic modes in making meanings. This study involved collecting qualitative data that were accessed via document analysis, structured lesson observation, the teacher’s and learners’ reflective journals, and the pre- and post-test. Collecting these data was facilitated by a critical friend. The results reveal a positive influence of the visual-verbal intersemiotic complementarity teaching approach on Grade 9 Namibian learners’ sense-making of chemical bonding. This influence was realised in the noticeable shift from the learners’ discourse (use of talk and visuals) being perceptual (which is less scientific) to being idea-based (which is more scientific). Learners were also found to be self-motivated and keen to learn complex chemical bonding concepts after the intervention – another sign of their making sense of the topic. The implications of this study include that visual-verbal intersemiotic complementarity should be considered a pedagogic approach to chemical bonding by curriculum developers and reviewers, teacher training institutions, and science textbook authors. , Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, Education, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-04
Secondary school learners' perceptions of the value of integrating ICT into the curriculum: an exploratory study in the Grahamstown circuit
- Authors: Mbane, Nombeko Precious
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Educational technology -- South Africa Information technology -- South Africa Education, Secondary -- Curricula -- South Africa Computer-assisted instruction -- South Africa Educational innovations Information technology -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1762 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003647
- Description: According to the Draft White Paper on e-Education (DoE, 2003), the objective of ICTs in education is to build digital and information literacy so that all learners become confident and competent in using technology to contribute to an innovative and developing South African society. International researchers have acknowledged that little is known about learners’ perceptions of their own learning, but that learners are aware of how technology can be used and have the potential to contribute ideas about ICTs can be used to support their learning. To add to this growing body of research, this study sought to establish secondary school learners’ experiences and perceptions of the value of integrating ICT into the curriculum and the extent to which they believe that ICT is meaningfully integrated into the curriculum. Although some of the schools do not have the necessary ICT infrastructure, this did not preclude the learners from having opinions about the potential benefits and drawbacks of ICT. The findings display the learners’ perceptions on ICT use within the curriculum and how this relates to the available infrastructure in schools.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
- Authors: Mbane, Nombeko Precious
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Educational technology -- South Africa Information technology -- South Africa Education, Secondary -- Curricula -- South Africa Computer-assisted instruction -- South Africa Educational innovations Information technology -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1762 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003647
- Description: According to the Draft White Paper on e-Education (DoE, 2003), the objective of ICTs in education is to build digital and information literacy so that all learners become confident and competent in using technology to contribute to an innovative and developing South African society. International researchers have acknowledged that little is known about learners’ perceptions of their own learning, but that learners are aware of how technology can be used and have the potential to contribute ideas about ICTs can be used to support their learning. To add to this growing body of research, this study sought to establish secondary school learners’ experiences and perceptions of the value of integrating ICT into the curriculum and the extent to which they believe that ICT is meaningfully integrated into the curriculum. Although some of the schools do not have the necessary ICT infrastructure, this did not preclude the learners from having opinions about the potential benefits and drawbacks of ICT. The findings display the learners’ perceptions on ICT use within the curriculum and how this relates to the available infrastructure in schools.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
An investigation of the role of principals in promoting computer usage in selected Namibian schools
- Authors: Katulo, Mighty Masiku
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: Computers -- Study and teaching -- Namibia Educational technology -- Namibia Information technology -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1658 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003541
- Description: Globalisation and technology change have created a new global economy fuelled by information and driven by knowledge. Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have been touted as potential powerful tools for enabling educational change and reform. Namibia is among those countries that have adopted the use of ICTs as a vehicle for change. This thesis explores the role of school principals in promoting and managing computer usage in selected schools in Namibia. The study was conducted at four schools in the Caprivi Region. The study employed a qualitative case study to collect and analyse data. A total of four school principals and four computer coordinators were interviewed, and responded to questions pertaining to the role of principals in the following areas: acquiring ICT equipment; providing access to the computer labs; promoting the use of computers; maintaining computers; capacity-building of teachers, and addressing challenges that could prevent computer usage. Two focus group interviews were also conducted at two schools, to find out what they perceived to be the role of school principals in supporting and ensuring the effective use of computers in schools. The findings on acquisition of computers reveal that principals were often the initiators of the acquisition process. Ministerial deployment is the most common form of acquisition, followed by the use of the school’s development fund to purchase administrative computers. Only one of the participating schools did not acquire its computers through Ministerial deployment. Some schools were more resourced than others. Availability and maintenance of equipment depended on the kind of school (advantaged or disadvantaged) and the way the computers were acquired rather than on the role of the principal. Schools that acquired their computers through the ministerial deployment received satisfactory technical support from the ministry while schools that acquired their computers through other sources had to rely more heavily on the principal to pro-actively seek support. School principals that demonstrated the qualities of transformational leadership promoted the usage of computers by taking part in training offered to teachers and encouraged teachers on different platforms to make use of computers. The study also found that schools in which principals actively supported and promoted the use of computers were successful in the usage of the computer labs, while in schools where principals left the running of the computer lab to an individual teacher, the usage was minimal. It was found that a number of challenges are hampering the usage. These include lack of internet connectivity, qualified personnel to cascade training, and minimum infrastructure. The study recommends that school principals should adopt trategies that encourage teachers to use computers in their daily routines. It also makes suggestions for further research on the impact of school culture on ICT integration.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
- Authors: Katulo, Mighty Masiku
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: Computers -- Study and teaching -- Namibia Educational technology -- Namibia Information technology -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1658 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003541
- Description: Globalisation and technology change have created a new global economy fuelled by information and driven by knowledge. Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have been touted as potential powerful tools for enabling educational change and reform. Namibia is among those countries that have adopted the use of ICTs as a vehicle for change. This thesis explores the role of school principals in promoting and managing computer usage in selected schools in Namibia. The study was conducted at four schools in the Caprivi Region. The study employed a qualitative case study to collect and analyse data. A total of four school principals and four computer coordinators were interviewed, and responded to questions pertaining to the role of principals in the following areas: acquiring ICT equipment; providing access to the computer labs; promoting the use of computers; maintaining computers; capacity-building of teachers, and addressing challenges that could prevent computer usage. Two focus group interviews were also conducted at two schools, to find out what they perceived to be the role of school principals in supporting and ensuring the effective use of computers in schools. The findings on acquisition of computers reveal that principals were often the initiators of the acquisition process. Ministerial deployment is the most common form of acquisition, followed by the use of the school’s development fund to purchase administrative computers. Only one of the participating schools did not acquire its computers through Ministerial deployment. Some schools were more resourced than others. Availability and maintenance of equipment depended on the kind of school (advantaged or disadvantaged) and the way the computers were acquired rather than on the role of the principal. Schools that acquired their computers through the ministerial deployment received satisfactory technical support from the ministry while schools that acquired their computers through other sources had to rely more heavily on the principal to pro-actively seek support. School principals that demonstrated the qualities of transformational leadership promoted the usage of computers by taking part in training offered to teachers and encouraged teachers on different platforms to make use of computers. The study also found that schools in which principals actively supported and promoted the use of computers were successful in the usage of the computer labs, while in schools where principals left the running of the computer lab to an individual teacher, the usage was minimal. It was found that a number of challenges are hampering the usage. These include lack of internet connectivity, qualified personnel to cascade training, and minimum infrastructure. The study recommends that school principals should adopt trategies that encourage teachers to use computers in their daily routines. It also makes suggestions for further research on the impact of school culture on ICT integration.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
A case study of a teacher's oral error treatment strategies in an English language classroom
- Authors: Dlangamandla, F N N
- Date: 1996
- Subjects: Language and languages -- Study and teaching -- Error analysis English language -- Study and teaching -- Foreign speakers English language -- Study and teaching -- Foreign speakers -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1434 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003315
- Description: Theoretical perspectives on error treatment in second language acquisition research are divided on the effect and desirability of corrective feedback on the learner's output. Theorists like Krashen (1982), believe that correction hampers acquisition because it encourages the learners to avoid difficult structures and to focus on form rather than on meaning, while Long (1977) contends that error treatment possibly speeds up interlanguage development although errors disappear slowly. Edmondson (1985) asserts that bringing errors to the learner's attention helps learning and that error - treatment contributes to consciousness-raising which is important for language acquisition. Research findings present conflicting evidence on the effects of corrective feedback on those for whom correction is meant. Some researchers report no concrete findings on the relationship between corrective feedback and learning outcomes (Hendrickson (1978) and Brock, Day and Long (1986)). Others, for example, Chaudron (1977) and Crookes and Rulon (1985) report differential effects of corrective treatments. Salica, Ramirez and Stromquist and Wren (cited in Chaudron 1988) report some evidence of feedback on error resulting in the learner's ability to self-correct. However, Hendrickson (1978) reports that some direct types of corrective procedures have been found to be ineffective. This research investigated a teacher's oral error treatment policy in different types of English lessons in a situation where L2 pupils study English as a subject according to an LI syllabus. The findings of this case study reveal that the teacher's manner of correction, when he decides to correct, is subtle and indirect. Rarely does he correct overtly and explicitly as his concern is to avoid hurting the error maker's feelings. He defers treatment and ignores most of the oral errors that learners make during classroom interaction. Pupil perceptions of their teacher's corrective treatments were positive although some of the pupils reported that they found his corrections confusing and intimidating at times. Most of them expressed , a wish to have their speech errors attended to explicitly, preferably by their teacher as his treatments were found to be motivational and unabrasive. Some of the pupils were opposed to peer correction for fear of ridicule. They also felt that fellow pupils did not always provide correct treatments. All the pupils in this study were of the opinion that oral error treatment is desirable because they believe that it improves their performance in English.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1996
- Authors: Dlangamandla, F N N
- Date: 1996
- Subjects: Language and languages -- Study and teaching -- Error analysis English language -- Study and teaching -- Foreign speakers English language -- Study and teaching -- Foreign speakers -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1434 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003315
- Description: Theoretical perspectives on error treatment in second language acquisition research are divided on the effect and desirability of corrective feedback on the learner's output. Theorists like Krashen (1982), believe that correction hampers acquisition because it encourages the learners to avoid difficult structures and to focus on form rather than on meaning, while Long (1977) contends that error treatment possibly speeds up interlanguage development although errors disappear slowly. Edmondson (1985) asserts that bringing errors to the learner's attention helps learning and that error - treatment contributes to consciousness-raising which is important for language acquisition. Research findings present conflicting evidence on the effects of corrective feedback on those for whom correction is meant. Some researchers report no concrete findings on the relationship between corrective feedback and learning outcomes (Hendrickson (1978) and Brock, Day and Long (1986)). Others, for example, Chaudron (1977) and Crookes and Rulon (1985) report differential effects of corrective treatments. Salica, Ramirez and Stromquist and Wren (cited in Chaudron 1988) report some evidence of feedback on error resulting in the learner's ability to self-correct. However, Hendrickson (1978) reports that some direct types of corrective procedures have been found to be ineffective. This research investigated a teacher's oral error treatment policy in different types of English lessons in a situation where L2 pupils study English as a subject according to an LI syllabus. The findings of this case study reveal that the teacher's manner of correction, when he decides to correct, is subtle and indirect. Rarely does he correct overtly and explicitly as his concern is to avoid hurting the error maker's feelings. He defers treatment and ignores most of the oral errors that learners make during classroom interaction. Pupil perceptions of their teacher's corrective treatments were positive although some of the pupils reported that they found his corrections confusing and intimidating at times. Most of them expressed , a wish to have their speech errors attended to explicitly, preferably by their teacher as his treatments were found to be motivational and unabrasive. Some of the pupils were opposed to peer correction for fear of ridicule. They also felt that fellow pupils did not always provide correct treatments. All the pupils in this study were of the opinion that oral error treatment is desirable because they believe that it improves their performance in English.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1996
An analysis of the nature of visualisation objects in three Namibian grade 9 mathematics textbooks: a case study in Namibia
- Nghifimule, Selma Ndilipomwene
- Authors: Nghifimule, Selma Ndilipomwene
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/6334 , vital:21090
- Description: Textbooks are a universal and central element of teaching and learning mathematics (Namibia. Ministry of Education [MoE], 2008). Steenpaß and Steinbring (2014) state that diagrams in mathematics textbooks are often used as Visualisation Objects (VOs) to enhance learning of mathematical concepts. VOs in textbooks are thus important teaching and learning tools (Fotakopoulou and Spiliotopoulou, 2008). This Namibian interpretive case study analysed the nature of VOs used in the three approved grade 9 Namibian mathematics textbooks namely: y=mx+c to success, Maths for Life 9 and Discover Mathematics 9. The VOs were analysed by using an analytical framework adapted from Fotakopoulou and Spiliotopoulou (2008). This analytic tool was specifically used to interrogate the following categories: the type of VOs, the roles of VOs, the relation of VOs to mathematical content, the relation of VOs to reality, and their properties. The 266 VOs under study were collected from the Algebra and Geometry chapters of each book. This study also included survey questionnaires with the 50 selected mathematics teachers, which sought their views and perceptions on the use of the identified VOs. In addition, the authors’ rationale in selecting the identified VOs used in their textbooks was sought through interviews. This research study is part of the “Visualisation in Namibia and Zambia” (VISNAMZA) project which seeks to research the effective use of visualisation processes in the mathematics classroom in Namibia and Zambia (Schäfer, 2015). It is hoped that this study contributes towards improving the quality of textbook evaluations, and design of suitable and more comprehensive assessment procedures in Namibia. It is also hoped that it creates a critical awareness of the roles of VOs in textbooks amongst teachers, inspiring them to help their learners interpret VOs effectively. It should also inspire potential authors to use suitable and appropriate VOs that enhance conceptual teaching and learning of mathematics. The study discovered that most of the VOs used in the selected textbooks align well with the mathematical content. The VOs can help make abstract ideas concrete, stimulate learning, simplify and clarify written texts. In addition, VOs can also be used as a tool for reasoning and an instrument for problem solving. The findings however also indicate that some of the VOs used are not self-explanatory; they are vague, unfamiliar and confusing, leading to misinterpretations by some learners. Another interesting finding was that some of the learners found it difficult to interpret VOs on their own without the help of the teacher.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Nghifimule, Selma Ndilipomwene
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/6334 , vital:21090
- Description: Textbooks are a universal and central element of teaching and learning mathematics (Namibia. Ministry of Education [MoE], 2008). Steenpaß and Steinbring (2014) state that diagrams in mathematics textbooks are often used as Visualisation Objects (VOs) to enhance learning of mathematical concepts. VOs in textbooks are thus important teaching and learning tools (Fotakopoulou and Spiliotopoulou, 2008). This Namibian interpretive case study analysed the nature of VOs used in the three approved grade 9 Namibian mathematics textbooks namely: y=mx+c to success, Maths for Life 9 and Discover Mathematics 9. The VOs were analysed by using an analytical framework adapted from Fotakopoulou and Spiliotopoulou (2008). This analytic tool was specifically used to interrogate the following categories: the type of VOs, the roles of VOs, the relation of VOs to mathematical content, the relation of VOs to reality, and their properties. The 266 VOs under study were collected from the Algebra and Geometry chapters of each book. This study also included survey questionnaires with the 50 selected mathematics teachers, which sought their views and perceptions on the use of the identified VOs. In addition, the authors’ rationale in selecting the identified VOs used in their textbooks was sought through interviews. This research study is part of the “Visualisation in Namibia and Zambia” (VISNAMZA) project which seeks to research the effective use of visualisation processes in the mathematics classroom in Namibia and Zambia (Schäfer, 2015). It is hoped that this study contributes towards improving the quality of textbook evaluations, and design of suitable and more comprehensive assessment procedures in Namibia. It is also hoped that it creates a critical awareness of the roles of VOs in textbooks amongst teachers, inspiring them to help their learners interpret VOs effectively. It should also inspire potential authors to use suitable and appropriate VOs that enhance conceptual teaching and learning of mathematics. The study discovered that most of the VOs used in the selected textbooks align well with the mathematical content. The VOs can help make abstract ideas concrete, stimulate learning, simplify and clarify written texts. In addition, VOs can also be used as a tool for reasoning and an instrument for problem solving. The findings however also indicate that some of the VOs used are not self-explanatory; they are vague, unfamiliar and confusing, leading to misinterpretations by some learners. Another interesting finding was that some of the learners found it difficult to interpret VOs on their own without the help of the teacher.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Investigating teaching strategies used by teachers to foster environmental learning in the Namibian Life Science curriculum
- Authors: Hoabes, Rosina
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Life sciences -- Study and teaching -- Namibia Education -- Namibia Teaching -- Namibia Effective teaching -- Namibia Curriculum planning -- Namibia Educational change -- Namibia Environmental education -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1590 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003472
- Description: This study was carried out to investigate the strategies used by teachers to foster environmental learning in the Namibian Life Science curriculum in four schools in Swakopmund, Erongo Education Region. This study is a qualitative case study. I used semi-structured interviews, observation and document analysis as instruments to collect data. Two schools were selected to participate in the case study. Research participants included four teachers (two teachers from each school) of which two teachers are teaching at each school. The study was contextualised through a review of policy changes in Namibian education, which focus on learner-centred education. The study identified six strategies used by teachers to foster environmental learning in the Life Sciences curriculum. These are planning; working with information; practical, excursions and clubs; involving the learners; using visual aids and teaching materials; and choosing topics with a local focus. Through a consideration of the different strategies used by teachers, in relation to the learner-centred nature of the educational reform project in Namibia the study provides insight into the way in which teachers view learner-centred education. The study also illuminates how strategies used by teachers reflect learner-centred education principles and it outlines a number of tensions emerging in the fostering of environmental learning in learner-centred ways. The study identifies further support required by teachers, and makes recommendations which will further enhance the strategies used by teachers to foster the environmental learning focus in Life Sciences, and also enhance learner-centred teaching in Life Science.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
- Authors: Hoabes, Rosina
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Life sciences -- Study and teaching -- Namibia Education -- Namibia Teaching -- Namibia Effective teaching -- Namibia Curriculum planning -- Namibia Educational change -- Namibia Environmental education -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1590 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003472
- Description: This study was carried out to investigate the strategies used by teachers to foster environmental learning in the Namibian Life Science curriculum in four schools in Swakopmund, Erongo Education Region. This study is a qualitative case study. I used semi-structured interviews, observation and document analysis as instruments to collect data. Two schools were selected to participate in the case study. Research participants included four teachers (two teachers from each school) of which two teachers are teaching at each school. The study was contextualised through a review of policy changes in Namibian education, which focus on learner-centred education. The study identified six strategies used by teachers to foster environmental learning in the Life Sciences curriculum. These are planning; working with information; practical, excursions and clubs; involving the learners; using visual aids and teaching materials; and choosing topics with a local focus. Through a consideration of the different strategies used by teachers, in relation to the learner-centred nature of the educational reform project in Namibia the study provides insight into the way in which teachers view learner-centred education. The study also illuminates how strategies used by teachers reflect learner-centred education principles and it outlines a number of tensions emerging in the fostering of environmental learning in learner-centred ways. The study identifies further support required by teachers, and makes recommendations which will further enhance the strategies used by teachers to foster the environmental learning focus in Life Sciences, and also enhance learner-centred teaching in Life Science.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
A teacher's perception of his professional role : a developmental study
- Authors: Morwood, G E
- Date: 1982
- Subjects: Teachers -- Job satisfaction
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1341 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1001407
- Description: This then was the object of this study, to determine 1) whether there is a pattern of attitude change common to teachers; II) whether early experience brings about different patterns of change among teachers; lll) whether specific life crises and events bring about these changes; lV) whether changes in attitudes occur at different stages in the teacher's career (Introduction, p. 12)
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1982
- Authors: Morwood, G E
- Date: 1982
- Subjects: Teachers -- Job satisfaction
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1341 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1001407
- Description: This then was the object of this study, to determine 1) whether there is a pattern of attitude change common to teachers; II) whether early experience brings about different patterns of change among teachers; lll) whether specific life crises and events bring about these changes; lV) whether changes in attitudes occur at different stages in the teacher's career (Introduction, p. 12)
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1982
An examination of the use of the contextual question in examining Shakespeare's plays at the standard ten level in Cape Education Department schools
- Authors: Mullineux, Peter Newton
- Date: 1989
- Subjects: Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Study and teaching , English literature -- Examinations, questions, etc. , English literature -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1346 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1001412
- Description: Six years as a sub-examiner of both literature and written work made me aware of a personal dissatisfaction with the system of examining. This research examines in detail the use of the contextual question in examining Shakespeare's plays. The main concern has been to try to deduce what constitutes a good set of contextual questions. This area appears to have attracted little detailed research. However, there is much general writing on the teaching of literature. There is no major conclusion in the dissertation but rather a series of conclusions related to the concept of the contextual question. These are summarised towards the end of chapter three. Some general recommendations appear at the end of chapter three as a sub-heading. The findings of this investigation indicate a need for further research into the system of examining literature in the Cape. It is hoped that teachers and examiners reading this dissertation will be able to use the findings to provide a possible framework for the setting of sound contextual questions
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1989
- Authors: Mullineux, Peter Newton
- Date: 1989
- Subjects: Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Study and teaching , English literature -- Examinations, questions, etc. , English literature -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1346 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1001412
- Description: Six years as a sub-examiner of both literature and written work made me aware of a personal dissatisfaction with the system of examining. This research examines in detail the use of the contextual question in examining Shakespeare's plays. The main concern has been to try to deduce what constitutes a good set of contextual questions. This area appears to have attracted little detailed research. However, there is much general writing on the teaching of literature. There is no major conclusion in the dissertation but rather a series of conclusions related to the concept of the contextual question. These are summarised towards the end of chapter three. Some general recommendations appear at the end of chapter three as a sub-heading. The findings of this investigation indicate a need for further research into the system of examining literature in the Cape. It is hoped that teachers and examiners reading this dissertation will be able to use the findings to provide a possible framework for the setting of sound contextual questions
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1989
An evaluation of the use of computers in a South African primary school
- Authors: Mostert, Orla
- Date: 1992
- Subjects: Education, Elementary -- South Africa -- Computer-assisted instruction Computer-assisted instruction -- South Africa Educational technology -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1528 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003410
- Description: The introduction of the computer into the educational arena is unique as pressure for its inclusion has come not from educationalists, but from public demand based on the conviction that exposure to computers is an essential ingredient of modern education. This has resulted in computers being added to school curricula before there has been careful research into its educational implications, making huge demands on teachers involved in the innovation. South African primary schools involved in computer education have followed international trends in their adoption of computers, initially perceiving computer education as a separate subject added on to the present curriculum. However, changing trends in computer use internationally are now beginning to reflect educators' changing perceptions of the nature of primary education, and educators are calling for the use of computers to be integrated into the curriculum rather than being seen as an area of study in themselves. This investigation attempts to outline general trends and perceptions of computer use in a South African primary school. Despite a high level of computer usage at the observed school, the computer was seen by teachers, in the main, as an extra subject, and has not yet led to any significant changes in teaching styles and methods. The research suggests that two main issues need to be resolved before computer education in primary schools reflects the present paradigm shift towards learner-centered educational practices. Firstly, there is a need to rethink the delivery of the curriculum towards one which promotes a greater degree of problem solving and decision making on the part of the learner. Secondly, it would appear that teachers need to be made more aware of this trend.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1992
- Authors: Mostert, Orla
- Date: 1992
- Subjects: Education, Elementary -- South Africa -- Computer-assisted instruction Computer-assisted instruction -- South Africa Educational technology -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1528 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003410
- Description: The introduction of the computer into the educational arena is unique as pressure for its inclusion has come not from educationalists, but from public demand based on the conviction that exposure to computers is an essential ingredient of modern education. This has resulted in computers being added to school curricula before there has been careful research into its educational implications, making huge demands on teachers involved in the innovation. South African primary schools involved in computer education have followed international trends in their adoption of computers, initially perceiving computer education as a separate subject added on to the present curriculum. However, changing trends in computer use internationally are now beginning to reflect educators' changing perceptions of the nature of primary education, and educators are calling for the use of computers to be integrated into the curriculum rather than being seen as an area of study in themselves. This investigation attempts to outline general trends and perceptions of computer use in a South African primary school. Despite a high level of computer usage at the observed school, the computer was seen by teachers, in the main, as an extra subject, and has not yet led to any significant changes in teaching styles and methods. The research suggests that two main issues need to be resolved before computer education in primary schools reflects the present paradigm shift towards learner-centered educational practices. Firstly, there is a need to rethink the delivery of the curriculum towards one which promotes a greater degree of problem solving and decision making on the part of the learner. Secondly, it would appear that teachers need to be made more aware of this trend.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1992
The fellowship experience : an investigation into the shared exploration of children's fiction by teacher and pupils in the senior primary school
- Authors: Haschick, J D
- Date: 1987
- Subjects: Children's stories -- Study and teaching (Elementary) , English literature -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1374 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1001440
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1987
- Authors: Haschick, J D
- Date: 1987
- Subjects: Children's stories -- Study and teaching (Elementary) , English literature -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1374 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1001440
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1987
An investigation of student leadership in an independent school in the Eastern Cape: ʺdo alternative forms of leadership (such as servant leadership) emerge through community building?ʺ
- Authors: Knott-Craig, Ian Duncan
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Kingswood College Private schools -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Servant leadership -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Educational leadership -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Community and school -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Student volunteers in social service -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1643 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003525
- Description: Significant changes have taken place in recent years in leadership theory and practice world wide. Theorizations of effective leadership have evolved from being authoritarian and task-centered to a model in which leaders are encouraged to look beyond their self-interest and prioritize the interests of the group. This study investigates the development of an alternative form of leadership through community building in two male school boarding houses. It attempts to ascertain whether students are able to work collaboratively towards developing an environment conducive to servant leadership. Structured according to the transformative research paradigm, this action research study was conducted in an independent school, Kingswood College, in Grahamstown, South Africa. The College is a traditional independent co-educational school that prides itself on producing leaders. As the school was in the process of reviewing its leadership system, it became an appropriate site to investigate the development of community and to explore possibilities for the emergence of an alternative form of leadership that would reflect the attributes of servant leadership. The participants in the study were volunteers from two boarding houses, who agreed to reflect on their perceptions and experiences of the way in which their houses functioned. My research findings show that through their willingness to engage in moral dialogue, students can transform their boarding houses into closely-knit communities bound together by shared values and beliefs. Closer relationships make for better understanding. As the leaders take on the responsibility of caring for their juniors, a moral obligation begins to manifest itself. Leaders will display the attributes of servant leadership if they are prepared to acknowledge in practice this moral obligation to serve others.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Knott-Craig, Ian Duncan
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Kingswood College Private schools -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Servant leadership -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Educational leadership -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Community and school -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Student volunteers in social service -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1643 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003525
- Description: Significant changes have taken place in recent years in leadership theory and practice world wide. Theorizations of effective leadership have evolved from being authoritarian and task-centered to a model in which leaders are encouraged to look beyond their self-interest and prioritize the interests of the group. This study investigates the development of an alternative form of leadership through community building in two male school boarding houses. It attempts to ascertain whether students are able to work collaboratively towards developing an environment conducive to servant leadership. Structured according to the transformative research paradigm, this action research study was conducted in an independent school, Kingswood College, in Grahamstown, South Africa. The College is a traditional independent co-educational school that prides itself on producing leaders. As the school was in the process of reviewing its leadership system, it became an appropriate site to investigate the development of community and to explore possibilities for the emergence of an alternative form of leadership that would reflect the attributes of servant leadership. The participants in the study were volunteers from two boarding houses, who agreed to reflect on their perceptions and experiences of the way in which their houses functioned. My research findings show that through their willingness to engage in moral dialogue, students can transform their boarding houses into closely-knit communities bound together by shared values and beliefs. Closer relationships make for better understanding. As the leaders take on the responsibility of caring for their juniors, a moral obligation begins to manifest itself. Leaders will display the attributes of servant leadership if they are prepared to acknowledge in practice this moral obligation to serve others.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
Exploring the influence of a multiliteracies approach on Grade 11 Physical Sciences learners' sense making and dispositions towards graphs of motion
- Authors: Mwiiyale, Laina Natangwe
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/17605 , vital:22264
- Description: Namibian students perform poorly in Physical Sciences and the Physics component in particular (DNEA, 2013). The Namibian Senior Secondary Certificate (NSSC) Examiner's report (DNEA, 2014) also reveals that many Physical Science learners have difficulties demonstrating an understanding of basic physics required for working with kinematic graphs (graphical representation of motion). Kinematics is an important tool in understanding the motion of objects - whether translational, oscillatory or circular. In kinematics, the relationships between distance, displacement, speed, velocity or acceleration and time are represented in graphs of motion. In teaching the topic, using graphs can be an alternative to the use of abstract formulas, or formulas can be used along with graphical representations to facilitate student understanding (Behzak, 2006). This study explored the influence of the multiliteracies approach on grade 11 Physical Science learners' dispositions and sense making towards graphs of motion. The intervention being investigated is informed by the Pedagogy of Multiliteracies (PoM) framework by Cazden et al., (1996) with the focus on overt instruction, situated practice, critical framing and transformed practice using semiotic patterns of meaning, in conjunction with Vygotsky's (1978) social constructivism theory - particularly, its notion of mediation. This action research study employed the interpretive paradigm. Data were collected using a pre-test, stimulated recall interviews, lesson observations, a post-test and learners' reflections. Data were coded and the codes then categorized into different themes in order to answer the research questions. The findings of this study were that learners are better able to make sense of graphs of motions when a PoM approach is employed. Their dispositions towards graphs of motion also improved as a result of the PoM intervention, due to it enabling a better understanding of kinematics concepts. This study also contributed to the professional development of the researcher, particularly in terms of it contributing to a broader understanding of the research and possible usefulness of semiotic mediation in science education. Implications of the study include the possibility of including the PoM approach in science teacher education and training programme curricula.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Mwiiyale, Laina Natangwe
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/17605 , vital:22264
- Description: Namibian students perform poorly in Physical Sciences and the Physics component in particular (DNEA, 2013). The Namibian Senior Secondary Certificate (NSSC) Examiner's report (DNEA, 2014) also reveals that many Physical Science learners have difficulties demonstrating an understanding of basic physics required for working with kinematic graphs (graphical representation of motion). Kinematics is an important tool in understanding the motion of objects - whether translational, oscillatory or circular. In kinematics, the relationships between distance, displacement, speed, velocity or acceleration and time are represented in graphs of motion. In teaching the topic, using graphs can be an alternative to the use of abstract formulas, or formulas can be used along with graphical representations to facilitate student understanding (Behzak, 2006). This study explored the influence of the multiliteracies approach on grade 11 Physical Science learners' dispositions and sense making towards graphs of motion. The intervention being investigated is informed by the Pedagogy of Multiliteracies (PoM) framework by Cazden et al., (1996) with the focus on overt instruction, situated practice, critical framing and transformed practice using semiotic patterns of meaning, in conjunction with Vygotsky's (1978) social constructivism theory - particularly, its notion of mediation. This action research study employed the interpretive paradigm. Data were collected using a pre-test, stimulated recall interviews, lesson observations, a post-test and learners' reflections. Data were coded and the codes then categorized into different themes in order to answer the research questions. The findings of this study were that learners are better able to make sense of graphs of motions when a PoM approach is employed. Their dispositions towards graphs of motion also improved as a result of the PoM intervention, due to it enabling a better understanding of kinematics concepts. This study also contributed to the professional development of the researcher, particularly in terms of it contributing to a broader understanding of the research and possible usefulness of semiotic mediation in science education. Implications of the study include the possibility of including the PoM approach in science teacher education and training programme curricula.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
An exploration of school-community links in enabling environmental learning through food growing : a cross-cultural study
- Authors: Köhly, Nicolette
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: Environmental education -- Africa, Southern -- Case studies Environmental education -- New York (State) -- Case studies Sustainable agriculture -- Africa, Southern -- Case studies Sustainable agriculture -- New York (State) -- Case studies Environmental education -- Study and teaching -- Africa, Southern -- Case studies Environmental education -- Study and teaching -- New York (State) -- Case studies Conservation of natural resources -- Study and teaching -- Africa, Southern -- Case studies Conservation of natural resources -- Study and teaching -- New York (State) -- Case studies Active learning -- Africa, Southern -- Case studies Active learning -- New York (State) -- Case studies Community education -- Africa, Southern -- Case studies Community education -- New York (State) -- Case studies
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1534 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003416
- Description: Agricultural and educational researchers recognize the critical value of an integrated, multidisciplinary approach to education in building a food-secure world, reducing poverty, and conserving and enhancing natural resources. However, schools generally contribute little to communities in the context of food growing and environmental learning. The main objective of this qualitative research was to explore the role of school-community relationships in enabling environmental learning in the context of food growing activities. Findings suggest that the role of school-community links in enhancing environmental learning is more likely where community members are actively involved in school programs that have an emphasis on an experiential learning approach. However, this depends to a large extent on the availability of parents or concerned community members and their willingness to engage in voluntary school-based activities. Factors that could potentially strengthen the role of school-community links in supporting environmental learning include: allowing space for informal learning, mediating learning in civil society settings, ongoing facilitation by a committed coordinator, community buy-in and accountability, and addressing public interests through tangible benefits. A major challenge is to find an appropriate balance between social justice and practical food security concerns, while remaining true to ecological considerations.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
- Authors: Köhly, Nicolette
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: Environmental education -- Africa, Southern -- Case studies Environmental education -- New York (State) -- Case studies Sustainable agriculture -- Africa, Southern -- Case studies Sustainable agriculture -- New York (State) -- Case studies Environmental education -- Study and teaching -- Africa, Southern -- Case studies Environmental education -- Study and teaching -- New York (State) -- Case studies Conservation of natural resources -- Study and teaching -- Africa, Southern -- Case studies Conservation of natural resources -- Study and teaching -- New York (State) -- Case studies Active learning -- Africa, Southern -- Case studies Active learning -- New York (State) -- Case studies Community education -- Africa, Southern -- Case studies Community education -- New York (State) -- Case studies
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1534 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003416
- Description: Agricultural and educational researchers recognize the critical value of an integrated, multidisciplinary approach to education in building a food-secure world, reducing poverty, and conserving and enhancing natural resources. However, schools generally contribute little to communities in the context of food growing and environmental learning. The main objective of this qualitative research was to explore the role of school-community relationships in enabling environmental learning in the context of food growing activities. Findings suggest that the role of school-community links in enhancing environmental learning is more likely where community members are actively involved in school programs that have an emphasis on an experiential learning approach. However, this depends to a large extent on the availability of parents or concerned community members and their willingness to engage in voluntary school-based activities. Factors that could potentially strengthen the role of school-community links in supporting environmental learning include: allowing space for informal learning, mediating learning in civil society settings, ongoing facilitation by a committed coordinator, community buy-in and accountability, and addressing public interests through tangible benefits. A major challenge is to find an appropriate balance between social justice and practical food security concerns, while remaining true to ecological considerations.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010