ETD Collection

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://wiredspace.wits.ac.za/handle/10539/104


Please note: Digitised content is made available at the best possible quality range, taking into consideration file size and the condition of the original item. These restrictions may sometimes affect the quality of the final published item. For queries regarding content of ETD collection please contact IR specialists by email : IR specialists or Tel : 011 717 4652 / 1954

Follow the link below for important information about Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Library Guide about ETD

Browse

Filters

1993 - 199922010 - 20162

Settings

Subject: search.filters.subject.Second language acquisition.

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    The impact of a subtractive bilingual context on the language attitudes, use and skills of primary school children from the Kathorus area : a comparative study.
    (1998) Thombeni, Dunyisiwe Ntombenhle
    Dissatisfaction with the quality of education under the former Department of Education Training (DET). lack of facilities, and disruptions during the political transitional period have been the reasons why more and more black parents, who could afford it financially, tend to send their children to so-called 'white' or ex-Model C schools. In ex-Model C schools these children in many instances do not receive any teaching in their home languages nor can they take their home languages as a first language subject. Where African languages are taught at ex-Model C schools, they are taught a, non-exam subjects. starting only in Grade 5 and on a third language level. Even then, only one African language is offered per school, irrespective of the range of African languages that learners of that particular school speak at home. with the result that many children do not have their home language as a subject at all. This study is based on the hypothesis that there is a lack of identification with the home language and the home language culture in the case of black children who are attending ex-Model C schools. As a result most children from these ex-Model C schools are lost to the African culture and traditions Hence they develop attitudes which are negative towards their own languages. They identify themselves more with their Second Language, which is English in this case, yet they also experience some form of alienation towards the English language and its associated cultural aspects. In some of these ex-Model C schools, children are required to attend English pre-primary preparatory schools. Since this is the critical stage of home language acquisition, a second hypothesis has been posed, namely, that this adversely affects children from being proficient in the African language of the home. The skill in the African language would be reduced to "basic interpersonal communication skills"(BICS) (Cummins 1984), with impaired "cognitive academic language proficiency" (CALP) (Cummins 1984). (Abbreviation abstract).
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Language intervention to facilitate the acquisition of English as a second langauge by pre-school children.
    (1993) Jordaan, Heila Letitia.
    This dissertation explores the role of the speech-language therapist in second language acquisition. The motivation for the study arose out of recent political changes in South Africa, which led to desegregated education, and the need for young children to cope with English as the medium of instruction from the start of their schooling. The aim was to determine whether language intervention provided by a speech-language therapist significantly improved the English proficiency of a group of black pre-school children. A pre-test, post-test, centrol group experimental design was employed. The comprehension and expression of English vocabulary and syntax of thirty, three to six year old subjects was assessed using a modified version of the Test of Auditory Comprehension of Language-Revised (Carrow, 3.988), a newly devised vocabulary measure, as well as crystal's (1982) Profile in Lexical Semantics, and the Language Assessment Remediation and Screening Procedure (crystal et aL, 1989). The results showed that the English proficiency of the group of children who received language intervention from a speech-language therapist, improved significantly more than that of the first control group, who received only additional input in English, and the second control group, who received no input beyond that provided through the regular pre-school programme. The positive results of this research can now be applied to the teaching of languages other than English, and the training of teachers who would like to improve their skills at facilitating language acquisition.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    The relationship between mother tongue and English second language learning strategies
    (2016) Makoni, Rachel, Tuso
    South Africa is a multicultural and multilingual country. The majority of learners (90%) speak a mother tongue that is not English. The language of instruction is however English. English has become the dominant language in education, commerce and industry and therefore proficiency in the language is imperative. In order to help learners learn more efficiently, and to inform education policy making, an exploration of what language learning strategies learners from divergent mother tongue backgrounds employ, is beneficial. This study was conducted in a high school, in a township area of Gauteng, South Africa in order to investigate whether there is a relationship between the mother tongue of South African high school learners and English second language learning strategies employed by these learners. The sample consisted of 107 Grade 8-Grade 12 participants who were receiving instruction in English, with their mother tongue specified as one of the 9 African languages. Learners were asked to complete a 50 item questionnaire, as well as a demographical information form. The results showed that although there was no significant relationship between mother tongue and English second language learning strategies used by high school learners, other variables such as number of years of English language instruction and age were significant variables that influenced choice of English language learning strategy use. It was also found that metacognitive strategies were the most commonly used English language learning strategies. Research on the relationship between mother tongue and language learning strategy use is imperative given the significant number of learners that would benefit from this research and subsequent interventions implemented.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    The effectiveness of multimedia and computer-assisted activities in the teaching of Afrikaans as a second language.
    (2013-01-08) Basson, Irene
    Teachers are increasingly aware of the technological world in which their students live. They are aware that the use of computers affects the motivation and attitudes of learners. There has also recently been governmental pressure to integrate ICT in the teaching and learning at school level. The question remains how exactly these technologies should be implemented, particularly to aid in the acquisition of a second language. This study investigates if the use of CALL in the teaching of second language Afrikaans has affected the attitudes and motivation of learners and if it had any effect on the results they achieved. A comparative study was conducted with a group Grade 11 learners in which they completed a series of research tasks that included no technology or computerrelated input. The same group was also exposed to lessons with a computer-assisted approach, where a series of comparative research tasks were completed with the use of technology. The group completed reflective questionnaires on the tasks they had completed. The sets of tasks were analyzed and compared to each other and the reflective questionnaires were analyzed and general trends and findings were noted. The findings in this study suggests that learners respond well to computer-assisted tasks and that there is a marked improvement in attitude and motivation when they are exposed to technology in the second language classroom. Furthermore it is evident that the shift in motivation contributes to an overall improvement of their results, which in computerassisted tasks are on average 8%-12% higher.