3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item Teacher attitudes on teaching about gender in the classroom and their interpretation and teaching of Things fall apart(2018) Zungu, Phiwe-inhlanhla NoziphoThis research report examines whether English teachers believe that gender-related issues should be dealt with in the classroom. It is also concerned with what the relationship is between their beliefs and their interpretation and espoused teaching methods for Chinua Achebe’s 1958 novel Things Fall Apart. The study stemmed from an interest in teachers’ perceptions of gender-related issues and whether their teaching materials (such as the novel in question) and feminist theories and pedagogies could be used as a means to promote gender equality. Five teachers were interviewed in one-on-one semi-structured interviews and asked to provide the researcher with the classroom activities and formal assessments they use when teaching the novel. Data from the interview transcripts and formal assessments suggested that there was a relationship between the teacher’s beliefs about gender and their espoused teaching practices. Data from their classroom activities showed that in general, teachers aimed to help the learners to remember and understand key events in the novel as well as the main character, Okonkwo. It seemed that teachers chose to deal more closely with the themes of the novel in their essay questions rather than the classroom activities. It was difficult to determine the nature of the relationship between each teacher’s beliefs and their classroom activities because they did not create the activities themselves. Most of the teachers simply used existing questions found in the version of Things Fall Apart used in their schools. It is recommended that teacher training should include training pre-service teachers to use feminist pedagogies in addition to the other types of methodologies they are already being taught to use. Workshops are recommended for in-service teachers.Item The hero within – The reading practices of boys in one grade 11 South African English home language classroom(2018) Richter, Ellouise ElizabethThe purpose of this case study was to investigate the reading practices of learners in a Grade 11 classroom in a boys’ school in South Africa in order to understand whether, and if so how, these practices influenced the constitution of their current and prospective identities. The study examined the boys’ response to the texts used in the classroom and whether, and if so how, these texts shaped their reading practices outside the classroom. Findings from an analysis of data collected from the boys’ free writing about reading, from a questionnaire and from focus group interviews are as follows: (i) the majority of boys who read out of school, identify with the ‘do-good’ heroes in fantasy novels or comic books; (ii) some boys claim to see no value in reading inside or outside the classroom, despite the fact that all read social media texts every day; (iii) for some boys, reading is associated with the feminine; (iv) for most boys, what counts as proficiency in reading is limited to an ability to read aloud fluently. These findings suggest that there is a need for teachers to reconsider the texts they choose and the pedagogies they use in order to encourage boys’ interest in and commitment to reading for academic and other purposes.Item Gender disparities: comparing reading practices of grade 10 isiZulu readers(2017) Mabaso, Bonisile CynthiaRecent studies maintain that the concept of a gender gap in literacy remains a large concern, as the gap between boys’ and girls’ reading literacy is reflected in studies conducted globally in which females consistently outperformed males. Therefore, this study discusses how perceptions about gender and reading practice are fabricated from a societal point of view. It presents the social cognitive theory of gender disparities in reading practices of grade 10 isiZulu First Additional language readers. Additionally, my study discusses how the readers with different language background and proficiency in isiZulu operate and respond when reading texts that are influenced by their own reading preferences. As a result, it identifies a variety of influences to be considered in gendered reading practices such as; the readers, the type of text, the activity, the language context, and the social and the cognitive aspects of reading practices. This qualitative research project investigated how six leaners of isiZulu First Additional grade 10 level, from various language backgrounds made meaning of informal texts over the course of four weeks. . Hence, I used a range of text types as a research tool in order to attend to this issue. To collect data, I therefore designed a series of questions through questionnaires, and observation schedule as means of authenticating the learners’ responses to institute the findings. Subsequently, by examining Barrett’s Taxonomy of reading comprehension, which focusses on cognitive and affective domains of reading, I conclude that reading is not only important for academic success, but also for negotiating our way through all aspects of life in an increasing bureaucratic society. Additionally, having background of reading literacy practices may grant chances of participation in the that society, as a result, those societal perceptions are likely to change if and when reading practices also grant chances to accommodate interests of the readers. Findings endorse that learners should be granted a chance of choosing texts that interest them so they can respond positively and accordingly, as, boys’ scores disagreed with previous research in a particular, comprehension component where they outscored the girls.