3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item Linguistic analysis of early language acquisition: a case study of the Black Middle Class South African, ‘Born Free’ generation in Gauteng(2018) Bhowan, Theressa DeshikaThis dissertation seeks to assess the presence of language attrition that leads to a language shift in Black middle-class, South African communities, specifically in the Gauteng province. According to the 2011 Census, there is a steady decline in the use of indigenous African languages (Stats SA, 2011). This decrease of indigenous African languages, has gained the attention of many researchers (De Klerk, 1999; Msila, 2014; Kamwangamalu, 2003; Bylund, 2014). While majority of previous studies assess this language shift and language attrition by assessing the language use of adults, the languages that are used in different social contexts and the language use of individuals from different socio-economic statuses, the present study aims to look at language attrition and the language shift that is occurring at the early developmental stages of language acquisition. This study aims to assess whether children with bilingual parents (L1 Sesotho and L2 English) are growing up as bilingual speakers or as monolingual English speakers. This study also sought to assess the lexical development of these young children and what linguistic strategies the children employ during early language acquisition. In order to achieve the goals set out by this investigation, different methodology techniques were used to gather and analyse data. Parental input and educational input needed to be assessed in order to see what languages the children were exposed to, direct assessment of the children’s lexicon needed to be carried in order to assess their lexical development and the gesture production of the children also needed to be assessed. Demographic questionnaires were distributed to parents or caregivers in order for the researcher to gain insight into the language input that the children receive in the home environment. Observational data was collected at the school which is in the Bedfordview region of Gauteng, South Africa to assess the educational input that children receive. Children were also directly assessed in the two languages that their parents spoke (Sesotho and English) in order to assess their proficiency in each language The findings of this study show that there is a language shift that is currently taking place in this sample group, within the Gauteng province of Black middle-class, South African families. The children of bilingual parents in this specific sample group are developing as monolingual English speakers, with a passive knowledge of their parents L1. The results of this study also found that this is due to the fact that children are predominantly exposed to English in the educational context as well as the home environment. These particular children show a trend of monolingual development and are adhering to universal theories of monolingual language development. This study also found that children use gesture as a strategy that is employed during language development. The gesture production by the children also indicated a passive knowledge of Sesotho in that they responded gesturally to Sesotho questions, and when they did respond verbally, it was only in English. This study shows the development of the ‘born free’ population who are exposed to English and how young children in the South African context are currently growing up in the midst of a language shift.Item A cross-linguistic analysis of predicate construction in early language development(2018) Judin, Simone GeneEarly language and lexical acquisition is a field within psycholinguistics in which extensive research has been undertaken. In literature it is stated that children acquire their different linguistic categories in various stages during early language acquisition. One debate that has always existed, regarding the phases in which children learn language, involves the verb grammatical construction and other predicate structures. This research explores some of these well-known linguistic theories. In the study these theories are contrasted with empirical evidence from contemporary research on typologically different languages, in other words Italian, Japanese, Canadian English, Italian Sign Language and isiZulu. This report also contains a separate case study on isiZulu. The assessment tool that was used to assess these languages is called Picture Naming Game (PiNG). It allows one to assess a child’s predicate development in comprehension and production at the same time. The contribution of the current study is to show that most of the above-mentioned languages prove what the universal theory reveals about predicate development. It highlights some language-specific semantic features. Overall, the study seeks to assess predicate development in young children and presents specific aspects of this development for isiZulu.Item Vocabulary assessment in grade 1 Afrikaans-English bilinguals(2017) Van Zyl, AshleighPurpose: There is a need to develop and refine assessment measures on bilingual children, since language measures used on monolingual individuals cannot and should not be directly applied to the bilingual population (Hoff et al., 2012; O’Brien, 2015). The occurrence of Afrikaans-English bilinguals in South Africa provides a rewarding area of investigation for the Speech-Language Therapist (SLT) (Penn & Jordaan, 2016), as the Afrikaans language is well-researched and many individuals from this population are considered to be more balanced bilinguals than other bilingual groups (Coetzee-Van Rooyen, 2013).The assessment of vocabulary in bilingual children has received particular attention because limited vocabulary is one of the first signs of language impairment (Ellis & Thal, 2008). This research aimed to determine how Grade 1 Afrikaans-English bilingual children perform on a bilingual vocabulary assessment. Design: A quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional and comparative design was used in this study. Method: The Expressive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test 4 (EOWPVT-4) (Martin & Brownell, 2011a) and the Receptive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test 4 (ROWPVT-4) (Martin & Brownell, 2011b) were used to assess 30 grade 1 Englishspeaking monolinguals. In addition an adapted Afrikaans expressive one word vocabulary test based on the EOWPVT-4 and an adapted Afrikaans receptive one word vocabulary test based on the ROWPVT-4 were used to assess 30 grade 1 Afrikaans-English bilinguals. Permission from the schools involved, informed consent from the parent/s or guardian/s as well as child assent were obtained. The data gathered from testing was tabulated, interpreted with the use of mean scores and standard deviations (SD) and analysed using within- and between -group statistical comparisons. Mean raw scores were converted to percentages for ease of comparison between receptive and expressive scores. Results: Within-language comparisons revealed that on the English test, receptive and expressive scores within both the English monolingual and bilingual groups were significantly correlated. Expressive scores could therefore be predicted from receptive scores or vice versa in both the English monolingual and bilingual groups. However, the receptive and expressive score on the Afrikaans tests were not significantly correlated. In the bilingual group, the receptive score in Afrikaans was significantly higher than the expressive score suggesting that although the bilingual participants had good knowledge of Afrikaans vocabulary they could not always express this in a naming test. They frequently used the English word. Afrikaans is possibly being used less in the home and school environments so that the English words are more familiar. Nonetheless, both the monolingual and bilingual participants had significantly higher scores on the receptive vocabulary assessment than on the expressive vocabulary assessments in both English and Afrikaans. Between-group comparison revealed that the differences between the scores of the English monolingual and Afrikaans-English bilingual learners were not significant on either the receptive or expressive vocabulary measure in English. The bilingual group performed as well as the English participants on the English tests, suggesting that they are not disadvantaged in the language of instruction. The norms used in the EOWPVT and the ROWPVT were applicable to both the monolingual and bilingual groups’ scores for the age range of the participants and highlighted that these tests were suitable in assessing an English monolingual and Afrikaans-English bilingual child in South Africa. When composite scoring was used the bilinguals scored significantly better than their monolingual peers on both the receptive and expressive measures, which confirmed the premise behind this study- that composite scoring should be used to gain an accurate assessment of a bilingual child’s vocabulary. Adaptation of the English tests into Afrikaans, as opposed to O’Brien’s study (2015), which adapted English tests into isiZulu, may have positively affected the results as all English words had direct translation equivalents in Afrikaans, which was not the case in isiZulu. The comparison between simultaneous and sequential bilinguals within the bilingual group demonstrated that the simultaneous bilinguals’ mean receptive and expressive scores surpassed those obtained by the sequential bilingual participants. A significant difference was identified between simultaneous and sequential bilinguals’ composite receptive scores and Afrikaans expressive scores. Finally, only one monolingual participant scored below the peer group mean on both the receptive and expressive vocabulary tests, indicating low proficiency in English and risk of language impairment; however no bilingual participants were found to be language impaired when composite scoring was used. Conclusion: Bilingualism remains a rewarding area of investigation in South Africa. Afrikaans-English bilingual children performed significantly better than O’Brien’s (2015) isiZulu-English participants on a translated, originally English vocabulary test. Throughout this study the refinement of valid assessment tools for accurate description of bilingual children’s vocabulary was highlighted. The well-researched technique of composite scoring has proven to be valuable in avoiding overdiagnosis in South African bilingual children.Item To be or not to be bilingual: cognitive processing skills and literacy development in monolingual English, emergent bilingual Zulu and English, as well as bilingual Afrikaans and English speaking children(2016) De Sousa, Diana SoaresLiteracy in multilingual contexts includes social and cognitive dimensions (GoPaul-McNicol & Armour-Thomas, 1997). Becoming literate carries with it the ability to develop and access higher-order thinking skills that are the building blocks for cognitive academic language proficiency, as well as the means that define educational opportunities (Bialystok, 2007). South Africa has 11 official languages and a multilingual education policy but South African schools are able to determine their language of instruction policy of monolingualism or multilingualism (Heugh, 2010). This raises the question of whether monolingualism or bilingualism influences children’s successful acquisition of reading. It is important to investigate the effect this has on reading processes and skills of monolingual and bilingual children because this issue has received limited research attention while it contributes to our greater understanding of how children’s cognitive capacities for literacy attainment are either constrained or promoted through broader social factors operating in a child’s literacy-learning environment (Bialystok, 2007; Vygotsky, 1978). Cognitive processing and reading skills were assessed in monolingual and bilingual children at a public school in an urban area of Johannesburg. An English-speaking monolingual group with English as the language of instruction (N = 100) was compared with a Zulu-English bilingual group with Zulu as first language (L1) speaking proficiency and English as second language (L2) literacy experience (N = 100) on measures of reading, phonological awareness, vocabulary skills, and working memory. Performance in cognitive processing and reading skills of these two groups was compared to an Afrikaans-English bilingual group (N = 100) with dual medium instruction. Tests of language proficiency confirmed that the Afrikaans-English bilinguals were balanced bilinguals and that the Zulu-English bilinguals were partial bilinguals. Aim and method: The purpose of this study was to expand knowledge in the field of second language reading acquisition and language of instruction by examining the impact of language related factors on the cognitive development and literacy competence of monolingual and bilingual children in the South African context. The central tenet of the bio-ecological approach to language, cognitive and reading assessment is that language acquisition is inseparable from the context in which it is learned (Armour-Thomas & Go-Paul-McNicol, 1997). Drawing from this approach, the present research project investigated the effects of the level of orthographic transparency on reading development in the transparent L1 and opaque L2 of biliterate Afrikaans-English bilinguals learning to read in a dual medium school setting. The effects of oral vs. written language proficiency in the L1 on the acquisition of L2 English reading was also investigated by examining whether reading processes and skills transferred from one language to another and the direction or nature of this transfer in partial and balanced bilinguals. Finally, whether a balanced bilingualism and biliteracy Cognitive processing skills and literacy development in monolingual and bilingual children in South Africa vi experience had beneficial effects on cognitive tasks demanding high levels of working memory capacity, was investigated. Results: Reading in Afrikaans – the more transparent orthography – reached a higher competency level than reading in the less transparent English. Dual medium learners and L1 English monolingual learners acquired reading skills in their home language(s) at a higher level than L2 English with L1 Zulu speaking proficiency learners did. Dual medium learners outperformed both monolingual learners and L2 English with L1 Zulu speaking proficiency learners on tests of phonological awareness, working memory, and reading comprehension. They also reached similar competency levels in tests of vocabulary knowledge than monolingual English (L1) learners. These differences translated into different relationships and strengths for reading attainment in monolingual and bilingual children. These findings provide support for a language-based and context-dependent bio-ecological model of reading attainment for South African children. Conclusions: Bilingual children who are exposed to dual medium reading instruction programmes that value bilingualism philosophically and support it pedagogically create optimal conditions for high levels of cognitive development and academic achievement, both in the first and in the L2. Absence of mother tongue instruction and English-only instruction result in a reading achievement gap between emergent Zulu-English bilinguals and English monolinguals. This effect is not observed in the biliterate Afrikaans-English bilinguals; instead, these children performed better than the English monolinguals on many English tasks and working tasks requiring high levels of executive control and analysis of linguistic knowledge, despite English being their L2 while learning to concurrently read in Afrikaans and English. Arguments for and (misguided) arguments against dual medium education are examined to identify the consequences of translating this model of education into effective schooling practices, given the socio-political contexts in which educational reforms take place at local schools and in communities (Heugh, 2002). More broadly, good early childhood education includes a rich language learning environment with skilled, responsive teachers who facilitate children’s literacy learning by providing intentional exposure to and support for vocabulary and concept development. Classroom settings that provide extensive opportunities to build children’s reading competences are beneficial for young dual language learners no less than for children acquiring literacy skills in a one-language environment (Cummins, 2000; Heugh, 2002).Item Science education for deaf learners : educator perspectives and perceptions.(2009-01-06T07:52:46Z) Naidoo, Sagree SandraTraditionally, the curriculum for deaf learners mainly involved language acquisition. The emphasis on academic subjects, such as science was marginal. In South Africa, the National Curriculum Statements (NCS) was introduced to redress the inequalities of the past education system. This research report is an investigation of science education for deaf learners. The study involved, firstly, exploring the experiences of educators that teach science to deaf learners and secondly, the identification of possible barriers that deaf learners experience in acquiring scientific knowledge, values and skills. Methodologically, this research project is located in the qualitative paradigm. The research participants comprised of five educators that teach science to deaf learners. The research sites were schools that cater for deaf learners, and are located in a province of South Africa. To gather data from the participants, the qualitative tools of interviews, field observations and artifact collection were utilized. Findings from the research indicate that there are intrinsic factors, such as literacy, sign language, cognition and motivation, and extrinsic factors, such as policy implementation, instructional strategies and resources that create barriers for deaf learners in science education. The participants’ suggestions that have emerged are also mentioned. Data obtained from the research provides valuable insight for deaf learners, educators that teach science to deaf learners and educational policy makers. The research report concludes with recommendations that could have implications for further research in the context of science education for deaf learners in South Africa.