3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item The experiences of African immigrant academics in South Africa higher education(2018) Nkomo, ThulaniSince the dawn of democracy over two decades ago when access to South Africa became possible to African immigrants, a significant amount of African academic immigrants have come to the country to work within the higher education sector. This study sought to explore the experiences of fourteen African immigrant academics working at two universities in South Africa. The findings indicate that despite a generally negative national perception of African immigrants (Crush 2002), African academics are generally attracted to work within the South African higher education sector. In addition, while participants lamented the limited access to research related funding, they noted the importance of funding sources such as the Carnegie Corporation of New York as playing an important role in their career development. The study noted that the middle class position of African immigrant academics generally protected them from xenophobia that is often directed at working class African immigrants. They occupy an ambivalent position within their universities as there is the general perception that they are preferred over their black local counterparts while they simultaneously reported experiences of racism within their institutions. Their narratives reflect a consciousness of this position and the inherent danger of disrupting solidarities with black South African academics. The findings reflect moments of alienation in relation to funding, racism and immigration policies and practises which make working within South Africa difficult. There are however moments of belonging which derive from solidarities with black South African academics, a sense of contribution to the project of building the South African academy, and a pan Africanism based on the choice of remaining on the African continent. The study concludes with recommendations relevant to policy changes on South African immigration laws, promotion of research through inclusive funding of African academic immigrants in South African higher education sector, and the need for consideration of immigrant experiences in shaping the institutional cultures of higher education institutions.Item Teaching and learning of language structures and conventions in the intermediate phase English home language classroom: a comparative study of a public and an independent school in South Africa(2017) Koutris, IoannaThis study explored and compared how language structures and conventions were taught in the intermediate phase English Home Language classroom at a public and at an independent school in central Johannesburg, South Africa. The aim was to identify challenges and strategies in an attempt at promoting pedagogies that enhance the learning of language structures and conventions. Specific themes related to the teaching and learning of language structures and conventions have been highlighted as the main point of departure in the study. Such themes include: a synthesis of the curriculum applied at public and independent schools; theoretical viewpoints in the teaching and learning of language structures and conventions, highlighting challenges experienced in the EHL classroom; and lastly, the teaching strategies used in overcoming the challenges. A qualitative research approach was adopted, using a case study as the research design. Most case studies allow space for generalisations to be made, however, in this study I was limited to making such generalisations because my study is considered a minor study. The research methods consisted of: biographical questionnaires; 8 teacher interviews (Grades 4 – 6); and 5 classroom observations (only Grade 6) per school which were audio-taped. The findings suggested that the most common teaching approach used throughout the lessons in both schools was the text-based approach, which is advocated in the CAPS (2011). The classroom observations conducted at the public school illustrated that the Audio-lingual Method of language teaching was used, as opposed to CLT which was evident in the classroom observations at the independent school. Lessons in the public school were primarily teacher-centered, where the teacher engaged in giving instructions, providing explanations and eliciting responses. The type of questions asked consisted of lower level thinking (literal). Learners in the independent school, however, showed more enthusiasm towards participating in classroom discussions and answering questions, thus creating a learner-centered culture. It is evident that the independent school is more flexible in selecting the language components that need to be covered within a specific period. Based on the interview sessions, the teachers at the independent school mention that it is more important for them to cover a minimum amount of work in-depth rather than covering everything and not having learners understand what they are learning. As a future recommendation, a similar study can be conducted comparing an urban public school and a rural public school that apply the CAPS. This study adds to the understanding of how language structures and conventions are taught in the intermediate phase EHL classroom in the South African context. By encouraging and promoting the teaching of grammar, we are able to identify approaches best suited for quality learning to take place.Item Bridging the gap: literacy clubs for underperforming grade 8 and 9 learners in a township school(2017) Matariro, MariyeniUsing English as a medium of instruction or the Language of Learning and Teaching (LoLT) can be a very difficult task especially if the children do not speak the language and are multilingual. It affects reading, writing and oral language skills. This study seeks to examine the impact of exposing underperforming grade 8 and 9 learners of English to a Literacy Club. The study is a follow up of the study that was done in 2013. The main difference between the current study and the previous study is that, participants in the first study were already readers and volunteered to join the Literacy Club. Although school rules were relaxed, only English was used to discuss the read texts. In the current study, because I was working with weak readers, learners who have been identified as at risk of failing and had all been invited to join the Literacy Club as a form of language enrichment programme, the participants will be allowed to use all the linguistic skills at their disposal for both discussion of texts and reflecting in their journals. This is based on the premise that being multilingual should not be viewed as a barrier but a resource for learning. Underpinned by the socio-cultural approach to learning and drawing intensively from different theoretical views of language learning and learning to read, a case of 16 learners in grade 8 and 9 participated in this study. The study adopted a qualitative approach where a number of methods were used for the purposes of data collection. The study discovered that Literacy Clubs are a good vehicle to impart reading skills as they motivate learners to read. Literacy Clubs also have a positive impact on attainment in language tests. The study also discovered that allowing learners to use all the linguistic repertoires available to them boosts their confidence to talk about the literature they have read and improves the quality of their discussions. The study recommended that reading should be allocated time within normal school hours for each grade, children should be given an opportunity to write reading journals which should be marked and commented on by the teacher to encourage free writing and develop writing skills, the context of the school should be considered when deciding on the language policy to adopt and lastly but most importantly, translanguaging should be seriously considered as a pedagogical tool when teaching a second language.Item Multicultural influences on the personal identity of University students(2017) Mndawe, Dumisile MirandaThe transition to higher education is a complex period for most youth that challenges them to constantly negotiate their identities. In the university campus, students interact and socialize with students from diverse cultural backgrounds and they are confronted with reflecting on their existing attitudes, beliefs, values and behaviours. The current study aims to understand how different cultural values and beliefs may influence the personal identity of students in a multicultural university. This study employed a qualitative research approach. The study employed an interpretive research design which entailed conducting semi-structured, individual interviews to collect data. The participants were 6 second year students enrolled in the Humanities faculty, who were purposely selected at the University of the Witwatersrand. Thematic analysis was employed in analysing the data. The specific thematic analysis method employed was interpretative phenomenological analysis, in which the focus was on understanding how students make sense of the experience regarding being in contact with other students from diverse backgrounds. The findings of the study show that students identify with different social structures, thus maintaining multiple identities in diverse setting of the university. These identities are found to be dominant in contexts in which they are established. The findings show that students maintain a positive self-concept, which is contributory to how they adjust and find belonging in the university environment. Belonging was found to occur within the student cultures inherent in the university setting, such as leisure activities, religious involvement, and other activities of entertainment on campus. Religion emerged as the dominant influence on the personal identity of the majority of the participants; however, other students highlighted other social structures as contributory factors as compared to religion. Parental involvement and childhood experiences continue to influence students' negotiation of a personal identity in the university campus. In conclusion, based on the findings of the study, it is clear that students embrace the diversity within the university campus, while maintaining connections with identities that existed prior their time spent in university. This is a clear demonstration of the continuity in identity formation and belonging in the social setting of Higher Education.Item A critical exploration of the role of pedagogical documentation in a multimodal grade R classroom: a case study in an urban South African school(2016) Williamson, Morag MargaretThe researcher explored the role of pedagogical documentation in a multimodal Grade R classroom. The purpose of the research was to see how pedagogical documentation would work together with a multimodal approach to enhance learning in Grade R children in an urban South African school. A qualitative case study was conducted at a private girls’ school in Johannesburg with a class of 22 Grade R children over the time frame of eight weeks. The children were exposed to a multimodal approach and pedagogical documentation was used in the classroom to make learning visible and to create a focus for discussion and planning. The research focused on an in-depth analysis of five participants although all the children in the class were part of the data collection process. The children demonstrated an ability to make decisions regarding their learning and the curriculum developed around their interests rather than being predetermined by the teacher. The children also developed a willingness to reflect on their learning processes. They took complete ownership of their environment and were able to use all available resources: the environment, the materials, and those emerging from collaboration with their peers and reflecting on their own learning. An open curriculum was successful with children of this age. However, it is proposed that pedagogical documentation together with a multimodal approach would be more effective in collaborative whole school interventions.Item Negotiating identities: experiences of rural migrant learners in an urban school in Johannesburg(2016) Wongo, NomathamsanqaDue to the contextual difference between rural schools and urban school, many rural learners have migrated to urban schools. The rural population movement in the urban contexts has resulted in an increased number of rural learners in urban schools and also contributed in the diversity of cultures, ethnicities and races in urban schools making it difficult for teachers to respond to every learner’s needs. This study hypothesises that rural learners are likely to face challenges in terms of inclusion and negotiating their identities in the new urban schools. This study describes the challenges faced by rural migrant learners in new urban school, and how these migrant learners construct their identities in the new urban context. The study focusses on one primary school in Johannesburg that has a large influx of rural learners over the years. Using the key concepts of social identity, social inclusion and social exclusion, this describes the lived experiences of migrated learners and how they negotiate their identities in a new urban context. Findings show that migrated learners face inclusive challenges both academically and socially and challenges in adapting to the new urban school environment. The factors that caused academic challenges were: language barrier, difficult subjects, and teachers’ intervention. Social challenges were, adapting to a new environment, interacting with other learners and learning a new culture of the school.Item The extent to which grade 7 educators in a full-service school apply differentiated instruction to promote inclusive teaching and learning(2016-07-25) Groeneveld, WendyEducators at full-service schools in South Africa are required by policy, to respond to the diversity of learners in the classroom by means of differentiating the learning environment, teaching methods employed and the manner in which the learners are assessed. Within the South African context, three studies relate specifically to differentiated instruction and multi-level teaching: Nel, Kempen and Ruscheinski (2011); de Jager (2013); Walton, Nel, Muller and Lebeloane (2014). The above research was concerned with using differentiated instruction to modify the curriculum of the ‘Learn Not To Burn’ Programme to make it accessible for learners at a special school, challenges with regard to implementing differentiated learning activities within a high school context and investigating responses of educators at a full-service school in the long term, to training they had undergone in multi-level teaching. The topic of this study aims to explore and describe Grade 7 Mathematics and English First Additional Language educators’ understanding, knowledge of and ability to apply differentiated instruction in relation to inclusive teaching and learning within a full-service school. The research was conducted at two, full-service schools in Gauteng, over the course of three weeks. There were six participants in total, including three Grade 7 Mathematics and three Grade 7 English educators. A qualitative research methodology was adopted. Data was collected by means of an initial questionnaire, a preliminary interview, classroom observations, document analysis (analysis of lesson plans and assessment tasks) and post-observation interviews. The patterns which arose from the data analysis were determined by initially summarising the data at an individual level for each participant and then comparing the six participants’ responses with each other in relation to the codes. An analysis of the GPLMS lesson plans indicated that the lesson plans specified core concepts of the curriculum, essential questions relating to the topic were evident, where the topic was divided into specific units to be covered in a particular order. Curricular strategies in relation to content, process and product were stated. However, a key pattern to emerge was that there is an over-reliance on GPLMS lesson plans as opposed to independent planning for differentiation. During classroom observations, the Grade 7 Mathematics and English educators identified big ideas when covering the curriculum, visual supports were evident; the educators varied the format of their instruction and demonstrated sensitivity to the learning needs of individual learners that had been identified during the lessons. While ‘common sense’ inclusive practices were observed, they cannot be described as differentiated instruction per se. The third pattern to emerge was that assessments were not differentiated optimally, as the focus was centred too heavily upon curriculum coverage and ensuring performance on the Annual National Assessment (ANA) exams. Results from this research suggest that at a basic level, some aspects of differentiated instruction are being included in Grade 7 Mathematics and English classrooms in full-service schools in Gauteng. This is not at a sufficient level to facilitate transformation and inclusion. (Key Words: Transformation, inclusion, differentiated instruction, full-service school, GPLMS lesson plans, curricular strategies, assessment tasks).Item Effects of a brief intervention programme on teacher attitudes towards multicultural education(2015-02-20) Da Silva, ZenaItem The Western canon in a multicultural education system for South Africa(2014-05-28) Meyer, Beryl PatriciaThis report confronts the issue of the globalisation of European culture and its significance for the Western canon in South African education. It considers the difficulty of defending the canon as cultural resource for a local minority while avoiding the imposition of the globally dominant Anglophone culture on all South Africans. It is argue-d that whatever in the canon can be freely accepted as advancing the interests of all South Africans should qualify for inclusion in a common curriculum, but that other canonical works should be regarded as minority culture in the same way as aspects of traditional African culture. An attempt is made to establish a perspective from which Africanism and the defence of the canon can be seen as congruent and compatible aims, equally deserving of accommodation within a multicultural curriculum.Item Trends in learning styles amongst black and white South African learners in a multicultural classroom(2014-05-19) Levinrad, LanceThere is a growing body of literature supporting the importance of recognising individual learning styles and teaching styles. Using More's model, this study explored the prevalence of learning style profi'es amongst different racial groups within multicultural South African classrooms. Seven teachers at two multiracial, English medium schools completed the More Learning Style Inventory for 38 white learners and 30 black learners with a mean age of 11.4 years. In addition, each teacher completed the More Teaching Style Inventory. The findings suggested that learners from different racial groups showed a preference on certain learning style dimensions. In particular, white and black learners were found to differ significantly on the Global-Analytic and the Trial & feedback- Reflective dimensions. Furthermore, an investigation of teaching styles supported mismatches between teachers’ teaching style and learners’ learning style, especially where learning style differences emerged. This study highlights the possible usefulness of learning style research for addressing the challenges faced by teachers in facilitating racial integration in classrooms.