1,720,959 research outputs found
Consequences of ideology and policy in the English second language classroom: The case of Oshiwambo-speaking students in Namibia
No full textPhilosophiae Doctor - PhD (Linguistics, Language and Communication)At independence, Namibia chose English as its official language and therefore its language of
learning and teaching (LOLT). This decision has been well supported and therefore there has been
an expectation among Namibians that learning English as early as possible is important because it
will open many doors to the future (Harris, 2011). However, since the introduction of English as
LOLT, government documents and other relevant literature have revealed poor performance of
learners and falling standards of teaching (Iipinge, 2013). Despite this revelation, no study has
been done in Namibia to investigate the effects of the current Language in Education Policy (LEP)
on the teaching and learning of different school subjects. Therefore, this study focuses on critical
questions regarding the effects of the current Namibian LEP on the teaching and learning of
English Second Language (ESL) in Northern Namibia, with a special focus on one of the most
demanding skills in second language learning: essay writing. Besides this, the study looks at the
writing problems of learners and the intervention strategies that teachers are using to help learners
overcome or reduce writing problems
English lingua franca as language of learning and teaching in northern Namibia : a report on Oshiwambo teachers’ experiences
Full text linkThesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2013.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: At independence, Namibia chose English as its official language and therefore its language of
learning and teaching (LOLT). Since then, government documents and other literature have
revealed the poor performance of learners and falling of standards of teaching (Benjamin
2004:25). It seems that teachers are facing several challenges when using English as an
LOLT in the classroom. This study therefore investigates the challenges faced by teachers in
northern Namibia when using ELF as a LOLT, as well as how teachers overcome these
challenges. In this regard, structured, one-on-one interviews were conducted with six
Oshiwambo-speaking teachers at a specific homogenous secondary school in the Omusati
region of northern Namibia. The findings of this study suggest that teachers believe that the
learners’ sole advantage of using ELF as the LOLT is that it may benefit them if they further
their studies abroad, as possessing knowledge of English would enable them to communicate
with people from different countries. Another main finding, in terms of how teachers
overcome the challenges posed by using ELF as the LOLT, is that teachers often resort to
code-switching to ensure that their students understand the concepts they are being taught.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Met die onafhanklikheidswording het Namibië Engels as amptelike taal gekies en gevolglik
ook as die taal van onderrig en leer (LOLT). Sedertdien het staatsdokumente en ander
literatuur getoon hoe swak leerders presteer en dat daar ‘n daling in onderrigstandaarde is
(Benjamin 2004: 25). Dit blyk dat onderwysers verskeie uitdagings met die gebruik van
Engels as LOLT in die klaskamer in die gesig staar. Hierdie studie ondersoek dus hierdie
uitdagings van onderwysers in die noorde van Namibië wanneer hulle Engels as ‘n lingua
franca (ELF) as die LOLT moet gebruik, sowel as hoe onderwysers hierdie uitdagings
oorkom. In hierdie opsig is gestrukureerde individuele onderhoude met ses Oshiwambosprekende
onderwysers gevoer by ‘n spesifieke homogene sekondere skool in die Omusati
omgewing in Noord-Namibië. Die bevindinge van hierdie studie dui aan dat onderwysers glo
dat leerders wat ELF as LOLT gebruik net voordeel daaruit sal trek indien hulle hul studies in
die buiteland sou voortsit omdat kennis van Engels hulle instaat sou stel om met mense van
verskillende lande te kommunikeer. Nog ‘n belangrike bevinding is dat onderwysers heel
dikwels van kodewisseling gebruikmaak om te verseker dat hulle studente die terme wat
aangeleer word wel verstaan.Master
Consequences of ideology and policy in the English second language classroom: The case of Oshiwambo-speaking students in Namibia
Full text linkPhilosophiae Doctor - PhD (Linguistics, Language and Communication)At independence, Namibia chose English as its official language and therefore its language of
learning and teaching (LOLT). This decision has been well supported and therefore there has been
an expectation among Namibians that learning English as early as possible is important because it
will open many doors to the future (Harris, 2011). However, since the introduction of English as
LOLT, government documents and other relevant literature have revealed poor performance of
learners and falling standards of teaching (Iipinge, 2013). Despite this revelation, no study has
been done in Namibia to investigate the effects of the current Language in Education Policy (LEP)
on the teaching and learning of different school subjects. Therefore, this study focuses on critical
questions regarding the effects of the current Namibian LEP on the teaching and learning of
English Second Language (ESL) in Northern Namibia, with a special focus on one of the most
demanding skills in second language learning: essay writing. Besides this, the study looks at the
writing problems of learners and the intervention strategies that teachers are using to help learners
overcome or reduce writing problems
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Learners’ perceptions of english essay writing problems in northern Namibia: towards Oshiwambo-English translanguaging discourse in english classrooms
No full textLiterature shows that Namibian learners encounter several challenges when writing essays in English. Hence, several studies have been carried out from the teachers’ perspective to identify problems that learners encounter when writing in English. However, there are few studies that were done to explore learners’ perceptions of their writing problems. Consequently, this article is aimed at exploring learners’ perceptions of challenges in writing in English and the strategies to overcome them. In addition, the article examines prospects for translanguaging as pedagogical discourse in multilingual contexts of northern Namibia. In this regard, structured, one-on-one interviews were conducted with 21 Oshiwambo-speaking learners from seven public schools in the Omusati region. The findings suggest that while some learners were concerned about using Oshiwambo to teach forms of writing in English, the overriding finding was that Oshiwambo should be used more than is currently the case. The article concludes with a discussion of the pedagogic implications of Oshiwambo-English translanguaging discourse, the strategic grouping of learners, peer learning, collaboration and teacher mentoring, for the transformation of the classroom into an interactive space for fluid and creative multilingual resource use in task orientation, topic brainstorming, essay drafting, proofreading and editing
Language ideology, policy and classroom practices in Oshiwambo speaking areas, Northern Namibia
Full text linkThe study problematized language ideologies and policy to explore the efficacy of using English as the Language of Learning and Teaching (LOLT) among Oshiwambo speaking learners in the Omusati region of Northern Namibia. Focus group interviews with ESL teachers, interviews with the English Head of Departments (HODs), classroom observations and informal chats with the grade 12 learners were carried out at six secondary schools. The study finds that students struggle to partake in meaningful classroom interaction and to comprehend instruction and content in English. Although students may express themselves better in Oshiwambo, they are not allowed. Some ESL teachers would use Oshiwambo to maintain order in class, but avoid using Oshiwambo to help struggling learners believing this would negatively impact learners’ English proficiency. Some ESL teachers were also found to blame ESL content subject teachers for learners’ poor English proficiency, as they used Oshiwambo in class to teach and explain content. We conclude that ESL classroom practice is teacher-centred by default, and students are muted as they find themselves with no voice to express themselves efficiently and efficaciously, and deaf to classroom content delivered in an unfamiliar language, English.
 
Language ideology, policy and classroom practices in Oshiwambo speaking areas, Northern Namibia
No full textThe study problematized language ideologies and policy to explore the efficacy of using English as the Language of Learning and Teaching (LOLT) among Oshiwambo speaking learners in the Omusati region of Northern Namibia. Focus group interviews with ESL teachers, interviews with the English Head of Departments (HODs), classroom observations and informal chats with the grade 12 learners were carried out at six secondary schools. The study finds that students struggle to partake in meaningful classroom interaction and to comprehend instruction and content in English. Although students may express themselves better in Oshiwambo, they are not allowed. Some ESL teachers would use Oshiwambo to maintain order in class, but avoid using Oshiwambo to help struggling learners believing this would negatively impact learners� English proficiency. Some ESL teachers were also found to blame ESL content subject teachers for learners� poor English proficiency, as they used Oshiwambo in class to teach and explain content. We conclude that ESL classroom practice is teacher-centred by default, and students are muted as they find themselves with no voice to express themselves efficiently and efficaciously, and deaf to classroom content delivered in an unfamiliar language, English
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