1,720,969 research outputs found
An investigation of the use of Asifunde! materials by educators and learners in mother tongue literacy classes in KwaZulu-Natal.
Get PDFThesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2004.The study investigates the use of the Asifunde! materials by educators and learners in mother tongue literacy classes at two learning sites namely, Msunduzi and uMngeni Municipalities located in KwaZulu-Natal. The study focuses on the ways in which the Asifunde! Materials (learners' workbook, educators guide and easy readers) are used in the classroom. The study contributes to a gap in current literature on the use of materials by adult educators and learners. The study poses one critical question: "How do educators and learners in ABE classes use the Asifunde! materials?" This question is further elaborated into six subquestions: • Do educators mediate the content? If so, how? • How much time do educators spend on each section/page/unit? • To what extent do educators discuss the content and exercises with learners? • What is the learners' response (interest/extent of engagement/amount of discussion and enjoyment)? • How does the level of the material match the learners' needs? • How much communication is there between learners about the content of the material? Asifunde! materials were developed in response to call of the then Minister of Education Kader Asmal for a National Literacy Campaign in 1999. The Asifunde! material is a literacy course developed specifically for adults who have not had educational opportunities in the past. Its emphasis is on reading and writing mother tongue as well as on the implementation of these skills. The study is on literacy and literacy learning, which is understood here as the study of reading and writing processes that learners use as they engage in interpreting text Topics such as: literacy acquisition; purposes of literacy; the role of materials in acquisition of literacy; approaches to teaching reading and writing; and the educator as mediator of learning, are explored in the literature review as they are pertinent to the study. The study revealed that: 1. The use of the learner's book and the educator's guide varies between educators. 2. The educators do not fully understand the educational rationale behind the materials. 3. Learners respond positively to the materials. 4. There is very little use of the easy readers by both the educators and the learners. 5. Learners' learning and progress is largely influenced by the educator's use of the materials. 6. The learners are very excited about learning to read English now that they are competent in reading and writing their mother tongue. The study presents the following recommendations: 1. Training of educators in the use of the material. 2. The revision of the educator's guide to accommodate a range of educators in terms of experience and creativity. 3. Clarification of the focus and purpose of the materials regarding reading and writing. 4. Emphasis on the importance of the easy readers. 5. Inclusion of longer writing exercises towards the end of the book
Adult learners' perceptions of functional adult literacy provision in six centres in Kampala City, Uganda.
Get PDFThesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2006.This study analyses adult learners' perceptions of functional adult literacy provision in six centres in Kampala city. Specifically, what is analysed is adult learners' perceptions of what motivates adults to enroll; their views on the appropriateness of the providers' strategies, approaches, methods and materials used; the venues, facilities, equipment, quantity and quality of facilitators; the extent to which the programmes address the adult learners' needs and the use of the knowledge and skills by those who complete the functional adult literacy programmes. Interviews, observation and focus group discussions were used to collect primary data from forty one adult learners from programmes of government, NGOs and the private sector in Kampala city. On the whole, findings indicate that the programmes are relevant, can improve learners' standards of living in urban areas and can help enable learners to live as useful citizens in their communities. A major de-motivator to participation was identified as shame associated with attending FAL classes. Some of the recommendations put forward are that: • Start up capital should be availed to the learners as literacy skills alone will not help them get out of poverty. • Facilitators should be well trained so as to be able to correctly use the strategies, approaches, participatory methods and adapt the rural based materials in a way that best facilitates learning. • Conditions of learning should be enhanced by improving the quality and quantity of facilities, equipment and facilitators. • The integrated functional adult literacy approach should be strengthened as it is preferred by both the learners and providing agencies
The reading development of level 4 ABET learners.
Get PDFThesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermartizburg, 2013.The purpose of this enquiry was to explore reading development experiences of adult learners learning English Level 4. The research focused on their early reading experiences and the development of their reading experiences over the years and particularly in the present classes. The research site was an Adult Literacy Centre at a school in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal. The study was conducted within a qualitative interpretive paradigm, using a case study approach. Data collection techniques employed included personal interviews, observations and a focus group interview. The data collection instruments used was: interview schedules, observation checklists and audio visual aids. Data was analysed thematically.
In exploring the participants’ lived experiences in the development of reading; this study drew on the Landscape Model of reading by David Rapp and Paul van den Broek, as well as Vygotsky’s social constructivism. The themes that emerged from the study were: reading development in Adult Basic Education (ABE) level 4 classes in relation to achieving the learners’ goals, reading development in ABE level 4 classes in relation to achieving the goals of the curriculum, motivation to read, reading and family life, reading and life in general, learners’ difficulties in expressing themselves, language gaps as a barrier to learning in the second language and finally, the functioning of and challenges faced at adult literacy centres. The main reasons for adult literacy centres not being fully functional were: a lack of learning, teaching and support material due to insufficient funds, some educators are not qualified or lacked the skills to teach reading and writing, goals of the curriculum are too academic, the distances that learners have to travel to the centres are too long and the times of the classes are not always suitable to the learners, especially if they are employed. Finally, the study presented recommendations to improve the functionality at adult literacy centres, to enable learners to gain maximum benefit. Recommendations were made for further research
Factors influencing students' choice of campus and completion or non-completion of courses in FET colleges.
Get PDFThesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009.The study is about factors that influence students‟ choice of a campus and how those choices influence students‟ decision to complete their courses. Since FET colleges have campuses with different historical backgrounds and unique characteristics, they offer specialised programmes according to the resources they have, relevant to their geographic location. The research focused on answering the following questions 1) What factors influence students‟ choice of campus? 2) What factors influence the students‟ completion or non-completion of courses? The aim of these questions was to determine what currently influences the students‟ choice and what kind of information or sources do students use in their study choice decisions. Some related researchers in other contexts have shown that there is a link between education and socio-economic factors. This study has been primarily informed by Tinto‟s (1987) theory on student retention and no-completion of courses, which suggested that non-completion is a result of a mismatch between the social/academic background, intentions and goals of the student and their institution‟s ability to meet those goals. Chapman‟s model of choice (1991) enabled him to indicate some factors, which influence student‟s choice. The aim of using the model was to check if the same influential factors were important for the current FET students in South Africa. A number of available studies have focused on the student, significant others in their lives, parents and teachers, as well as marketing of colleges or recruitment of students as factors influencing the choice. There is little literature that looks at how the fixed college factors such as program availability, location and reputation influence students, which is the focus of this research. This study falls into an interpretive paradigm and is qualitative in nature. Data has been collected using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews conducted among students of different campuses in one FET College. The sources of information are current students, those who dropped out and students who have completed their courses. Data collected show that the costs factor, academic achievement and significant others influence students‟ choices
An investigation into the predictive validity of the CAP test.
Get PDFThesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2013.The Vocational Training landscape in South Africa changed in 2000 when the 153
Technical Colleges merged to form 50 macro Further Education and Training (FET)
Colleges with new vocational programmes. In an endeavour to assist prospective students
in making an appropriate choice of programme, placement tests prior to registration were
implemented. The Competency and Placement (CAP) test was developed to identify gaps
in the students’ knowledge of the grade 9 curriculum in order to identify high risk students
prior to registration. This study aims to discover whether results of the CAP test of
students at Boland Further Education and Training (FET) College correlate with their final
year-end results in numeracy and literacy, and to what extent the test could be used to predict students’ future achievement.
Data from 710 students were used to determine the correlations between their CAP
scores and their year-end examination results. A Pearson product-moment coefficient (r)
was calculated to indicate the extent of correlation for different groups. The coefficients of
determination (r²), a coefficient used in the prediction of future outcomes, were also
calculated. It was found that there were correlations of different strengths for different
groups, but the coefficients of determination did not indicate that the CAP test could be
used to predict the outcomes of the final year-end examinations. Therefore it can be
concluded that the CAP test is not a valid instrument to predict academic success and
should be used only to identify grade 9 mathematics and English skills gaps, according to the purpose of its design
Making the CAPS fit : an exploration of the reading development strategies of three Intermediate Phase language educators in a rural KwaZulu-Natal school.
Get PDFThesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2012.The aim of this study was to explore the reading life histories of three Intermediate Phase (IP) language educators, and how their histories influence their teaching, as part of a larger University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) reading project. Using the life history research approach, the manner in which the participants learnt to read at home before starting school, in Primary and High School and how they were trained to teach reading was examined. By observing their lessons and interviewing them, the effects that their experiences have had on their current teaching methods and their readiness to implement the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) in their phase in 2013, was explored. Research has shown that the literacy levels in South Africa (SA) are reason for great concern. There seems to be an overemphasis on decoding skills with limited exposure to all aspects of comprehension in the lower grades. Thus SA learners struggle to cope as they go on to higher grades where they are expected to read for meaning and read to learn. These problems may be associated with the inadequate training and limited knowledge of teaching reading of many SA educators. Educators who participated in this study seem to define reading as primarily decoding text to speech and view comprehension as a separate entity. In addition to this they do not have a full understanding of the complexities of the comprehension process. By exploring the participants’ experiences of learning to read, their training in teaching reading, and current classroom practices, the effects of the former two were visible on the latter. This study contributes to the larger research project as the participants’ misconceptions and preconceptions created by their own mediocre schooling, substandard and outdated training and inadequate continuous development, were analysed so these could be addressed in workshops designed by the UKZN reading project team
Teaching reading : a life history study of two English language educators in a rural primary school in KwaZulu-Natal.
Get PDFThesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2013.The study aimed to investigate the reading life histories of two educators, focusing on
how they were taught to read and came to understand reading, and how this
understanding has shaped their teaching of reading in the classroom. Two language
educators teaching English in the Intermediate and Senior Phase in a rural primary
school in KwaZulu-Natal were chosen for this research. A life history approach was
undertaken to gather rich data which was analysed and presented in a life history narrative.
The research revealed that the participants’ educational development was severely
affected by poverty, violence and the repercussions of apartheid, which all had a
negative impact on their education. In spite of this, the participants’ were taught to value
reading from an early age by concerned adults in their lives. These adults, although not
highly educated themselves, actively instilled early reading habits in the participants,
and tried to ensure that they were given the opportunity to be educated so that they
could aspire to a better life. The participants’ experiences of learning to read and
reading in primary school and high school gave them only a limited understanding of
reading and reading practices. The tertiary institutions where they trained as teachers
failed to equip them with adequate skills and strategies to teach reading well in their
own classrooms. As a result, although both educators believe that they were well
trained, they lack adequate strategies for truly effective development of reading in their
classrooms. Consequently, they fail to facilitate sound reading skills in their learners, yet are not fully aware of the shortcomings in their own practice
An investigation into the retention and dropout of mechanical engineering students at a FET college.
Get PDFThesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermarizburg, 2008.This study investigates the retention and dropout of mechanical engineering students at a FET college using the interpretivist paradigm. Three key questions are addressed
Language and literacy practices of African immigrants in Pietermaritzburg.
Get PDFThesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2014.Language and literacy are of central importance to communication for most people in the
world today. This case study investigates the language and literacy practices amongst African
immigrant families in Pietermaritzburg. There are many immigrant families from different
countries with different home languages and different backgrounds. This study examines the
languages used in these different immigrant homes, and what factors lead to the choice of the
languages. It investigates what literacy practices these families are engaged in. The study
further examines the effects that the choice of languages used in these homes and the literacy
practices engaged in have on the education of both the parents and their children. The
literature reviewed for this study focused on six major themes on literacy, namely; (i) literacy
as social practice, (ii) literacy networks, (iii) literacy domains, (iv) literacy events, (v)
language, literacy acquisition and social identity and (vi) second language socialization.
To collect the data necessary to for the study, three methods were used: group interviews,
home observation and participant observation. Data was examined using Street’s ideological
model of new literacy studies as theoretical framework.
The findings for this study show that there are different languages used in each home but that
the use of English is common in all the homes. The findings show that the literacy practices
that these families are engaged in are similar despite coming from different countries.
The study found that texts using cell phones play a major role during communication. This
shows that electronic technology plays a vital role in both the children’s and adults’ language
and literacy development
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