Journal for Language Teaching

Editor’s note

Kabelo Sebolai — 2023-07-28

No abstract

Come on, carry on: Phrasal verb use in undergraduate writing at a South African university

Susan Immelman — 2023-07-28

The phrasal verb (PV) plays an important role in the attainment of proficiency in English. However, research suggests that its use creates problems for learners of English worldwide, with the result that many learners appear to employ avoidance strategies when using this structure. The use of the phrasal verb has not been researched to any great extent in the South African context, a deficiency that this research study hoped to address. Using WordSmith Tools 8.0 to analyse a 5 603 404 token corpus of undergraduate writing, PV use by South African first- and second-language speakers of English was investigated and reported on. The results are in contrast to those of previous research in that they suggest that second-language speakers use phrasal verbs more in their first year of undergraduate study, and that this tendency tapers off as their studies progress. First-language speakers show a similar but less marked pattern of PV use. The results also indicate a preference for one-word alternative verbs by both groups, which is again in contrast to research conducted elsewhere, where the first-language speakers displayed a preference for PV use over one-word alternative verbs. It is suggested that further research is required to verify these results.

Pseudo social media classrooms: Student perceptions of engagement techniques in an online academic literacy class

Louri Louw — 2023-07-28

the academic literacy (AL) class, fostering engagement between educators and students in the online environment is challenging. However, students are familiar with game shows and social media, where they are used to sharing opinions and expressing themselves. Therefore, simulation of this in the online AL classroom may provide a solution to low participation rates. When combined with social constructivism, in which student interaction is key to learning, the tools on an online platform may assist educators in enhancing engagement and the acquisition of AL skills. In popular game shows, there is a powershift when the audience gains more control through participation, which improves the ratings of game shows (Enli & Ihlebæk, 2011). This tactic of audience participation can be applied to online learning with tools (such as Polls, Like, and Mic and Chat functions), especially in AL where student expression is so important. By applying these tactics, students may experience a sense of community which increases engagement and vital AL skills. Thus, this paper demonstrates how the simulation of game shows and social media can enhance student engagement and AL skills in an online classroom. To achieve this goal, student perceptions were analysed, following a convergent parallel mixed methods approach.

“Beyond the immediacy”: Axiological experiences of engineering students during the “new normal”

Thembinkosi Mtonjeni — 2023-07-28

Writing Centre Intervention (WCI) in the faculty is a pedagogical resource to facilitate the students’ academic literacy development. In our universities, literacy development focuses mainly on enhancing students’ cognitive, linguistic and epistemological experiences – with little attention given to the psycho-social and ontological dimensions of learning, especially in the science related fields such as electrical engineering. This paper draws on Academic Literacies, Systemic Functional Linguistics and Legitimation Code Theory to study the axiological experiences of first year electrical engineering students at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). The participants for the study were drawn from the students who participated in the WCI, a collaborative, interdisciplinary project designed to help electrical engineering first year students to develop “soft skills” alongside technical-scientific knowledge. Since the workshops were facilitated under Covid-19 lock down restrictions, blended learning was employed. Interviews were conducted via MS Teams. The participants’ utterances demonstrated a mixed bag of emotions, an ideological shift, albeit at different degrees, and strong attitudes toward the learning of the engineering “soft skills”. Therefore, the study calls for a pedagogy of wholeness wherein the epistemological, spiritual, axiological and ontological dimensions of learning are attended to and activated in order to move students’ perceptions “beyond the immediacy” of the current experience.

Promoting multilingualism through translanguaging in South African classrooms

Vimbai Mbirimi-Hungwe — 2023-07-28

Multilingualism has become a ‘buzz’ term in the academic fora in South Africa and the world at large. Research on multilingualism in South Africa has become ubiquitous, however, academic policies have rendered multilingualism a concealed reality. This paper aims to highlight findings of an inquiry into the existence of multilingual students in an academic literacy class. The paper also intends to bring out how multilingual students utilise their language practices in their mission to understand academic concepts. In this study, students’ perceptions about their multilingual nature are brought to the fore using a qualitative statistical analysis approach. A questionnaire was administered to solicit multilingual students’ views regarding the use of all the languages in their repertoire for academic purposes. The outcome shows that multilingual students benefit more from using a translingual approach to understand academic concepts as opposed to using the code-switching approach. Finally, the study shows that students yearn for the recognition and utilisation of their multilingual nature in their academic endeavours. The paper will respond by suggesting ways in which translingual pedagogy can be used to leverage students’ multilingual habitus.

Izinselelo ezibhekene nothisha abafundisa isiZulu njengolimi lokuqala lokwengeza kwezinye izikhungo zemfundo ephakeme ezizimele eGoli

Melusi Ernest Msomi — 2023-07-28

Leli phepha lihlaziya izinselelo ezibhekene nothisha abafundisa isiZulu ezikhungweni zemfundo ezizimele eGoli. Lezi zikhungo zifundisa othisha abazofundisa emabangeni aphansi ezikoleni. Lokhu kusho ukuthi laba bafundi bafundela ukufundisa ezikoleni zamabanga aphansi. Kuyabaphoqa ukuba bafunde zonke izifundo ezifundwa kula mabanga ayisisekelo. Okuyinkinga kakhulu ngukuthi ezinye zezilimi ikakhulukazi zomdabu azikho kulezi zikhungo. Izilimi ezikhona isiZulu, isiPedi nesiTswana. Lokhu kusho ukuthi abafundi abangaMandebele, amaXhosa, amaSwati kanye nabanye abamhlophe kumele bafunde isiZulu. Inkinga iqala uma sekufundwa noma sekubhalwa ngoba amagama amanye ahluke kakhulu kwawesiZulu. Inkinga enkulu ngukuthi laba bafundi kade benza izilimi zabo zebele baze bafika kumatikuletsheni. Uma sebefika ezikhungweni zemfundo ephakeme baqale ulimi olusha abangakaze balufunde. Leyo inkinga yabo othisha babo ngoba kusuke sekufanele beqaliswa phansi befundiswe izinto okumele ngabe bazifunde emabangeni aphansi nasemabangeni athe thuthu. Leli phepha lisebenzise ikhwalithethivu njengendlela yokuqoqa ulwazi. Ngaphansi kwale ndlela kusetshenziswe izingxoxo nababambiqhaza abanikeze ngolwazi. Bonke ababambiqhaza bafundisa ezikhungweni zemfundo ephakeme ezizimele eGoli. Leli phepha lisebenzise injulalwazi ebizwa ngenjulalzwazi yokuhlelwa kolimi. Le njulalwazi ibuka ukuhlelwa kolimi emazingeni amabili, okuyisemazingeni aphezulu nasemazingeni aphansi (Ndimande-Hlongwa, 2014). Leli phepha lithole ukuthi abanye babafundi abangewona amaZulu abaluthandisisi kahle ulimi lwesiZulu, balufunda ngoba bephoqwa yisimo. Leli phepha liphakamisa ukuthi umnyango wemfundo ephakeme wenze isiqinisekiso sokuthi ukusetshenziswa kwezilimi zomdabu kwenzeka ngendlela efanele ezikhungweni zemfundo ephakeme, ikakhulukazi kwezizimele. Kugqame ukuthi ukufundiswa kwezilimi zomdabu kulezi zikhungo akuqikelelwa ngoba ngisho izinsizakufundisa azanele. Kuvele ukuthi kungumsebenzi wabafundisi ukuhlela ukuthi bazofundisa ngani.

This paper investigates the challenges facing by isiZulu lecturers in private institutions in Gauteng. These institutions train both foundation and intermediate student teachers who will teach in primary schools. This means that these students should be trained in all school subjects because they do not have major subjects like those who will teach in the senior and FET phase. The problem is that students who are training in these institutions are coming from all parts of South Africa and these higher institutions do not offer all African languages. They only have sePedi, seTswana and isiZulu. Xhosa, Ndebele and Swati students are forced to do isiZulu as a First Additional Language. These students have never studied isiZulu in their lives; this is their first encounter with it. They lack knowledge of isiZulu, as much as they can understand it spoken. They cannot write and read it. In this situation lecturers are expected to perform miracles in ensuring that these students learn isiZulu in a very short period of time A qualitative approach has been used as a method of data collection in this paper. Interviews were conducted to gather data from participants. Language management theory has been used as theoretical framework for this paper. This theory looks at language planning at two levels, a macro-and a micro-planning level. The analysis found that non-Zulu students did not really like the Zulu language. They learned it because they were forced by circumstances. This paper recommends that the Department of Higher Education ensures that the use of indigenous languages is carried out effectively in higher education institutions, especially in the private sector. It is noteworthy that the teaching of indigenous languages in these institutions is neglected because even the teaching resources are inadequate. It turns out that it is the lecturers' responsibility to plan what they will teach.

Learners’ experiences of creative writing in English First Additional Language: Pedagogical implications

Nikiwe Nondabula — 2023-07-28

This paper is based on a qualitative study that investigated Grade 9 learners’ experiences of creative writing in English first additional language (FAL). Following a social constructivist approach to learning, the paper argues that creative writing is a complex process that demands cognitive and metacognitive skills, so that the language in which learners write matters, since it determines the quality and level of creativity that learners portray in their writing.
The study was conducted in a township school in the Western Cape Province of South Africa, and its aim was to investigate Grade 9 learners’ experiences of creative writing in English FAL. Data was collected by means of focus group interviews with selected Grade 9 learners. The key findings of the study indicate that while the learners experienced language-related challenges, they also acknowledged the linguistic and cognitive benefits of creative writing in English. The study concludes that while learners portray positive attitudes towards English, this language remains a barrier to their learning, especially with regard to creative writing that demands imagination and critical thinking. This article recommends that creative writing be given more attention in schools, and that writing in the official languages be encouraged to enhance learners’ creativity and literacy development.