Investigating the academic reading and writing skills required by the Grade 4 curriculum during the transition to English as language of learning and teaching
Abstract
In South Africa, the transition from the Foundation Phase to the Intermediate Phase is complex and problematic, as is evident from reports on learner underperformance in national and international assessments. The focus of this study was to analyse the South African national curriculum (and specifically the EFAL CAPS in the Foundation and Intermediate phases, and the CAPS for Mathematics in the Intermediate Phase), centring around the preparation of learners to make the transition to English as Language of Learning and Teaching, and to the Academic Literacy associated with the transition. This was a qualitative study within the interpretivist paradigm, and a literature survey, and document analysis, was utilised to identify the underlying assumptions and expectations for learners in the curriculum and compare those to the current skill sets and literacy of learners in South Africa. The findings suggest that, while the theory underpinning the policy documents may be sound, in practice it falls apart in the actual circumstances modern South African teachers find themselves in.
Collections
- Education [1687]
Related items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
Die Wenslikheid van Afrikaans as Vaktaal vir Regstudente
Lombard, E; Carney, T (2011)Since 1994 the official language status in South Africa went from two state languages to eleven. This caused English to stand out as the lingua franca of the wider community and resulted in government using English as ... -
A language programme evaluation : English as language of learning and teaching
Mostert, Annamarie (North-West University, 2008)This study evaluates a teacher development course on the use of English as the language of learning and teaching (LoLT). The course was developed and implemented in a sample of Intermediate Phase classrooms in four rural ... -
The influence of terminology and support materials in the main language on the conceptualisation of geometry learners with limited English proficiency
Vorster, Johanna Alida (North-West University, 2005)Learners in South Africa underachieve in Mathematics. Amidst many other factors that influence the Mathematics scenario in South African schools, one major aspect of the Mathematics classroom culture is the Language of ...