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.
A lack of transfer of academic literacy competencies was identified by academic literacy and Statistics lecturers involved in an extended programme course. This paper reports on one attempt at a ...workable collaborative solution to this challenge. The collaborative attempt is situated within the academic literacies framework, and is described. Thereafter, student feedback as well as critical self-reflections from participating lecturers are qualitatively analysed in an interpretative framework, to determine how key stakeholders experienced the collaborative intervention. The collaborative attempt was found to be valuable in more effectively achieving the outcomes of both courses, and in helping students see the relevance of academic literacy in content subjects – this is in line with an academic literacies framework which holds that academic literacy cannot be divorced from the contexts in which it is practiced. The primary factors that led to a successful collaboration were a willingness of all partners to participate in the project and regular communication between collaborators. Main problems encountered revolved around miscommunication between lecturers and students, and an insufficiently detailed timetable that resulted in pressure at certain stages.
While great strides have been made to improve accessibility to higher education in South Africa, the educational excellence that is required to build a strong economy remains elusive, as evidenced by ...low throughput numbers. Research suggests that students’ lack of conceptual understanding might be at the heart of the problem. This study investigates the value of concept mapping as a scaffolding technique to improve conceptual understanding. Postpositivism served as the epistemological framework for the research. The quantitative dimension involved a quasi-experiment with a test and a control group, whereas the qualitative dimensions included questionnaire responses and observation. It was hypothesised that Accounting students in an extended programme who were introduced to the concept mapping technique would have an improved grasp of Accounting concepts, as would be indicated by an improvement in their marks when completing an explantory paragraph of Accounting concepts after the intervention. Qualitative data on students’ experience of using visual aids, and concept mapping in particular, were also analysed. Students’ post-intervention marks of the test group showed no improvement, and therefore no proof can be offered to support the claim that concept mapping improves conceptual understanding. An analysis of students’ attitudes towards concept mapping did, however, show enthusiam for the technique. Limitations of the study included the absence of a pilot study and the time required to become familiar with concept mapping. An unforeseen constraint on the study was the low student participation.
A lack of transfer of academic literacy competencies was identified by academic literacy and Statistics lecturers involved in an extended programme course. This paper reports on one attempt at a ...workable collaborative solution to this challenge. The collaborative attempt is situated within the academic literacies framework, and is described. Thereafter, student feedback as well as critical self-reflections from participating lecturers are qualitatively analysed in an interpretative framework, to determine how key stakeholders experienced the collaborative intervention. The collaborative attempt was found to be valuable in more effectively achieving the outcomes of both courses, and in helping students see the relevance of academic literacy in content subjects – this is in line with an academic literacies framework which holds that academic literacy cannot be divorced from the contexts in which it is practiced. The primary factors that led to a successful collaboration were a willingness of all partners to participate in the project and regular communication between collaborators. Main problems encountered revolved around miscommunication between lecturers and students, and an insufficiently detailed timetable that resulted in pressure at certain stages.
English for Specific Purposes courses are taught at many universities around the world and also play a critical role in the South African context. There is limited transparency and therefore little ...agreement regarding what the curricula of such courses should include. The aim of this study was to start a conversation about which academic abilities are essential for academic success by describing and evaluating the proposed outcomes of two academic literacy (AL) courses for science students at a South African university. The courses were examined by comparing the abilities addressed in each course to an extensive checklist of general AL abilities. The fouryear programme course was found to cover most of these AL abilities sufficiently, but the weight of several features warranted reassessment. The three-year programme course addressed fewer of these AL abilities and the weighting of several AL abilities also needed to be reassessed. The findings suggest that the four-year extended programme course curriculum offers the better AL foundation as it appears to be more successful in sufficiently addressing a variety of AL abilities. Should the learning outcomes of the two programmes be more closely aligned, students from both programmes entering second year would be equally prepared. However, it would seem that both courses would benefit from further analysis, for example feedback from various stakeholders, and consequent recurriculation.
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