Browsing by Author "Brand, Irene"

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    An examination of the effectiveness of a digital tool as an intervention measure to improve the reading comprehension skills of high school learners
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2012-03) Brand, Irene; Bergman, E. K.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Modern Foreign Languages
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The current level of literacy in South Africa is cause for concern. The Annual National Assessment of Literacy and Numeracy, conducted nationally by the National Department of Education of South Africa, shows that only 28% of Grade 3 learners and 35% of Grade 6 learners passed these tests in 2011 (Department of Basic Education (a), 2011). According to the policy on progression and promotion issued by the National Department of Education, learners may only be retained once in a phase, which means that these learners may lack essential academic literacy skills when they reach high school. The main concern addressed in this thesis is whether high school teachers can help improve academic literacy by using reading comprehension software, like Reading Rocket, as an intervention tool to help learners who struggle with reading comprehension, and whether Reading Rocket is in fact an effective program to use for such purposes. This study was conducted by using data from one school within the Western Cape which has been using Reading Rocket for the past three years. Use of the program forms part of their timetable, and Grade 8 and 9 learners spend twice per cycle working with the program. Learners are first tested on entering Grade 8 and group reports are retrieved from the program each term to monitor their progress. These reports give a summary of the reading level, the percentage gained in the reading exercises, reading speed in w.p.m and a spelling score in percentage. This data was used to compile a summary of the results obtained over six terms Term 1 2010 until Term 3 2011. These results were compared with quarterly classroom (paper‐based) comprehension and language tests in order to determine is a correlation between the program data and the paper‐based test data. There is no control group for this study as all the Grade 8 and 9 learners use the program. There is no conclusive evidence that the program is an effective intervention tool, but findings show a positive correlation between program data and paper‐based test data which indicates that the program may be used as a tool to determine on what grade level learners read. Given the numerous responsibilities and duties of teachers, it is essential that they are given an effective measuring tool for literacy and because computer software is essentially objective and time‐effective in provide results, using computer technology for such purposes may be part of a solution to improve literacy in South Africa.
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    A Narrative Enrichment Programme in literacy development of Afrikaans speaking Grade 3 learners in monolingual rural schools
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2015-12) Brand, Irene; Anthonissen, Christine; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study is motivated by existing information on the discontinuity between home literacy practices and school literacy expectations of learners who typically speak a local variety of their mothertongue which is in various ways different from the standardised language of learning and teaching (LoLT). In this particular case the study refers to Afrikaans as a home language and language in education. The main concern is that these learners typically perform below par in standardised South African literacy tests such as the Annual National Assessment (ANA) and the Systemic Evaluation Test. They show slower achievement of literacy milestones, higher school drop-out rates and less achievement of access to higher learning opportunities (Lahire, 1995; Siegel, 2007). A Narrative Enrichment Programme was developed as a means of investigating questions concerning learners’ levels of language awareness, their understanding and use of different spoken and written genres, registers and varieties of Afrikaans (including their own), and their general appreciation for spoken and written forms of language in narrative and in other everyday uses. The purpose of such an investigation is to better understand the apparent discontinuity between home language practices and school language expectations, and to suggest new ways of addressing difficulties that arise in literacy development as a result of such discontinuity. The first part of the Narrative Enrichment Programme provided learners with an enriched reading, listening and writing environment in which they could engage with novel stories and work towards producing their own little books. The second part of the programme consisted of supporting exercises that addressed narrative structure issues that arose in the course of the first part. Specifically, exercises of picture-sequencing, picture-sentence matching and an exercise called Beginning, Middle and End were used to assess how learners recount the various components and the chronology of a story that was presented to them in the form of a set of topically connected pictures, and in a longer narrative that was read to them. Findings show that learners have a keen appreciation of the spoken form of language in that they loved listening to the stories. One group showed special enthusiasm for retelling stories that they had heard at home. Another aspect of the programme to which learners responded enthusiastically, was the activity of illustrating little books; this they appeared to enjoy more than writing them. Enthusiastic responses of learners are attended to because learning is much more likely to proceed successfully if learners enjoy the developmental activities. Levels of linguistic awareness with regards to genre, register and grammatical aspects such as spelling differed from learner to learner. Learners showed varying degrees of dependence on the already familiar genres of fables and fairy tales. Regarding writing conventions they also showed varying degrees of awareness of (e.g.) appropriate punctuation. Interesting examples of regional language use which included phonological awareness of the spoken form are discussed in considerable detail. There were unexpected findings regarding the influence that learners’ life experiences have on their narrative products. The picture sequencing activities reflected learners’ use of familiar everyday events and artefacts rather than reference to ones unfamiliar to them, which were apparently intended in the set of pictures. The rich and varied data that was collected, illustrates theoretical positions regarding the different kinds of habitus learners encounter, the ways in which educational systems privilege some linguistic resources above others, the connections between language and identity, and the ways in which new forms of literacy may assist in better facilitating learners’ emerging literacy and the learning that such literacy should facilitate.
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    A narrative enrichment programme in literacy development of Afrikaans-speaking Grade 3 learners in monolingual rural schools
    (Stellenbosch University, Department of General Linguistics, 2016) Brand, Irene
    This study is motivated by existing information on the discontinuity between home literacy practices and school literacy expectations of learners who typically speak a local variety of their mother tongue which differs in various ways from the standardised language of learning and teaching (LoLT). In this particular case, the study refers to Afrikaans as a home language and language in education. These learners typically perform below par on standardised South African literacy tests such as the Annual National Assessment (ANA) and the Systemic Evaluation Test. They show delayed achievement of literacy milestones, higher school drop-out rates and less achievement of access to higher learning opportunities (Lahire 1995; Siegel 2007). In the present study, a two-part Narrative Enrichment Programme was introduced. The first part provided learners with an enriched reading, listening and writing environment in which they could engage with novel stories and work towards producing their own little books. The second part of the programme consisted of supporting exercises that addressed narrative structure issues that arose in the course of the first part. Specifically, exercises of picture sequencing, picture-sentence matching and an exercise called “Beginning, Middle and End” were used to assess how learners recount the various narrative components and the chronology.
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    Taalbewussyn as komponent van geletterdheidsvaardigheid : 'n ondersoek na narratiefvaardigheidontwikkeling by Graad 3-leerders
    (LitNet, 2017) Brand, Irene; Anthonissen, Christine
    Daar word wyd verwys na ondergemiddelde prestasie van jong leerders in geletterdheidsontwikkeling in Suid-Afrikaanse skole (Donald en Condy 2005; Klop 2011; Marais 2012). Terselfdertyd word toegewyd aandag gegee aan moontlike verklarings vir die betreklik lae sukseskoers in die ontwikkeling van kinders se lees- en skryfvaardighede, asook aan moontlike ingrypings wat sukseservaring in vroeë geletterdheidsontwikkeling sal verbeter (Pretorius en Machet 2004; Olivier, Anthonissen en Southwood 2010; Murray, De Pascalis e.a. 2016). Hierdie artikel verwys na ’n studie wat uitgevoer is in Graad 3-klaskamers in twee landelike laerskole in Wes-Kaap waar spesifiek aandag gegee is aan die begrip taalbewussyn en hoe dit in leerders se narratiefontwikkeling waargeneem word. ’n Buitekurrikulêre program, ’n sogenaamde narratiefverrykingsprogram, is ontwikkel en oor ’n periode van ses maande in die taalonderrigperiode as stimulasie en vir diagnostiese doeleindes vir leerders aangebied. Ons kom tot die gevolgtrekking dat aandag aan taalbewussyn by leerders, binne skoolverband en spesifiek met aanmoediging van verhalende lees-, vertel- en skryfwerk, ’n geleentheid bied om geletterdheidsontwikkeling binne skoolverband te bevorder.