Collection L

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Browsing Collection L by Subject "Afrikaans language -- Remedial teaching"

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    Geskrewetaalmoeilikhede met Afrikaans (eerste taal) by hoerskoolleerlinge : fouteanalise en remedierende strategiee
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 1990) Menkveld, Hendrikje; du Preez, J. J.; Combrink, J. G. H.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Education Policy Studies.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The main aims of this study were to present an overview of the causes of problems involving written language (Afrikaans), to determine the categories of errors made by high school pupils, and to suggest remedial procedures to eliminate these problems. The literature study done on normal written language reveals basic similarities as well as differences between writing and talking and between writing and reading. These processes usually interact with each other and involve both cognitive skills and lower cognitive skills. The overview of the ontogenetic development of written language confirms the complexity of the writing process. It also indicates that until recently the teaching of writing, especially in America and Great Britain, restricted the natural ontogenetic development of writing. During the last decade, however, the process approach has been implemented in many schools in America – with good results. The process approach integrates all aspects of teaching writing, including the handling of errors, subsumed under three phases: the pre-writing phase, the writing phase and the post-writing phase. The consideration of difficulties involving written language reveals that high school pupils with learning difficulties usually experience writing difficulties as well. Pupils with learning difficulties and pupils with writing difficulties show strong similarities: they have problems with their self concept, motivation, socialisation, and language control. The quality of their written work is poor and full of mechanical errors such as spelling mistakes and punctuation errors. The causes of learning difficulties and writing difficulties are very similar. Typical causes are neuropsychological dysfunctions, cognitive dysfunctions and language problems arising from these two, or because of limited language development. Evaluating writing difficulties is a problem because there are few suitable standardised tests for English, and no tests for Afrikaans. Therefore teachers and researchers have to use informal tests which in most cases they have to draw up themselves. The experimental study involved 62 high school pupils. In 1981 all of them were included in a remedial programme in Afrikaans (first language). The control group also consisted of 62 pupils. Each member in the experimental group was paired off with a member in the control group. Each pupil completed a questionnaire and one standardised grammar test. They also wrote a story using a photograph as a stimulus. The results of the statistical analysis accord with the findings in the relevant literature. The pupils make the same kinds of mistakes, except in cases where Afrikaans grammar differs from English, i.e. certain spellings, word order and “Anglisisms”. The suggested remedial procedures include affective strategies such as invitational education and the creating of a positive climate. The emphasis is on the process approach to writing. It forms the basis for the learning of cognitive skills and the implementation of different learning styles and learning methods. The study concludes with research findings, with particular attention to the limited provision for pupils with writing difficulties in Afrikaans medium schools. A main proposal is that more should be done for these pupils. This would merit further research.