Lees om te Leer om te Lewe: Reading Habits of Students at the University of Limpopo, South Africa

Mousaion ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lefose Makgahlela ◽  
Amogelang Molaudzi
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Reading Habits ◽  
Poor Reading ◽  
Reading Interests ◽  
South Africans ◽  
Institutions Of Higher Learning ◽  
Reading Materials ◽  
Reading Culture ◽  
The University

The importance of reading cannot be overstated. The persistent lack of a reading culture in South Africa has been reported by many scholars. Following the growing concern for the lack of reading habits of South Africans in general and students at the institutions of higher learning in particular, this quantitative study investigates the reading habits of students at the University of Limpopo, South Africa. The data were collected using a questionnaire which was completed by 98 students in the School of Education and Programme of Information Studies. The students were identified on the basis that they are being trained to encourage and promote the culture of reading in their work. Microsoft Excel was used to capture, calculate and organise the collected data for analysing. The major findings of this study were that the majority of the students at the University of Limpopo have poor reading habits and that they read for academic purposes only and not for pleasure. The study also revealed that the students were not reading for pleasure as a result of the unavailability of reading materials at the university. It is recommended that the library of the University of Limpopo introduce reading materials to accommodate students to read for pleasure and recreation. The development of lifelong reading interests and reading habits is a constant process which begins in the home, improves systematically in the school and is carried on in later life. Therefore, reading is not just for school, it is for life, as people have to “read to learn to live”.

Storytelling Initiatives and Reading in Schools in South Africa: A Case from Limpopo Province

Mousaion ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Maredi Mojapelo
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Reading Skills ◽  
School Level ◽  
Literacy Teachers ◽  
Reading Habits ◽  
Support Materials ◽  
Reading Materials ◽  
Reading Culture

Reading is a competency that learners need to acquire from primary school level to enable them to filter through the entire education system. Storytelling is regarded as a teaching resource that literacy teachers can use to stimulate learners to love books, to read and to acquire reading habits and skills. However, in South Africa, it is a stark reality that primary school learners perform poorly in reading, writing and numeracy in comparative and standardised international and national assessments. The lack of exposure to quality reading materials at home and at school has been cited as one of the challenges learners are facing in acquiring reading habits, reading skills and a reading culture. The aim of this study was to investigate storytelling initiatives in primary schools to enhance reading literacy and a culture of reading in learners. To collect in-depth data from 10 Grade 4 or 5 literacy teachers who were selected through purposive sampling, a qualitative research approach was adopted. This approach enabled the researcher to visit literacy teachers physically in 10 primary schools to get first-hand information. Ten primary schools were selected through convenience sampling. The findings indicate that the Department of Basic Education (DBE) encourages storytelling as a weapon to resuscitate and encourage learners to acquire reading skills and to read with confidence in front of their fellow learners from other schools during reading competitions. The study recommends that apart from learning and teaching support materials (LTSM), the DBE needs to procure additional quality reading materials, such as storybooks, including talking books, video games, magazines and newspapers, for distribution to all schools to enable learners to develop reading habits and to inculcate a reading culture in them.

scholarly journals ‘Selfishly backward’ or ‘selflessly forward?’: A white male’s insider perspective on a challenge and opportunity of decolonisation for practical theology in the South African context

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfred R. Brunsdon
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Practical Theology ◽  
Higher Learning ◽  
Mass Action ◽  
South Africans ◽  
White Males ◽  
Institutions Of Higher Learning ◽  
Sitz Im Leben ◽  
African Context

Depending on the Sitz im Leben of practical theologian, the issue of decolonisation will be a greater or lesser reality. For South Africans, decolonisation has become a part of their daily living. Decolonisation can be regarded as a second wave of liberation in the post-apartheid South Africa. Following on the first wave, or even the tsunami of transformation, is the urgent call for the decolonisation of colonial knowledge, structures and epistemologies that endured in the new dispensation. Squarely in the aim of decolonisation efforts are institutions of higher learning and by implication all disciplines taught there, including theology. The non-negotiability of the decolonisation of higher education is evident in the recurring violent protests and mass action, as expressed in different ‘#must-fall’ campaigns over the last few years. This article argues that the current decolonisation drive in South Africa is urging local practical theologians to make an important choice, namely to move ‘selfishly backward’ or ‘selflessly forward’. In other words, maintaining current practices or exploring alternatives in a new context. This choice is embedded in the reality that a significant number of practical theologians in South Africa are white males that may, from a decolonisation perspective, be deemed part of the colonisation legacy. Against this background, the article attempts to provide a reflective insider’s perspective on a challenge and opportunity this creates for practical theology.

scholarly journals “The RDP of the Soul”, geweld, vergelding, toleransie en Paulus se appèl om moed te hou

2008 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 708-727
Author(s):  
A G Van Aarde
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Moral Leadership ◽  
South Africans ◽  
Nelson Mandela ◽  
King's College ◽  
The Republic ◽  
The University ◽  
Peace And Reconciliation ◽  
Thabo Mbeki ◽  
Public Lecture

“The RDP of the Soul”, violence, revenge, tolerance and Paul’s appeal for enduranceThis article links up with both the Fourth Nelson Mandela Commemorative Lecture presented by the previous President of the Republic of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, in 2006, titled the “RDP of the Soul” and with the book of Dr Richard Burridge (King’s College, University of London), Imitating Jesus, in which he shows how biblical ethics has shaped South Africans’ lives since colonialism, apartheid and post- and neo-colonialism. The article argues that moral leadership by the Christian faith community in South Africa which combats violence by rising up in compassion against injustice can counter-balance the spiralling out of retaliation through revenge. The article describes tolerance in terms of the Pauline concept of endurance and the internalisation of hope for the future. Perseverance despite suffering is seen as the contents of tolerance in the midst of aggressive opposition against the essence of life experienced in terms of an individual’s thinking, willing and feeling. The article is a reworked version of a bilingual commemorative public lecture in English and Afrikaans presented on the occasion of the University of Pretoria’s centenary celebration and is dedicated to Professor Dr P J G Meiring, a member of the Commission of Peace and Reconciliation in South Africa.

scholarly journals The Pretoria Bone Collection: A 21st Century Skeletal Collection in South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 220-227
Author(s):  
Ericka N. L’Abbé ◽  
Gabriele C. Krüger ◽  
Charlotte E. G. Theye ◽  
Alieske C. Hagg ◽  
Okuhle Sapo
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Large City ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Ethics Committee ◽  
Digital Repository ◽  
Online Application ◽  
South Africans ◽  
Human Research Ethics ◽  
University Of Pretoria ◽  
The University

The Pretoria Bone Collection (PBC) began in 1942 with the opening of a medical school at the University of Pretoria (UP) in Pretoria, South Africa, where this skeletal collection is housed in the Department of Anatomy. The purpose of this paper is to provide information on the national legislation associated with obtaining, curating and researching skeletal remains in South Africa, the demographic composition of the PBC, and the inclusion of a portion of these remains into a digital repository known as Bakeng se Afrika (BsA). The PBC comprises 873 complete skeletons, 344 complete postcrania without crania, and 308 complete crania without postcrania. Skeletal contents are reflective of the population statistics of South Africa, with a smaller proportion of White (32%) than Black (65%) South Africans. Unlike the population profile, males in the PBC are greater in number (75.5%) than females (24.5%), which may be explained by the number of migrant labourers traveling into a large city such as Pretoria. From this sample, crania (206), maxillae (141), mandibulae (408), femora (137), and radii (134), as well as several other skeletal elements were micro-XCT scanned and are available on the BsA server. A researcher needs to submit an online application to the Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Pretoria for access to these collections.

A survey of life-long reading habits among UiTM undergraduates

2007 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 123
Author(s):  
Kum Yoke Soo ◽  
Evelyn Sharmannie ◽  
Ahmad Azman
Keyword(s):  
Video Games ◽  
English Language ◽  
External Factors ◽  
Reading Habits ◽  
Reading Materials ◽  
Reading Culture ◽  
Internal And External Factors

This study intents to look at the English Language reading habits of Universiti Technologi MARA Johor undergraduates for the purpose of finding out the reading culture among the undergraduates and the strategies to enhance life-long reading habits. It will thus look at the internal and external factors such as self-motivation, availability of reading materials, role of peers, role of motivators (i.e. family, teachers, government, media) and competition from modern devices (i.e. computer, video games, television etc) that challenges the acquisition of life-long reading habits.

Adoption of Web 2.0 Technologies in Driving Reading Habits of Secondary School Learners in Bulawayo Metropolitan Province, Zimbabwe

Mousaion ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sifundo Nkomo
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Web 2.0 ◽  
School Librarians ◽  
Web 2.0 Technologies ◽  
Reading Habits ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Reading Materials ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Reading Culture

Reading in the 21st century networked society is no longer confined to print. The scope of reading has extended to Web 2.0 technologies that have changed the traditional reading culture of readers. The problem is that secondary school learners in Zimbabwe are not fully adopting Web 2.0 technologies to cultivate their reading habits. This qualitative study examined the adoption of Web 2.0 technologies in driving the reading habits of secondary school learners in the Bulawayo Metropolitan Province in Zimbabwe. A multiple-case study design was employed, which collected data from 210 learners. The learners were divided into 14 focus groups as a data collection tool. Data were augmented through interviews with school librarians and then analysed thematically. Findings reveal that some learners spend five hours per day using different types of Web 2.0 technologies, which include WhatsApp, Facebook, WattPad, Pinterest and YouTube for the purposes of entertainment, and this has a negative effect on their reading. The study revealed potential positive effects of using Web 2.0 technologies, such as having up-to-date reading materials. It is concluded that Web 2.0 technologies can be adopted in driving the reading habits of secondary school learners. Some learners are already using Web 2.0 technologies for downloading novels. Especially girls (and some boys) are reading newspapers by using Web 2.0 technologies; however, other learners are using them for the wrong reasons. This paper contends that if guided well, young people can use these technologies to cultivate their reading habits. A further study is recommended on how parents/guardians can adopt the use of Web 2.0 technologies as a drive to improve the reading habits of learners.

scholarly journals INVESTIGATING FACTORS AFFECTING POOR READING CULTURE AMONG EFL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-38
Author(s):  
Sumaya Khalid Mustafa ◽  
Osama Sayfadin Ali ◽  
Mohammed Sherko Awlqadir ◽  
Rekar Jalal Mahmood
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Role Models ◽  
Good Readers ◽  
Poor Reading ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Reading Culture ◽  
Major Factors ◽  
University Lecturers ◽  
The University

Reading books has not become a habit among university students in Kurdistan; one can count the good readers in a class with fingers of a hand. This is a big crisis and needs serious work. The problem is demonstrated through the students’ performance and proven knowledge in the academic years and it matters because when the students graduate in the university and during the university academic years they do not have sufficient knowledge that a university student needs to have. This study aims to investigate the factors that affect poor reading culture of the EFL learners in Kurdistan universities. It provides the major factors that affect the reading interest of EFL learners. For this purpose, a questionnaire, and an interview are used. The questionnaire is designed to obtain certain information regarding the learners’ reading culture, environment, factors that motivate and demotivate them. The interview is designed to ask certain questions which are answered by university lecturers and one of them is the director of the general library in one of the universities. Through the study, it was found that reading books has not become a habit among university students in Kurdistan and they have given little or no attention to reading books, and students’ cultural environment demotivates them from reading books. Kurdish culture, lack of role models, and insufficient libraries are among factors of poor reading culture among university students. However, it was found that university libraries are quite sufficient for reading books. Therefore, the results indicate that the reading culture is not at the needed level and students are not used to providing a decent time for reading daily. They spend their free time on other things rather than reading. The findings of this study may serve as reliable data regarding the culture and habit of reading which shows an up-to-date piece of information about one of the great aspects of EFL learners in universities in Kurdistan which is reading culture.

scholarly journals School Leadership and the Experience of Education Under Oppression

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Deitle ◽  
Daniel Lee
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Social Reconstruction ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
South Africans ◽  
Personal Experiences ◽  
The University

Background: This qualitative study examined apartheid-era South Africa, from 1948 to 1994, which established social and administrative policies that deliberately curtailed the education of Indigenous and other South Africans as a means of oppressing non-European ethnic groups. Analysis: In lieu of face-to-face interviews, the experience of education under apartheid is examined through stories and interviews submitted to the Apartheid Archives Project, curated by the University of the Witwatersrand, in Johannesburg, South Africa. The central question asks how the personal experiences of an oppressive school system, as interpreted through the framework of Freirean education, informs school leaders. Conclusion: Oppression infiltrates school systems, impinges on the educational process, and robs students of learning opportunities. In recognizing this, educators engage their responsibility as school leaders, and embrace the pivotal role education plays in social reconstruction, liberation, and humanization.

scholarly journals South Africa: Restitution, equality and justice

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 996-1001
Author(s):  
L. S. Ruban
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Cape Town ◽  
Residential Areas ◽  
Difficult Situation ◽  
South Africans ◽  
History Of ◽  
University Of Cape Town ◽  
The University ◽  
Civilized Society ◽  
White Minority

The article is a review of the book Another Country. Everyday Social Restitution by Charlene Schwartz (Cape Town; 2016). The author believes that the history of South Africa is complex and contradictory, and the problem of equality, justice and regulation of race relations is actual under overcoming the apartheid - when passions ran high, and black South Africans want to put an end to the shameful past, when their human dignity was violated, their children did not have a decent future, because they could not get education and profession, and the cherished dream of the black child was to become white. Schwartz shows that the life of the black majority has improved in both financial and educational terms, and all changes were enshrined in law; however, in the psychological perspective, there is still a feeling of inferiority, which determines not only pain and shame, but also anger and aggression, especially among young people, and leads to calls for violence against the white minority. On the other hand, the white minority is stressed due to the transition from the privileged position to the outcasts, is often removed from prestigious jobs and elite residential areas, and the very survival of the white population often demands self-isolation. Several generations of Afrikaners consider South Africa their homeland and do not want to leave it despite all threats. Thus, the question is how to reconcile two opposing groups and ensure racial peace. This difficult situation is studied by Schwartz with trainings at the University of Cape Town - together with her students she searches for a decision urgently needed for survival and a civilized society.

scholarly journals “Reading Habits and their Influence on Academic Achievement among Students at Asia Pacific International University, Thailand.”

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1469-1495
Author(s):  
Sasikala Balan ◽  
Josephine Esther Katenga ◽  
Amanda Simon
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Data Gathering ◽  
Matrix Analysis ◽  
Asia Pacific ◽  
Educational Organizations ◽  
Reading Habits ◽  
Reading Materials ◽  
International University ◽  
The University

Introduction: The study examined reading habits and their influence on academic achievement among students at Asia-Pacific International University (AIU), Thailand. Literature shows there is a decline in reading habits among students. Distractions from technology and social media result in a lack of interest in reading. Therefore, the objectives of this research were: a) to examine the reading habits of students at AIU; b) to discover the level of student academic achievement, and c) to determine the relationship between reading habits and academic achievement. Method: As a quantitative survey research design, the selection of 250 AIU undergraduate students was done using a convenience sampling method.  These individuals responded to a survey questionnaire, which was the only data gathering instrument for the study. To analyze the data, a Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). Multiple regression and Correlation Matrix analysis was conducted to check the influence of reading habits on academic achievement. Result: Among the five variables, the study confirmed that the purpose of reading has a significant relationship with academic achievement. The findings also indicate that the majority of the respondents value the importance of reading but have low reading habits.  Discussion:  Based on the findings of this study, educators in institutions should encourage students to read while in class and, parents should familiarize reading to their children at home from a very young age. Policymakers should facilitate and avail good, interesting reading materials to students through their educational organizations. Finally, the researcher recommends that further research should find about the factors that hinder students reading habits and it’s to impact their academic achievement within the university or the region to bring awareness among students to become competent with their language skills and academic achievement, in Thailand.

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