Towards the Implementation of E-Assessment in L2 IsiZulu

2020 ◽  
pp. 149-168
Author(s):  
Shamila Naidoo ◽  
Roshni Gokool
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Listening Comprehension ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Adoption And Implementation ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
The University

This chapter reports on a quantitative study that investigated the adoption and implementation of e-assessments of listening comprehension tasks on second language learners registered for the Basic isiZulu module at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Specifically, the chapter examines the process used in the design of listening comprehension activities. It focuses on the pedagogical implications of adopting such tasks within the assessment rigour. Drawing on Hemmati and Ghaderi's study, the focus is on the format of questions. The experiment was conducted over four weeks with a cohort of non-mother-tongue learners of isiZulu. Encouragingly, the findings of the experiment suggest that formative e-assessments of listening comprehension tasks are beneficial to students. Language teachers should, however, engage in a careful and thoughtful planning process in the design of relevant and authentic listening comprehension tasks.

scholarly journals Contrastive analysis and its relevance to language teaching

Literator ◽  
1983 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 63-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. C. Jansen van Rensburg
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Contrastive Analysis ◽  
Teaching Situation ◽  
Contrastive Linguistics

In the course of learning a second language, learners regularly produce utterances in speech and writing which judged by the rules of the second language are erroneous, or ill-formed. Traditionally the attitude to errors was that they were an indication of the difficulties that the learners had with certain aspects of the language, which could be explained by the persistence of the habits of the mother tongue and their transfer to the new language (Lado, 1957). Errors were the result of interference and in an ideal teaching situation could be avoided. From this notion has developed the whole industry of “contrastive linguistics”, with research projects and regular publications of results in a number of countries, including South Africa.

scholarly journals The hegemonic position of English as a medium of instruction at primary school level in KwaZulu-Natal, and its impact on parents' preferences of schooling for their children

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Jeevarathanum Naidoo
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
School Level ◽  
Medium Of Instruction ◽  
English Second Language ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
Primary School Level

This study is concerned with the choices parents of second language learners make with regard to the schooling of their children in respect of medium of instruction, and explores the reasons why parents choose to disregard education in their mother tongue in favour of English as a medium of instruction. This is contrary to the Language in Education Policy, as the Department of Education instils in principals, educators and parents the need for children at primary school level to be taught in their mother tongue. The theoretical framework used to address the problem was the Critical Language Approach, this being an appropriate position from which to investigate language and power. A combination of questionnaires, interviews and observation was used to acquire data from parents and management in a large primary school in KwaZulu-Natal. After analysis of the data, which confirmed the hegemonic position of English as influencing choice of medium of instruction by parents of English second language learners, a model was developed to assist them to see the possible consequences of various choices. The model comprised a tenpoint questionnaire to identify needs, a flow chart diagram resulting from the needs analysis, a pictograph to assist stakeholders to understand the relevant choices available, and workshops to support the choice of medium of instruction. The value of the research, it is thought, lies in clarifying the various influences at play, in particular, the hegemonic position of English, and offering stakeholders a rational, rather than political or emotional basis for the choice of medium of instruction for second language learners, as well as pointing out the possible consequences of such choices.

scholarly journals Multimodal metaphor in ELT: combining theoretical knowledge and skills development

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
pp. 7-20
Author(s):  
Martyna Awier ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Linguistic Knowledge ◽  
Skills Development ◽  
Communicative Ability ◽  
Survey And Evaluation ◽  
The University ◽  
Knowledge In Practice

Multimodal metaphor combines elements of various modes (i.e. visual, written or auditory) and constitutes an attractive means of communication. The aim of the paper is to show that knowledge of metaphors should be taught in foreign language (FL) lessons along with the mother tongue. A pilot study on the effectiveness of the adoption of knowledge on metaphors in practical classes was conducted among students of English philology at the University of Bialystok. The issue was conducted by means of a specially designed Google survey and evaluation sheets. The paper presents some ways of introducing linguistic knowledge of metaphors to advanced FL learners. Furthermore, some practical class activities concerningmetaphor are proposed. Integratingmetaphor and practical exercises on metaphor in FL lessons broadens students’ linguistic knowledge. Developing metaphoric competence also enhances second language learners’ communicative ability, with a special emphasis on their metaphoric competence. Moreover, metaphor-based activities incite students’ analytical and critical thinking. Exercises on metaphors facilitate learners using the newly acquired knowledge in practice. Finally, adopting this approach contributes to promoting students’ autonomy and self-education.

scholarly journals “Reduced Forms” Influence on Second Language Learners’ Listening Input-Intake Conversion

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
pp. 194-199
Author(s):  
Yueyang Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Empirical Study ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Listening Comprehension ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Comprehension Ability ◽  
Input Hypothesis ◽  
Esl Learners ◽  
Reduced Forms

This article analyses the factors influencing the process of input-intake conversion and focuses on the effect of “reduced forms” on English as a Second Language (ESL) learners’ listening comprehension. The Input Hypothesis, the Noticing Hypothesis, the input-intake relationship, and the factors influencing the input-intake relationship are critically reviewed and analyzed. The empirical study of Brown and Hilferty [1] is reviewed and discussed to show reduced forms’ influence on ESL learners’ listening comprehension. The results prove that integrating reduced forms into ESL lessons is both necessary and meaningful for improving students’ listening comprehension ability.

Multimedia learning materials for second language learners

2020 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 175-192
Author(s):  
Xiaoling He ◽  
Haojiang Ying ◽  
Sureenate Jaratjarungkiat
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Community Exposure ◽  
Beginning Learners ◽  
Human Actors ◽  
Noisy Background ◽  
Live Action

Abstract As an important form of second language input, videos have been given much attention by both language teachers and SLA researchers. Second language learning videos typically come in two forms: live-action videos (with human actors in realistic settings) and animation videos. In this paper, we report on an empirical study on the relative merits of these two kinds of videos for beginning learners of Chinese. A total of 82 participants took part in this research as students in a Beginners’ Chinese Language course at a university in Singapore. Each participant attended four learning sessions, two of which being based on live-action videos and another two on animation videos. Post-tests showed that the efficacy of the two kinds of videos differed between students who had had richer community exposure to Mandarin before attending the course and students who did not have such exposure. The former group performed significantly better than the latter after attending live-video sessions. However, students in the latter group reported a preference for animation videos during the post-interviews due to the more well-controlled quality of the soundtracks (i.e., less noisy background).

Samenwerkend Woorden Leren Als Vorm Van Content Based Language Learning; Een Succesvolle Aanpak?

1998 ◽  
Vol 58 ◽  
pp. 63-69
Author(s):  
Hilde Hacquebord
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Word Knowledge ◽  
Reading Vocabulary ◽  
Post Test

Second-language learners need a vocabulary course that they can apply in content areas. Although many schools opt for a reading curriculum to support weak readers, many L2-readers still have difficulties at the word level. In the reading course Weet wat je Leest (Know what you are reading'), there is a vocabulary course especially for L2-readers. It is designed along the principles of 'natural word acquisition', in which attention to the unknown word and elaboration of its meaning on the basis of the co-text is important. Vocabulary learning strategies are presented in such a way that language learners can deal with it in a cooperative way. Cooperation between language teachers and subject teachers is also very important in this project. The experimental reading/vocabulary course has been implemented in several schools. Only 45 students took part in the vocabulary course, and were able to improve their results with respect to word knowledge. Also the control group improved on word knowledge, be it not to the same extent. In a small-scale study, we observed a number of students in the vocabulary course. It appeared that especially the 'overestimators' in the program among them improved their metalinguistic ability with respect to word knowledge, whereas the control Werestimators' did not; they even had lower scores on the post-test.

scholarly journals Embodying human rights in #FeesMustFall? Contributions from an indecent theology

2017 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Grassow ◽  
Clint Le Bruyns
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Specific Context ◽  
Human Rights Abuses ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
The University

This article focuses on the #FeesMustFall (FMF) movement and the question of a human rights culture. It provides evidence from the specific context of FMF at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, which exposes human rights abuses and violence to the dignity of protesting students. To advance a human rights culture within the higher education sector in the context of FMF, the article highlights the role of theology – ‘indecent theology’ (as espoused by Marcella Althaus-Reid) – in revealing the problem and promise of higher education institutions in the quest for a more liberating and responsible society. It is only through interrogating the narratives that sustain the current university structures – and continue to oppress the poor and the marginalised – that South Africa will be able to begin to construct a society that is respective of the rights of all.

One size fits all? In search of the desirable caption display for second language learners with different caption reliance in listening comprehension

2019 ◽  
pp. 136216881985645 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ping-Jung Lee ◽  
Yeu-Ting Liu ◽  
Wen-Ta Tseng
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Listening Comprehension ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Transient Nature ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
Comprehension Aids ◽  
The Impact

Existing research has established captions as effective second-language (L2) or foreign language (FL) listening comprehension aids. However, due to the transient nature of captions, not all learners are capable of attending to captions in all cases. Previous work posited that to leverage the impact of technologies in learning and instruction, a better understanding of the interplay between technology and cognition is warranted. In this vein, the current study set out to investigate the effects of four different caption modes (full vs. partial vs. real-time vs. control) on the listening comprehension of 95 high-intermediate Taiwanese learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) with different caption reliance (i.e. more-caption-reliant vs. less-caption-reliant). The results showed no significant difference between the participants’ listening comprehension outcomes under the four caption conditions when their caption reliance was not considered. However, when this was considered, the differences among the four caption conditions became salient, which was suggestive of the selective effect of captions on L2 learners with different caption reliance. While less-caption-reliant L2 learners had the best listening comprehension outcome under the partial-caption condition and the worst under the full-caption condition, more-caption-reliant L2 learners exhibited the best performance under the full-caption condition yet the worst under the partial-caption condition. The finding underscores the importance of considering L2 learners’ processing profiles when utilizing captioned videos as multimodal instructional/learning materials and speaks to the need of utilizing differentiated video materials for optimal listening outcomes.

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