scholarly journals Validating the highest performance standard of a test of academic literacy at a South African university

Per Linguam ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kabelo Sebolai ◽  
Fiona Stanford
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Academic Literacy ◽  
Performance Standard

Creating epistemic access through a scaffold approach: Academic literacy skills development for South African first-year public administration students

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 156-174
Author(s):  
Gerda HG van Dijk ◽  
Brenda A Vivian ◽  
Lianne P Malan
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Academic Performance ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
South African ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Academic Literacy ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
First Year ◽  
Epistemic Access

For higher education institutions to produce graduates capable of contributing to society and the economy in a productive manner, educational emphasis is placed on the development of critical thinking. The above necessitates that higher education institutions are able to engage in responsive curriculum design and delivery for enhanced student success and access. Public Administration programmes focus on equipping students to work within the broader government sector, able and capable of delivering public functions responsive to the needs of society. Literature suggests that there are a number of factors which influence the success ratio of any undergraduate programme in the South African context, including, inter alia, increased enrolments, student–staff ratios and the overall decline of professional and intellectual life in the country. Further complicating matters are classes too big to be participatory and crammed syllabi preventing in-depth discussions. The notion of embedding academic literacy development in curriculum design through a scaffolded approach aims to influence the academic performance of students through engaged and active learning in order to attain a higher level of achievement as well as benefit from the process of scaffolding. The research comprises a mixed method approach using a case study of the first-year students enrolled for a Public Administration degree. Data collected included an analysis of 2015, 2016 and 2017 student cohorts in: determining their academic literacy level upon registration (set as a baseline before any academic literacy intervention); tracking their academic performance through their formative and summative assessments (through a scaffolded approach); and reflecting upon their learning through their completion of a semi-structured survey. The research intends to argue that the use of a scaffolded approach to learning enhances epistemic access, which sees students moving beyond propositional, or foundation knowledge to epistemic or reflexive knowledge.

scholarly journals The relationship between self-efficacy and reading proficiency of first-year students: An exploratory study

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Naomi A.N.Y. Boakye
Keyword(s):  
Reading Instruction ◽  
South African ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Academic Literacy ◽  
Reading Proficiency ◽  
First Year ◽  
Tertiary Institution ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Affective Factors ◽  
The Relationship

Self-efficacy, which is the belief about one’s ability to perform a task successfully, has been widely acknowledged as important in learning. This affective factor, though not explicitly evident, has been said to play an important role in academic performance. However, its role in reading development has not been widely investigated. To determine the relationship between self-efficacy and reading proficiency, a study was conducted with first-year students in a South African tertiary institution. Students’ self-efficacy levels were elicited through a questionnaire and their reading proficiency was obtained through the Test of Academic Literacy levels (TALL), which essentially assesses reading proficiency. An analysis of variance showed a robust relationship between reading self-efficacy and reading proficiency for this cohort of students. Regression analysis conducted with other affective factors showed self-efficacy as the best predictor of students’ reading proficiency. Results are discussed as they relate to previous research and recommendations are made to include the development of self-efficacy in reading instruction.

scholarly journals Decolonising an Academic Literacy curriculum at the University of the Free State with creative writing: challenges and opportunities

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 87-103
Author(s):  
Peet van Aardt
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Academic Literacy ◽  
First Year ◽  
Literacy Curriculum ◽  
African Students ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Literacy Course ◽  
Graded Readers ◽  
The University ◽  
Local Narratives

As part of the first year Academic Literacy course at the UFS, students are required to study graded readers. The booklets are abridged versions of Western fiction, therefore these narratives reinforce the colonial presence in our curriculum. But South African students need to read local narratives in order to learn about each other – from each other. By taking part in the Initiative for Creative African Narratives (iCAN) students improve our curriculum by writing their own short stories so that they become contributors of material that will be graded and tested to form part of the UFS Academic Literacy curriculum. Thereby, students contribute to larger bodies of knowledge through their lived experiences. This paper reflects on the challenges and opportunities within the iCAN process.

Social literacies and students in tertiary settings

2002 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 49-58
Author(s):  
Zannie Bock ◽  
David H. Gough
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Literacy Practices ◽  
Academic Literacy ◽  
Assessment Practices ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Literacies ◽  
Alternative Practices

Abstract In this article we explore the consequences of the social literacies model of understanding students’ academic literacy practices at a South African University. We highlight some of the paradoxes of this model in South Africa in terms of the particular demands of dominant literacy practices and past discriminatory policies which denied access to such practices and which created alternative practices. We include some observations we have made about including alternative literacies in assessment practices in tertiary classrooms.

Student perception on a supplementary multimodal tool for Academic Literacy: A pilot study

2021 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 73-93
Author(s):  
Susan Marais ◽  
Mariska Nel ◽  
Jaco Fourie
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
South African ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Student Perception ◽  
Academic Literacy ◽  
Teaching Tool ◽  
E Learning

In light of the various advantages the e-learning experience could have for students, a blended teaching approach, where instructors make use of e-learning, has become increasingly prominent in higher education institutions. This study, which was conducted at a South African institute of higher education with a diverse and multilingual student population, focusses on student perceptions of theefficacy and accessibility of a multimodal tool called WIReD to supplement the existing academic literacy module. The review of student perceptions was structured around the outcomes for the module unit with which WIReD is intended to blend. In order to determine student perception, a questionnaire using a Likert-scale to measure responses along with open-ended questions, were used. As such, this study firstly examined students’ impressions of the design (overall appearance) and accessibility of WIReD. Secondly, it  investigated the appropriateness of content, especially with regard to the envisaged blend between WIReD and the module contentas taught during lectures and in the workbook. Despite being a pilot study with results based exclusively on student perception, it seems that WIReD can be utilized as a supplementary multimodal tool and that the outcomes thereof blends effectively with the outcomes of the academic literacy module. Keywords: academic literacy; blended learning; e-learning; multimodal teaching tool; student perception; WIReD

Implementation of a Multimodal Academic Literacy Resource at a South African University

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 83-102
Author(s):  
Kristien Andrianatos
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South African ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Academic Literacy ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Institutional Management ◽  
Custom Made ◽  
African Higher Education ◽  
Study Context ◽  
South African Higher Education

As a lecturer at a higher education institution in South Africa, the author is conscious of an emphasis placed on multimodal resources as part of the globally experienced shift to teach remotely due to the COVID-19 epidemic. In this autoethnographic study, she critically reflects on her experience in planning and executing the implementation of a custom-made multimodal resource called WIReD. WIReD is an acronym for writing, information literacy and reading development. She situates academic literacy and WIReD within the theoretical framework of multiliteracies, and thereafter provides background in terms of the study context and gives a brief description of WIReD. The methodology section includes the data used, a brief discussion on validity, reliability, and the reflexive process. The data analysis led to two broad categories of implementation inhibitors, namely inadequate resources and collaboration. These hindrances highlight broader issues with regard to institutional management, lecturers, and the needs of students in the South African higher education context.

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