Masters Degrees (English)

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Browsing Masters Degrees (English) by Subject "Academic literacy"

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    The design, refinement and reception of a test of academic literacy for postgraduate students
    (University of the Free State, 2012-01) Du Plessis, Colleen Lynne; Weideman, A. J.
    English: A number of studies have indicated that the literacy levels of students at tertiary institutions in South Africa are lower than required for academic success. Nonetheless, the possibility exists that some of these students may in fact manage to graduate with low academic literacy levels, and even be admitted to postgraduate study although they lack the ability to negotiate the advanced academic discourse required to succeed at that level. This study confirms the need for the development of a test of academic literacy for postgraduate students and shows how this can be accomplished by applying recognized design principles within the framework of applied linguistics. The constitutive and regulative conditions for the validation of language tests are dealt with as the necessary foundation for the design of a test of academic literacy for postgraduate students. Whereas language tests have conventionally been required to show validity and reliability, in terms of more contemporary thinking such tests must also possess what is referred to as consequential validity, a notion that refers to the impact of tests. Literacy tests should thus not only be consistent and theoretically justifiable, but should incorporate a multiplicity of evidence to back up their validation. The various phases involved in the design of a test are covered, including piloting and refinement. A theoretical articulation of academic literacy is provided, since this constitutes a crucial aspect of construct validity, with particular attention being given to the delineation of functional academic literacy. The identified ability is reflected in the blueprint for the test construct and is further specified in the task types selected for inclusion in the test. The definite move away from previous generations of ‘scientific’ and positivist thinking can be discerned in the kind of test tasks required of test takers and the way in which these emphasize the instrumental communicative function and mediating role of language as a social instrument within the material lingual sphere of academic discourse. Task types are evaluated in terms of their ability to be productive, based on a quantitative system of measurement and the application of appropriate statistical procedures such as point-biserial correlations. The research concludes with a reception study which assesses the extent to which the current version of the Test of Academic Literacy for Postgraduate Students (TALPS) is well received and whether it meets the regulative conditions of fairness, transparency, utility and accountability. In addition to confirming that the test has an acceptably high face validity, the survey section reveals that many postgraduate students have a restricted view of language and an erroneous perception of academic literacy. Much more needs to be done at undergraduate level to raise awareness about the important role played by language proficiency in all fields of study and how high academic literacy levels can contribute towards academic achievement and student success. The design of effective literacy interventions remains another area of concern. Research is also needed on the desirability and feasibility of designing subject-specific tests and ensuring equivalence where different test versions are in operation.
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    Investigating the efficacy of the "Skills for a Changing World" first-year literacy course
    (University of the Free State, 2011-11-30) Drennan, Laura Maria; Van Wyk, Arlys
    The academic performance of students entering higher education in South Africa has been high on the agenda of universities, organisations working in this sector, the Department of Education, and the media. The reason for this is that many students do not meet the admission requirements for higher education institutions. The low level of academic language proficiency of first-year students in particular is evidenced by entry-level proficiency testing. In response to this problem, new English literacy materials were generated at the University of the Free State to target such students and provide a potential access route to higher education institutions. The investigation of the efficacy of the Skills for a Changing World English literacy course employed a two-part study. The first, a pilot study, encompassed a non-equivalent quasi-experimental research approach which focussed on the performance of a non-equivalent control and experimental group in two different English literacy programmes. The results showed that the new English literacy course neither significantly improved the reading scores nor the academic performance of the students. Further qualitative research was required to investigate issues such as student motivation, students’ perceptions of learning, and facilitators’ perceptions of teaching. These are addressed in the current Master’s study, which adopts a mixed-method approach, where both qualitative and quantitative data was collected simultaneously in the form of pre- and post-test scores, facilitator journal entries, student focus groups, transcriptions of facilitator meetings, and a student questionnaire. The research methodology encompassed an ethnographic study, which involved working with students and facilitators who had been exposed to the Skills for a Changing World English literacy materials for one academic year. The goal of the Master’s study is to determine whether the course changed students’ performance on the National Benchmark Tests (NBT); what students’ perceptions were of their learning on the course; how facilitators experienced teaching the course materials; and whether students enjoyed the course content. The results unfortunately showed a drop in student performance on the NBT post-test, which could possibly be explained by lack of motivation to perform in a test that does not count for marks. Furthermore, the qualitative data seemed to indicate that some students failed to see the value of the course, and that some of the materials were irrelevant and uninteresting. It is postulated that this could have impacted on student motivation, and thus their performance on the course. The lack of facilitator training in English Second Language (ESL) composition also became apparent in the assessment of students’ work. Content-based instruction (CBI) is discussed as a potential solution to these issues, with a particular focus on formative assessment as an integral part thereof.
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    A theoretical justification for the design and refinement of a Test of Advanced Language Ability (TALA)
    (University of the Free State, 2018-09) Steyn, Sanet; Weideman, A. J.; Du Plessis, C. L.
    The emphasis on political equality among the official languages of South Africa makes equivalence in the instruction and assessment of these languages at school level an important objective. The results of the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examination signal a possible inequality in the measurement of language abilities between the set of Home Languages (HLs) offered, as well as in the measurement of First Additional Languages (FALs). This necessitates action on the part of applied linguists to find a viable instrument for equivalent assessment. In order to do so, one must first find common ground among the various languages on the basis of which one can then derive a generic set of abilities that form part of an advanced language ability in any of these languages. As components of an overall ability, these will inform an idea of advanced language ability on which the further articulation of a construct for such a test should be based. This study explores the assumption that there are certain functions of language that all languages have in common, even though these different languages may not necessarily operate equally well in all material lingual spheres of discourse. Using as a theoretical basis the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS), as well as current thinking about language teaching and assessment, this study not only provides a definition and further explication of advanced language ability but also describes the design of an assessment instrument to test this ability, the Test of Advanced Language Ability (TALA), that operationalizes the components of this construct. This test could potentially be the basis of a new, generic component of the NSC examination for Home Languages that might provide us with an instrument that can be demonstrated to be equivalent in terms of measurement, should it prove possible to develop similar tests across all the Home Languages. The study concludes with an evaluation of this instrument, a critical look at the limitations of the study and an overview of the potential utility of both the instrument and the findings of this investigation beyond its original aims.