Baba Tshotsho

English Language Proficiency as a Predictor of Academic Achievement among Primary English First Additional Language Learners in South Africa

Abstract The main purpose of the study was to investigate the impact of English language proficiency on learners’ academic achievement in Mathematics, Economic and Management Science and Natural Science. The learners’ performance in the four mentioned subjects was measured through their end of the year (2013) results. A purposeful sample of 215 Grade 8 learners was used in this study. The results indicated that there was no relationship between learners’ English proficiency and their academic performance in Mathematics and EMS. The only relationship the study revealed was between the English language proficiency and learners’ academic performance in Natural Science, although it was not significant. It was concluded that there was no alignment between the current structures of the English language subject offered and the language proficiency required for academic success in Mathematics and EMS.

Assessing Students' Academic Writing Using Systemic Functional Linguistics at a University in South Africa

Abstract The main focus in this paper is to assess academic writing of first year students at tertiary level which essentially determines students’ success in their studies. For the purposes of this paper 20 students from a university of Technology in South Africa were given an essay to write on ‘Challenges Facing Education in South Africa’. hese students were divided into 2 groups: those who were competent and those who were not so competent in academic writing. Their essays were analysed using systemic functional linguistics (SFL) as an analytical tool, looking at how they develop themes when writing texts in the second language. The focus is on identifying the strategies that are critical in academic writing of Black students in a South African multilingual context. The findings showed that the not so competent students in academic writing could not write coherent texts. They failed to contextualize the topic; their paragraphs and sentences were not linked. One of the reasons for this is because they were from poor backgrounds where they did not have reading materials and also their schools were poorly resourced. This paper also serves as a starting point for remedial action that can be taken at school level.

Language Factors Affecting the Katanga Language Spoken in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Abstract There have been debates about how languages used in some of the multilingual African countries have had a negative impact on the minority languages and cultures of the people. For example, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), some of the languages are used in both the public and the private domains while other languages are only used in the private sectors. Therefore, this study aimed at investigating the language factors affecting the inferior status of the Katanga language in the DRC. The study examined the impacts of French, English and Kiswahili dominant languages over the status of the Katanga language in relation to the strategies used by its speakers to revitalise its usage. The study employed qualitative research method which used a case study design. A purposeful sample of thirty (30) Congolese-Katanga people was used in this study. Data were collected through interviews. The findings revealed that the Katanga language was endangered since it was not used in the public domains such as education in the DRC. The study recommended the use of the Katanga language at the schools or the universities.

Exploring First-Year University Students’ Challenges with Coherence Writing Strategies in Essay Writing in a South African University

Abstract The study sought to explore the challenges that first-year student teachers experience in relation to coherence in writing essays in English in a South African university. A purposeful sample of 244 first-year students was used in this study. The respondents consisted of both males and females. Using a rubric, the researchers analyzed the students’ written argumentative essays in English. The results revealed that the students were experiencing challenges related to writing an introduction, a thesis statement, topic sentences, supporting sentences and conclusion. The recommendations were made in order to eliminate these challenges

Exploring the Coping Strategies Employed by Congolese Students in a South African University

Abstract The study sought to establish the coping strategies used by the international students from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) pursuing their degree studies in one of the universities in South Africa. A purposeful sample of nine (9) Congolese French speaking students was used in this study. Data was collected through individual interviews. The findings of the study revealed that DRC students indicated that they employed several coping strategies such as the use of dictionaries, asking other English speaking persons to explain the meaning of a sentence, practicing English with other English speakers, reading extensively, using computers, watching television and using the Teaching and Learning Centre (TLC) where students were getting intense individualized tutorship to get them to use correct tenses, vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation. It was concluded that the university management be made aware of the coping strategies used by the DRC students so as to introduce intervention programs to develop these strategies.

Language Challenges Facing Students from the Democratic Republic of Congo in a University in South Africa

Abstract This research aimed at investigating the learning challenges encountered by international Congolese French speaking students in using English as the medium of instruction at a University in South Africa and the strategies they used to cope with these challenges.Using critical discourse analysis (CDA) the study explored errors in written and spoken language in relation to the strategies used by Congolese students to cope with language challenges. The data was collected through individual interviews and document analysis. The participants of this study were eight University lecturers and nine Congolese French speaking students. The findings of the study revealed that students encountered several challenges in comprehending English concepts taught, as well as in expressing themselves during the lessons; because of the challenges students devised coping strategies.

Assessing Students' Academic Writing at Tertiary Institutions: Implications for Teaching Writing

Abstract The prime focus in the research is to assess whether students that write in their second language are able to write coherent texts. For the purposes of this paper, students at a tertiary institution in South Africa were given an essay to write on Challenges Facing Education in South Africa and those essays were marked focusing at coherence and cohesion. The findings showed that the not-so-competent students in academic writing failed to contextualize the topic. Their paragraphs and sentences were not linked. Their essays were disjoint, in the sense that what had gone before did not provide a smooth transition for what was coming next and a number of issues were discussed in one paragraph.