Madoda Cekiso

Gender Differences in the Reading Comprehension of Grade Three Rural Learners in South Africa

Abstract The study sought to explore the gender differences in the reading comprehension of grade three rural learners whose mother tongue is IsiXhosa in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. A convenience sample of 95 learners (49 boys and 46 girls) based in one school participated in the study. An English language reading comprehension test and IsiXhosa reading comprehension test were administered to the learners. A quantitative design was employed in this study. A t-test was used to determine whether the reading comprehension mean scores of boys and girls differed reliably from each other in both languages. The results indicated that there was no significant difference in the IsiXhosa reading comprehension test between boys and girls although the girls outperformed the boys. The results also indicated that there was a significant difference in English reading comprehension test between boys and girls. The results further revealed that the magnitude of the reading comprehension gap between boys and girls was wide in the English reading comprehension test than in IsiXhosa. Recommendations to close the gap in English reading comprehension between boys and girls were made

Exploring the Lived Experiences of Children-Of-The-Street in Mthatha

Abstract This paper reports the findings of a qualitative South African study that explored the lived experiences of children-of-the-streetin Mthatha in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The study involved 19 children who had been involved in street life for periods ranging from 10 months to 10 years. The participants were aged from 9 to 18 years. The researchers conducted one-on-one interviews with the participants and content-analysed them. The findings showed that the participants experienced emotional problems, however; they had developed survival strategies that enabled them to cope with streetism. The findings challenge researchers and mental health practitioners not to be blind to processes that render some street-involved children psychosocially vulnerable and the mechanisms that others use to maintain mental health in the context of streetism. These processes and mechanisms need to be considered in designing secondary intervention programs for erstwhile street children.

Gendered Naming and Values Attached to amaXhosa Amakrwala (Graduate-initiates)

Abstract This paper is based on a study that explored the gendered naming and values attached to the amaXhosa amakrwala, and the kind of behaviour expected from them after being ‘declared men’. Drawing from an empirical study that sought to understand the conceptual underpinnings of the practice, the paper presents the perceptual voices of both the graduate initiates and name-givers. The study was qualitative in nature and the participants were selected purposefully. Interviews of 40-50 minutes were conducted in the isiXhosa language which was the mother tongue of the respondents. The data was collected from10 graduate-initiates, 4 male name-givers and 2 female name-givers. The results revealed that the names given to amaXhosa graduate-initiates reflected social identity, values and social expectations.

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.

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.

Exploring Working Relationships between Union Representatives and School Management Teams in the Rural Public Schools of South Africa: Implications for School Management

Abstract The present study seeks to explore the working relationship between members of school management teams (SMT) and union representatives in four rural public junior secondary schools in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The study was conducted through a qualitative research methodology, which entailed the use of a case study design in four selected junior secondary schools. This was done through the use of focus group interviews. Two sets of questions were posed to two interview schedules whereupon participants were required to provide responses. Eleven SMT members and 7 union representatives took part in the study. Separate focus group interviews were conducted according to SMT groups and union representative groups in each school. The findings highlighted the role that SMT members and union representatives played jointly or separately in ensuring the smooth running of their school, as well as in addressing tensions between staff and management and amongst the staff members to enhance effective work in each school. The findings include issues of bias amongst SMT members against some union representatives or members of their unions; the role of the SMT members in consultation processes towards improving working relationship with union members on matters of mutual interest. The study also showed that there was a need for managers of schools and union representatives to know, interpret, understand and implement labor-related legislations in the same way to ensure consistency and stability in their schools. Recommendations to improve the relationship between the school management teams and the union representatives were made.

An Exploration of Challenges Related to Inclusion of Students with Disabilities at a University of Technology in South Africa

Abstract The present study attempted to explore the challenges related to inclusion of students with disabilities at an institution of technology in South Africa with an intention to suggest recommendations for improvements. A purposive sample of 12 students (5 females and 7 males) with disabilities participated in the study. A semistructured interview exploring the challenges related to inclusion of students with disabilities at the university was conducted with the participants. The findings of the study revealed that the students with disabilities experienced a number of challenges related to the inclusion of students with disabilities at the university under study.The study revealed that the students with disabilities experienced challenges related to accessibility to the lecture rooms, library, halls/auditoriums, residents, administrative block and learning. The participants believed that the physical infrastructure in the university was not user-friendly for students with disabilities. Recommendations to improve the challenges related to inclusion of students with disabilities were made.

Home Language versus First Additional Language Instruction: A Comparison of Grade 3 Rural Learners' Reading Comprehension in South Africa

Abstract This study seeks to investigate how the language of learning and teaching (LoLT) affects learners’ reading comprehension. Two primary schools were chosen, one where the home language (IsiXhosa) was the medium of instruction from Grade one to three, with English as a taught subject or First Additional Language and another school where English (First Additional Language) was the medium of instruction from Grade one, with the home language (IsiXhosa) as a taught language were purposively selected for this study. An English language reading comprehension test and IsiXhosa reading comprehension test were administered to 95 Grade 3 learners from the two schools. A t-test was used in this study to determine whether the reading comprehension mean scores of the two groups for both testsdiffered statistically significantly. The results indicated that there was a significant difference in IsiXhosa reading comprehension between learners in the two schools in favour of the learners who were taught in the mother tongue/home language as medium of instruction. With regard to the English reading comprehension test, the results indicated that there was a significant difference in the reading comprehension scores in favour of the learners in a school where English was used as medium of instruction from Grade 1. This study concluded that learners perform better in reading comprehension test in the language that is used as medium of instruction irrespective of whether the language is a home language/mother tongue or First Additional language/second language.