Koherensie in die argumentatiewe skryfwerk van eerstejaarstudente : 'n teksgebaseerde ondersoek
Die Suid-Afrikaanse onderwysstelsel maak in die primêre en sekondêre taalkurrikulums voorsiening vir die ontwikkeling en vaslegging van verskillende skryfvaardighede. Ten spyte hiervan blyk dit dat talle eerstejaarstudente met toetrede tot universiteit, nie oor die nodige vaardigheid beskik om tekste te skryf wat aan die gebruiklike konvensies en standaarde van ŉ akademiese diskoergemeenskap voldoen nie. Daarom gaan die navorser van hierdie studie uit van die standpunt dat universiteite ŉ voortgesette bydrae behoort te lewer in die verdere ontwikkeling van eerstejaarstudente se skryfvaardigheid ná hulle skoolopleiding, om hulle sodoende in staat te stel om effektief binne ŉ universiteitskonteks te kan kommunikeer. In hierdie studie is ondersoek ingestel na die wyse waarop Afrikaanssprekende eerstejaarstudente konjunksiemerkers in hulle argumentatiewe skryfwerk gebruik. Daar is spesifiek gefokus op die eksplisiete gebruik van dertien konjunksiemerkerkategorieё en hulle onderskeie merkers wat oor al drie die dele (die inleiding, inhoudelike gedeelte en slot) van ŉ argument gebruik kan word, ten einde koherensie tussen al die komponente daarvan (stelling/gevolgtrekking, data, waarborg, ondersteuning, weerlegging en kwalifisering) te bewerkstellig. Die tipe argumentatiewe konjunksiemerkers wat deur die studiepopulasie gebruik is, die funksionele gepastheid daarvan, en die frekwensie van gebruik het onder die soeklig gekom. Vir die doel hiervan, is ŉ lys van tweehonderd ses-en-negentig (296) Afrikaanse argumentatiewe konjunksiemerkers saamgestel. Dit is saamgestel op grond van inligting wat uit die literatuur bekom is, sowel as ŉ handanalise van ŉ honderd argumentatiewe skryfstukke (Fase 1 van die empiriese ondersoek). Hierna is die merkers onder dertien argumentatiewe konjunksiemerkerkategorieë ingedeel en in ŉ analiseraamwerk opgeneem. Die empiriese ondersoek het plaasgevind binne die bestek van korpuslinguistiek. ŉ Korpusgebaseerde navorsingsontwerp is gebruik, en daarom is die data eenmalig ingesamel. Die kwantitatiewe ontledingstegniek daarvan (met behulp van WordSmith Tools, weergawe 5) het as hooffokus van die ondersoek gedien (Fase 2 van die empiriese ondersoek). ŉ Leerderkorpus bestaande uit sewehonderd een-en-dertig argumentatiewe skryfstukke met ŉ woordtelling van 437 580 woorde is ontleed. Tydens die analise is die frekwensie van gebruik, asook die funksionele en niefunksionele gebruik van die konjunksiemerkers vasgestel. Bo en behalwe hierdie analise is die skryfstukke ook deur drie onafhanklike nasieners aan die hand van ŉ analitiese nasienskema geëvalueer (Fase 3 van die empiriese ondersoek). Die data wat hieruit bekom is, is gebruik om statistiese verbande (deur middel van ŉ korrelasie-analise) te trek tussen die punte wat die nasieners toegeken het, en die data wat uit die hoofanalise bekom is (Fase 4 van die ondersoek). Deur hierdie analises kon vasgestel word of eerstejaarstudente se vaardigheid in die skryf van koherente argumente verder ontwikkel behoort te word, en indien wel, watter merkers onderrig moet word. Die resultate van die empiriese ondersoek het getoon dat die studiepopulasie nie oor die nodige vaardigheid beskik het om al die argumentatiewe konjunksiemerkerkategorieё en hulle onderskeie merkers korrek te gebruik nie. Slegs een van die kategorieë (begronding/redegewend) en sy merkers het getoon dat verdere onderrig nie nodig is nie. Al die ander kategorieë behoort wel onderrig te word. Die studiepopulasie se gebruik van hierdie kategorieë kon nie koherensie oor al drie die dele van die argument, en tussen al die komponente daarvan bewerkstellig nie. Dit het verder ook geblyk dat slegs ŉ beperkte aantal van die konjunksiemerkers deur die studiepopulasie gebruik is. Die resultate van die korrelasie-analise (Fases 2 en 3) het getoon dat daar slegs matige verskille was in die gebruik van vier konjunksiemerkerkategorieё tussen die skrywers wat 65% en hoër, die wat tussen 50% en 64%, en diegene wat 49% en laer vir hulle skryfstukke ontvang het. Daar is dus bevind dat eerstejaarstudente se vaardigheid in die skryf van koherente argumentatiewe tekste ná hulle skoolopleiding steeds verder ontwikkel behoort te word. Daarom stel die navorser enkele voorbeelde van onderrigaktiwiteite voor wat vir hierdie doel gebruik kan word.
The South African education system makes provision for the development and establishment of various writing skills in both the primary and secondary language curriculums. In spite of this, it seems that numerous first-year students, when they enter university, do not possess the requisite skills to write texts that conform to the usual conventions and standards of an academic discourse community. The researcher of this study is therefore of the opinion that universities ought to make a continued contribution to the further development of first-years‟ writing skills after their schooling in order to enable them to communicate effectively in a university environment. This study investigated the ways in which Afrikaans-speaking first-year students use conjunction markers in their argumentative writing. The specific focus was the use of thirteen conjunction marker categories and their respective markers that could be used in all three levels (introduction, body and conclusion) of an argument, in order to achieve coherence among all their components (claim/conclusion, data, warrant, backing, rebuttal and qualification). The type of argumentative conjunction markers used by the study population, their functional appropriateness and their frequency of use were investigated. A list of two hundred and ninety six Afrikaans argumentative conjunction markers was compiled for this purpose. It was compiled on the basis of information obtained from a literature survey as well as a manual analysis of one hundred argumentative writing tasks (phase 1 of the empirical investigation). After this, the markers were divided into thirteen argumentative conjunction marker categories and included in a framework for analysis. The empirical investigation took place within the ambit of corpus linguistics. A corpus-based research design was used, and the design was therefore a cross-sectional one. The quantitative analysis of the data (using WordSmith Tools, version 5) was the main focus of the study (phase 2 of the empirical investigation). A learner corpus consisting of seven hundred and thirty one argumentative assignments with a word count of 437 580 was analysed. During the analysis, the frequency of use as well as the functional and non-functional use of the conjunction markers was established. In addition to this analysis, the assignments were assessed by three Abstract v independent markers by means of an analytic marking scheme (phase 3 of the empirical study). The data emanating from this phase were used to establish statistical links (by way of a correlation analysis) between the marks assigned by the markers and the data from the main analysis (phase 4 of the study). These analyses enabled the researcher to establish whether first-years‟ skills in the writing of coherent arguments should be further developed and, if so, which markers should be taught. The results of the empirical investigation showed that the study population did not possess the necessary skills to use all the argumentative conjunction marker categories and their respective markers correctly. Only one of the categories (grounding/causal) and its markers proved not to require any further instruction. All the other categories ought to be taught. The study population‟s use of these categories did not bring about coherence over all three levels of the argument, including their respective components. Furthermore, only a limited number of conjunction markers were used by the study population. The results of the correlation analysis (phases 2 and 3) showed that there were only marginal differences in the use of four conjunction markers between writers that received a mark of 65% and higher, those that received between 50% and 64%, and those that received 48% and less for their assignments. It was therefore found that first-year students‟ skills in the writing of coherent argumentative text should be further developed. In conclusion, the researcher proposes a number of teaching activities that can be used for this purpose.
The effect of an academic literacy course on first-year student writing : a case study ﻿
Olivier, Louise (North-West University (South Africa) , Potchefstroom Campus, 2016)
Worldwide and in South Africa it seems that various perceptions exist regarding first-year university students who are not academically literate and struggle to produce acceptable forms of academic writing. Standardized ...
Academic development and support at a tertiary institution :|bnarratives of second year at-risk students ﻿
Govender, Thaiurie (North-West University (South Africa) , Potchefstroom Campus, 2016)
In South Africa it is found that students are not prepared for tertiary education. Many tertiary institutions have academic development and support units to support the enrolled students. These units are responsible for ...
The relationship between productive knowledge of collocations and academic literacy in tertiary level students ﻿