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The importance of English as academic language
Tertiary education in South Africa has had a chequered history, mainly as a result of educational policy during the Apartheid Era. This policy distinguished between students on a racial basis, and directly affected the quality of education students received. Apart from the inferior quality of education to which they were generally exposed, black students also had to face the further complication of receiving tuition in English, an additional language to most. A very similar situation with regard to the languages used for education prevails in present-day South Africa, where, in tertiary education particularly, thousands of students are engaged in studies through a language – English – which is not their primary language.
With English increasingly becoming the default global language, it is inevitable that more and more students who use English as an additional language will enrol at universities worldwide. Apart from its unavoidable status as lingua franca in South Africa, English is also generally regarded as a language of upward mobility. As a result of its elevated status, the language is preferred by many students (who are mother-tongue speakers of other South African languages) as a language of learning at institutions of higher education (cf. Coetzee-Van Rooy, 2000; Dalvit & De Klerk, 2005; De Kadt, 2005). The difficulty of engaging successfully in tertiary study in South Africa through an additional language (English) that one has not acquired adequately is well documented (cf. Blacquiere, 1989; Palazzo, 1989; Puhl & Swartz; 1989; Jiya, 1993; Moyo, 1995; Nyamapfene & Letseka, 1995; Orr, 1995; Kroes, 1996; Zulu, 2005). Consequently, it is of crucial importance that programmes for the development of academic literacy in English seek constantly to address effectively the needs and difficulties of learners in the South African tertiary context.
The remainder of this introductory chapter focuses on issues regarding academic literacy development in a South African tertiary context, with a specific emphasis on the University of Pretoria, since this University is the location for the current study.
Chapter 1 Contextualisation of the problem
1.1 Introduction
1.2 The importance of English as academic language
1.3 The context of higher education in South Africa
1.3.1 A changing tertiary environment
1.3.2 Tertiary academic literacy in context
1.3.3 The language of learning (LOL)
1.3.4 Academic literacy development at the University of Pretoria
1.4 Problem statement
1.5 Aims of the study
1.6 Method of research
1.7 Chapter division
1.8 Conclusion
Chapter 2 Academic discourse in tertiary education
2.1 Introduction
2.2 The nature of academic discourse
2.3 Reasoning in a tertiary academic context
2.4 Textual conventions of academic discourse
2.4.1 Formality
2.4.2 Conciseness and exactness
2.4.3 Impersonality and objectivity
2.4.4 Nominalization
2.4.5 Grammatical correctness
2.4.6 Coherent and cohesive (logical) structure and argument
2.4.7 Appropriate use of evidence
2.5 Conclusion
Chapter 3 The teaching and learning of academic writing
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Key issues in the teaching and learning of academic writing
3.2.1 Include an accurate determination of students’ current levels of academic literacy
3.2.2 Include an accurate account of the understandings and requirements of lectures/supervisors in specific departments or faculties regarding academic writing
3.2.3 Engage students’ prior knowledge and abilities in different literacies to connect with academic literacy in a productive way
3.2.4 Consider learners’ needs (and wants) as a central issue in academic writing
3.2.5 Create a learning environment where students feel safe to explore and find their own voices in the academic context
3.2.6 Give careful consideration to the most appropriate mode for teaching and learning academic writing
3.2.7 Determine whether primary and additional language users should be treated differently in writing interventions
3.2.8 Provide ample opportunity to develop revision and editing skills
3.2.9 Acknowledge assessment and feedback as central to course design
3.2.10 Provide relevant, contextualised opportunities for engaging academic writing tasks that students feel contribute towards thei development as academic writers in the tertiary context
3.2.11 Include productive strategies that achieve a focus on language form 54
3.2.12 Support and encourage the use of technology in writing
3.2.13 Focus on the interrelationship between different language abilities in the promotion of writing
3.3 Approaches in the development of writing
3.3.1 Product (text) approaches
3.3.2 Process approaches to writing
3.3.3 Writing as social practice
3.3.4 Hybrid approaches
3.4 Conclusion
Chapter 4 A framework for the design of tertiary level academic writing courses
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Elements of a framework for academic writing course design
4.2.1 The student as writer of academic texts
4.2.2 Textual features of academic writing
4.2.3 The reader of student texts
4.2.4 Institutional factors influencing the development of writing ability
4.2.5 Approach to teaching and learning writing
4.2.6 The development of writing course materials
4.3 Conclusion
Chapter 5 Academic literacy perceptions and requirements of supervisors – data analysis and discussion
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Academic writing requirements for postgraduate studies
5.2.1 Survey instrument
5.2.2 Analysis and interpretation of the results for all supervisors
5.2.2.1 Introduction
5.2.2.2 Section A – Institutional and professional issues
5.2.2.3 Section B – Supervisor perceptions about the academic literacy levels of their students
5.2.2.4 Section C – Specific literacy and writing difficulties experience by postgraduate students
5.2.2.5 Section D – Academic writing requirements of disciplines
5.2.2.6 Section E – Supervisor feedback
5.2.2.7 Section F – Academic literacy support
5.2.3 A discussion of the data pertaining to supervisors from the School of Agricultural and Food Sciences compared to supervisors from other faculties
5.3 Conclusion
Chapter 6 Student perceptions and expectations of academic literacy and writing – data analysis and discussion
Chapter 7 Results for the Test of Academic Literacy Levels and written text analysis
Chapter 8 Interview data on academic literacy and writing – analysis and discussion
Chapter 9 Implications of the empirical results for the design of an academic writing course for the study group
Chapter 10 A proposal for the development of academic writing course materials for the study group
Chapter 11 Conclusion and recommendations
References
Addendums
Addendum A Questionnaire – Supervisor perceptions of the academic literacy requirements of postgraduate students regarding the production of written academic texts
Addendum B Questionnaire – background in academic literacy (student profile)
Addendum C Questions for the follow up supervisor interview on academic literacy and writing
Addendum D Writing check
Addendum E Error correction scheme for language and style
Addendum F Additional examples of writing tasks
Addendum G Recordings of the supervisor interviews on compact disc
