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Journal articles on the topic 'Literacy development; African languages'
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Wildsmith-Cromarty, Rosemary, and Robert J. Balfour. "Language learning and teaching in South African primary schools." Language Teaching 52, no. 3 (July 2019): 296–317. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0261444819000181.
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South Africa's history of segregation and the privileging of English and Afrikaans as the only languages of teaching and learning beyond primary schooling, make the post-apartheid period a complex one, especially in light of the Constitutional commitment to multilingualism in the 11 official languages. Research on literacy and language teaching contextualises the impact of curriculum and language policy initiatives aimed at improving learner performance. We review research concerning the transition from the study of first additional language (FAL) as subject, to the use of FAL as the language of learning and teaching (LoLT). Also considered are major studies on learner performance nationally and South Africa's comparability globally. The impact of home language (HL) literacy development on performance in English as the LoLT links to research on language development in teacher education programmes, and shows connections between the capacity of teachers to develop languages for literacy and LoLT and learner success. Research on the development of early childhood literacy in the HL demonstrates the positive impact on literacy development in the LoLT.
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Prah,, Kwesi Kwaa. "The language of development and the development of language in contemporary Africa." Applied Linguistics Review 3, no. 2 (October 10, 2012): 295–313. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/applirev-2012-0014.
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AbstractArguably, few issues so overwhelmingly obsess African governments and societies as the question of development. Many would claim that it is the leading existential rationale of African governments. This has certainly been the case since the commencement of the era of African self-rule. The lack of success in making headway in the development of African societies has kept interested parties close to the grindstone. What over the past few decades has become clear to many is the fact that culture in general and language and literacy in particular are crucial to the development endeavour. The questions that emerge from there are that, what are the relevant contextual linguistic realities of contemporary Africa? How do they affect the issues attendant on development? How do the dominant assumptions and epistemology in applied linguistics relate to the challenges that face Africa today? This article will address these issues.
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Niipare, Alina Kakunde. "Preparing Namibian Student Teachers to Teach Literacy in Mother Tongue." African Journal of Teacher Education 8 (April 1, 2019): 25–52. http://dx.doi.org/10.21083/ajote.v8i0.4095.
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Scholars of language teaching agree that the development of initial literacy is best achieved when taught in the mother tongue. Namibia’s language policy for schools prescribes teaching using mother tongue or the predominant local language as a medium of instruction during the first three years of schooling. This study reports on a study of how Namibian lecturers prepare student teachers to teach literacy in mother tongue (Oshikwanyama and Oshindonga) dialects of Oshiwambo language. Data were collected through classroom observations, semi-structured interviews and document analysis. Content analysis was used to analyse the data. The main findings are that most of the lecturers were proficient in the languages in question and they fluently explained the literacy content in Oshikwanyama and Oshindonga. However, the preparation was constrained by a lack of prescribed books in the African languages. The study aims at filling a gap in the literature on how Namibian student teachers are prepared to teach literacy in mother tongue grounded within a sociocultural perspective.
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Stranger-Johannessen, Espen, Liam Doherty, and Bonny Norton. "The African Storybook and Storybooks Canada: Digital Stories for Linguistically Diverse Children." Language and Literacy 20, no. 3 (July 19, 2018): 121–33. http://dx.doi.org/10.20360/langandlit29413.
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Storybooks Canada (storybookscanada.ca) makes multilingual audiovisual stories available in multiple languages to promote language and literacy development. Building on a long tradition of freely available, open educational resources, Storybooks Canada provides online, multimodal, mobile- and teacher-friendly access to 40 African stories in 21 of the most commonly spoken languages in Canada (including English and French)—making it possible to support and encourage the multilingualism of heritage language, immigrant, and refugee students. In doing so, the project demonstrates the potential for working against the normalized North-South directionality of knowledge flows to develop a more equitable ecosystem for the mobilization of knowledge.
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Robinson, Clinton, and Tú Anh Thị Vũ. "Literacy, languages and development in Africa: a policy perspective." International Review of Education 65, no. 3 (May 28, 2019): 443–70. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11159-019-09785-2.
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Ngom, Fallou. "Aḥmadu Bamba's Pedagogy and the Development of ʿAjamī Literature." African Studies Review 52, no. 1 (April 2009): 99–123. http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/arw.0.0156.
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Abstract:While African literature in European languages is well-studied, ʿajamī and its significance in the intellectual history of Africa remains one of the least investigated areas in African studies. Yet ʿajamī is one of the oldest and most widespread forms of literature in Africa. This article draws scholars' attention to this unmapped terrain of knowledge. First, it provides a survey of major West African ʿajamī literary traditions and examines the nexus between the pedagogy of Aḥmadu Bamba and the development of Wolofal (Wolof ʿajamī). Then, with reference to excerpts from Sëriñ Masoxna Ló's 1954 eulogy, it discusses the role of Wolofal in the diffusion of the Murīd ethos.
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De Wet, C. "Die invloed van taalhoudings op onderrigmediumkeuse in Suid-Afrika." Literator 21, no. 3 (April 26, 2000): 37–58. http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/lit.v21i3.495.
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The influence of language attitudes on the choice of the medium of instruction in South Africa The South African Constitution (Act 108 of 1996) recognises language as a basic human right and emphasises the right of choice of every individual with regard to the language of learning and teaching (LOLT). In exercising their democratic language choice, the majority of South African learners and their parents reject their right to mother-tongue education and disregard research findings that emphasise the benefits of mother-tongue instruction. From a study of subject-related literature it has become clear that the masses in South Africa believe that a knowledge of English is the key to economic and political empowerment. Against the background of these findings, the article reports on an empirical study on the language attitudes of undergraduate Education and B.Ed. students at the Bloemfontein and Queenstown campuses of the University of the Free State. The study confirms the findings of the subject-related study to a large extent, namely that English is seen as the key to economic and political empowerment. The opposite is, however, proven by literacy and poverty figures, as well as by studies on blacks’ proficiency in English. Proceeding from the economic, political and educational realities, the article offers a few suggestions for the development of African languages as LOLT.
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Some-Guiebre, Esther. "Mainstreaming English Language Learners: Does It Promote or Hinder Literacy Development?" English Language Teaching 9, no. 1 (December 2, 2015): 33. http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/elt.v9n1p33.
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<p>This study examines the interaction between African immigrant students and their mainstream teachers. I am particularly interested in the influence of classroom practices on the literacy development of Francophone African immigrant children in the U.S. classroom. The student participants in this study (two French speaking African students) were all permanent residents in the United States. They were all born and schooled in their home countries and were fluent in French (the language of instruction in their home countries). Since their immigration to the U.S. with their parents, the children have been confronted to several linguistic, social, cultural, and economic challenges that slowed down their academic progress and achievement. This paper uses Krashen’s (2005) discussion on language acquisition to argue that specific classroom practices can hinder the literacy development of immigrant children. The data used for this discussion was collected through the observation of a 5<sup>th</sup> grade classroom, informal conversations with two French speaking African students and interviews with their mainstream teacher as well as their English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers.</p>
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Raselekoane, Nanga Raymond. "African languages and the challenges of community development in South Africa." South African Journal of African Languages 34, sup1 (May 20, 2014): 1–8. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02572117.2014.896521.
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Brock-Utne, Birgit. "LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION IN AFRICA - THE MOST IMPORTANT AND LEAST APPRECIATED ISSUE." International Journal of Educational Development in Africa 1, no. 1 (October 14, 2014): 4–18. http://dx.doi.org/10.25159/2312-3540/2.
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This article deals with the language of instruction, also called ‘the least appreciated of all the major educational problems’. It shows how little attention is paid to this issue in donor policies as well as in the recent ‘World Bank education strategy 2020’. Donors to education in Africa seem to focus on learning outcomes but they do not see that in order to improve learning outcomes, a key focus must be on support to the development and use of the most appropriate language of instruction and literacy from the learner’s perspective. The article discusses the ‘quality’ of education and the point is made that quality of education cannot be separated from the important question of which language should be used for education. Retaining the former colonial languages as languages of instruction may serve a small elite but works to the disadvantage of the majority of Africans. The language of instruction is a powerful mechanism for social stratification, increasing inequalities. Towards the end of the article the myth of the many languages in Africa is discussed.
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Sawyer, Brook E., Lauren M. Cycyk, Lia E. Sandilos, and Carol S. Hammer. "‘So many books they don’t even all fit on the bookshelf’: An examination of low-income mothers’ home literacy practices, beliefs and influencing factors." Journal of Early Childhood Literacy 18, no. 3 (September 7, 2016): 338–72. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1468798416667542.
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Given the need to enhance the academic language and early literacy skills of young children from low-income homes and the importance of the home literacy environment in supporting children’s development, the purpose of this qualitative study was to better understand the home literacy environment of low-income African-American and Latino mothers of preschool children living in the United States. Specifically, research aims were to examine home literacy environment practices, beliefs and influential factors as well as to compare the home literacy environment of African-American and Latino, specifically Puerto Rican, families. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 African-American and 10 Puerto Rican mothers. Data were analysed using the consensual qualitative research method. Twelve themes were identified: provision of educational materials, engagement with books, focus on print, implicit language opportunities, focus on other pre-academic skills, social interactions with books, influence of school, influence of other adults, parents’ reading interest/ability, child’s reading interest, parents’ commitment to child’s success and family stressors. Few differences emerged between African-American and Puerto Rican mothers. Implications for language and literacy intervention development are discussed.
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Willenberg, Ingrid. "Foundations for Literacy: Emergent Literacy Competencies of Grade R Learners on the Cape Flats." South African Journal of Communication Disorders 54, no. 1 (December 31, 2007): 20–28. http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/sajcd.v54i1.751.
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International research has demonstrated that a considerable amount of children’s literacy development occurs prior to formal schooling and that emergent literacy skills at school entry are strong predictors of later literacy and general academic achievement. These findings have prompted vigorous early intervention programmes aimed at promoting emergent literacy development to optimise the development of conventional literacy. While there is considerable research conducted in developed countries, there is limited research on the emergent literacy skills of children in South African contexts. In the light of increasing evidence of poor literacy performance of South African children in the foundation phase of schooling it is imperative that appropriate and timely intervention be undertaken. However it is important that intervention be informed by baseline assessments of the children’s literacy competencies in the full spectrum of socio-cultural contexts in this diverse country. This study documents the emergent literacy competencies of 101 grade R (the year prior to grade 1, equivalent to kindergarten in the United States) learners attending schools in historically disadvantaged coloured communities on the Cape Flats in the Western Cape. An Emergent Literacy and Language Assessment protocol was developed for use with this population. The children’s performance on the assessment tool indicated that in general they possessed a reasonable repertoire of emergent literacy skills. Although they displayed adequate skills to support acquisition of print decoding skills necessary for fluent reading, weaknesses in the decontextualised language skills that have been found to support later reading comprehension, were evident.
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Ramuedzisi, Lutamo Shadrack, Linda van Huyssteen, and Itani Peter Mandende. "An enhanced terminology development and management approach for South African languages." South African Journal of African Languages 39, no. 3 (November 29, 2019): 263–72. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02572117.2019.1672322.
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Verhoef, M. "Funksionele meertaligheid in Suid-Afrika: 'n onbereikbare ideaal?" Literator 19, no. 1 (April 26, 1998): 35–50. http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/lit.v19i1.511.
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Functional multilingualism in South Africa: an unattainable ideal? Although much has been done on an official level to establish true multilingualism in South Africa, a tendency towards English monolingualism seems to exist in the country. The aim of this article is to describe the official stipulations in pursuit of multilingualism, as they appear in the Constitution (Act 108 of 1996), the School Act (Act 84 of 1996) and the final report of Langtag. In addition to the present demands, the article also responds to previous demands for multilingualism in the South African context, particularly as stated in the Bantu Education Act of 1953. It is argued that, because of the negative connotations associated with mother-tongue instruction in the past, contemporary mother-tongue instruction will also be contaminated. Apart from the theoretical investigation into multilingualism, the article reports on empirical research that has been done in this regard in the North West Province where the attitudes and perceptions of the school population towards the regional languages were measured. Although the subjects reacted positively to the official status granted to several South African languages, they expressed a preference for English as working language because of the access it gives to personal, economic and social development and empowerment. The article concludes with brief recommendations regarding language planning opportunities that derive from this situation.
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Roberts, Joanne, Julia Jergens, and Margaret Burchinal. "The Role of Home Literacy Practices in Preschool Children's Language and Emergent Literacy Skills." Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research 48, no. 2 (April 2005): 345–59. http://dx.doi.org/10.1044/1092-4388(2005/024).
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This study examined how 4 specific measures of home literacy practices (i.e., shared book reading frequency, maternal book reading strategies, child's enjoyment of reading, and maternal sensitivity) and a global measure of the quality and responsiveness of the home environment during the preschool years predicted children's language and emergent literacy skills between the ages of 3 and 5 years. Study participants were 72 African American children and their mothers or primary guardians primarily from low-income families whose home literacy environment and development have been followed since infancy. Annually, between 18 months and 5 years of age, the children's mothers were interviewed about the frequency they read to their child and how much their child enjoyed being read to, and the overall quality and responsiveness of the home environment were observed. Mothers also were observed reading to their child once a year at 2, 3, and 4 years of age, and maternal sensitivity and types of maternal book reading strategies were coded. Children's receptive and expressive language and vocabulary were assessed annually between 3 years of age and kindergarten entry, and emergent literacy skills were assessed at 4 years and kindergarten entry. The specific home literacy practices showed moderate to large correlations with each other, and only a few significant associations with the language and literacy outcomes, after controlling for maternal education, maternal reading skills, and the child's gender. The global measure of overall responsiveness and support of the home environment was the strongest predictor of children's language and early literacy skills and contributed over and above the specific literacy practice measures in predicting children's early language and literacy development.
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Jordaan, Heila, and Sharon Moonsamy. "Academic Literacy and Cognitive Processing: Effects on the Examination Outcomes of Speech-Language Pathology Students at a South African University." Journal of Cognitive Education and Psychology 14, no. 1 (2015): 98–109. http://dx.doi.org/10.1891/1945-8959.14.1.98.
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This study was conducted in the South African context, where education is in a state of transition. One of the central issues in higher education is the development of academic literacy. However, as a result of an inadequate focus on educational linguistics and a lack of explicit instruction in academic literacy, many students do not achieve their full potential. This study focuses on aspects of academic literacy in the examination responses of a group of students studying in the discipline of speech-language pathology. The purpose of the study was to determine whether or not there is a relationship between the students’ academic literacy skills and their ability to answer examination questions. By means of an exploratory retrospective longitudinal record review, the examination scripts of 20 students were rated for evidence of various academic literacy skills. The ratings were highly correlated to the actual examination marks in both years of study, suggesting that there is a need to incorporate explicit instruction in academic literacy to develop students’ metacognitive processes while reading and writing for academic purposes.
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Gains, Paula, and Barbara Graham. "Making space for expressive and creative writing in African primary Schools: a two-site action research study in Kenya and South Africa." Reading & Writing 2, no. 1 (May 25, 2011): 77–95. http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/rw.v2i1.14.
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Similar concerns about the development of children’s creative writing abilities in Kenya and South Africa prompted two Mother Tongue (MT) education practitioners in Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) and Molteno Institute for Language and Literacy of Linguistics (MILL) to undertake parallel intervention studies to increase teachers’ competence in writing pedagogy and improve the quantity and quality of learners’writing. Most early literacy teachers have had no experience themselves of expressive writing, so it is not surprising that this activity rarely, if ever, features in public school early literacy classrooms. The hypothesis which formed the basis for this action research study was that educators, exposed to extensive and expressive writing themselves, will be more skilled in the generation of such activities with learners. This paper reports on the workshop processes in the two sites, identifying similarities and di"erences in the experience. Whilst the hypothesis, though tested, remains unproven,this paper presents findings that are of relevance to further study in the area of writing pedagogy research and also to teachers and teacher educators involved in writing in the primary school.
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Schachter, Rachel E., and Holly K. Craig. "Students' Production of Narrative and AAE Features During an Emergent Literacy Task." Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools 44, no. 3 (July 2013): 227–38. http://dx.doi.org/10.1044/0161-1461(2013/12-0034).
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Purpose This study examined child production of narrative features and of African American English (AAE) during a wordless storybook oral narrative task. Method Participants were 30 AAE-speaking African American kindergarten and 1st grade students from low- and mid-socioeconomic status homes. Story grammar (SG), story literary technique (SLT), and AAE features were examined. Results Young AAE-speaking students used a variety of SG narrative features to develop the plot in their oral stories. Students also used multiple SLT elaborative features, though some techniques were used more frequently than others. The total SLT score positively predicted the total SG score, and the individual SLTs of adverbs or adjectives, references to the main theme, and character interactions were positively correlated with the total SG score. AAE-feature production rates did not predict the total SG score. However, several individual AAE features served specific narrative functions, with the preterite had, zero past tense, zero preposition, fitna/sposeta/bouta, and double marking features often being used to relay complicating actions within the narratives. Conclusion Young children used both AAE and elaborative features in their narratives. Particular AAE features facilitated plot development, and the use of more elaborative features positively predicted higher narrative development scores.
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Latha, R. H. "The development of critical and cultural literacies in a study of Mariama Ba's So Long a Letter in the South African literature classroom." Literator 23, no. 3 (August 6, 2002): 179–96. http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/lit.v23i3.349.
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The Languages, Literacy and Communication learning area of Curriculum 2005 endorses “intercultural understanding, access to different world views and a critical understanding of the concept of culture” (National Department of Education, 2001:44). Although this curriculum is learner-centred and tries to create a better balance in the previously asymmetrical relationship between teacher and student, it does place great demands on the educator to avoid reinforcing cultural and multipolitical ideals which are not concomitant with the principles of a multicultural democracy. Since learners are expected to respond to the aesthetic, affective, cultural and social values in texts, the educator has to act responsibly in choosing texts which promote the values inherent in Curriculum 2005. Implicit in the curriculum statement is a commitment to critical pedagogy in the literature classroom with the general aim of promoting societal transformation. As the cultural assumptions underlying particular texts are often not known or shared by all learners, it is important for the educator to facilitate an examination of these assumptions in order to promote cultural understanding and values such as religious tolerance. This article will therefore investigate the development of cultural and critical literacies in the South African literature classroom with particular focus on So Long a Letter by the postcolonial African Muslim woman writer, Mariama Ba.
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Naidoo, U., and K. Reddy . "Perceptions of Educators of Reading Literacy; A Case Study of the Intermediate Phase in South African Primary Schools." Journal of Economics and Behavioral Studies 4, no. 10 (October 15, 2012): 555–69. http://dx.doi.org/10.22610/jebs.v4i10.357.
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The achievement of worldwide participation in education is essentially determined by the quality of education available. How well learners are instructed and how much they learn determines how regularly learners attend schools. Sound education is further affected by the following factors: time spent learning by learners, assessment methods for monitoring learner progress, styles of teaching, education spending, the language of instruction, and classroom organisation strategies (EFA Global Monitoring Report, 2005). However, the development of learners’ literacy in South Africa as a developing country is accentuated by several challenges. Many learners in South Africa have difficulty understanding the language in which they are taught which is English, as they are not taught in their mother tongue. However, the language of instruction is not solely responsible for the poor performance in international reading tests and schooling in general. Learners are also faced with socio-economic issues, very little or hardly any parental supervision and educators are faced with the challenge of finding reading methods and strategies suitable to improving reading. Learners in the foundation phase are explicitly taught reading skills. In the intermediate phase, learners are expected to apply the skills acquired in the foundation phase to access the curriculum. In reality, this is difficult to achieve. The purpose of this article is to determine educator perceptions of reading literacy in the intermediate phase with the aim of enhancing reading literacy in the intermediate phase.
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De Silva, Chamellé René, and Margaret A. Hill. "Higher order reading skills and reader response theory: strategies for the classroom." International Journal for Innovation Education and Research 1, no. 2 (October 31, 2013): 87–108. http://dx.doi.org/10.31686/ijier.vol1.iss2.105.
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South African learners’ performance in the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS 2006) assessment reinforced the need for reading instruction practices aimed at addressing the difficulties in language and reading in both the Foundation and Intermediate Phases, particularly comprehension. PIRLS (2006) highlights the areas of low achievement of South African learners by referring to strategies identified by current research as central to the learning of reading. South Africa lags behind in introducing these critical skills. We argued for the inclusion of an alternative reading programme to the phonics only approach currently and predominantly used in Foundation Phase.The study was lodged in a qualitative paradigm and embedded in action research. The analysis is framed by constructivist grounded theory. Qualitative data generated by the respondents’ response journals were analysed using the constant comparative method. Theories that inform the analysis of this data, are Bourdieu’s theory of habitus, Kohlberg’s theory of moral development and Bloom’s taxonomy of thinking skills. The participants' were a non-exclusionary cohort of 58 third Graders.
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Fox, Moya, and Susannah Micaela Hanlon. "Barriers to Open Access uptake for researchers in Africa." Online Information Review 39, no. 5 (September 14, 2015): 698–716. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/oir-05-2015-0147.
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Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the extent of visibility of researchers in African countries, in the Open Access (OA) arena and aims to identify main causes of reduced uptake in OA in Africa. Design/methodology/approach – Extent of visibility is explored by quantitative analysis of institutional repository and OA journals data sets followed by qualitative analysis of OA foundation documents and literature on OA in Africa published mainly between 2003 and 2013. Findings – Visibility in institutional repositories or OA journals for African researchers remains low. Causes include insufficient educational support for librarians and administrators in required new roles; inability of national, organisational and technological infrastructures to support OA; impracticality of western-based and costly publishing models; and disincentives relating to intellectual property and researcher perceptions. Complex language and literacy issues also inhibit engagement. Recommendations include strong OA advocacy, development of support initiatives, integration of international knowledge for local conditions and vice versa, sensitive preservation of indigenous knowledge and development of mechanisms of funding and research assessment mechanisms, which are economically and technically viable. Originality/value – Earlier attempts were made to raise awareness about the lack of uptake of OA in Africa. This paper shows that the situation has hardly changed and now requires urgent attention. Otherwise OA will not “become the default method for distributing new peer-reviewed research in every field and country” by 2022 (BOAI, 2012).
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Jackson, Fiona. "Divine Interventions: Needs Analysis for Post-graduate Academic Literacy and Curriculum Development, in a South African School of Theology." Language and Education 19, no. 1 (January 15, 2005): 50–73. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09500780508668804.
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Bradford, Angela C., and Joyce L. Harris. "Cultural Knowledge in African American Children." Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools 34, no. 1 (January 2003): 56–68. http://dx.doi.org/10.1044/0161-1461(2003/006).
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Purpose: This study sought to determine whether typically developing African American children’s culturally based mainstream and ethnocultural knowledge increased between grades four and six. Because a lack of mainstream cultural knowledge has been implicated in reduced reading comprehension among many African American children, this study also investigated the degree to which ethnocultural and mainstream cultural knowledge differed. Method: Fifty-eight African American children in grades four, five, and six responded to the Test of Core Knowledge (Bradford & Harris, 2000), a divergent task that required free associations about topics drawn from both mainstream and African American history, arts, and news events. Responses were audiotape-recorded, orthographically transcribed, and analyzed for accuracy and quantity of information. Results: Participants’ knowledge of both mainstream and African American cultural items increased significantly between grades four and five and their knowledge of history, news events, and African American arts increased significantly between grades four and six. Additionally, significant differences were found between grades five and six for mainstream and African American news events. Clinical Implications: This sample of African American children demonstrated mainstream cultural knowledge that often surpassed ethnocultural knowledge. Such broadbased mainstream cultural knowledge meets academic expectations and can be used to facilitate further development of language and reading comprehension skills. However, this finding also suggests the need for future investigations of the relationship between mainstream cultural knowledge and literacy, bicultural knowledge in African American children from lower socioeconomic status and/or more ethnocentric backgrounds, and bicultural knowledge in those children who have language and reading comprehension deficits.
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Holt, Yolanda, and Elijah Asagbra. "Implementing Dialogic Reading Intervention Through Community-Based Participatory Research: A Tutorial." Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools 52, no. 1 (January 18, 2021): 4–15. http://dx.doi.org/10.1044/2020_lshss-19-00100.
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Purpose This work describes community-based participatory research (CBPR) to support language and literacy development with Pre-K and kindergarten African American boys. Method The aim and goals of the project were designed using the CBPR model. Interventionists were trained with researcher-designed videos. Interventionist fidelity to training was assessed. Pre- and posttests of child language were completed after the 12 weeks of dialogic reading intervention. Results The CBPR team learned the dialogic reading protocol from the video trainings and provided the lessons with fidelity. Children's postintervention scores of sound-matching and nonword repetition increased significantly. Postintervention changes in lexical diversity and productive syntax were age graded, such that younger children's scores increased over time whereas older children's scores decreased. Conclusions CBPR is a viable method for speech-language pathologists seeking to develop language and literacy lessons for low resource communities. Self-paced videos can effectively train interventionists to provide dialogic reading lessons with fidelity. Young children's sound-matching and nonword repetition skills can improve significantly with 12 weeks of dialogic reading lessons.
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Whittingham, Colleen E., Emily Brown Hoffman, and Joseph C. Rumenapp. "“It ain’t ‘nah’ it’s ‘no’”: Preparing preschoolers for the language of school." Journal of Early Childhood Literacy 18, no. 4 (October 24, 2016): 465–89. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1468798416674254.
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This research presents reflections from focus group discussions with childcare providers and parents of preschoolers in one African American community situated within a large Midwestern city in the United States. The purpose of this study was to examine parents’ and childcare providers’ conceptions of literacy and language related to school readiness. During these conversations it became clear that both parents and providers engage in a number of practices to prepare children to use the standard variety of English privileged by mainstream schooling. Participants verbalize the dual importance of encouraging all language development for young children while explicitly teaching the uses of language as situated in a larger social context. Both parents and providers discuss the need to build a bridge for children between the English varieties used at home and the standard English valued by schools. In light of these findings, the authors problematize common conceptions of ‘school readiness’ as unidirectional and discuss implications for children entering school settings where language varieties are undervalued.
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Gregory, Kyomi D., and Janna B. Oetting. "Classification Accuracy of Teacher Ratings When Screening Nonmainstream English-Speaking Kindergartners for Language Impairment in the Rural South." Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools 49, no. 2 (April 5, 2018): 218–31. http://dx.doi.org/10.1044/2017_lshss-17-0045.
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PurposeWe compared teacher ratings as measured by the Teacher Rating of Oral Language and Literacy (TROLL; Dickinson, McCabe, & Sprague, 2001, 2003) and Children's Communication Checklist–Second Edition (CCC-2; Bishop, 2006) to 2 established screeners, the Part II of the Diagnostic Evaluation of Language Variation–Screening Test (DELV-ST-II; Seymour, Roeper, & de Villiers, 2003) and Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills–Next (DIBELS; Good, Gruba, & Kaminski, 2009), and then examined whether teacher ratings alone or when combined with the DELV-ST-II or DIBELS accurately classify nonmainstream English-speaking kindergartners by their clinical status.MethodData came from 98 children who lived in the rural South; 47 spoke African American English, and 51 spoke Southern White English. Using the syntax subtest of the Diagnostic Evaluation of Language Variation–Norm Referenced (Seymour, Roeper, & de Villiers, 2005) as the reference standard, 43 were language impaired and 55 were typically developing. Analyses included analysis of variance, correlations, and discriminant function with sensitivity and specificity indices.ResultsThe TROLL, CCC-2, DELV-ST-II, and DIBELS showed clinical status but not dialect effects, and they correlated with each other, the Diagnostic Evaluation of Language Variation–Norm Referenced, and other language measures. Classification accuracies of all 4 tools were too low for screening purposes; however, empirically derived cut scores improved the results, and a discriminant function selected the TROLL and DELV-ST-II as optimal for determining who should be referred for an evaluation, with the TROLL yielding the highest level of sensitivity (77%).ConclusionFindings support teacher ratings as measured by the TROLL when screening nonmainstream English-speaking kindergartners for language impairment in the rural South, while also calling for additional development and study of teacher rating tools and other screening instruments.Supplemental Materialhttps://doi.org/10.23641/asha.6007712
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Daniel, Dominique. "Students Taking Numerous Honours Courses in High School Have Higher Information Literacy Levels." Evidence Based Library and Information Practice 10, no. 3 (September 13, 2015): 99. http://dx.doi.org/10.18438/b8ck5x.
Full textAbstract:
A Review of:
Fabbi, J. L. (2015). Fortifying the pipeline: A quantitative exploration of high school factors impacting the information literacy of first-year college students. College & Research Libraries, 76(1), 31-42. http://dx.doi.org/10.5860/crl.76.1.31
Abstract
Objective – To assess the impact of students’ high school performances on the development of their information literacy (IL) competency.
Design – Statistical analysis of test performance.
Setting – A large public university in the United States of America.
Subjects – 93 first-time college freshmen. Of these, 46% had been admitted on a probationary status due to GPA under the required 3.0 (“alternate admits”), and 61% had not declared a major (“exploring majors”). 39% identified as Caucasian, 25% as Hispanic, 22% as African American, and 15% as Asian. 84% declared that their best language was English only.
Methods – Participants were self-selected freshmen who enrolled into programs offered by the university’s Academic Success Center. They took the iSkills test, an online evaluation of information literacy competencies developed by the Educational Testing Service, and provided background data on their high school experience. Using hierarchical multiple regression analysis, the researcher evaluated predictors of iSkills score variance among a range of high school experiences: core high school GPA, number of honours classes taken in high school, and number of research projects or assignments in high school. The analysis controlled for gender, best language, race, and admission status as either alternate admit or exploring major.
Main Results – Participants’ mean iSkills scores was below the minimum passing score for the test. There was a significant positive correlation between iSkills scores and exploring major status, core high school GPA, and having taken 5 to 12 honours courses. There was a negative correlation between iSkills scores and language other than English, Asian race, alternate admission status, and having had 1 to 4 honours courses. Among the background variables, the most significant predictor of a student’s iSkills score was his or her best language, followed by race. After controlling for these variables, the most important factors were students’ high school GPAs and the number of honors courses taken.
Conclusion – The researcher discovered that the number of honours courses taken in high school is a strong predictor of information literacy competency as measured by the iSkills test. This remains true when controlling for race and other background factors. This finding is consistent with the assumption that high school teachers of honours courses believe their students to be capable of learning higher-order skills and therefore adopt a constructivist pedagogy, and that such pedagogy promotes the development of information literacy skills. Yet the number of high school research projects or assignments could not be statistically correlated to information literacy competency. In subsequent focus groups, students who had taken fewer honours courses expressed test anxiety, while students who had taken numerous honours courses expressed their determination to get the correct answer. This may inform one surprising result of the study: that students who took 13 or more honours courses in high school did not score significantly better on the iSkills test than those who took 5 to 12 courses.
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Vold Lexander, Kristin. "Texting and African language literacy." New Media & Society 13, no. 3 (March 23, 2011): 427–43. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1461444810393905.
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Mobile communication has become an important part of everyday life in Senegal, and text messages have turned out to be highly multilingual. So far Senegalese language policy has supported the use of the official language, French, in education and in writing in general, while the majority language, Wolof, has dominated the oral sphere. As SMS texts tend to include use of Wolof and other African languages as well as French, the question is whether texting will pave the way for African language literacy practices. The aim of this article is to study texting’s potential impact on the status of African languages as written languages through the investigation of SMS messages written and received by fifteen students from Dakar. Ethnographic tools have been used to collect text messages in Wolof, Fulfulde and French, as well as English, Spanish and Arabic, and also data on the context of communication and on the writers’ and receivers’ interpretations of the use of different languages. The analysis shows that African languages are given different roles and values in texting, being used in monolingual messages, in functional codeswitching and in mixed code messages.
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Bello-Bravo, Julia, Joseph Huesing, Prasanna M. Boddupalli, Georg Goergen, Regina Eddy, Manuele Tamò, and Barry Robert Pittendrigh. "IPM-based Animation for Fall Armyworm: A Multi- Institutional and Virtual International Collaboration Using the Scientific Animations Without Borders (SAWBO) Platform." Outlooks on Pest Management 29, no. 5 (October 1, 2018): 225–30. http://dx.doi.org/10.1564/v29_oct_10.
Full textAbstract:
Rapid dissemination of critical and accurate information to low-resource and poorly literate people in crisis situations has long been a challenge. Historically, print media as well as radio and television have served as major delivery channels. With the advent of cellphones, SMS (texting), and the Internet, these digital technologies now afford enhanced opportunities for reaching this poorly literate, low-resource client group quickly and efficiently. Here, we describe a two-step, rapid response approach to the Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda), an invasive noctuid pest newly causing havoc on maize production in Africa and Asia. First, we developed a science-based, animated video – now being localized further into various languages across Africa and Asia – intended to aid semi-literate, smallholder farmers in identifying and scouting for fall armyworm effectively. Second, we made the animation easily available for (re)distribution in affected areas via the Internet and copying/sharing with Bluetooth®, thereby exponentially increasing the animation's reach across a wide spectrum of diverse languages and literacy levels. In this way, this form of asymmetrical communication hybridizes and combines the educational qualities of print dissemination with the range of radio/television delivery. An urgent need now exists to place the existing mobile ESD FAW animation into as many local languages as needed/possible to improve management of this pest. Such language variants will also increase the usefulness of the FAW animation for governments, intergovernmental institutions, non-government organizations, and civil society groups intent of working with farmers in Africa (and Asia) as it pertains to FAW IPM. The USAID, CIMMYT, IITA, and SAWBO teams will continue to foster awareness around mobile ESD as a FAW resource through each of their respective networks, but we also encourage other research and development organizations to do the same. More broadly, there is also the need to develop and disseminate further SAWBO mobile ESD animations on other aspects of FAW management to assist farmers in their attempts to control this pest. Making sure that target audiences have access to this animation, and any future animations, is undoubtedly a considerable challenge. It will be critical to inform intergovernmental, governmental, and non-governmental organizations, working directly or indirectly with farmers, that this resource exists, such that they can be the direct conduit to its deployment in the field. Thus, this (and any future FAW) animation(s) represent(s) a supporting tool for other organizations to use. It will also require that they develop localized pathways for deployment. However, it is important to note that training local educational deployment agents (e.g., extension agents) in the use of the SAWBO Deployer App allows for a highly effective approach to make SAWBO animations available for deployment with farmers in real time as new animations and language variants become available.
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Sasser, Tyler R., Karen L. Bierman, Brenda Heinrichs, and Robert L. Nix. "Preschool Intervention Can Promote Sustained Growth in the Executive-Function Skills of Children Exhibiting Early Deficits." Psychological Science 28, no. 12 (October 24, 2017): 1719–30. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0956797617711640.
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This study examined the effects of the Head Start Research-Based, Developmentally Informed (REDI) preschool intervention on growth in children’s executive-function (EF) skills from preschool through third grade. Across 25 Head Start centers, each of 44 classrooms was randomly assigned either to an intervention group, which received enhanced social-emotional and language-literacy components, or to a “usual-practice” control group. Four-year-old children ( N = 356; 25% African American, 17% Latino, 58% European American; 54% girls) were followed for 5 years, and EF skills were assessed annually. Latent-class growth analysis identified high, moderate, and low developmental EF trajectories. For children with low EF trajectories, the intervention improved EF scores in third grade significantly more ( d = 0.58) than in the control group. Children who received the intervention also demonstrated better academic outcomes in third grade than children who did not. Poverty often delays EF development; enriching the Head Start program with an evidence-based curriculum and teaching strategies can reduce early deficits and thereby facilitate school success.
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Trudell, Barbara. "Local-language literacy and sustainable development in Africa." International Journal of Educational Development 29, no. 1 (January 2009): 73–79. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2008.07.002.
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Selepe, T. J. "‘Looting killed’ the audience: Africanlanguage writing, performance, publishing and the audience." Literator 22, no. 3 (June 13, 2001): 59–74. http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/lit.v22i3.1055.
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This article examines the role played by African-language writing, performance and publishing, including critical practice, in the demise of the indigenous audience in African-language literary practice. Using implicit materialism the argument is premised on the developments wrought by the era of Modernism that has lead to a univocal writing of world history, and the era of Postmodernism that has ushered in the era of a multivocal writing of world history. The transition from oral literature to written literature will also be used to advance the argument about the subsequent exclusion of the indigenous African- language audience from literary practice. This exclusion is considered to have a direct bearing on the under-development of African societies. Finally, possible solutions will be sought by revisiting some of the causes that characterize the African language problem as a medium of communication and research.
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Panchenko, Volodymyr, Yurii Harust, Yana Us, Olena Korobets, and Vladyslav Pavlyk. "Energy-Efficient Innovations: Marketing, Management and Law Supporting." Marketing and Management of Innovations, no. 1 (2020): 256–64. http://dx.doi.org/10.21272/mmi.2020.1-21.
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This paper summarises the arguments and counterarguments within the scientific discussion on the issue of promotion energy-efficient innovations by marketing, management and law supporting. The innovative development is considered to be an essential condition to provide a high level of social and economic development. Thus, energy-efficient innovations are considered to be among the most critical drivers of qualitative economic growth and increasing the country’s competitiveness in the world market. Systematisation literary sources and approaches for solving the problem of promoting energy-efficient innovations indicated that government and scientists give the powerful punch in energy-efficient development. In view of this, it is appropriate to do the bibliometric research on publication activity on energy-efficient innovation from law aspect. The primary purpose of the study is to analyse the structure and dynamic of scientific publications in the field of energy-efficient legislation in the economic subject areas. The object of study is the chosen publications indexed in the Scopus database by keywords such as: «energy-efficient innovations», «energy law», «environmental legislation», «energy-efficient policy» in the category «title, abstract, keywords». The current study involved data from 1913 papers published on 13 languages in the subject area «Business. Management and Accounting» and «Economics, Econometrics, and Finance» from 2000 to 2019. Using VOSviewer, bibliometric analysis of publications on the issue of energy-efficient legislation was conducted from the view of the publication activity dynamic, considering the most impact articles, and countries in the issues of energy-efficient legislation researches. According to the obtained results, the increasing dynamic of publication activity from 2000 to 2019 was detected. Furthermore, it was visualised four clusters of countries’ collaborations by co-authorship as follows: 1) between the USA, the EU countries (including the United Kingdom) and China; 2) the EU countries, as well as South American such as Brazil and Chile; 3) African countries and the EU countries; 4) between Asian and African countries. Furthermore, the authors highlighted the most influencing articles in the field of energy-efficient innovations that could be the basis for future investigations promoting innovative activity in the field of energy-efficient development. Keywords bibliometric analysis, energy-efficient innovations, environmental legislation, energy policy, Scopus, VOSviewer.
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Kokora, Pascal D. "Literacy in Francophone Africa." Annual Review of Applied Linguistics 12 (March 1991): 230–42. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0267190500002245.
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The ability to communicate, to understand a commonly available body of facts and reach a consensus for policy development and action depends on a literate society. Those who cannot read are unable to participate in the democratic process. They impose a growing social and economic burden on the literate (ANPA 1989:1).
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Kiguru, Doseline. "Speculative fiction and African urban futures: Reading Imagine Africa 500." Tydskrif vir Letterkunde 58, no. 1 (May 7, 2021): 98–106. http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/tl.v58i1.8426.
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This article explores the place of the future African city as presented in contemporary African speculative fiction. It focuses on the short stories in the collection Imagine Africa 500 to look at how the urban space is conceptualized in these narrations of an imagined future Africa, 500 years from now. While the discussion looks at the urban space and imagined technological development, it also takes note of ecological narratives and the contrast drawn between the city and the rural, the local and the foreign, as imagined for the future. The article aims to provoke a debate on the imaginations of what a future African city may look like as presented through literary works and the significance of these imaginings today within developmental and environmental lenses. The aim is to look not only at the creative text but the literary production mechanisms that produce these texts, taking note of the significance of the city space as a physical setting for literary organizations that produce such texts as well as a central theme in the narratives told through these platforms. It reads the future city through use of language, space, form and style to look at how the modern short story is theorizing on African futures.
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Kendall, Judy. "Saro-Wiwa's Language of Dissent: Translating between African Englishes." Translation and Literature 27, no. 1 (March 2018): 25–52. http://dx.doi.org/10.3366/tal.2018.0320.
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This article calls attention to the essential translational aspect of linguistic experimentation in literary uses of African Englishes in colonial and postcolonial West African literature. It focuses mainly on the literature of the most linguistically diverse country in Africa – Nigeria. Drawing on the theoretical work of Itamar Even-Zohar, Lawrence Venuti, and Pierre Bourdieu, it demonstrates how the different Englishes used in this literature act in a translational way, relating and responding to cultural, political, and social contexts. Specific attention is paid to Amos Tutuola's use of interlanguage and diglossia; Chinua Achebe's manipulation of acts of code-switching and mixing; and how Ken Saro-Wiwa's development of a unique language of dissent in his novel Sozaboy: A Novel in Rotten English is built upon these earlier experimentations with translations between Englishes.
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Stevenson Omoera, Osakue. "The Imasuen factor in the Benin language videofilm sector of Nollywood." Issue 1 1, no. 1 (June 12, 2018): 7–21. http://dx.doi.org/10.31920/2516-2713/2018/v1n1a1.
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The phenomenal rise of Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen (LOI) as a filmmaker and director in Nollywood and indeed in Africa is worth probing and documenting for posterity of scholars and professionals, especially against the backdrop of his native Benin (Edo) language videofilm industry and tradition, which he has given his gestaltist support so effusively in terms of technical finesse, global exposure, great storylines, actor/talent development and business architecture, among others. Using the interview, direct observation and literary methods, this article engages LOI in a conversation aimed at unburdening or unpacking the contents of his mind as regards Nollywood and African films, with the hope that upcoming African film producers and directors, especially in the Benin film sector of Nollywood, will gain from his wide-ranging experiences and his perspectives on the current issues that tug at the heart of the globalizing African film tradition and industry called Nollywood.
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Mwaliwa, Hanah Chaga. "Modern Swahili: an integration of Arabic culture into Swahili literature." Tydskrif vir Letterkunde 55, no. 2 (August 30, 2018): 120–33. http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2309-9070/tvl.v.55i2.1631.
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Due to her geographical position, the African continent has for many centuries hosted visitors from other continents such as Asia and Europe. Such visitors came to Africa as explorers, missionaries, traders and colonialists. Over the years, the continent has played host to the Chinese, Portuguese, Persians, Indians, Arabs and Europeans. Arabs have had a particularly long history of interaction with East African people, and have therefore made a significant contribution to the development of the Swahili language. Swahili is an African native language of Bantu origin which had been in existence before the arrival of Arabs in East Africa. The long period of interaction between Arabs and the locals led to linguistic borrowing mainly from Arabic to Swahili. The presence of loanwords in Swahili is evidence of cultural interaction between the Swahili and Arabic people. The Arabic words are borrowed from diverse registers of the language. Hence, Swahili literature is loaded with Arabic cultural aspects through Arabic loanwords. Many literary works are examples of Swahili literature that contains such words. As a result, there is evidence of Swahili integrating Arabic culture in its literature, an aspect that this paper seeks to highlight.
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Michaelis, K. "A critical analysis of Pier Paolo Pasolini’s African Oresteia." Literator 17, no. 2 (April 30, 1996): 79–90. http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/lit.v17i2.604.
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Pasolini's Appunti per un’Orestiade africana (1970) is a metaphorical film, inspired by the Greek legend of Orestes, in which Pasolini views postcolonial African history through the lens of mythology. His portrait of the birth of “modern” Africa is an attempt to narrate the passage from past to present and to salvage "prehistory" through his dream of the unification of the rational, democratic state and the irrational, primal slate of being. It is, however, a dream punctuated by contradictions and paradoxes, a dream which Pasolini will later abandon. Yet it is significant in the overall development of Pasolini's genre.
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Sesanti, Simphiwe. "Studying and teaching ethnic African languages for Pan-African consciousness, Pan-Africanism and the African Renaissance: A Decolonising Task." Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 10, no. 1 (June 3, 2021): 145–64. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ft.v10i1.9.
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In order to conquer and subjugate Africans, at the 1884 Berlin Conference, European countries dismembered Africa by carving her up into pieces and sharing her among themselves. European colonialists also antagonised Africans by setting up one ethnic African community against the other, thus promoting ethnic consciousness to undermine Pan-African consciousness. European powers also imposed their own “ethnic” languages, making them not only “official”, but also “international”. Consequently, as the Kenyan philosopher, Ngũgῖ wa Thiong’o, persuasively argues, through their ethnic languages, European colonialists planted their memory wherever they went, while simultaneously uprooting the memory of the colonised. Cognisant of efforts in some South African institutions of higher learning to promote African languages for the purpose of promoting literacy in African languages, this article argues that while this exercise is commendable, ethnic African languages should be deliberately taught to “re-member” Africa and rediscover Pan-African consciousness. By doing this, African scholarship would be aiding Africans’ perennial and elusive quest for Pan-Africanism and the African Renaissance.
Keywords: African Renaissance, Ethnic African Languages, Ethnic European Languages, European Colonialism, Pan-African Consciousness, Pan-Africanism
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Manten, Aileen, Mia le Roux, Salomé Geertsema, and Marien Graham. "An investigation into the early literacy skills of English second language learners in South Africa." Australasian Journal of Early Childhood 45, no. 2 (April 22, 2020): 142–54. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1836939120918504.
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This study employs the Comprehensive Emergent Literacy Model (CELM) theoretical framework, as it refers to the impact of context on learning early literacy skills. It is relevant to this study as the participants were English second language learners from cultures, communities, and demographics different from those of English first language speakers in South Africa. Early literacy skills, specifically phonological awareness (PA), are predictive of later literacy success. Many English second language (EL2) learners are unable to develop language and early literacy skills. Foundational skills such as general PA skills, often need explicit instruction to prepare the learners to learn to read in English. Twenty-one EL2 Grade 1 learners in an English medium private school in South Africa were selected as participants. Early literacy skills were assessed at the beginning of Grade 1. Reading, spelling, and reading comprehension skills were assessed after two terms in Grade 1 to determine if there is a correlation between early and later literacy skills. Results indicated significantly strong positive correlations between early literacy and later literacy skills. These results and previous research suggest that EL2 learners must be exposed to high-quality early literacy skills as early as possible to provide them with a foundation for future literacy success.
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Van Heerden, Cherié, and Alta Kritzinger. "Parental Perceptions and Practices of Emergent Literacy Development in Young Children with Down Syndrome: The Development of Intervention Guidelines." South African Journal of Communication Disorders 55, no. 1 (December 31, 2008): 37–48. http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/sajcd.v55i1.768.
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Key findings of emergent literacy research conclude that emergent literacy experiences correlate with later reading success and that emergent literacy intervention for children with special needs is essential. As a group with special needs, children with Down syndrome require emergent literacy intervention. They may attain functional literacy skills and their language development determines their reading ability. Speech-language therapists have an important role to play in emergent literacy programme development in South Africa. As a first step towards programme development and emergent literacy intervention goal selection, the aim of this study was to determine the applicability of a self-administered questionnaire to describe parental perceptions and practices regarding the emergent literacy development of their young children with Down syndrome. A quantitative research approach was used within a cross-sectional descriptive survey. Fifteen literate parents, with preschool children with Down syndrome aged between two and five years were selected as participants. Data were collected via email and/or facsimile. The results showed that all participants valued emergent literacy development. They appeared to have knowledge about book-reading but not about the broad spectrum of emergent literacy experiences to which they might expose their children. Participants were actively promoting emergent literacy development of their children, but they had certain needs that could potentially be addressed by speech-language therapists working in early communication intervention. The questionnaire proved to be applicable, but changes are required for application with illiterate parents and those with low literacy skills. Based on the results a framework with guidelines for emergent literacy goal selection is provided.
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Bolton Palumbo, Laura. "Mobile phones in Africa: opportunities and challenges for academic librarians." New Library World 115, no. 3/4 (March 4, 2014): 179–92. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/nlw-01-2013-0008.
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Purpose – Lack of internet access and availability of computers in Africa has hindered learning and teaching there. However, the growing prevalence of mobile phones in Africa and elsewhere has created a way for information to be quickly and easily disseminated in areas where access to the internet and computers are limited. This paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – Mobile phones in Africa are currently being used to share information relating to agriculture, health, and finance. This paper will examine these current uses, investigate the current and future use of mobile phones by academic libraries and in education in Africa, and discuss how mobile phones might be leveraged to further education and information dissemination through academic libraries. Findings – Limited access to electricity, computers, and the internet has prevented technological growth in Africa in the past, but innovative uses of mobile phones have provided an alternate avenue of progress. More still needs to be done so that this technology is accessible by all, such as training in basic adult literacy and English as a second language. African librarians should adopt mobile phone technologies as an integral part of their service, and employ them particularly in the areas of text reference, information literacy, and outreach. Originality/value – Librarians around the world are at a critical time, when the rapid developments brought about by the internet and mobile phones must be sought as a way to enhance library services. African librarians are in a unique position to utilize mobile phones to create new avenues of information sharing and instruction.
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Jenkins, E. R. "English South African children’s literature and the environment." Literator 25, no. 3 (July 31, 2004): 107–24. http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/lit.v25i3.266.
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Historical studies of nature conservation and literary criticism of fiction concerned with the natural environment provide some pointers for the study of South African children’s literature in English. This kind of literature, in turn, has a contribution to make to studies of South African social history and literature. There are English-language stories, poems and picture books for children which reflect human interaction with nature in South Africa since early in the nineteenth century: from hunting, through domestication of the wilds, the development of scientific agriculture, and the changing roles of nature reserves, to modern ecological concern for the entire environment. Until late in the twentieth century the literature usually endorsed the assumption held by whites that they had exclusive ownership of the land and wildlife. In recent years English-language children’s writers and translators of indigenous folktales for children have begun to explore traditional beliefs about and practices in conservation.
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Shayne, Mette. "Acquiring and Studying African Literature." PMLA/Publications of the Modern Language Association of America 117, no. 5 (October 2002): 1225–27. http://dx.doi.org/10.1632/003081202x60314.
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martin cohen's “developments in foreign approval buying,” in the march 2001 issue of pmla, lists some of “the foreign language bibliographer's […] tricks” (393) for stocking collections. Acquiring African literature, however, is largely a different matter. The approval plans Cohen mentions, whereby “the vendor allows you to see the book [or a description of it] before you decide whether or not to add it to the collection,” would be applicable to the presses in England and France specializing in Third World literature (e.g., Heinemann in England, L'Harmattan in France), which publish primarily the most established African writers (see Maja-Pearce; Ruppert). But when it comes to publishing on the continent of Africa, even books by well-known writers (like Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o), when written in the national languages, can only be obtained locally. And certainly all other literature has to be bought in the country of origin.
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Kiguru, Doseline. "Genre versus Prize: The Short Story Form and African Oral Traditions." English in Africa 47, no. 3 (February 10, 2021): 37–54. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/eia.v47i3.3s.
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In “The Short Story in Africa,” Nadine Gordimer writes that the genre is more malleable and open to experimentation with style, language and form than the novel, which means that it is more easily accommodated within a variety of media spaces. Gordimer adds that the short story is “a fragmented and restless form, a matter of hit or miss, and it is perhaps for this reason that it suits modern consciousness” (170–71). Taking its cue from Gordimer’s remarks, this article attempts to examine the genre of the short story through the lens of the literary prize industry in Africa. In most parts of the continent the development of the short story, like that of the novel and other genres, has been slow, facing a number of challenges such as a historically impoverished publishing industry. The rise in popularity of the local and global literary prize for the short story has however played a significant role in the promotion of the genre and literature generally on the continent. The article examines the short story’s increased presence in the digital space and interrogates the general assumption on the part of many of the prize-awarding bodies that the short story can be linked to African oral traditions. The aim of the article is to explore the relationship between the genre and the rising popularity of the literary prize on the continent, focusing on the various ways in which the prize is (re)shaping the contemporary African short story.
Keywords: Orality, literary prize, publishing, exoticism, literary fracture, disconnectivity
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Irvine, Judith T. "Minerva’s orthography: early colonial projects for print literacy in African languages." Social Dynamics 45, no. 1 (January 2, 2019): 26–52. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02533952.2019.1589327.
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Trudell, Joel, Ian Cheffy, and Barbara Trudell. "Adult literacy, local languages and lifelong learning in rural African contexts." International Review of Education 65, no. 3 (May 28, 2019): 341–49. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11159-019-09787-0.
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Rahner, C. "Community theatre and indigenous performance traditions: An introduction to Chicano theatre, with reference to parallel developments in South Africa." Literator 17, no. 3 (May 2, 1996): 61–76. http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/lit.v17i3.622.
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This article will focus on the theme of community and on the forms stemming from oral literature and musical tradition in Chicano theatre, while drawing comparisons with similar developments in South Africa. I will argue that the re-appropriation of traditional modes and their integration into stage performance replaced the formerly “Eurocentric definition of theatre” with a more indigenous specificity, a development that has been observed in South Africa as well (Hauptfleisch, 1988:40). We can thus speak of a certain divergence from standard contemporary Western traditions in both the Chicano and the black South African community theatre, a trend that is notable in both their themes and forms.