Die invloed van konteks op die leer en langtermynretensie van tweedetaalwoordeskat / Gert Johannes van der Westhuizen

• Main Author: Van der Westhuizen, Gert Johannes
• Language: other
• Published: Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education 2013
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10394/8144

1. Aim: In situations where Afrikaans vocabulary is taught to Black pupils three languages can be used to explain word meanings, namely Afrikaans. English or the pupils' vernacular. There is, however, no certainty as to which one of the three leads to the most success in the learning and long-term retention of Afrikaans vocabulary. This study was launched to determine the influence of the mentioned languages on the success by which vocabulary of Afrikaans as second language is learned. This problem is studied within the broader framework of the question as to how context influences the learning and longterm retention of second language vocabulary. This was done because the three languages are seen as different contexts in which Afrikaans vocabulary can be learned. To reach this aim a study of the relevant literature was done on the influence of context in general on the learning and long-term retention of vocabulary of any second language. An experiment was also performed to determine the influence of the mentioned languages as context on the learning and longterm retention of Afrikaans vocabulary by Zulu speaking pupils. 2. Review of the literature: By means of a survey of the literature a description of the following main themes are given: * The human memory, and how it functions as a factor in learning and long-term retention. * The context of any learning situation as described in general and specific terms, and of the ways in which contexts influence learning and retention. * The nature, ways of learning, and factors that influence the retention of second language vocabulary. The study of the literature culminated in a description of the influence of context on the learning and long-term retention of second language vocabulary. 3. The experimental survey: The experiment was used to investigate the influence of three specific contexts on the learning and long-term retention of Afrikaans vocabulary. Context A consisted of Afrikaans synonyms. Context B consisted of the English equivalents and context C consisted of the Zulu equivalents of the 24 to-be-learned Afrikaans words. Context was used as the treatment variable. Two other independent variables were also used - school standard and the level of language competency. 3.1. Experimental design: The overall design was a 3 x 2 x 2 Factorial, the factors being context (Afrikaans vs. English vs. Zulu); school standard (Std. 6 vs. Std. 9) and the level of language proficiency (high vs. low). 3.2. Subjects: Std. 6 and Std. 9 Zulu speaking pupils of the Dr. B.W. Vilakazi secondary school in Soweto were used as subjects. The method of stratified sampling was used to select 154 subjects from the 178 available std. 6 and 9 pupils. These pupils were then randomly selected and alloted to the 12 groups according to the experimental design. There was an average of 11 subjects in every group. 3.3. Materials: During the experiment the three context groups learned the same 24 Afrikaans words. each in a different context. The three contexts consisted of synonyms in Afrikaans and their equivalents in English and Zulu. 3.4. Procedure: The experiment consisted of a pre-learning phase and the actual learning phase. During the first phase the prior knowledge was brought to a criterion level. During the actual learning phase the 24 Afrikaans words were learned by means of associating them with the context words. Two tests were used as independant variables, namely an immediate post-test and a retention test. 3.5. Processing of the data: The achievement of the subjects in the two tests were analysed to determine what the influence of the three factors, context, school standard and language level. The interactions between these factors were also investigated. Two forms of statistics - analysis of covariance and the multiple comparison technique were used. 4. Findings: The following are the most important findings concerning the influence of context on the learning and long-term retention of second language vocabulary: * Context influences learning in that it is used as a means of giving meaning to words that must be learned. * Context determines the long-term retention of second language vocabulary in two ways. Firstly, semantic context makes it possible for words to be coded (in memory) in terms of their meaning. Secondly, it makes a variety of associations possible. The following are the most important findings from the experimental study: * In the direat post-test the pupils in std. 6 performed significantly better in Afrikaans context than in the Zulu context. The high language achievers in std. 6 performed significantly better in the English context than in the Zulu context. * Contexts for all the Zulu speaking subjects together lead to differences in the retention test results. It also appeared that the context of English lead to significantly better achievement than the context of Afrikaans. === Thesis (MEd)--PU vir CHO, 1981