The textbook as a major source of difficulty in the teaching and learning of geography through the medium of English in Standard 3 in black primary schools

Langhan, David Patrick

Title: The textbook as a major source of difficulty in the teaching and learning of geography through the medium of English in Standard 3 in black primary schools
Creator: Langhan, David Patrick
Subject: Children, Black -- Education -- South Africa
Subject: Geography -- Textbooks
Subject: Geography -- Study and teaching (Primary) -- South Africa
Subject: Language and education -- South Africa
Date Issued: 1991
Date: 1991
Type: Thesis
Type: Masters
Type: MA
Identifier: vital:2335
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002017
Identifier: Children, Black -- Education -- South Africa
Identifier: Geography -- Textbooks
Identifier: Geography -- Study and teaching (Primary) -- South Africa
Identifier: Language and education -- South Africa
Description: This dissertation provides evidence to suggest that teaching/learning difficulties with geography in Std 3 are largely attributable to textbooks which fail as well constructed discourse and include uninterpretable illustrations. The discourse properties most likely to affect the readability of textbooks intended for ESL/EFL pupils are identified. Selected passages from two widely used Std 3 geography textbooks are analysed in terms of these properties, and are shown to fail extensively as well constructed discourse. Following classroom observation and informal interviews which confirmed the inappropriacy of the texts for Std 3 pupils, the passages were re-written, following the necessary properties of well constructed expository discourse. The readability of these two sets of texts was then tested on a group of nine Std 3 teachers in two structured interviews. The findings reveal that the re-written passages are significantly more readable than the textbook passages. Recommendations that affect education authorities, curriculum designers, syllabus makers, textbook authors, publishers and teacher training colleges are provided
Format: 469 p
Format: pdf
Publisher: Rhodes University
Publisher: Faculty of Humanities, English Language and Linguistics
Language: English
Rights: Langhan, David Patrick

Hits: 1024
Visitors: 1119
Downloads: 113

Collections

RU Department of English Language and Linguistics

		Thumbnail	File	Description	Size	Format
View Details Download			SOURCEPDF	PDF	46 MB	Adobe Acrobat PDF	View Details Download