The effect of systemic functional linguistics-based self-intervention programme on the ESL grammar proficiency of Grade 8 learners

Abstract

English proficiency is regarded important for economic empowerment in South Africa, since English is the official business language of the country. South Africa is, however, a multilingual country, with 11 official languages. The majority of South African learners do not speak English as first language, but study English as an additional language in school. This leads to English Second Language (ESL) classroom complexities such as multilingualism, negative attitudes to ESL, and various levels of linguistic proficiency, which affect the teaching of the prescribed curriculum. Many learners arrive in secondary school (Grade 8) with underdeveloped English proficiency, which means that a lot of time in ESL classrooms is spent on re-teaching English language concepts, especially grammar concepts. This causes stress for both ESL teachers and learners. This study tested the effectiveness of a self-help ESL grammar intervention programme in order to establish whether existing gaps in grammar knowledge could be closed via self-study outside of the classroom. More specifically, the study asked the question whether learners’ knowledge of Parts of Speech could be enhanced via a self-help intervention programme, which was based on the principles of Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG). SFG is not traditionally used as an instructional framework in ESL classrooms in the South African context. The rationale for assessing the efficiency of an SFG self-help intervention programme was that there is currently a dire need for alternative approaches to teaching ESL grammar, which would assist struggling learners to raise their proficiency levels quickly, and which would allow teachers to continue with the prescribed curriculum. The intervention programme was tested in a controlled quasi-experimental study, which included an experimental group and a control group, and which compared performance in the mid-year examination and year-end examination to performance in a baseline assessment. The results of the study showed that the self-intervention programme was effective in enhancing ESL learners’ knowledge of Parts of Speech, and also had a positive effect on other aspects of grammar knowledge and on writing. Based on these findings, it is recommended that self-regulation and self-instruction be considered for inclusion in ESL syllabi in the South African context, as it can play a positive role in enhancing ESL learners’ linguistic proficiency.

Engelse taalvaardigheid word as belangrik beskou vir ekonomiese bemagtiging in Suid–Afrika, aangesien Engels die offisiële besigheidstaal van die land is. Suid-Afrika het egter elf erkende offisiële landstale en is dus ‘n meertalige land. Die oorgrote meerderheid Suid-Afrikaanse leerders se eerste taal is nie Engels nie, en hierdie leerders neem Engels as tweede taal (ook genoem eerste addisionnele taal) in ‘n formele omgewing op skool. Dit veroorsaak verskeie uitdagings in Engelse tweedetaalklasse, onder andere meertalige leerders, ‘n negatiewe houding teenoor Engels, en oneweredige ontwikkelingsvlakke in Engels. ‘n Groot aantal leerders begin hul sekondêre skoolloopbaan met onderontwikkelde vaardighede in Engels, met name in grammatika. Dit beïnvloed die onderrig van die voorgeskrewe Engelse tweedetaal kurrikulum, veral in Graad 8. Onderwysers is dikwels genoodsaak om baie tyd aan die heronderrig van grammatikale konsepte te spandeer, alvorens die voorgeskrewe Graad 8 kurrikulum hervat kan word. Dit plaas spanning op sowel onderwysers as leerders. Die doel van hierdie studie was om die effektiwiteit van ‘n self-onderrig intervensieprogram te toets – meer spesifiek om te toets of kennisgapings in “Parts of Speech (POS)” oorbrug kan word met ‘n self-onderrig program wat gebaseer is op Sistemiese Funksionele Linguistiek (SFL). SFL word nie tradisioneel in die Suid-Afrikaanse leerprogram gebruik nie, en die rasionaal vir die toetsing van ‘n SFL program was dat daar tans ‘n geweldige vraag is na alternatiewe benaderings tot die onderrig van Engels, wat leerders sal ondersteun om hulle vaardigheidsvlakke snel te verbeter, sodat onderwysers kan voorgaan met die voorgeskrewe kurrikulum. Die SFL intervensieprogram in hierdie studie is deur middel van ‘n gekontroleerde kwasi-eksperimentele metode getoets, wat ‘n eksperimentele groep en ‘n kontrolegroep ingesluit het. Die twee groepe se kennis van woordsoorte is in die middeljaar, asook die eindjaareksamen gemeet, en vergelyk met die resultate van ‘n basislyntoets wat aan die begin van die jaar afgeneem is. Die resultate het bevestig dat die SFL intervensieprogram ‘n positiewe effek gehad het op kennis van woordsoorte. Verdere positiewe effekte was merkbaar in ander aspekte van Engelse grammatika en in skryfvaardigheid. Na aanleiding van hierdie bevindinge is die aanbeveling van hierdie studie dat selfonderrig and self-regulasie oorweeg moet word as belangrike komponente van die Engels tweedetaal sillabus in die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks, aangesien dit ‘n positiewe rol kan speel in die verbetering van Engels tweedetaal leerders se taalvaardigheid.

Ubugcisa kulwimi lwesiNgesi bubaluleke kakhulu ekuxhobiseni ezoqoqosho eMzantsi Afrika kuba silulwimi lwezoshishino olusemthethweni kweli lizwe. Naxa kunjalo uMzantsi Afrika lilizwe elineelwimi ezininzi, apho ezili-11 zamiliselwa njengeelwimi ezisemthethweni. Uninzi lwabafundi baseMzantsi Afrika alusithethi njengolwimi lokuqala isiNgesi, koko lusifunda njengolwimi olongeziweyo esikolweni. Oku kukhokelela kwiingxaki ezininzi kwiklasi efundisa isiNgesi njengoLwimi lwesiBini, ezifana nokusetyenziswa kweelwimi ezininzi kwakunye namanqanaba awohlukileyo olwazi nobugcisa bokusebenzisa ulwimi, nto ezo zichaphazela ukufundiswa kwekharityhulam esekiweyo. Abafundi abaninzi bafika kwisikolo sasesekondari (iBanga lesi-8) bengenalwazi nabugcisa baneleyo besiNgesi, ngenxa yoko, kwiklasi yesiNgesi uLwimi lwesiBini kuchithwa ixesha elininzi kuphindaphindwa ukufundiswa kwesigama sesiNgesi, ngakumbi isigama segrama. Esi sifundo sophando siye sahlola ukusebenza kwenkqubo yongenelelo kufundiso lwegrama yesiNgesi uLwimi lwesiBini apho umfundi azinceda ngokwakhe, ukuze kufunyaniswe ukuba zingavaleka na ezi zikhewu zikhoyo zokuswela ulwazi lwegrama ngokuzifundela ngaphandle kweklasi. Olu phando lujolise ngakumbi kumbuzo wokuba, ingaba ulwazi lwabafundi ngeziGaba zeNtetho lungaphuculwa na ngokusebenzisa le nkqubo yongenelelo yokuzinceda esekelwe kwimithetho-siseko yeSystemic Functional Grammar (iSFG). ISFG ayisetyenziswa ngokwesithethe njengesakhelo sokufundisa kwiklasi yesiNgesi uLwimi lwesiBini eMzantsi Afrika. Esona sizathu sokuvavanya ukusebenza kwale nkqubo yongenelelo yokuzinceda yeSFG, kukuba kukho intswelo enkulu yeendlela ezizezinye zokufundisa igrama yesiNgesi uLwimi lwesiBini, nto leyo inokunceda abafundi abatsala nzima baphucule amaqondo abo obugcisa, kananjalo incede ootitshala bakwazi ukuqhubela phambili nekharityhulam emiselweyo. Le nkqubo yongenelelo yavavanywa kuphando oluphantsi kolawulo olwaziwa ngokuba sisifundo sophando olungagqibelelanga (quasi experimental study), olwaquka iqela lolingelo kunye neqela elisetyenziswa njengomgangatho wentelekiso (control group). Olu phando lwathelekisa indlela abaqhuba ngayo abafundi kwiimviwo zombindi wonyaka nezokuphela konyaka, ithelekiswa kunye nenkqubo yabafundi kuvavanyo olusisiseko. Iziphumo zophando zabonisa ukuba inkqubo yongenelelo yokuzinceda ibe nempumelelo ekuphuliseni ulwazi lwabafundi lweziGaba zeNtetho kwaye ibe nefuthe elakhayo nakweminye imiba yolwazi lwegrama nesakhono sokubhala. Ngokwezi ziphumo kucetyiswa ukuba kuqwalaselwe ukuzilawula nokuzifundisa kwabafundi njengenxalenye yesilabhasi yesiNgesi uLwimi lwesiBini ngokwemeko yaseMzantsi Afrika njengoko oku kuya kuba nefuthe elakhayo ekuphuhliseni ubugcisa babafundi bolwimi lwesiNgesi uLwimi lwesiBini.