Research Articles (Unit for Academic Literacy)

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Teaching academic literacy (AL) in English to African students : thinking beyond the fixation on the mechanics of the language of instruction
Angu, Pineteh E. (Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Faculty of Education, 2026-04)
In this article I examine the role of English as the language of instruction for academic literacy teaching in African universities. I employ a critical literature review and a self-reflexivity lens to examine how English as a language of instruction influences academic literacy provision. To do this, I reflect on my positionality and analyse studies on the intricate politics of language in Africa, and how they both implicate academic literacy pedagogy. I argue that while understanding the rules of English is essential for clarity, academic literacy practitioners should not fixate on them. Rather, they should focus on the development of cognitive competencies such as critical thinking, which allows them to socialise students into disciplinary/university ways of knowledge production, dissemination, or contestation. Furthermore, obsessing over the mechanics of English in academic literacy contributes to entrenching the prestigious position of English in African universities while marginalising and disempowering many students and staff with different linguistic traditions and repertoires. Finally, academic staff who subscribe uncritically to this model of academic literacy teaching expose their own intellectual inferiority, maintaining the coloniality of knowledge and language in Africa. To this end, I propose an academic literacy model that focuses on the cognitive foundation of African students to ensure that they see knowledge as negotiated or contested.
Waiting for years and feeling stuck : the burdens of navigating the asylum system in contemporary South Africa
Angu, Pineteh E. (University of the Western Cape, 2026-04)
The meaning of time, timing, and space determines whether an asylum seeker lives or dies, as these factors present threats of persecution in the home country and during flight. In South Africa, asylum seekers’ social existence encompassing their joys, fears, hopes, and aspirations hinges on time—when they arrive in the host country, when their documents are processed, when they are interviewed, and when a decision is made. It is also how asylum seekers access and interact at Refugee Reception Centres (RRCs) and the Department of Home Affairs (DHA). In the asylum system, time places asylum seekers in a state of permanent temporariness, in an environment characterized by the sordid experiences of refugees at RRCs and in South Africa. In this article, I analyze interviews with refugees, asylum seekers, interpreters, and Refugee Status Determination Officers (RSDOs) to understand how forms of bureaucratic violence operate through time and space, placing asylum seekers in a state of waithood and stuckness. I argue that immobilizing asylum seekers through bureaucratic violence is a political strategy that aims to frustrate, control, and contain an imagined migration problem, or to render asylum seekers illegal and expose them to arbitrary arrests. However, the forms of bureaucratic violence create opportunities for asylum seekers to exercise their resilience and agency, which are expressed in creative and imaginative ways, to either live illegally or to change their permits and remain in South Africa.
Investigating teachers’ perceptions of critical literacy : a case study from two South African township schools
Boakye, Naomi Adjoa Nana Yeboah; Olifant, Tilla; Cekiso, Madoda (Routledge, 2021-08)
Researchers have described critical literacy as an important aspect of literacy in education and in the language classroom. However, this concept, including the notions that underlie it, has not been widely researched in English Second Language (ESL) contexts in Africa. This article reports on a qualitative study that investigated teachers’ perceptions of critical literacy. Interviews were conducted with Grade 8 and 9 teachers in two township schools in the City of Tshwane (Pretoria), South Africa. A thematic content analysis using emerging themes and pre-set questions was used to analyse the interview responses. The findings of the study showed that teachers had little understanding of critical literacy, did not use a critical-reading approach in their classrooms, and cited a range of factors that hampered their efforts to implement critical reading in their ESL classrooms.
The use of frame markers in undergraduate students’ argumentative essays
Bannerman-Wood, Jessie; Boakye, Naomi Adjoa Nana Yeboah (Common Ground Research Networks, 2025-02-27)
Writing an effective argumentative essay involves the appropriate and effective use of metadiscourse (MD) markers. Metadiscourse refers to linguistic resources that are used to organize a text and connect with readers. Metadiscourse markers comprise hedges, engagement markers, attitude markers, boosters, self-mentions, code glosses, endophoric markers, evidentials, transitions, and frame markers. This article focuses on the identification of frame markers in terms of types, frequency, and appropriate use in argumentative essays written by English as a Second Language (ESL) undergraduate students, as well as by native speakers of English at the same level. To analyze the use of frame markers in the essays, 207 argumentative essays were selected from the Louvain Corpus of Native English Student Essays (LOCNESS), and 197 essays from undergraduate students at the University of Ghana were compiled in a corpus. The data were analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively using LancsBox, based on Hyland’s taxonomy of functions (sequencing, labeling stages, and announcing goals). Findings indicated that the ESL learners’ argumentative essays were characterized by an overuse of frame markers for sequencing and labeling stages. It was also observed that the two groups of students underused frame markers for announcing goals. The findings of this study may be helpful in the teaching and learning of academic writing.
Students’ reflections on the teaching and learning of the reading techniques taught and learnt in an English module
Boakye, Naomi Adjoa Nana Yeboah; Cekiso, Madoda; Olifant, Tilla (Common Ground Research Networks, 2025-04-25)
Research on how students reflect on their language skills development is conspicuously lacking, especially in higher educational environments where module evaluation is common practice for assessing academic learning and teaching effectiveness. This study aims to explore students’ perceptions of the reading techniques they learned in an English course at a South African university, focusing on whether, from their perspective, these techniques enhanced their reading skills. Fifteen students from the “ESP111/111E Reading, Writing, and Speaking” English course voluntarily participated in the study. A qualitative approach based on a non-experimental descriptive case study design was followed. Data were gathered using open-ended questionnaires and then thematically analyzed. The study showed that students found skimming and scanning techniques particularly helpful for improving their understanding of texts. In addition, the students were able to apply the reading techniques they learned in the English course to other subjects and language modules, including those of their first language. Activating background knowledge was found to enhance reading comprehension significantly, especially for culturally relevant texts.
Assessing multimodal, multilingual and GenAI academic literacy
Eybers, Oscar Oliver; Lekganyane, Enniah Matemane; Dinizulu, Sisipho; Matabologe, Kitso; Jantjies, Nomxoli (Universidad de Granada, 2025-10)
This article critically reflects on the assessment outcomes of a semester-long academic literacy module designed for first-year Humanities students at the University of Pretoria. It presents both qualitative and quantitative findings from a pedagogical approach that integrated GenAI-mediated visual knowledge construction with conventional academic literacy practices, particularly academic writing. The data derive from the AI-Guided Visual Literacies: Illuminating Disciplines for Conceptual Understanding project, which invited students to incorporate visual elements in articulating their pre-university and emerging disciplinary identities. Findings highlight both the affordances and limitations of this multimodal approach. On the one hand, the integration of visual modalities enabled students to transcend the constraints typically associated with unimodal textual expression. On the other hand, a 15.5% performance decline was observed when students transitioned to more traditional, exclusively written forms of academic discourse, such as the literature review. The findings reveal that while multimodality holds promise for enhancing student engagement and self-representation, conversely, its integration into academic literacy curricula demands a nuanced appreciation of students’ varying degrees of readiness for university-level knowledge production. The article concludes by proposing pedagogical strategies that bridge conventional academic genres with multimodal and multilingual forms of meaning-making, including GenAI.
Understanding the reading practices of first-year university students through their experiences
Cekiso, Madoda; Boakye, Naomi Adjoa Nana Yeboah; Olifant, Florence M. (AOSIS, 2025-05)
Many studies have been conducted on the important role played by English reading literacy in the South African context and in many higher education institutions around the world. These studies come to the consensus that reading is considered the most important academic skill in any academic context, especially in institutions of higher education. However, because of a range of factors, many students lack the required level of reading proficiency. One important dimension of reading development often overlooked in research is the reading practices that students engage in. The current study, therefore, examines university students’ reading practices in the language of instruction, as well as the factors underlying these practices. The study was qualitative in nature and a case study design was followed. A questionnaire with open-ended questions was used to collect data from 65 respondents purposively selected. Content analysis was used to analyse students’ responses regarding their reading practices in English. The results showed that students did not read widely or extensively. They only read the books that were required of them to do better on assignments and tests. Additionally, the students’ reading preferences were influenced by the accessibility of social media and websites on the Internet. Students reported reading more posts on social media and websites than printed books. CONTRIBUTION : This study found that a module’s recommended reading list significantly influenced students’ reading frequency and the time they spent on reading. In other words, the prescribed materials for the module affected both the selection of sources and the amount of time students devoted to reading them.
The development of academic and plain English parallel word lists and subtitles for undergraduate students
Kruger-Marais, Elmarie; Cooper, Trish (Routledge, 2025)
Subtitles in tertiary education can enhance language inclusivity. This study compares the effectiveness of academic versus plain English subtitles in discipline-specific videos, using a corpus-based approach to create and evaluate word lists. The findings suggest that plain English subtitles, supported by word lists, clarify scientific terms, especially when following subtitling conventions. However, adjustments are needed when plain English subtitles deviate from these conventions. Additionally, academic subtitles often contain complex terms in Latin and Greek, making a parallel plain English word list essential for aiding students in specialised fields.
The popular reception of Marlene van Niekerk’s Triomf and the making of literary systems
Fourie, Reinhardt (Afrikaanse Letterkundevereniging, 2024-11)
Marlene van Niekerk's novel Triomf (1994) provides an eviscerating critique of the effects of the cultural, discursive, and physical separations of race and class enforced by apartheid. To the outside world, Van Niekerk offers in Triomf an in-depth and varied view of the Afrikaner's history and culture, thereby providing what readers might experience as a kind of informative insight into this demographic group and South Africa - here particularly the least empowered demographic of Afrikaners who lived under apartheid. But outside of the text, the impact of the novel has also been significant - first in Afrikaans literature, and later also in South African English literature (and beyond) through the success of the translation of the novel by Leon de Kock (1999). The purpose of this study is to revisit the popular reception of Marlene van Niekerk's Triomf within the Afrikaans and English spheres in the first decade after 1994. This article, which focuses exclusively on a chosen set of epitexts surrounding the novel (Genette), draws attention to the overlaps and divergences between the relevant literary systems. I show that while two broadly conceptualised clusters of popular responses may have concretised differently in the English and Afrikaans literary systems - and these differences should not be overlooked - the responses to the text also evidence varied and unexpected links between these systems that disavow any claims to narrowly defined literary cultures.
Reimagining our space : taking social justice principles online?
Rambiritch, Avasha (University of Johannesburg, 2024-04)
Issues of social justice have been at the forefront in the quest to support students at the faculty-specific writing centre that is the focus of this study. This is in an effort to ensure that the centre remains not just a safe but a brave and non-judgemental space. The onset of Covid-19, and its imposition on our daily practices, required a hasty re-evaluation of our offering. This paper will outline our migration to a fully online mode of support and aims to establish whether the social justice principles harnessed in face-to-face support can and have been applied in the online platform. We approach this inquiry by invoking the voices of the writing centre consultants who spearhead our social justice agenda, with a view to determining their perceptions regarding this issue. Findings from such a study can be applied to the training offered to consultants in the hope of improving our offering.
'I knew her, Horatio' : legacies of Shakespearean performance in South Africa
De Waal, Marguerite Florence (Routledge, 2025)
This article argues for the importance of recognizing the various histories reflected in performances of Shakespeare, and for the critical work this requires. South African productions have often illustrated the bedevilments of Shakespeare as a product within a neo-colonial cultural economy. However, despite the prominence of productions staged locally and abroad in collaboration with British theatre institutions, they should not be understood as representative. I suggest that a more expansive account of local productions is needed, using a virtual production of Hamlet (2021), adapted and directed by Neil Coppen and staged for the Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees (KKNK), as a starting point. Within a broader history of Shakespeare on post-apartheid stages, Hamlet (2021) is one of several local productions that have, formally and thematically, undermined the symbolic, spectacular and general in favour of the personal, ordinary and specific. To illustrate, I provide a list of productions staged between 1994 and 2021 along with analyses of productions of King Lear (2002) and Julius Caesar (1994, 2001–2002). My discussion demonstrates that the generative complexities of Hamlet are not new, but resonate with existing, overlooked legacies of local performance. To further develop the perspectives afforded by such legacies, I argue that scholarship must pursue more detailed theatre histories that engage with and expand existing archives.
Unveiling intrigue : a comparative analysis of detective stories in Sepedi and Afrikaans, Nnete Fela and Ikarus/Prooi
Lombard, Joanne; Lekganyane, Enniah Matemane (Pegem Akademi Yayincilik Egitim Danismanlik Hizmetleri Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, 2024-06-15)
Comparative literature studies promotes multilingual education in several ways because when students in language departments engage with texts written in different languages, they develop proficiency in multiple languages, enhance their linguistic skills and get to know the cultural nuances embedded within each language. In South Africa, the development of comparative literature studies in English, African languages and Afrikaans is not linear or directly comparable across languages, given the complexities of language, culture, and academic contexts. In the spirit of renewal, many scholars have compared literary works from different South African languages and cultures. This study proposes a comparison of a Sepedi detective story and an Afrikaans detective series by Deon Meyer. It considers suspense and mystery as literary-theoretical concepts and moves on to the reader's engagement with the mystery, the protagonist and their journey. The comparison renders differences and similarities between the Sepedi and Afrikaans literary texts. Nnete Fela’s Ariel Meso and Bennie Griessel in Ikarus and Prooi are found to be contrasting character archetypes. Ariel and Bennie have contrasting fortunes, with Ariel being a lucky person all round, and Bennie suffering one misfortune after another. Ariel is successful in love and personal relationships, while Bennie’s life is generally in turmoil. Both investigators are shown to be moral anchors in their respective narratives, but they are contrasting character archetypes, they have contrasting fortunes, and experience different degrees of success in love and personal relationships.
Decolonizing academic literacy with ተዋሕዶ/Tewahedo and multiliteracies in higher education
Eybers, Oscar Oliver (MDPI, 2025-04-29)
This study proposes Tewahedo epistemology, an Ethiopian knowledge sys‑ tem grounded in the Ge’ez language, as a decolonial framework for re‑visualizing aca‑ demic literacy in higher education. Tewahedo, meaning “oneness” or “unity”, integrates multiliteracies—written, oral, spatial, and visual—within a communal and culturally em‑ bedded ethos through its Tergwame (ትርጓሜ) epistemes and And@mta (አንድምታ) traditions. The aim of the article is to challenge the dominance of skills‑based literacy models by po‑ sitioning Tewahedo as a decolonized alternative, emphasizing contextualized knowledge, communal meaning‑making, and epistemic belonging. Through a literature review, the study explores Andәmta as a communal and dialogic system of knowledge sharing, rooted in Ge’ez and Amharic hermeneutics. This framework serves as a template for Africaniz‑ ing and decolonizing contemporary academic literacy development. Findings reveal that Tewahedo epistemology offers ancient yet innovative strategies for fostering interpretive, explanatory, and multimodal competencies in academia. The study argues that adopting a unified Tewahedo‑based academic literacy framework can cultivate intellectual agency, de‑ colonize educational spaces, and center Indigenous Knowledge Systems. It calls for educa‑ tional reforms that promote cultural diversity, legitimize Indigenous Knowledge Systems, and nurture academic belonging for students in multilingual and multicultural contexts.
Poetry in motion : the taxi and taxi poetry as sites of mobility and creativity in Imraan Coovadia’s The Institute for Taxi Poetry
Muller, Alan (Brill Academic Publishers, 2024-12)
This article examines how Imraan Coovadia’s The Institute for Taxi Poetry uses the taxi industry as a dynamic cultural space to explore intersections of mobility and identity in an alternate post-apartheid South Africa. Drawing on Mary Louise Pratt’s concept of contact zones and Mimi Sheller’s framework of mobility justice, this article argues that Coovadia reimagines the taxi as a metaphorical and literal space where diverse social and cultural interactions manifest. Through a comparative analysis of two central characters—Solly Greenfields and Gerome Geromian—the article highlights differing poetic expressions and scales of mobility. While Geromian’s cosmopolitan approach embodies global mobility, Greenfields’s deeply local focus challenges narrow interpretations of rootedness, reflecting a local scale of mobility and intimate relationship with his environment. The article contends that Coovadia critiques simplistic binaries of local and global by emphasising how these scales coexist and shape individual and collective identities. Ultimately, The Institute for Taxi Poetry reconfigures the taxi and its associated poetry as sites of cultural connection and negotiation, reflecting broader social dynamics and tensions within a post-apartheid context.
Transforming academic literacy : centering indigenous identities in the classroom
Eybers, Oscar Oliver (MDPI, 2025-02-14)
This article explores the transformational potential of centering indigenous identities and heritage within academic literacy instruction in higher education. The dominance of Eurocentric pedagogies in higher education has often marginalized African epistemologies and cultural narratives, limiting students’ engagement and sense of be-longing. Drawing on examples such as the Ma’at and Tewahedo traditions, this work argues that academic literacy should embrace Indigenous Knowledge Systems and the cultural capital students bring to the classroom. By integrating indigenous identities into disciplinary discourses, educators can create more inclusive learning environments that challenge historical power dynamics and elevate marginalized voices. This analysis high-lights practical strategies for educators to foster critical thinking, reading, and writing while affirming students’ identities. Ultimately, this article demonstrates that activating Indigenous Knowledge Systems can create classrooms that are inclusive and reflective of African identities.
Developing an inclusive African theory of academic literacy
Eybers, Oscar Oliver; Dewa, Nokuthula Ntombiyelizwe (The International Journal of Literacies, 2025-01-16)
South Africa has enjoyed post-apartheid democratic freedom for thirty years. However, three decades after apartheid’s legal end, institutions of higher learning still grapple with a significant crisis of student attrition. Approximately 25% of South African students drop out annually without completing their degree or academic year. According to the current article, this high dropout rate is partly attributed to a lack of a coherent theory of academic literacy, which could mitigate the feelings of alienation experienced by African students. This article argues that the dependence of African universities on Global North constructs of academic literacy limits students’ experiences of inclusion and belonging to specialized disciplinary domains. To address the crisis of student attrition, as well as experiences of cultural alienation in universities where African students are enrolled, this article proposes developing an African Theory of Academic Literacy (ATAL). The objective of this theory is to empower academic literacy educators to ground their teaching, learning, and assessment practices in an Afrocentric paradigm, thereby fostering a stronger sense of inclusion among novice scholars within their disciplines.
Co-designing and implementing transdisciplinary academic literacy in higher education
Eybers, Oscar Oliver (Universidad de Granada, 2025-01-16)
Transdisciplinary education combines disciplinary and multidisciplinary approaches. Unlike the latter paradigms, transdisciplinary pedagogy deliberately integrates diverse academic fields with knowledge, practices and perspectives beyond institutional boundaries. Local and community knowledge play a crucial role in this context. Although there is substantial research on disciplinary and multidisciplinary paradigms, the intersection of transdisciplinarity, Afrocentricity and academic literacy remains underexplored. This article proposes an Afrocentric framework for transdisciplinary literacy within the broader paradigm of Africology, demonstrating its potential to transform educational practices.
Mismanagement and misinterpretations in asylum interviews : perspectives from South Africa and Sweden
Ottosson, Lisa; Angu, Pineteh E.; Gustafsson, Kristina (Oxford University Press, 2024-09)
This article explores the interactions between key actors in asylum interviews in South Africa and Sweden. It is based on forty-one interviews with asylum seekers, interpreters, state officials, and legal representatives. The analysis is guided by theories on professional encounters, bureaucratic violence, and interdependence. The result is presented in two themes: the emergence of mismanagement due to repressive policies and cost-cutting measures, and misinterpretation due to poor interpretation services and failure to recognize the hermeneutic aspects of asylum seekers’ claims. These issues lead to mistrust in the asylum system and in each other’s capacities, as key actors fail to take joint responsibility for the interview act and its outcome. The conclusion is that all key actors operate within a destructive process of mistrust, reinforced by an increasingly repressive political framework as its strongest driving force.
Editorial
Sibanda, Brian; Sefalane-Nkohla, Puleng; Joubert, Michelle; Rambiritch, Avasha; Drennan, Laura; Angu, Pineteh E. (University of the Free State, 2023-09-29)
The Covid-19 pandemic brought about a profound transformation in the landscape of higher education. This special issue delves into the complex and far-reaching impact of the pandemic on academic continuity, with a particular focus on the challenges faced by academic literacy practitioners during this extraordinary period. The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic triggered an unprecedented and rapid shift in higher education. Universities and colleges worldwide were compelled to abandon traditional in-person teaching methods and pivot to online learning modalities. This abrupt transition disrupted established academic routines and posed numerous challenges for educators, students, and institutions alike.
Exploring factors influencing teachers’ expectations of learners’ reading practices
Cekiso, M.P.; Olifant, F.M.; Boakye, Naomi Adjoa Nana Yeboah (Stellenbosch University, 2023-08)
Research demonstrates that teachers’ expectations could influence learners’ reading achievements, both positively and negatively. Specifically, teachers’ expectations determine the level and type of instruction they would map out for learners, which can, in turn, impact learners’ academic outcomes. The goal of the current study is to explore the factors influencing teachers’ expectations of their learners’ reading practices in two South African schools. The study was qualitative and followed a case study design. A sample of six teachers was purposively selected based on the criterion that they were English First Additional Language teachers of reading in the Intermediate, Senior and Further Education and Training Phases. The researcher employed semi-structured, face-to-face interviews to collect data and a process of inductive analysis of the qualitative data. The results revealed that teachers’ expectations concerning their learners’ reading practices were determined by several socioeconomic factors. These include learners’ reading culture, ill-disciplined learners, a lack of parental support regarding reading, a lack of resources, poverty, and a lack of knowledge and responsibility. The findings also demonstrated that, despite unfavourable learning settings, teachers had unique strategies for improving their learners’ reading achievements.

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