Research Articles (Unit for Academic Literacy)
http://hdl.handle.net/2263/2426
2024-03-19T06:53:05ZBeing black and non-citizen in South Africa : intersecting race, white privilege and afrophobic violence in contemporary South Africa
http://hdl.handle.net/2263/94693
Being black and non-citizen in South Africa : intersecting race, white privilege and afrophobic violence in contemporary South Africa
Angu, Pineteh
Post-apartheid South Africa is characterized by growing
feelings of pain, anger and frustration amongst black
communities triggered by pervasive social inequalities. This
has given birth to a new form of political and social activism
shaped by crude violence, vandalism, destruction, brutal killings
of women and children as well as thuggery in different
black communities. It has also led to an upsurge in violence
particularly on Africans from other parts of the continent. In
this article, I attempt to examine how racial politics and resilient
white privilege intersect to trigger afrophobic violence in
South Africa. I draw on existing literature on broad conceptions
of race and xenophobia to make a set of assertions
about racial valuations, the resilience of white supremacy
and black on black violence. In the article, I argue that black
South Africans' pain, anger and the performance of violence on African migrants are on one level a consequence of resilient
structural racism and racial practices, which continue to
marginalize, emasculate and dispossess blacks. These racial
practices force black South Africans to look elsewhere to
express their anger, pains and frustrations.
2023-09-01T00:00:00ZAcademic, keyword, and plain English subtitles for natural sciences students : intralingual views
http://hdl.handle.net/2263/93906
Academic, keyword, and plain English subtitles for natural sciences students : intralingual views
Kruger-Marais, Elmarie; Kruger-Roux, Helena
The study is an analysis of the reaction of students in a faculty of natural and agricultural
sciences (NAS) to subtitles and also includes an investigation of their responses thereto.
Reception of and responses to academic English (close to verbatim transcription), plain
English, and keyword English subtitles were explored by showing participants subtitled
videos related to the content of their module. Participants were then asked to complete
demographic and affective questionnaires, and participated in focus group interviews to
investigate their reception of the various subtitles. The results show that participants
responded particularly well to plain English subtitles. The focus group interviews indicated
that they found all three sets of subtitles useful for note-taking purposes, adjusting the speed
at which they accessed and processed information by pausing the videos, highlighting
important information in the study materials, and being able to engage aurally and visually
with the materials. From a higher education perspective, this emphasises students’ readiness
for subtitles as an academic mediation tool.
CONTRIBUTION : This article aims to fill existing gaps in the fulfilment of higher education
institutions’ language policies, which have been exposed by the thrust for multilingualism
in higher education. Research into academic subtitling as an academic mediation tool can be
used to bridge this gap, thereby supporting innovative research in higher education.
DATA AVAILABILITY : The authors confirm that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article and/or its supplementary materials.
2023-08-31T00:00:00ZRemote teaching and learning at a South African university during Covid-19 lockdown : moments of resilience, agency and resignation in first-year students' online discussions
http://hdl.handle.net/2263/90108
Remote teaching and learning at a South African university during Covid-19 lockdown : moments of resilience, agency and resignation in first-year students' online discussions
Angu, Pineteh
The aim of article is to analyse the remote teaching and learning
experiences of students, as expressed in online discussions among firstyear students at a South African university, to enhance understanding of
how learning remotely during Covid-19 lockdown affected students’
lives and their academic commitment. The article draws on data collected
from 45 students, mainly aged between 18 and 22, registered for an
academic literacy course. These students came from diverse racial,
socioeconomic and schooling backgrounds, although most were black
students. These participants’ Covid-19 and remote learning experiences
are used in this case study as qualitative datasets. To generate rich
narratives, a set of open-ended questions were designed and posted on
the course’s Blackboard page. The questions focused on the
socioeconomic, psychological and academic effects of Covid-19 during
the lockdown. At the end of the course, a thematic analytical approach
was used to identify and categorise participants’ online discussions into
key themes. The datasets were then interpreted through the lens of
predetermined concepts such as resilience, resilience and agency. The
data show that some students saw remote learning as an opportunity to
be creative and innovative, but for others, their socioeconomic situation
negatively affected their lives and academic commitment. Students’
remote teaching and learning experiences revealed moments of resilience
and agency, but also a deep sense of resignation to the socioeconomic and
psychological burdens of Covid-19. Based on these findings, this article
discusses some implications for the future of higher education in South
Africa and recommends possibilities for further research.
2022-08-01T00:00:00ZSociocultural theory for academic literacy research involving argumentation in institutions of higher learning
http://hdl.handle.net/2263/85648
Sociocultural theory for academic literacy research involving argumentation in institutions of higher learning
Eybers, Oscar Oliver; Paulet, Emma
Researchers in the field of academic literacy, specifically those focused on the first-year level in universities, are often required to articulate the theoretical framework that informs their critical orientation. In this process, an indication of the researcher's ontological view of the nature of academic literacy practices should also be declared. Ontologically, this study questions whether academic literacy constitutes a mechanistic technology or a socially emergent mode of arguing in higher education. This article reviews concepts and theories that warrant the second stance and a sociocultural paradigm of academic literacy research. A sociocultural explanatory framework incorporates human identities and cultures into analyses of the ways that humans employ language in universities. This framework accentuates the influences of social context and power relationships in the designation of acceptable modes of argumentation in the university. The results of the study indicate that theoretical discussions in academic literacy research are epistemic and ontological in nature. Theoretical frameworks are epistemic constructs as they reflect a researcher's conceptual understanding of the field of academic literacy. Conceptual paradigms are also ontological constructs due to their exposure of the researcher's understanding of the nature of academic literacy practices as an element of human existence. The study concludes by articulating a seven-point ontology that researchers can apply towards theoretically framing their own studies in the field of academic literacy and argumentation.
2022-05-23T00:00:00Z