This study investigated the challenges that are faced by English First Additional Language (English FAL) grade eleven learners when studying poetry. Poetry in South African secondary schools is a genre of literature that is taught in both home languages and first additional languages. However, not all schools teach the poetry genre in the Further Education and Training phase. The school has to choose two literature genres among four per FET grade. The literature genres as prescribed by CAPS are short stories, poetry, drama and novel (Department of Basic Education, 2011:18). Poetry forms part of the National Senior Certificate (NSC) as a genre that is examinable in one of the three papers that are written in English FAL. The formal assessment of literature is administered in paper two and the literature contextual tests. Even though poetry is taught in schools, there are challenges since the learners’ performance is generally lower in this genre. The evidence that there is a failure in poetry sections in assessment tasks was provided through analysis of marks per question in literature assessment activities.
This was a case study of two secondary schools in Soweto that teach poetry in English FAL. The study was qualitative and collected data through questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and document analysis. Eighteen learners were sampled, nine from each school, for data collection. The learners answered questions on the questionnaires and the interviews. The findings of the study revealed that there were challenges that learners faced when studying poetry. Some of their challenges could be a result of the discrepancies in the CAPS, annual teaching plan and anthology of poems used in grade eleven. There was less preference for poetry by learners because of the difficulties in language that was used in poems. Questions in textbooks did not prepare learners in grade eleven for formal assessment tasks. The study concluded with the implications and recommendations that responded to the discrepancies in the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS), poetry anthology and the Annual Teaching Plan (ATP) for improved teaching and learning of poetry.
Keywords: Poetry; English First Additional Language; poems; grade eleven; challenges
Isihloko: Izingqinamba abafundi beshumi nanye ababhekene nazo uma befunda izinkondlo olimini lwesiNgisi lokuqala lokwengeza.
Lolu cwaningo luhlose ukuphenya izingqinamba abafundi abafunda isiNgisi ulimi lokuqala lokwengeza ebangeni leshumi nanye abahlangabezana nazo uma befunda izinkondlo. Ukufunda nokufundiswa kwezinkondlo kunguhlobo lwemibhalo ekhethekile efundiswa olimini lwasekhaya kanye nasolimini lokuqala lokwengeza, okuyisiNgisi kulolu cwaningo. Yize kunjalo, akuzona zonke izikole ezifundisa izinkondlo emabangeni aphakeme. Ukufundwa kwemibhalo, phecelezi i-literature njengoba igunyazwe inqubomgomo yohlelo lokufundisa olubizwa nge-CAPS ihlukaniswe kane; izindaba ezimfishane, izinkondlo, umdlalo kanye nenoveli (Department of Basic Education, 2011:18). Izinkondlo ziyingxenye yemibuzo ebuzwa ephepheni lesibili kwamathathu kumatikula etsheni (National Senior Certificate). Ukufundwa kwemibhalo kuvivinywa ngokusemthethweni ephepheni lesibili kanye nezizivinyo ezinemibuzo ewumongo yemibhalo olimini lwesiNgisi. Nakuba ukufundisa nokufundwa kwezinkondlo kwenzeka ezikoleni, kunezingqinamba ezikhona njengoba abafundi bengaphumeleli ngendlela egculisayo emibuzweni ephathelene nezinkondlo. Ubufakazi bokuthi abafundi abenzi kahle ezinkondlweni buvezwe imiphumela yokuhlaziya amamaki abafundi umbuzo ngamunye ezivivinyweni ezihlelekile.
Lolu ucwaningo olubhekiswe ezikoleni ezimbili ezisendaweni yase-Sowetho ezifundisa izinkondlo olimini lokuqala lokwengeza lwesiNgisi. Lolu cwaningo lubunjalo botho futhi ulwazi lukhiqizwe ngohlu lwemibuzo, inhlololwazi esakuhleleka kanye nokuhlaziywa kwamabhuku aphathelene nokufundiswa kwezinkondlo. Iqoqo labafundi abayishumi nesishiyagalo mbili bakhethwa ukuze kutholakale iminingwane egculisayo. Okutholakale kulolu cwaningo kuyaveza ukuthi kunezingqinamba abafundi bebanga leshumi nanye besiNgisi ulimi lokuqaka lokwengeza ababhekana nazo uma befunda izinkondlo. Ezinye zezingqinamba abafundi ababhekene nazo ngokufunda izinkondlo zingenxa yezimiso ezingasebenzelani phakathi kwenqubomqomo ye-CAPS, uhlelo lokufundisa lonyaka kanye nencwadi yezinkondlo ekhethelwe ukufunda izinkondlo. Ucwaningo luveza ukuthi abafundi abakuthakaseli ukufunda izinkondlo ngenxa yobunzima bolimi olusetshenziswa ezinkondlweni. Imibuzo ebuzwa encwadini yezinkondlo ayibalungiseleli abafundi bebanga leshumi nanye ukuthi baphendule imibuzo ebuzwa ezivivinyweni ezihlelikile. Ucwaningo lugcina ngokutholakele kanye nezincomo ezimaqondana nokungavumelani phakathi kohlelo lwe-CAPS, incwadi ekhethiwe kanye nohlelo lokufundisa konyaka ukuze kuthuthukiswe ukufundwa nokufundisa izinkondlo.
Amagama awukhiye: izinkondlo; IsiNgisi ulimi lokuqala lokwengeza; izinkondlo; ibanga leshumi nanye; izingginamba
