Research Articles (Arts, Languages and Human Movement Studies Education)

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Folk music for children’s choirs : the challenges and benefits of cultural diversity
(NISC (Pty) Ltd and Routledge, 2010) Van Aswegen, Riekie; Potgieter, Hetta; riekie.vanaswegen@up.ac.za
In this article we investigate ‘folk’ music in the choral repertoire of children’s choirs as a way of building bridges between diverse cultures within the context of regional children’s choirs, with specific reference to the University of Pretoria Jacaranda Children’s Choir, which performs under the auspices of the University of Pretoria, as a sample case study. This descriptive qualitative study investigates the challenges and benefits of including folk music in the repertoire of children’s choirs in South Africa, while also taking into account the views of internationally recognised conductors of overseas children’s choirs. We address challenges in preserving the authentic character of folk music in choral performances, issues regarding transcribing African folk music, copyright, and the availability of scores and audio-visual media We also investigate the extent to which folk music is included in programmes of South African children’s choirs and ways in which folk music as choral repertoire can play a role in promoting the transformation process in South Africa.
Thinking skills across the early years : a practical approach for children aged 4-7
(A B Academic, 2008) Van der Westhuizen, Carol N.; Maree, J.G. (Kobus); carol.vanderwesthuizen@up.ac.za
Book review
Team trails, trials and tribulations - rigorously reckoning with requirements
(Unisa Press, 2008) Pieterse, Vreda; Du Toit, Cecilia Magdalena; vreda.pieterse@up.ac.za
A major challenge to the efficacy of student team learning projects occurs when some members of a group are unable to contribute effectively to the collaborative endeavour due to their academic deficits. A graded benchmark for the requisite academic maturity is the setting of admission requirements. Various research studies have shown a positive correlation between student achievement outcomes and prior learning activities. Very few viable solutions, however, have been offered to address the problem of deficient prior learning skills. This empiric study describes an intervention that was designed to furnish at-risk students with the requisite baseline skills to collaborate more effectively with team members who have already attained a higher skills level. The intervention is two-pronged: it involves a close scrutiny of the students' performance in those modules that they are repeating, as well as negotiation between lecturer and students about standards and support in the current module. The structured negotiations resulted in a mutually binding agreement. This article reports on the problems encountered when students lack adequate knowledge and skills upon entering a module. We investigated reasons for this phenomenon in this particular case and describe the process of the design and implementation of our intervention. The findings highlight its overall impact as well as how students experienced the intervention.
Literacy learning in Limpopo – a multilingual environment
(Faculty of Education, University of Pretoria, 2008-12) Cherian, Lily; Du Toit, Cecilia Magdalena; cecilia.dutoit@up.ac.za
This article is a report on research conducted to support the development of a multilingual literacy learning software programme for adult learners in rural Limpopo Province, South Africa. The topic of inquiry for the research was literacy learning in a multilingual environment, with special attention paid to attitudinal and metacognitive aspects. Preliminary results of the study suggest that the learners, mostly female and Sepedi mother tongue speakers, exhibited a specific and strong desire to become literate through the medium of English for personal advancement and improved interethnic communication. The central concern of this article is to describe the study, briefly discuss preliminary findings, and suggest possible avenues for further research.
Undervalued and under-served : the gifted disadvantaged
(A B Academic, 2007) Van der Westhuizen, Carol N.
No abstract available
Afrikaans language teachers still use pick and shovel to mine the Information Super Reef
(South African Asociation for Language Teaching, 2003-06) Heyns, Danielle; Snyman, M.E. (Martha Elizabeth)
This article originated as a paper prepared for the 2002 conference of the South African Association for Language Teaching (SAALT) on the theme “The changing contexts of language teaching : renewal or resistance”. Both report on research conducted to determine the extent to which South African teachers and, in particular, Afrikaans language teachers, utilise the Internet as an information resource. Information communication technologies such as the Internet can impact positively on many sectors in society, including the educational sector. Empirical research done to establish how Afrikaans language teachers use the Internet in their professional capacity indicates that there is still resistance and a lack of awareness among many Afrikaans language teachers with regard to exploring and utilising the possibilities that the Internet provides for information delivery and teacher support. In comparing the findings of this research with practices in some developed Western countries it became evident that teachers in South Africa are lagging behind.
The games institutions play - or the impact of university incorporation on the attitudes, beliefs and perceptions of college lecturers
(Unisa Press, 2004) Van der Westhuizen, Carol N.
This study gauges the impact of the incorporation of a college into a university on the attitudes, beliefs and perceptions of staff members who were not appointed in posts at the receiving institution. It is an account of the anger, fear and bias college lecturers experienced during the process of incorporation. Former college staff acted as both interviewers and interviewees in this innovative research design. The question asked during the free attitude interviews was: `How did the incorporation of the college into the University affect you as a College lecturer?' The subsequent data analyses and reporting were composed by the interviewers. The data indicate that the lecturers experienced emotional phases similar to those described in Kuebler-Ross's `stages of grief' model. The need for a more humane approach to incorporation processes has implications for the successful transformation of higher education institutions.
Inligtingsbehoeftes van Afrikaans T1-onderwysers
(Unisa Press, 2004-11) Snyman, M.E. (Martha Elizabeth); Heyns, Danielle
This article reports on an investigation into the information needs of Afrikaans L1 language teachers in South Africa. The main data collection methods were focus group discussions, a questionnaire and unstructured interviews. The most important information needs that were identified, were those pertaining to classroom activities, curricula and supportive study material. Interesting differences between the information needs of primary and high school teachers were found. Factors that impact on the information needs of Afrikaans L1 teachers are, among others, the changing curriculum, the nature of languages as a subject, a high workload, extramural activities and pressures with regard to examination results. The research revealed that it is of the utmost importance that those who have to supply language teachers with information are aware of their information needs in order to improve the standard of language teaching in South Africa.
Judging the book
(South African Asociation for Language Teaching, 2004) Van der Westhuizen, Carol N.
This article focuses on the extrinsic factors contributing to the popularity of novels in general and Dalene Matthee's Afrikaans "forest" novels in particular. Any group of agents involved in the production, dissemination and promotion of fiction comprises a literary institution. These literary institutions regulate the complex process of classifying and valuing a text as "literary fiction". The collective body of literary institutions constitutes the literary system in which each institution influences the way literature is viewed. Literary institutions perform a social function as "gatekeepers" between the book and its audience, thus influencing its publication and reception.
Motoriese vaardighede van eerstejaar onderwysstudente in menslike bewegingstudies
(Southern African Alliance for Sport Science, Physical Education and Recreation, 2007) Cloete, Dina J.; Botha, Antoinette; Cloete, Johann L.; Van Wyk, Elmarie M.
The facilitating of Human Movement Studies form an important part of a learner's total development. The World Health Organization found that more than two thirds of young people are not sufficiently physically active (Brundtland, 2002: 2). This lack of movement above all entails inadequate physical development. The aim of this study is to determine the level of the motor skills of first year students by using a test battery which was developed by the researchers. The level of motor skills was recorded by means of a five point scale. It was found that more than half of the respondents' motor skills were insufficiently developed. The article concludes with the recommendation that physical education students and teachers need to improve their own levels of motor skills in order to develop movement activities significantly. There should also be a clear distinction between movement activities as part of the formal academic programme and activities as part of an extra mural activity plan.
Some thoughts on the training of teachers of gifted learners
(A B Academic, 2006) Van der Westhuizen, Carol N.; Maree, J.G. (Kobus)
Ten years after the demise of the apartheid system in South Africa (SA), the ratio achieving gifted: non-achieving gifted is still woefully inadequate. The need for gifted learners to be better equipped for the challenges of a post-modern society and tertiary study needs to be highlighted, since far too many of the gifted currently do not stand even the remotest chance of achieving up to near their potential. Furthermore, the narrative of democratic change in SA during the final decade of the 20th century has been a chronicle of the demise of a “racially and culturally segregated and differentiated education system based on the ideology of Christian National Education” (Porteus, 2003:13). The equality clause in the Constitution implies that all citizens will be treated equally, viz. “Equality includes the full and equal enjoyment of all rights and freedoms … The state may not discriminate directly or indirectly against anyone on one or more grounds …” (1996, Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, Section 9, Chapter 2). Yet, there is some concern about the possibility that gifted children might be “viewed with mistrust and dislike and deliberately ostracised” and that their human rights will not be recognised (Kokot, 1998:2) under the new dispensation (also see Sherman, 1997:3). Despite the publication of a number of official and media reports on challenges in education, “the plight of the gifted learner is seldom mentioned” (Kokot, 1999: 270). In the light of the aforementioned, the purpose of this article is to examine the necessity for and the provision of suitable training for teachers who are required to provide for the needs of gifted learners in the mainstream.
Intrapersoonlike leerder se ervaring van kooperatiewe leer en groepwerk
(Education Association of South Africa (EASA), 2006-08) Cloete, Dina J.; Heyns, Danielle; Du Toit, Pieter Hertzog
Translated title: The intrapersonal learner's experience of co-operative learning and group work. We report on research done on how learners with a preference for the intrapersonal learning style experience group work. We expand on Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences. Observation of group work in Afrikaans Methodology classes at the University of Pretoria revealed that these learners tended to experience co-operative learning and group work negatively. The observations were followed up by interviews with the participants. The researchers found that the participants withdrew from collaborative learning environments and they indicated both verbally and non-verbally that group work irritated them. They preferred to complete their assignments alone and disliked the interdependence a collaborative learning situation forced on them. We conclude with the recommendation that group work should be used with care and an understanding of differences in learning styles by teachers and lecturers.
The impact of university incorporation on college lecturers
(Springer Verlag (Germany), 2004-09) Becker, L.R.; Beukes, Lukas D.; Botha, Antoinette; Botha, A.C.; Botha, Jan Jakobus; Botha, M.; Cloete, Dina J.; Cloete, Johann L.; Coetzee, Corene; De Beer, L.J.; De Bruin, D.J.; De Jager, Lizette J.; De Villiers, Johannes Jozua Rian; Du Toit, Cecilia Magdalena; Engelbrecht, Alta; Evans, Rinelle; Haupt, Maria Margaretha Catharina (Grietjie); Heyns, Danielle; Howatt, L.M.; Joubert, A.P.; Joubert, Ina; Niemann, A.C.; Phatudi, Nkidi Caroline; Randall, Elize; Rauscher, Willem Johannes; Rautenbach, W.C.; Scholtz, S.; Schultz, J.C.; Swart, Ronel; Van Aswegen, Hendrika Johanna; Van Heerden, Judith Cornelia (Judy); Van Vollenhoven, Willem Johannes; Van Wyk, Elmarie M.; Van Wyk, Johannes G.U.; Van der Walt, C.A.; Van der Westhuizen, Carol N.; Vermeulen, Dorette; Vorster, A.; cn.vdwesthuizen@gk.up.ac.za
In South Africa, recent government plans to change the institutional landscape of higher education have resulted in mergers of colleges into universities or technikons. The research reported in this article focuses solely on the impact of a "college-into-university" incorporation as manifested in the personal, emotional and career experiences of these college staff members. It traces the changes in their perceptions and emotions during and after the incorporation process. It also identifies recurring themes and issues evident in the personal lives of those affected by this incorporation. A unique research methodology was engaged: The College staff who had been appointed to the university after the merger, identified seven critical themes and then designed and conducted 30 semi-structured interviews among themselves. This article thus documents the impact of incorporation into a university on the individual and collective lives of the researchers themselves. The data suggest that the emotional impact of incorporation was intense and that the uncertainty, especially, led to considerable trauma. The most important concern emanating from this joint research project is that while a certain degree of distress is unavoidable in any institutional merger, inattention to the management of human resources, emotions and aspirations could linger on, possibly having a negative effect on the ambitions for the transformation of the new entity.

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