Scaffolding Academic Literacy Using the Reading to Learn Methodology

323 Pages·2016·14.96 MB·English

Scaffolding Academic Literacy Using the Reading to
Learn Methodology: An Evaluative Study
Tracey Jane Millin
Dissertation presented for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the
Department of General Linguistics, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
at
Stellenbosch University
Promoter: Professor Christine Anthonissen
March 2016
Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za
DECLARATION
By submitting this dissertation electronically, I declare that the entirety of the work contained
therein is my own, original work, that I am the sole author thereof (save to the extent
explicitly otherwise stated), that reproduction and publication thereof by Stellenbosch
University will not infringe any third party rights and that I have not previously in its entirety
or in part submitted it for obtaining any qualification.
Signature: Date: March 2016
Copyright © 2016 Stellenbosch University
All rights reserved
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SUMMARY

The primary aim of this study was to test and assess the efficacy of an innovative literacy
development intervention, Reading to Learn (RtL), with Grade 11 students at two schools
within the Winelands District of the Western Cape. The RtL intervention, originally designed
to address inequitable literacy development outcomes of students from marginalised
communities in Australia, was undertaken against the backdrop of increasingly serious
concerns regarding literacy development in primary and secondary education in South Africa.

Recent research has confirmed that poor literacy performance at school cannot be divorced
from social conditions and educational practices that may exclude some and privilege other
learners. In this study, RtL was designed purposefully to scaffold the development of more
advanced academic literacy skills, with special support being offered to students with the
greater need, whilst still providing sufficient stimulation for better performing students. A
characterising feature of RtL is its affordance of equal opportunities to students from outside
mainstream Discourses, by providing explicit access to the Discourse of formal schooling.
The theoretical conceptual framework of RtL is derived from the work of Halliday (language
as a text in a social context), Vygotsky (learning as a social process) and Bernstein (education
as a pedagogic device for maintaining inequality).

The two central research questions considered (i) whether RtL could be effective in a small-
scale South African secondary school context, and (ii) whether RtL outcomes in such a
context would be comparable to other studies of RtL conducted elsewhere. Using a long-term
action research design, this mixed methods inquiry into academic literacy development
worked with students’ writing portfolios collected throughout the RtL intervention. A
linguistic biographical questionnaire was used to gather student-specific data. Student work
was assessed, codified and given numerical literacy scores which allowed for descriptive and
more advanced statistical data analysis. A number of cases were closely analysed to illustrate
the nature of the intervention and students’ levels of literacy pre and post intervention.
Triangulation of the various kinds of data revealed how general data patterns emerging from
the small-scale statistical analysis relate to contextual features specific to local social and
educational conditions.
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The findings of this study showed that students’ academic literacy skills improved over the
duration of the RtL intervention. The greatest area of improvement across all students
(regardless of school context) was evidenced in more advanced schematic structuring of both
the narrative and academic essay genres. From a cross-sectional (across schools) perspective,
the greatest overall improvement in written literacy skills was among the weaker cohort of
students from the peri-urban township school. The phenomenon of weaker students making
greater overall gains was also evidenced from a time series (within school) perspective. This
encouraging finding indicates a possible convergence (or ‘catch-up’) effect, for students
previously categorised as academically weak, regardless of school context, meaning that the
documented convergence effects also seemed to occur irrespective of students’
socioeconomic circumstances. Furthermore, the findings of this study, with regards to the
efficacy of RtL, are comparable to findings from other studies conducted globally, those in
Australian studies, in particular.

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OPSOMMING

Die primêre doel van hierdie studie was om die effektiwiteit te toets van ʼn innoverende
onderrig intervensie, “Reading to Learn” (RtL), wat gebruik is in die
skryfvaardigheidontwikkeling van Graad 11 leerders by twee skole in die Wynlanddistrik van
die Wes-Kaap. Die RtL intervensie, wat aanvanklik ontwerp is om ongelyke uitkomste van
geletterdheidsontwikkeling van studente uit gemarginaliseerde gemeenskappe in Australië
aan te spreek, is onderneem teen die agtergrond van toenemende besorgdheid oor die
ontwikkeling van geletterdheid in primêre en sekondêre onderrig in Suid Afrika.

Onlangse navorsing het bevestig dat swak prestasie in geletterdheidsvaardighede op skool nie
losgemaak kan word van sosiale omstandighede en onderrigpraktyke wat party leerders kan
uitsluit en ander bevoordeel nie. In hierdie studie is RtL doelbewus ontwerp om as ‘t ware
steierwerk te voorsien vir die opbou van gevorderde akademiese geletterdheidvaardighede,
op so ʼn manier dat spesiale steun gegee word aan studente met groter agterstande, terwyl
beter presterende studente steeds voldoende stimulasie kry. ʼn Karakteriserende eienskap van
RtL is die aanbied van gelyke geleenthede aan studente van buite die hoofstroom Diskoerse,
deur die spesifieke verlening van toegang tot die Diskoers van formele onderwys. Die
konseptuele raamwerk van RtL is gebaseer op die werk van Halliday (taal as teks binne ʼn
sosiale konteks), Vygotsky (leer as ʼn sosiale proses) en Bernstein (onderwys as ʼn
pedagogiese instrument wat sosiale ongelykheid instandhou).

Die twee sentrale navorsingsvrae wat gestel is, oorweeg (i) of RtL effektief kan wees in ʼn
klein-skaal projek binne ʼn Suid-Afrikaanse sekondêre skool konteks, en (ii) of RtL uitkomste
in so ʼn konteks vergelykbaar sou wees met dié van ander RtL studies wat elders gedoen is.
Deur gebruik te maak van ʼn langtermyn aksie-navorsingsontwerp, het hierdie gemengde
metode ondersoek na akademiese geletterdheidontwikkeling gewerk met die skryf-portfolios
van leerders. Die data is oor die loop van die aangebode intervensie ingesamel. ʼn Vraelys is
gebruik om student-spesifieke taal-biografiese data in te samel. Studente se skryfwerk is
geassesseer, gekodifiseer en numeries bepunt sodat ʼn deskriptiewe en meer uitgebreide
statistiese data-analise gedoen kon word. ʼn Aantal gevalle is in besonderhede geanaliseer om
die aard van die intervensie te illustreer en om die geletterdheidsvlakke van studente voor en
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ná die intervensie aan te toon. Triangulering van die onderskeie soorte data het blootgelê hoe
algemene patrone wat uitgewys is deur die kleinskaalse statistiese analise, in verband staan
met kontekstuele gegewens eie aan die plaaslike sosiale en opvoedkundige situasie.

Die bevindinge van die studie toon dat studente se akademiese skryfvaardighede oor die loop
van die RtL-intervensie verbeter het. Die mees beduidende verbetering by alle studente
(ongeag die skoolkonteks) was in die skematiese strukturering van sowel die narratiewe as
akademiese opstel genres. Uit ʼn kruisseksionele perspektief (oor skoolgrense heen) was die
grootste verbetering in die geskrewe geletterdheidsvaardighede onder die kohort van swakker
presterende leerders uit die skool in die semi-stedelike swart woongebied. Die verskynsel van
swakker presterende studente wat oorhoofs groter verbetering toon, is ook bevestig vanuit ʼn
tydsverloop reeks perspektief (binne skole). Hierdie bemoedigende bevinding dui ʼn
moontlike konvergering (of “inhaaleffek”) aan by studente wat tevore gekategoriseer is as
akademies swakker presterend, ongeag die skoolkonteks. Dit beteken dat die gedokumenteerde
konvergensie-effekte plaasgevind het ongeag die studente se sosio-ekonomiese omstandighede.
Verder is die bevindinge ten opsigte van die effektiwiteit van RtL, wel vergelykbaar met dié
van ander studies in ander wêrelddele, en spesifiek ook met die bevindinge van soortgelyke
studies in Australië.

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DEDICATION

This thesis is dedicated to my beloved little Aristotle and Dewey who passed away tragically
just before this thesis was due. They were my writing buddies. Gone but never forgotten!

ARISTOTLE: 28/08/2013 – 08/09/2015
DEWEY: 28/08/2013 – 22/12/2015

“Cats leave paw prints on your heart, but Bengals leave love spots on your soul.”

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would not have been able to complete this research project and thesis, without the help and
support from a number of different people. I would like to publicly offer my heartfelt thanks
and appreciation to:

 First and foremost, my heavenly Father. All glory and praise to God, who inspired me to
continue and persevere with a task He so graciously gave me, and equipped me to
complete. His unending grace, mercy and provision for my multiple moments of self-
doubt and weakness enabled me to complete this mammoth task.
 My promoter, Professor Christine Anthonissen, for her unending support, guidance,
insights, constructive criticism and editing. Thank you for all your copious amounts of
reading under very tight time constraints. It was greatly appreciated.
 My amazing, supportive “research assistant” and beloved husband, who saw potential in
me 11 years ago and unselfishly gave me the opportunity of a lifetime to embark on the
beginning of a long 9-year academic journey of discovery, which culminated in the much
dreamt of Doctor of Philosophy. Your support in this journey, I can never repay. Your
belief in me - priceless. “May the Lord bless you and keep you; May the Lord make His
face shine upon you and be gracious to you; May the Lord turn His face toward you and
give you peace” (Numbers 6:24-26).
 My family for your constant prayers and support. The pencil case you lovingly put
together for me before embarking on my first year of undergraduate studies Mom, has
been my source of inspiration and commitment. It will never be forgotten.
 The Graduate School, Stellenbosch and the Department of Higher Education and Training
for their Doctoral Scholarships, without which, a study of this sort would not have been
possible. Thank you.
 Lastly, but not least, thank you to the Grade 11 students and their respective teachers who
allowed me into their teaching and learning space. Thank you for your willingness to take
part in a study of this nature. I hope you all benefitted as much as I did through this
process.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
DECLARATION i
SUMMARY ii
OPSOMMING iv
DEDICATION vi
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS vii

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study 1
1.2 Problem Statement and Focus 6
1.3 Research Questions and Objectives 7
1.4 Preliminary Literature Review 8
1.4.1 Rationale for Academic Literacy Intervention Before University 8
1.4.2 Brief Overview of Reading to Learn 8
1.4.3 Previous Research on Reading to Learn 9
1.5 Research Design and Methodology 12
1.5.1 Methods of Data Collection 13
1.5.2 Methods of Data Analysis 15
1.6 Ethical Considerations 16
1.7 Definition of Key Concepts Used 17
1.8 Impact of the Study 19
1.9 Thesis Organisation 19

CHAPTER TWO: LITERACY AND ACADEMIC LITERACY
2.1 Introduction 21
2.2 Definitions of Literacy 21
2.3 Defining Discourse 25
2.4 Defining (d)iscourse 25
2.5 Discussion of Discourse and (d)iscourse 26
2.6 Defining Academic Literacy 28
2.7 Conclusion 36
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CHAPTER THREE: READING TO LEARN
3.1 Introduction 37
3.2 An Introduction to Reading to Learn 37
3.3 The Reading to Learn Classroom Cycle 43
3.4 Theoretical Foundations of Reading to Learn 51
3.4.1 Halliday – Language as a Text Within a Social Context 51
3.4.2 Genre Theory 55
3.4.3 Systemic Functional Grammar 62
3.4.4 Vygotsky – Learning as a Social Process 66
3.4.5 Bernstein – Education as a Pedagogic Device 73
3.5 Review of Some Findings of Reading to Learn Interventions Globally 78
3.6 Conclusion 80

CHAPTER FOUR: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
4.1 Introduction 81
4.2 Aims of the Study, Research Questions and Research Hypothesis 81
4.3 Defense of the Research Design 83
4.4 Validity 86
4.5 Ethical Considerations 90
4.6 Description of School Sites and Student Participants 91
4.7 Description of the Data 95
4.8 Data Collection 100
4.9 Methods of Data Analysis 106
4.9.1 Quantitative Data Analysis 106
4.9.1.1 Explanation of the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test 107
4.9.2 Qualitative Data Analysis 109
4.9.2.1 Case Study Method 110
4.10 Limitations to the Study 113
4.11 Conclusion 115

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