Students need access to the disciplinary practices of engineering, but at the same time, these practices need to transform to the realities of the changing global environment and the profession. The site of this research is an engineering foundation programme for less advantaged students in South Africa and is thus perhaps well-positioned to look…

There are many challenges involved in developing and running Writing Centres in tertiary contexts in South Africa. These challenges include recognizing the role Writing Centres need to play in the redress of basic academic literacies. They also involve emphasizing writing as a mode of learning where higher cognitive functions such as analysis and…

There has tended to be an overemphasis on the teaching and analysis of the mode of writing in "academic literacies" studies, even though changes in the communication landscape have engendered an increasing recognition of the different semiotic dimensions of representation. This paper tackles the logocentrism of academic literacies and…

This paper provides a critical exploration of work in progress to develop a genre based academic support that promotes post-graduate academic literacies among new EIL and EAL Hons and Masters students in the School of Theology, University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg. It traces the path of an action research project, using an eclectic needs analysis…

Examines theoretical concerns about discourses associated typically with what has come to be referred to as the oral tradition and discourses associated typically with academic contexts in order to see how these may relate to students' experiences of higher learning. Looks at the writing of students who are predominantly Xhosa speakers and…

The writings of six mentally retarded people in South Africa are used to illustrate issues relating to the social construction of mental retardation. It is argued that labeling people as mentally retarded may not be to their benefit and that many so labeled individuals are aware of their needs and able to express them. (Author/DB)

Six hundred and six essays written during 1969 and 1970 are compared in terms of the main themes or events described; the pupils individually chose to write on either the topic of What happened on Saturday night' or My Street.' (JM)

Distance education is generally seen as a very isolating experience for students, but one often forgets that it can be an equally isolating experience for teaching staff who oftentimes work in isolation from colleagues. This study examines the experiences of nine tutors at the Reading and Writing Centres of one of the 10 biggest universities in…

Noting that composition studies in the United States has devoted little attention to cross-national perspectives on student writing and its roles in wider cultural contexts, this book presents research studies from six nations (China, England, France, Germany, Kenya, and South Africa) on academic writing development in the dominant language of…

This article reports on use of an e-mail-based correspondence program with South African peers to facilitate the writing skills and motivation of six U.S. sixth graders with language/learning disabilities. Focusing on one child's experience, it describes the writing-process instructional approach and the positive effects on the student's writing…

Globally, universities today are attracting students from widely diverse language and cultural backgrounds. However, whilst there are many well-intentioned and supportive institutional endeavours under way, in most cases, it is still apparent that students with certain background characteristics are more successful than others. Disparities that…

Analyses the ways in which university-entrant science students carry out and communicate experimental activities, and identifies a model to explain characteristic communication practices. Observes the investigative strategies of participant students who have a lack of experience with laboratory work and scientific writing. Uses laboratory reports…

Studied how college students acquire academic literacy through their writing. Findings for six South African students for whom English was a second language show the difficulties students have in using their own words and in distinguishing different voices in writing. Explicit assistance from lecturers was found to assist students in understanding…

Describes "SuperText," computer software designed to support expository writing among students in distance learning programs, and its theoretical justification. Notes the various models of writing supported by "SuperText" and outlines the functions of the program. Evaluates "SuperText" on the basis of student…

The status of the current standard African languages has been seriously undermined by factors such as the association of the standardisation process with colonial and neo-colonial structures, the lack of function of the standards and the rise of high status non-standard urban varieties. This paper describes the process leading to and some…