Theses and dissertations (Arts and Design)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://ir-dev.dut.ac.za/handle/10321/8

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The effectiveness of the language used in the marketing and advertising of selected eThekwini and Elangeni TVET colleges
(2017) Zulu, Ntokozo Gregory; Hondy, Dr. R.; Awung, Felix Nkwatta
TVET colleges have to overcome the negative views of the prospective students that their marketing strategies are meant to attract. This research offers an approach which focusses specifically on the language used in TVET marketing and the impact which this is likely to have on the prospective students. The investigation targeted 40 first year students from 2 different TVETs in order to ascertain their responses to the language of the TVET advertisements. The researcher used questionnaires to collect data. . All of the respondents were randomly selected. The findings of this study show that the targeted audience were not consulted or surveyed; language style did not suit the age and background of the average students it is meant to address; and the marketing strategies did not reach societies such as those in deep rural areas. The study concludes that TVET marketing strategies are inadequate. TVET management has not interrogated the effectiveness of its marketing strategies. The US model that they adopted does not meet the expectations of the target population.
Perceptions of educators on the implementation of mother-tongue education in South Africa : a case study of selected schools in the UThungulu District of KwaZulu-Natal
(2022-09) Khanyile, Snenhlanhla Saralee; Awung, Felix Nkwatta; Ngandeu, Blaise
The South African Constitution guarantees learners the right to receive education in the language of their choice. However, little has been done to realise the idea of mother-tongue education for all South Africans. More than 25 years after the end of apartheid, mother-tongue education in indigenous languages has only been implemented in the first three grades of schooling in certain schools. The number of English first-language speakers is only the fourth highest of all the language groups in South Africa. This means that majority of children in the country are taught in a language that is not their mother tongue. While research has been done on mothertongue education and its challenges, less focus has been put on the educators’ perceptions on mother-tongue education and this is a problem as educators are both the product and agents of this education system; their input is vital in making this a reality. It is in this regard that this study aimed to investigate the educators’ perception on mother-tongue education. The researcher used a qualitative approach which studies human experience from general as well as individual perspectives, adopted a multiple-case study research design and collected data using questionnaires. Data was collected from 30 educators in five schools of KwaZulu-Natal. This study will certainly contribute to a broader understanding of the role that educators can play in making mother-tongue education a success in South Africa. This study demonstrated that educators believed that the current mother-tongue education policy had learning benefits for learners in the UThungulu District. The study also found that the implementation of mother tongue instruction in UThungulu District was fraught with challenges such as ill-adapted terminology for mother tongue teaching, negative attitudes from the community, lack of training for teaching in the mother tongue and lack of resources. While teachers acknowledged the benefits of the policy, they also seemed to believe that the policy is only good for introducing learners to the education system and should not be continued into higher education. They also expressed the need for this policy to be promoted and given more attention so as to help educate the wider community about the benefits of mother-tongue education. The study is significant in shedding light on the role that educators as agents of the system can play in bringing about the successful implementation of mother-tongue education in South Africa.
Social context and the use of technology in teaching African languages : a case study of public universities in KwaZulu-Natal
(2024-03-27) Adedokun, Theophilus; Awung, Felix Nkwatta; Usadolo, Sam Erevbenagie; Awung, Felix Nkwatta; Usadolo, Sam Erevbenagie
This study uses the concepts of Bourdieu’s sociological theory to investigate factors influencing technology use in teaching African languages. The study contends that language lecturers’ choices in teaching with technology were affected by the social phenomena of the field in which they operate. By adopting Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus, capital, and field, the study offers a multi pronged approach to understanding the complex nature of the relationship between practices of individuals and social structures. A thematic textual analysis was used to investigate the attitudes of lecturers who taught African languages in selected public universities in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The analysis reveals a mutually reinforcing relationship between individuals who operate in the teaching field and their behavioural attitudes towards using technology in teaching African languages. The study contributes to understanding how individuals and groups navigate different social and cultural contexts and how they could use their resources to the advantage of their fields. In addition, the study showed how agents actively try to shape their current teaching practices and adopt new approaches while subtly resisting external pressures that conflict with the practical realities of their field and their audience (students). The results of the interviews indicate that individuals' behaviours were influenced by the forces of the field where they operated, external factors and their habitus. This study recommends that policymakers collaborate with stakeholders like communities, governments, institutions, and lecturers to ensure technology development for teaching African languages yields desirable results. It also suggests African countries create an enabling environment for African languages to thrive, and future research adopts an integrated approach examining various factors influencing technology use in language teaching.