Browsing by Author "Nel, Jana"

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    Factors contributing to the adequate vitamin A status and poor anthropometric status of 24-59-month-old children from an impoverished Northern Cape community
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2013-03) Nel, Jana; Van Stuijvenberg, Martha Elizabeth; Du Plessis, Lisanne Monica; Schoeman, Serina Elizabeth; Lombard, Carl Jacobus; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Dept. of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences. Human Nutrition.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Objective: To examine the factors that may influence the vitamin A and anthropometric status of 24-59-month-old children from an impoverished community with a very high prevalence of stunting, but virtually no vitamin A deficiency. Design: Cross sectional, descriptive study with analytical components. Setting: Calvinia West, Northern Cape Province, South Africa Subjects: Biological mothers (n=150) and their children aged 24-59 months (n=150) living in Calvinia West from 6 months of age or younger. Methods: A general interviewer-administered questionnaire comprising of socio-demographic information, a 24-hour recall and an adjusted food frequency questionnaire, focussing on liver intake, were used in the data collection process. Anthropometric measurements (weight and height) were also performed. Results: Results showed that liver consumption alone contributed to more than 100% of the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) for vitamin A of the pre-school children in this community. Liver was eaten by 84.7% (n=127) of the children and 68% (n=102) of them ate liver at least once per month. The average portion size of the children who consumed liver was 66g at a time. The national food fortification programme contributed to a further 80 μg Retinol Equivalents (RE) and the national supplementation programme 122μg RE of vitamin A per day. There was a significant (p=0.028) inverse association between the amount of liver intake and household income. Liver intake was also significantly (p=0.016) higher in the children whose mothers were unskilled as opposed to those with skilled mothers. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) growth standards 36.9% (n=55) of the children were stunted (low height for age), 25.5% (n=38) were underweight for age and 12.1% (n=18) were wasted (low weight for height). The mean birth weight of the children (n=141) was 2826g (SD=592). Of these children, 27.7% (n=39) had a low birth weight (<2500g). There was a significant positive correlation (r=0.250; p=0.003) between the birth weight of the child and the child's current height for age. The height of the mother, as well as several indicators of socio-economic status, also correlated significantly with the height for age of the child. Conclusion: In this impoverished community the anthropometric status of the children was poor, but vitamin A deficiency was largely addressed through the regular intake of liver. Poor anthropometric status is therefore not always an indicator of micronutrient deficiencies and blanket supplementation approaches are not necessarily the solution in a country with diverse cultures and eating habits. Apart from the immediate risks and consequences of underweight, stunting and wasting in a community, stunting may also lead to overweight and obesity in the long term. This may result in diseases of lifestyle in later life, adding a further burden to an already weakened community. Appropriate evidence-based interventions aimed at the first thousand days of life should be a priority in this community.
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    'n Ondersoek na graad 4-leerders, met IsiXhosa as huistaal, se leerpraktyke van Afrikaans Eerste Addisionele Taal in ’n meertalige konteks : 'n gevallestudie
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2018-12) Nel, Jana; Le Cordeur, Michael; Kese, P.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Curriculum Studies.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT : The fundamental principles for equal education dictate that every learner will have equal access to education; no language will be directly or indirectly used as the dominant or as discriminatory language and multilingualism will be encouraged (Heugh 1995:45 in Heugh, Siegrühn & Plüddemann 1995). This investigation was conducted due to the vast number of learners studying Afrikaans First Additional Language (FAL) while their lingual capabilities were in reality on a third, fourth or even fifth language level. Myburg, Poggenpoel and Van Rensburg (2004:573) go on to write that it is a common occurrence in South African schools that teaching and learning is primarily conducted in the learners’ second or third language. This means that learners receive their education in a language that is not their home language. This tendency is one of the reasons for the challenging education system in South Africa. This investigation focuses on the learning practices of Afrikaans FAL for grade 4 IsiXhosa home language learners with an additional involvement of grade 4 Shona and French-speaking learners. The emphasis is on the learning practices of learning a new language. This investigation will contribute to other research and especially to the skills of teachers to ensure successful facilitation of learning. The learning practices in the classroom should be implemented in such a way that every learner will achieve success within their own learning capabilities. Language is thus important in all learners’ learning practices. The purpose of this research is to investigate the learning practices of Afrikaans FAL of grade 4 IsiXhosa home language speakers. Similarities between learning Afrikaans for grade 4 Xhosa, Shona and French-speaking learners were discovered. Furthermore, the analysis of the challenges as well as most important positive factors relating to the learning practices of Afrikaans FAL for grade 4 Xhosa, Shona and French-speaking learners took place. This research embraces additive multilingualism encompassing both the spoken and the written literacy forms of language within a multilingual school context. A case study with a qualitative method with some considerations of quantitative data was used as the primary research methodology allowing for the provision of multiple resources to conduct a comprehensive analysis. The following methods were used in this case study: a thorough literature study focusing on Piaget’s (1953) cognitive development theory and Vygotsky’s (1978) social constructivist theory on language acquisition as well as the research of Cummins (1984 to the present) regarding second language acquisition were investigated. The researcher visited the school over a period of six months where observations were conducted, interviews with the learners, their parents and the Afrikaans teacher took place and the learners’ work books were used as reference. Although Afrikaans can be heard in the Western Cape daily, it remains a third or fourth language for many South Africans, as well as immigrant learners. Despite Afrikaans being taught as a second language, it is not heard often outside the class and school context. The Xhosa, Shona and French-speaking learners’ micro- (family) and exo- (community) systems do not have a solid comprehension of Afrikaans. At home there is a lack of support for learners with Afrikaans. Learners struggle with comprehension subjects, for example Afrikaans FAL, due to their language barrier. The results of this investigation indicate that Afrikaans as a second language can be positively studied when the following principles are applied by third of fourth language speakers. Afrikaans should be used more outside the school and classroom context. Learning and support groups in the classroom will make a positive contribution to the teaching and learning of Afrikaans FAL. Teachers should facilitate more sensory and practical learning experiences and parents’ Afrikaans capabilities should be enhanced. It is important to involve Afrikaans in many facets to manage the realistic expectations within South Africa’s multilingual and multicultural context. This research recommends that teachers should acquire fundamental communication skills of the languages mostly spoken in the province that they teach. The National Department of Basic Education should also devote more time to language structures and conventions in the CAPS curriculum. The results of this research can also be further applied elsewhere in the country and possibly within an international context due to the global issue of learners learning a second language at third, fourth or even fifth language level. If the recommendations of this research are applied by the learners who took part in this investigation, their ability to comprehend Afrikaans as a first additional language can be addressed effectively.
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    Taal en praktyk : 'n gevallestudie oor Afrikaans Eerste Addisionele Taal by graad 4-leerders in 'n meertalige skool
    (LitNet, 2019) Nel, Jana; Le Cordeur, Michael; Kese, Phumla
    Meertalige onderrig en leer het ’n komplekse en algemene verskynsel in Suid-Afrikaanse skole geword, maar daar is nog steeds nie genoeg navorsing gedoen oor hoe leerders met verskillende huistale en kulture mekaar beïnvloed wanneer hulle ’n nuwe taal aanleer nie. Hierdie ondersoek fokus op sosiaal-konstruktivistiese mondelinge en skriftelike leerpraktyke van Afrikaans Eerste Addisionele Taal (EAT) vir graad 4-derde- of -vierdetaalsprekers. Die ondersoek het die vorm aangeneem van ’n gevallestudie met kwalitatiewe asook kwantitatiewe databronne as navorsingsmetodologie. Die literatuurstudie fokus op Piaget (1973) se teorie van kognitiewe ontwikkeling, die sosiaal-konstruktivistiese taalverwerwingsteorie van Vygotsky (1978) en Cummins (1984; 1988), en Pretorius en Mampuru (2007) se teorieë rakende die aanleer van ’n tweede taal. ’n Skool in die Wes-Kaap is oor ’n tydperk van twee kwartale besoek, waartydens waarnemings gemaak is en onderhoude gevoer is met leerders, hul ouers en die Afrikaansonderwyser, terwyl leerders se boeke as databron gebruik is. Hierdie artikel sal vir die leser aanbevelings gee oor die leerpraktyke vir Afrikaans EAT van graad 4-derde- of -vierdetaalsprekers, binne ’n meertalige en sosiokulturele konteks. Verdere navorsing kan uit hierdie ondersoek ontwikkel word om voorspraak te maak vir verskillende etnografiese benaderings wat huislike en skoolgeletterdheid integreer sodat die leerpraktyke binne en buite die klaskamer, sowel as in die Afrikaans EAT-kurrikulum, verbeter word. Dit is belangrik dat die leerpraktyke die rol van die addisioneletaalonderwyser, as ’n strategiese fasiliteerder van tweedetaalleer van veral leerders van die minderheidsgroep sal definieer. Indien hierdie rol nie erken word nie, sal kurrikulumbeleide steeds nie kognitiewe geregtigheid vir leerders wat leerondersteuning nodig het met die aanleer van addisionele tale in Suid-Afrika en in ander lande ondersteun nie.