Browsing by Author "Slinger-Steenberg, Leah Elizabeth"

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    Whatsapp as ondersteuningsplatform vir ouerbetrokkenheid van Xhosa-sprekende leerders by ‘n Afrikaans medium skool
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2018-12) Slinger-Steenberg, Leah Elizabeth; Daniels, Doria; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Educational Psychology.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT : This study was undertaken to promote parent involvement in the Xhosa-speaking learners' learning process. The current trend is that Xhosa-speaking parents are increasingly enrolling their children in Afrikaans medium schools. These children are therefore taught in a second or sometimes a third language. These parents are not always informed about the negative effects that it have on their children (Hooijer en Fourie, 2009). The educational challenges posed to teachers are thus significant. Xhosa-speaking parents are not always able to help their children with their homework because they have no or limited Afrikaans language skills. The study was undertaken to investigate how parents could support their homework participation in a homework program, with knowledge and skills. The overall purpose of the study was to promote the involvement of the Xhosa-speaking parents in their childrens learning through WhatsApp. It was also to get new insights about the educational use of WhatsApp. Participating action research was chosen as the most effective research design for this study because it provides the opportunity to actively involve parents in the education of their children. The research population was Xhosa-speaking parents whose children are Grade 1 learners at an Afrikaans medium school. Data was obtained through semi-structured interviews with participants, an individual interview with the teacher, participation in a homework program with interactions on a WhatsApp group and the collection of artefacts. With the three forms of data collection, I was able to move within the personal space of the participants in order to investigate the context of their living world. The findings indicate that although parents want to support learners, they are limited to Afrikaans language skills and the support is therefore inadequate. By using WhatsApp as support for these parents, it has made an excellent contribution to helping learners with homework as well as the involvement of the parents. The educator and parents state that there was definitely an educational improvement in the Xhosa-speaking learners' achievements.