Reconstructing English Studies in South Africa Through Blended Learning

Reconstructing English Studies in South Africa through Blended Learning Millie Elisabet van der Westhuizen Thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts (English Studies) in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Stellenbosch University Supervisor: Prof S.C. Viljoen December 2016 i Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za Declaration By submitting this thesis 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. Date: December 2016 Copyright © 2016 Stellenbosch University All rights reserved i Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za Abstract Facing declining student enrolment, budgetary constraints, questions regarding the discipline’s relevance, and a student body inadequately prepared by secondary education, English Studies educators in South Africa require innovative pedagogical approaches to ensure that the discipline’s potential outcomes are optimally achieved. Whilst a blended learning approach might assist in overcoming budgetary constraints, research on employing this approach in literary studies education is limited, with the sense of this approach’s alignment with ‘factual’ knowledge often discourages its use in the so-called ‘soft’ sciences. Hoping to contribute to this field of research, this study examines the discipline’s potential relevance, as well as the ways in which cognitivist learning theory’s principles might assist English Studies educators, in order to determine the potential means of adopting a blended learning approach in the discipline. As such, the study commences with an exploration of the discipline’s potential for developing students’ sense of social awareness, critical thinking skills and creativity. Given the subsequent sense of the relationship between critical thinking and literary criticism, identification of the latter as requiring complex procedural knowledge leads to considerations on cognitivism’s perception on the relationship between factual, conceptual, procedural and meta-cognitive knowledge. Establishing the need for factual and conceptual knowledge in assisting procedural knowledge development, the ways in which information and communication technology (ICT) might be employed in English Studies education are then investigated. The results suggest the need for strategic course design and text selection. In addition, since a move towards a blended learning approach stimulates reflection on the nature of physical instruction, the increased level of immediacy and flexibility afforded by such interaction leads to an interest in flipped classroom models as a means of increasing the degree of interactivity in these sessions. In this, the possible use of webpages to disseminate factual knowledge, wiki pages to assist in conceptual knowledge development and screencasts for modelling procedural knowledge is established, whilst the need to monitor and encourage students’ participation in online activities is also determined. In addition, the possibility of using online ‘communities of enquiry’ in English Studies, suggest an additional potential benefit whereby developing online resources might serve to establish a body of authorised knowledge, thereby countering a lack of clarity regarding the nature of the discipline. Keywords: Blended Learning, English Studies, Cognitivism ii Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za Opsomming In die lig van dalende studentegetalle, beperkings op begrotings, vrae rondom die relevansie van die vakgebied en ’n studentekorps wat onvoldoende voorberei is tydens hulle sekondêre skoolfase, het English Studies-dosente in Suid-Afrika vernuwende pedagogiese benaderings nodig om te verseker dat die vakgebied se moontlike uitkomste optimaal bereik word. Terwyl ’n gemengde leerbenadering nuttig sou kon wees om begrotingsbeperkings te oorkom, is navorsing wat hierdie benadering in die onderrig van literatuurstudie toepas beperk, in die sin dat die skakeling van hierdie benadering met “feitekennis” dikwels die gebruik daarvan in die sogenaamde “sagte” wetenskappe ontmoedig. In die hoop om ’n bydrae te lewer tot hierdie navorsingsgebied, ondersoek hierdie studie die vakgebied se moontlike relevansie sowel as maniere waarop die beginsels van die kognitivistiese leerteorie dosente in English Studies sou kon help om die potensiële metodes vas te stel waarmee ’n gemengde leerbenadering in die vakgebied geïnkorporeer sou kon word. In dié verband begin die studie met ’n verkenning van die moontlikhede in die vakgebied om studente se sin vir sosiale bewustheid, kritiese denkvaardighede en kreatiwiteit te ontwikkel. In die lig van die logiese uitvloeisel van die verhouding tussen kritiese denke en literêre kritiek lei die identifikasie van laasgenoemde, wat komplekse prosedurale kennis vereis, tot oorweging van die sienings in die kognitivisme aangaande die verhouding tussen feitelike, konseptuele, prosedurale en metakognitiewe kennis. Deur die noodsaaklikheid van feitelike en konseptuele kennis vas te stel as ondersteuning vir die ontwikkeling van prosedurale kennis, word die maniere waarop informasie- en kommunikasietegnologie (IKT) in die aanbieding van English Studies gebruik sou kon word, ondersoek. Die resultate dui op die behoefte aan strategiese kursusontwerp en seleksie van tekste. Aangesien ’n skuif in die rigting van ’n gemengde leerbenadering nadenke oor die aard van werklike onderrig aanmoedig, lei die verhoogde vlak van onmiddellikheid en vloeibaarheid wat deur ’n dergelike interaksie gebied word boonop tot ’n belangstelling in omgekeerde (“flipped”) klaskamermodelle as ’n metode, om die vlak van interaktiwiteit in hierdie sessies te verhoog. Hierdeur word die moontlike gebruik van webblaaie om feitelike kennis te versprei, wiki-blaaie om konseptuele kennis te help ontwikkel en skerm-sendings (“screencasts”) om prosedurale kennis voor te hou, gevestig, terwyl die behoefte om die studente se deelname aan aanlyn-aktiwiteite te monitor en aan te moedig, ook vasgestel word. Verder doen die moontlikheid om aanlyn-ondersoekgemeenskappe in English Studies te gebruik ’n bykomende iii Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za potensiële voordeel aan die hand, waardeur die ontwikkeling van aanlyn-hulpbronne sou kon dien as ’n manier om ’n korps van goedgekeurde bronne saam te stel, wat die gebrek aan duidelikheid omtrent die aard van die vakgebied sou kon teëgaan. Sleutelwoorde: Gemengde leer, English Studies, Kognitivisme iv Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za Acknowledgements To my supervisor, Professor Shaun C. Viljoen: Thank you for trusting me enough to give me the space I needed in order to work in what you call my very ‘strange’ way. For your patience and guidance – thank you. To my parents: Thank you for your continued support and for granting me the opportunity to further my studies. More than that, thank you for showing me the significant impact that one can have through an involvement in education. Your legacies expand far beyond the pages of this work. I would also like to thank my aunt, Dr Ria Smit, for taking the time to translate the abstract of this thesis into Afrikaans. To my educators: Thank you for being an inspiration to so many, and for the contributions that you make to the lives of all you encounter. And thank you for laying the foundations which inform this thesis – foundations which include the passion instilled in me by your enthusiasm, dedication and brilliance. To my friends, my sister and my wonderful boyfriend: Thank you for tolerating me when I tried to discuss my work with you, for keeping me sane, and for the balance and joy you all bring to my life – I am blessed beyond measure. Finally, I would like to acknowledge Kerri-Leigh Wayne: For encouraging me to write on education when others left me hesitant, and for living with the same passion and wisdom that you encourage in others – thank you. v Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za Dedication This thesis is dedicated to my mother; to whom I ascribe all that is good in me. For reading to me as a child and populating your bookshelves with the works that led me here. For indulging my strangeness and fostering my creativity. For the music, the laughter and exposing me to the films you watched growing up. For your love, your heart and your personal sense of morality. For being an unreliable narrator – deciding that some aspects to life should be more interesting than accurate. For questioning everything and being able to answer more than most could. Without your wisdom, guidance, strength, charity, persistence and creativity, my life would be meaningless. Thank you for your inspiration and for supporting me in all that I do. vi Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za Table of Contents Declaration…………………………………………………………………………….i Abstract………………………………………………………………………………..ii Opsomming…………………………………………………………………………...iii Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………………....v Dedication…………………………………………………………………………….vi Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION TO AND NATURE OF THE STUDY 1.1) Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1 1.2) Definitions of Key Terms ..............................................................................................

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