BARRIERS TO LEARNING ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE IN TWO HIGHER LEARNING INSTITUTIONS IN NAMIBIA BY THULHA HILLENI NAAMBO FRANS submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION in the subject CURRICULUM STUDIES at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA Supervisor: ASS. PROFESSOR F J PRETORIUS January 2016 I Declaration I declare that Barriers to learning English as a second language in two higher learning institutions in Namibia is my own work. It has not been submitted for any other degree or examination in any other institution, and that all the sources I have used or quoted have been indicated and acknowledged in the reference list. Ms Thulha Hilleni Naambo Frans Student number 35131497 Acknowledgments: I have been assisted by my supervisor, Associate Professor Pretorius, who provided me with proper guidance towards obtaining a Doctoral degree in Curriculum Studies. Other important acknowledgements are to my dear husband, Mr. Sebastien for his continued assistance and support, my beloved mother Emilia, my son Frank and my grandson Kingston- Ndiigwedha for their patience and encouragement. Lastly, I thank the Almighty God for his guidance and protection throughout my study. II Abstract The effectiveness of language requires that users of a language be provided with the right knowledge to cope with its complexity and demanding nature especially in the area of writing. In this sense, this thesis sought to draw attention to some of the important features of writing and speaking skills in the English language at two higher learning institutions in Namibia. English is a second language for students at these institutions. Articles 3 and 20 of the Namibian Constitution stipulate that the language policy must promote the use of English in schools (The Constitution of Namibia (1990). It is now 24 years since English as medium of instruction was introduced in schools and tertiary institutions, but some students’ English proficiency is still relatively poor, especially in writing and speaking communication skills. This study investigated the barriers that prevent students to write and speak English well at University A and University B. The writing and speaking skills were investigated through the lens of syllabi/study guides, and lack of practical teaching of oral communication and writing skills inter alia morphology and syntax. Fifty-seven respondents took part in the research, comprising Heads of Departments (Language, Communication and Language Centre), Course Coordinators, lecturers and students in the English field at the two institutions investigated. Students were deliberately selected for the questionnaire to illustrate the difficulties they face when writing and speaking English as a second language. The lecturers were also deliberately selected because they were the ones who were with the students in classrooms. This study used qualitative research to gather information through methods such as observation, interviews, open-response questionnaire items, document analysis and verbal reports. The following were the main findings. There was a lack of specific teaching objectives in oral communication and written skills in the syllabi, while the inability of students to write correct sentences, and the limited time allocated to these courses also played a role. The conclusion drawn from this study is that students’ communicative competency is very poor. Therefore, it is the opinion of this researcher that improvement is much needed regarding syllabi content, teaching approaches of speaking and writing skills, students’ admission criteria and the time frame allocated for the different courses. To answer the research question: firstly the time allocated to some of the English courses is short, there is III lack of teaching and learning of oral and writing skills approaches and, the syllabi were planned and design in a way that do not enhance much the teaching and learning of the second language. There are not many activities in the study guides that could be used to enhance students’ communicative competency. Such activities should include subject and verb agreement, passive and active form, sentence construction, word-building using prefixes and suffixes, auxiliaries or activities which give the students a chance to practice a certain aspect of language. Also, since English is a second language for students in Namibia, the institutions must seriously look at the time allocated to the courses they offer so that lecturers can appropriately apply proper approaches to teach writing and speaking skills. Key terms: Barriers; English as second language; Cognitive factors; Syllabi; Syntax; Writing skills; Oral Communicative Skills; Bound and Free Morphemes; Students’ Written work; Instructional Methods. IV Table of Contents Declaration ................................................................................................................................. I Abstract ..................................................................................................................................... II List of Tables ........................................................................................................................... IX Chapter 1: Introduction to the study .......................................................................................... 1 1.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 English as a medium of communication .............................................................................. 1 1.3 Preliminary Literature Review ............................................................................................. 5 1. 3.1 Background to the problem investigated ......................................................................... 5 1.3.2 Grade 10 and 12 results in Accounting, Geography, Physical Science, History and English as 2nd Language ........................................................................................................... 8 1.3.3 Definition of certain key concepts .............................................................................. 14 1.3.3.1 Morphology.................................................................................................................. 16 1.3.3.2 Syntax .......................................................................................................................... 16 1.3.3.3 Curriculum/syllabus ..................................................................................................... 17 1.3.3.3.1 Syllabi at University A.............................................................................................. 17 1.3.3.3.1.1 Language in Practice Course ................................................................................. 18 1.3.3.3.1.2 English in Practice Course ..................................................................................... 19 1.3.3.3.1.3 English for Academic Purposes Course ................................................................. 20 1.3.3.3.1.4 Professional Communication Course ..................................................................... 21 1.3.3.3.1.5 Professional Writing Course .................................................................................. 21 1.3.3.3.2 Syllabi at University B .............................................................................................. 22 1.3.3.3.2.1 English for General Communication Course ......................................................... 23 1.3.3.3.2.2 English Communication and Study Skills Course ................................................. 24 1.3.3.3.2.3 English for Academic Purposes Course ................................................................. 25 1.3.3.4 Lack of teaching of speaking and writing skills in the undergraduate English courses investigated .............................................................................................................................. 26 1.4 Theoretical Framework ................................................................................................... 31 1.5 Conceptual framework ..................................................................................................... 32 1.6 Problem statement .............................................................................................................. 32 1.7 Aims and objectives of the study ....................................................................................... 33 V 1.8 Research Design................................................................................................................. 34 1.9 Research Approach ............................................................................................................ 35 1.10 Sampling and Delimitation of the study ...................................................................... 35 1.11 Limitations of the study ............................................................................................... 36 1.12 Summary ...................................................................................................................... 37 Chapter 2: Literature Review on the identified barriers investigated in the study………… 38 2.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 38 2.2 Theoretical framework ......................................................................................................