Developing the academic literacy of undergraduates studying by distance education in South Africa

[摘要] English: This research has been conducted at a time of major transformation in higher education,both in South Africa and internationally, which involves the re-engineering of educationprocesses, such as content delivery, assessment and learner support, in order to meet theneeds of lifelong learning in an information society. Distance education, as an importantcomponent of South African higher education, is a key to this transformation due to theconvergence of traditional and more open and flexible forms of higher education and assuch needs to respond to multiple challenges of enabling access to growing numbers ofnon-traditional higher education students; improving teaching and learning;implementing new information and communications technologies; articulating withnew qualifications and quality assurance frameworks; and rationalising and optimisingavailable institutional resources to respond to these challenges.A review of the fields of distance education and academic literacy revealed that older'transmission' type paradigms, epitomised by content based correspondence educationin which the distance learner absorbs theoretical knowledge in isolation, are inimical tothe development of academic literacy. Academic literacy is understood as that complexof knowledge, attitudes. and values which allows meaningful and successfulparticipation of the student in the academic culture and, more broadly, in developingpersonal and professional competencies which equip the student for productiveinvolvement in the society at a high level. Constructivist orientations to learning aregenerally considered to facilitate meaningful development of academic literacy.This study aimed to:} Illuminate the development of academic literacy in students studyingundergraduate courses through distance education in South African highereducation;} Identify and describe effective practice of distance education institutions, andeffective learning behaviours of the learners themselves, in facilitating thedevelopment of academic literacy; ~ Identify and describe problem areas in the development of academic literacy inundergraduate distance learners;~ Recommend improvements in practice and further research to facilitate thedevelopment of academic literacy in distance education.A mix of empirical and theoretical methods was used in a cycle of deductive andinductive research to pursue these aims. Data was gathered using postal and e-mailquestionnaires to distance learners and lecturers and this was supplemented byinterviews.The most important findings emerging from the study are:~ Transmission models of teaching and learning are still very much in evidence,although some innovation is taking place in the areas of support, communicationand materials development;~ For many distance learners there is a critical lack of engagement with lecturersand with fellow students which precludes meaningful development of academicliteracy;~ For the most disadvantaged students, access to sufficient learning support, a prerequisitefor academic literacy development, is problematic.Major conclusions drawn from the study include the following:~ Innovations in support, communication and materials developments need to beimplemented more quickly if a significant number of students are to benefit;~ A critical threshold of involvement in the process of developing academicliteracy, by means of constructive learning in a range of contexts, needs to beestablished in order to ensure acceptable learning outcomes in South Africandistance education;~ Learner support structures need to be made available to the majority of studentsto ensure equity, student retention and mission achievement;~ Sustained research by institutions of learner support needs, learning dynamics,and experience of services is vital to the successful adaptation of the sector.

[发布机构] University of the Free State