Browsing by Author "Lumbu, Simon D."

Now showing 1 - 8 of 8
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    Assessing students in English Second Language courses: The role of alternative assessment tools in language instruction
    (University of Namibia, 2016) Hamakali, Hafeni P.; Lumbu, Simon D.
    This conceptual paper is an analysis of the role of alternative assessment (AA) tools in English language instruction. AA tools tend to be less formal than traditional testing; they gather information rather that at one point in time; and they are rather formative than summative in nature (Alderson & Banerjee, 2001). There has been increasing criticism of standardized test and examinations and it has brought into question the value of other indirect approaches to language assessment. Research has shown that these approaches provide a wealth of information which can inform a more valid interpretation of standardized test or examination results. The results of this analysis could be useful in informing language instructors, language material developers, language teacher trainers, as well as curriculum designers.
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    A case study of the constraints perceived and encountered by Grade 10 teachers in teaching English as a socond language in rural combined schools in the Oshana region
    (University of Namibia, 2013) Lumbu, Simon D.
    A qualitative case study investigated the constraints encountered by Grade 10 teachers in teaching English as a Second Language in rural areas of the Oshana region, in Namibia. The convenience sampling techniques were used to sample the 10 schools for participation in the study. Using a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews as instruments, the study investigated, firstly, the constraints teachers encounter in teaching ESL; secondly, the kind of support teachers in rural schools receive from the Ministry of Education, the Oshana Education Regional Office, and other educational stakeholders; and thirdly, the perceptions of teachers of ESL towards the teaching of the English language. The study found that there exist generally positive attitudes towards the English language in rural areas of the Oshana region. The study concludes that the major constraints that JSC teachers encounter range from lack of materials to teachers’ poor English language proficiency and the effects of error fossilization and error inheritance.
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    A first Namibian portfolio for languages
    (University of Namibia, 2012) Zannier, Aurelie; Lumbu, Simon D.
    Since its early beginnings in the 1970’s, the communicative approach has established itself as the preferred approach in the teaching and learning of French as a Foreign Language. It has signifi cantly changed teaching and learning methods by introducing innovative concepts, notions and material – such as communicative and intercultural competence, needs analysis, authentic material, and learner-centred practices. The assessment dimension had its share of transformation especially with the introduction of learners’ selfassessment and self-awareness skills. To operationalise these new self-assessment skills, innovative tools have been developed and tested. The Portfolio for Languages (a document produced by the European Council after the publication of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages in 2001, which is now used in more than 38 countries in Europe) has proven its usefulness (for the learner as well as for the teacher) in the development of self-assessment skills, and in the monitoring an individual’s language development and of understanding learning objectives. To date no African portfolio for languages is in existence. In 2010, a team of fi ve Namibian teachers of French conceived the fi rst Namibian Portfolio for Languages that will be implemented in 2013 for all Grade 8 learners taking French as a Foreign Language in Namibian secondary schools. This pilot project will be carried out until 2017. The project is aimed at testing the eff ectiveness of the portfolio as an instrument if considered as a complementary tool to provide in the communicative approach needs in the Namibian context.
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    Investigating students’ motivations to learn French Foreign Language at the University of Namibia
    (University of Namibia, 2017) Lumbu, Simon D.; Zannier-Wahengo, Aurelie
    This paper is based on a case study carried out to instigate the motivation in students studying French as a foreign language in a tertiary institution, in an Anglophone country. There is general consensus among applied linguists that all learning is stimulated by motivation. The type of motivation is a determining factor in a student’s performance. This study presented a first of its kind in a Namibian context. Using Gardner’s self-determination theory, the study sought to establish motivation patterns in students of French as a foreign language; to determine the attitudes of students towards the French language, culture and its speakers; and to determine students’ objectives of learning French. Using Gardner’s theory, the concurrent mixed methods approach, a questionnaire was administered to the participants. The study revealed that the French community enjoys a positive image among students. However, a lack of exposure to Francophone speakers outside the classroom was a demotivating factor
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    The Namibian portfolio for languages: a tool for formative assessment in Namibian secondary schools
    (University of Namibia, 2016) Zannier, Aurelie; Lumbu, Simon D.
    The notion of learner-centred education has received praise since its inception in the Namibian education system in the early 1990s. This development provided a need for restructuring the process of teaching-learning, the nature of the curriculum, materials and assessment. The Education for All document similarly advocates for the regulation of formative assessment since the early years of the new Namibia. Little evidence suggests that the practical integration of formative assessment has not been concretely defined. In a learner-centred approach, formative assessment is crucial. Whereas it can be generally accepted that formative assessment is at the core of assessment in most language classrooms, it remains unclear whether assessment is more summative than formative. While learners’ marks are indicative of summative assessment, there is no tool to form the basis for the implementation of formative assessment and teacher feedback on their learners’ formative assessment. A team of teachers of French as a foreign language in Namibia viewed the introduction of a portfolio for languages as a practical tool for teachers and learners in order to implement formative assessment. This paper presents the use of the Namibian Portfolio for Languages as a pedagogical tool for self-assessment.
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    Recycling errors in the language classroom
    (University of Namibia, 2015) Lumbu, Simon D.; Smit, Talita C.; Hamunyela, Miriam N.
    This paper relates to the findings of a study on the constraints encountered by teachers in teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) in rural combined schools in the Oshana region. Errors and mistakes are as some the major constraints that teachers encounter in language teaching. While mistakes are usually at the surface of the speaker’s language awareness, errors are usually more internal. Many factors such as L1 interference can account for the occurrence of errors in a learner’s language use. It is argued that a consistent reinforcement of errors results in error fossilization. Even though Proponents of the Communicative Language Teaching approach have emphasised the significance of errors and mistakes in the language teaching and learning process, the role of teachers in the cycle of errors in the language classroom has been over-looked.
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    The role of rural school libraries on children's exposure to literacy in the Namibian context
    (University of Namibia, 2016) Lumbu, Simon D.
    The link between libraries and reading development has been found to be a determining factor in literacy development by scholars the world over. Based on the findings of a study on the constraints encountered by teachers in teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) in rural combined schools in the Oshana region, this paper analyses the role of school libraries in rural schools in Namibia. The study made use of the qualitative approach to investigate some of the causes of ineffective teaching and learning in rural schools. Each year, the Directorate of National Examinations and Assessments (DNEA) reveals poor academic performance in the National Senior Secondary Certificate examinations, particularly in the English subject. This study found that poor learner reading skills coupled with learners’ limited access to reading materials constrained the teaching of ESL. Although there were libraries at each school that participated in the study, physical set-up of the libraries often did not qualify them to be libraries in a prototypical definition of a library. It is introspection worthy to examine the role of these rural school libraries on children’s exposure to literacy in an environment of limited reading materials.
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    The role of rural school libraries on childrens exposure to literacy in the Namibian context
    (University of Namibia, 2016) Lumbu, Simon D.
    The link between libraries and reading development has been found to be a determining factor in literacy development by scholars the world over. Based on the findings of a study on the constraints encountered by teachers in teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) in rural combined schools in the Oshana region, this paper analyses the role of school libraries in rural schools in Namibia. The study made use of the qualitative approach to investigate some of the causes of ineffective teaching and learning in rural schools. Each year, the Directorate of National Examinations and Assessments (DNEA) reveals poor academic performance in the National Senior Secondary Certificate examinations, particularly in the English subject. This study found that poor learner reading skills coupled with learners’ limited access to reading materials constrained the teaching of ESL. Although there were libraries at each school that participated in the study, physical set-up of the libraries often did not qualify them to be libraries in a prototypical definition of a library. It is introspection worthy to examine the role of these rural school libraries on children’s exposure to literacy in an environment of limited reading materials.