Digital Library
Close Browse articles from a journal
 
<< previous    next >>
     Journal description
       All volumes of the corresponding journal
         All issues of the corresponding volume
           All articles of the corresponding issues
                                       Details for article 7 of 11 found articles
 
 
  Reading ability and academic performance in South Africa: Are we fiddling while Rome is burning?
 
 
Title: Reading ability and academic performance in South Africa: Are we fiddling while Rome is burning?
Author: Pretorius, E. J.
Appeared in: Language matters L studies in the languages of Africa
Paging: Volume 33 (2002) nr. 1 pages 169-196
Year: 2002
Contents: The two studies reported in this article investigated the relationship between reading skill and academic performance at undergraduate level. The findings showed clear and consistent differences in reading ability between the different academic groups, with reading skills improving the higher the academic group. The findings indicate that many additional language (AL) students have serious reading comprehension problems, which means that they have ineffective and limited access to the rich sources of declarative knowledge provided by print-based materials in the learning context. Reading is important in the learning context not only because it affords readers independent access to information in an increasingly information-driven society, but more importantly because it is a powerful learning tool, a means of constructing meaning and acquiring new knowledge. If developing countries aim to produce independent learners, then serious attention will need to be given to improving the reading skills of students and to creating a culture of reading. Reading is not simply an additional tool that students need at tertiary level - it constitutes the very process whereby learning occurs.
Publisher: Routledge
Source file: Elektronische Wetenschappelijke Tijdschriften
 
 

                             Details for article 7 of 11 found articles
 
<< previous    next >>
 
 Koninklijke Bibliotheek - National Library of the Netherlands