Abstract
Literature is directly linked to the intellectual and spiritual enrichment of learners. Literary texts can, for example, provide the context for expressing one’s own ideas, views and emotions with confidence, thereby fostering independent and analytical thinking – one of the key objectives in the learning of additional languages. Beyond promoting critical and creative thinking, literary texts also offer learners the opportunity to “express their own experiences and findings about the world” and to articulate “opinions on ethical issues and values” (DBE 2011:4, 9, 14). In this way, the teaching of literature has the potential to contribute to learners’ self-fulfilment and their meaningful participation in society as responsible citizens of South Africa (DBE 2011:4). It is therefore evident that positive engagement with literature will undoubtedly benefit learners.
However, the paper 2 results of the National Senior Certificate examination from 2021 to 2025 suggest that this may not be the experience of most Afrikaans First Additional Language (FAL) learners. These examination results for Afrikaans FAL indicate a decline in performance. A further concern is that grade 12 learners nationwide performed significantly worse in paper 2 (literature) than in paper 1 (language in context) (Gauteng Department of Education 2023, 2025).
Another disconcerting fact revealed alongside these results is that the number of learners taking Afrikaans FAL is nearly double that of those taking Afrikaans Home Language. In 2021, 44 909 learners took Afrikaans Home Language compared to 85 952 learners who took Afrikaans FAL (DBE 2021:341). In 2023, 48 385 learners took Afrikaans Home Language compared to 97 654 Afrikaans FAL learners (DBE 2023:54). In South Africa, Afrikaans Home Language is offered in schools where Afrikaans is the official language, while Afrikaans FAL is offered in schools where English is the official language. In some schools, Afrikaans is offered both as Home Language and as FAL. However, Afrikaans FAL also competes with Zulu, Tswana, Ndebele, Xhosa, Pedi, Sotho, Siswati, Venda and Tsonga as other possible additional languages.
With the above-mentioned poor pass rates in mind, the problem statement that was the stimulus for this research article took shape. How can greater depth in the literary analysis of prescribed works, that is, the in-depth study of literary texts through the lens of a well-chosen literary approach, strengthen the teacher’s hand in the teaching and learning process?
The purpose of this research is to investigate the broadening of text experience, interpretation, and response as one possible countermeasure to the poor performance of grade 12 Afrikaans FAL learners in the literature examination. The primary objective is to demonstrate how reception theory and a contemporary literary-theoretical approach – illustrated through ecocriticism – can serve as a bridge to integrate literary-analytical depth with the teaching practice of Afrikaans FAL in the Further Education and Training (FET) phase.
This research does not propose that learners themselves should be expected to apply insights from reception-theoretical text analyses. Rather, the focus of this article is on how the teacher can bring specific insights, derived from reception-theoretical text analysis and informed by the literary-theoretical principles of ecocriticism, into the classroom as an enriching dimension for learners.
This primary research objective is supported by secondary objectives, namely to
- illustrate ecocriticism as a contemporary literary approach relevant to the demonstration of reception-theoretical principles in the analysis of specifically chosen prescribed literary works for Afrikaans FAL (FET phase) with the view to add value to Afrikaans literature teaching;
- use reception-aesthetical analyses of prescribed literary works in the FET classroom complementary to analyses based on the narratological, dramatical and poetic elements prescribed by the Afrikaans FAL curriculum; and
- use the findings from this study to add value to unlocking and experiencing literary texts in the Afrikaans FAL classroom (FET phase).
Three data collection methods were used in this research article. In the first of these, the literature review, particular theoretical perspectives on the fundamental concept of this article, namely literature teaching, were offered. Furthermore, the reception aesthetic theory was theoretically grounded thoroughly and motivated as the appropriate theoretical starting point for this article. In the second data collection phase, an in-depth document analysis of the most important source document for teachers, namely the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) for Afrikaans FAL (FET phase), was undertaken. Attention was drawn specifically to the information, prescriptions and recommendations on teaching literature, as well as the proposed literature and teaching approaches in this document. In the third place, textual analyses of two prescribed dramas for this level and phase were carried out based on reception aesthetics as a CAPS-supported approach to prescribed texts and using a reception-based literary approach, namely ecocriticism. The two dramas selected for this textual analysis are Die laaste karretjiegraf (2013) by Riana Steyn and Athol Fugard, and Betower: die drama (2015) by Fanie Viljoen.
An ecocritical approach to Die laaste karretjiegraf offers a fresh perspective on the complex, interdependent relationship between humanity and the earth. This innovative lens may spark excitement among learners about the possibility of dismantling the distance that conventional thought has created between humans and nature. It opens the opportunity to reconsider the traditional view of the roles of humans (as dominant and active agents) and nature (as subordinate).
Stimulating this kind of thinking in learners is beneficial for the younger generation’s relationship with both living and non-living nature. The ability to think critically about traditional Western human–nature ideas may be liberating for learners at a life stage in which they are inclined to question convention. This can be directly meaningful for their lives and futures. This aligns with the general aim of the CAPS curriculum, namely that learners acquire knowledge and skills to apply in ways that are meaningful to their own lives (DBE 2011:4).
Through an ecocritical orientation, the reader’s attention is drawn to the impact of the conventional view of humanity’s central position of power, as well as the consequences of humanity’s abuse of power over the earth. An ecocritical reading of Betower: die drama allows learners to take their first free – and perhaps wonder-filled – steps toward another general CAPS goal: to ensure that “regardless of socio-economic background, race, gender, physical or intellectual ability”, learners receive knowledge and skills “necessary for responsible and meaningful participation in society” (DBE 2011:4). The issues highlighted in Betower: die drama from an ecocritical perspective remind us of the need for humans and the earth to coexist in a responsible symbiotic relationship. Humanity is the steward of the earth and its resources. Ultimately, the value of an ecocritical interpretation of Betower: die drama also lies in its potential relevance to the life situations of learners who may already have experienced trauma due to the impulsiveness of adolescence, as in Nadia’s case. For such learners, new self-worth may grow from the realisation that there is so much beauty in the world, as Poenk points out to Nadia in the natural space of the forest. They may come to recognise that every individual life is part of that “beauty in the world”.
Ecocritical thought emphasises that there no longer needs to be a separation between human and non-human objects. We are part of the greater surrounding creation, and our value is reflected in every other surprising piece of creation. In the CAPS curriculum, the purpose of reading literary texts is clearly stated: learners read, evaluate and respond to the aesthetic features of literary texts. They apply the metalanguage or terminology of literature to understand and appreciate literary aspects (DBE 2011:32). This highlights that literature teaching should aim to enable learners to not only comprehend literary works but also interpret them and express commentary in the form of textual response. The ecocritical method of inquiry has the added advantage of broadening teachers’ literary insight while simultaneously expanding opportunities to help learners respond to texts. In this way, connections can be drawn between the content of the text and learners’ personal situations, experiences, and realities. Thus, the relevance of the prescribed work to learners’ own lives, and the value the text holds for them, is emphasised.
This research article has demonstrated that prescribed texts for Afrikaans FAL in the FET phase could fruitfully be used to provide learners with teachers’ ecocritical insights, thereby adding value to the process of enriching and expanding learners’ literary experience.
Keywords: Afrikaans First Additional Language (FAL); ecocriticism; Further Education and Training (FET) phase; literature teaching; reception aesthetics theory
- This article’s featured image was created by Thới Nam Cao and obtained from Pexels.
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