Abstract
Teaching Afrikaans as a foreign language in an online environment had not received much attention when the more extensive research project started in 2017. The research undertaken within this research project focused firstly on developing an online and/or blended foreign language teaching model specifically for Afrikaans aimed at adults and secondly on evaluating the SAQA-accredited Gesellig Afrikaans (GA) online and blended learning courses with regard to the ideal model. The critical analysis has determined to what extent the (initial) Gesellig Afrikaans courses (2017–2019) meet the requirements of a proposed “ideal” model and how the initial shortcomings could and were addressed based on the needs analysis questionnaire, the evaluation questionnaire, and a literature study of an ideal model for foreign language acquisition for adults.
GA 1 and 2 are foreign language courses offered by the Department of Afrikaans and Dutch, German, and French at the University of the Free State (UFS). The courses allow adults to learn Afrikaans as a foreign language. Students who register for these courses either have no prior knowledge of Afrikaans or have some passive knowledge of the language. The courses were initially offered as blended learning courses. In 2017, the initiative was taken to move the courses fully online as well, to give more people the opportunity to acquire Afrikaans as a foreign language outside the UFS teaching context.
Alongside the literature review, the study also used a multi-phased mixed methodology research design. The study’s first phase occurred before the students (respondents) started the GA courses. During this phase, the potential students were asked to complete a needs analysis questionnaire. This questionnaire yielded primarily quantitative data. The second phase of the study took place after the students had completed GA courses. During this phase, the students were asked to complete an evaluation questionnaire and participate in an individual interview. This phase of the study yielded both quantitative and qualitative data.
The needs analysis showed that the students who had registered for the courses wanted to learn Afrikaans to use the language in informal and social settings. The students also wanted to be able to understand specific phrases when they heard them and be able to respond when they were addressed in Afrikaans. The needs analysis also identified the students’ preferred types of learning activities and topics for the foreign language courses. The evaluation questionnaire determined the extent to which the GA courses met the needs of the students. It also more specifically evaluated the content used on the online platform to determine if it met the needs of students and how the courses were successful and not successful in meeting the requirements of an ideal foreign language model based on the literature study. The interviews with respondents (who had completed the courses) were used to obtain more detail regarding assessing the courses and other aspects of the online platform used to support, teach, and assess students’ progress.
The experience gained by the researcher as a facilitator of the GA courses and the respondents’ feedback were also used to contribute to the development of the foreign language teaching model (Stander 2021). The model used to evaluate the Gesellig Afrikaans courses has three main components: language acquisition (what), the adult student (who), and the presentation mode (how). All components entail guidelines regarding what should be considered when developing a foreign language online course for adults. Language acquisition focuses on the language skills that should be developed and the language approaches and methods best suited to developing these skills. Adult student addresses the guidelines on the aspects that should be considered when teaching adult students. Presentation mode consists of five subcomponents: the design of learning material, assessments and feedback, course resources, course design, and the facilitator’s role.
When the model was applied with the GA course design (2017–2019), it was found that the courses were well designed and mainly complied with the guidelines of the proposed model, but there was scope for improvement. The main recommendations/shortcomings (in the initial course 2017–2019) centred around the lack of communication on the learning platform between the students and the facilitator, the absence of reflection and self-monitoring activities, and the absence of a social presence of the facilitator.
The research can contribute to the online teaching of foreign languages and, specifically, teaching a foreign language within a South African context and similar “low-tech” environments regarding the challenges faced with internet connections (electricity) and data. The research (questionnaires and literature study) has also already contributed to updating and improving the only accredited short-learning course for Afrikaans as a foreign language in the tertiary SA context.
Keywords: adult learning; Afrikaans; foreign language acquisition; Gesellig Afrikaans; language teaching approaches; online teaching