Abstract
This article reports on a master’s thesis that investigated the use of mobile applications as teaching aids, primarily for Afrikaans as a First Additional Language (FAL). Today’s learners grow up in technology-rich environments. Instead of restricting their use of technology, teachers can guide them to use mobile devices as valuable tools for learning.
The study focused on the teaching of reading and listening skills as part of literature teaching in a South African primary school context. VivA’s Lees-en-luister application was examined to determine how it could be utilised as a teaching aid to support the development of reading and listening skills among Grade 4 to 6 Afrikaans FAL learners within a task-based teaching and learning approach.
The primary research question we sought to answer was: “To what extent is the VivA Lees-en-luister app, measured against the requirements of the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS), a suitable resource for the teaching of literature in Afrikaans FAL to Grade 4–6 learners, within a task-based approach?” From this, two secondary research questions emerged, namely: “To what extent does VivA’s Lees-en-luister app align with the requirements for Afrikaans FAL literature teaching in the Intermediate Phase?” and “How can task-based lessons be designed using VivA’s app to support Afrikaans FAL in the Intermediate Phase?” The article draws on the Department of Basic Education’s (DBE) Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) requirements for Afrikaans FAL when examining the extent to which VivA’s Lees-en-luister app is a suitable resource for teaching literature in Afrikaans additional language education.
A qualitative research design with a descriptive research methodology was employed. The study comprised the following components: Firstly, a literature study of relevant conceptual frameworks was undertaken. This included Krashen’s second language acquisition theory with a specific focus on the language acquisition phases and the input and affective filter hypotheses, mobile assisted language learning (MALL) (including studies on mobile learning such as Sass’s (2022) study), and the task-based approach (in particular Willis’s (1996) task framework). Secondly, this was followed by a discussion of the CAPS requirements for literature teaching in the Intermediate Phase to Afrikaans FAL learners in Grades 4 to 6, before the VivA app was examined. Thereafter, one task-based lesson was presented to illustrate how VivA’s app could be integrated as a teaching resource for Grades 4–6 Afrikaans FAL learners.
The article concludes that VivA’s Lees-en-luister app aligns well with the CAPS requirements as a suitable resource for teaching Afrikaans FAL literature to primary school learners in Grades 4 to 6. From a theoretical standpoint, the article illustrates the pedagogical value of mobile applications, especially for additional language teaching. These tools should not replace the teacher’s role but function as supplementary resources that support and enrich language instruction.
Keywords: Afrikaans as First Additional Language (FAL); Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS); Intermediate Phase; language teaching; literature teaching; m-learning; reading and listening skills; task-based approach; VivA’s Lees-en-luister application
- This article's focus image is adapted from the Luister-en-leer application's logo as used on the VivA website.