Creating Epistemic Access through a Scaffold Approach: Academic Literacy Skills Development for South African First-Year Public Administration Students

Autor/inn/en	van Dijk, Gerda H. G.; Vivian, Brenda A.; Malan, Lianne P.
Titel	Creating Epistemic Access through a Scaffold Approach: Academic Literacy Skills Development for South African First-Year Public Administration Students
Quelle	In: Teaching Public Administration, 37 (2019) 2, S.156-174 (19 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Malan, Lianne P.)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0144-7394
DOI	10.1177/0144739418822133
Schlagwörter	Epistemology; Scaffolding (Teaching Technique); Skill Development; College Freshmen; Public Administration Education; Critical Thinking; Curriculum Design; Academic Achievement; Active Learning; Foreign Countries; Learning Modules; Multiple Literacies; Developmental Programs; Competency Based Education; South Africa + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Erkenntnistheorie; Kompetenzentwicklung; Qualifikationsentwicklung; Studienanfänger; Kritisches Denken; Lehrplangestaltung; Schulleistung; Aktives Lernen; Ausland; Learning module; Lernmodul; Entwicklungsplan; Education; Competence; Competency; Competency-based education; Unterricht; Kompetenzorientierte Methode; Südafrika; Süd-Afrika; Republik Südafrika; Südafrikanische Republik
Abstract	For higher education institutions to produce graduates capable of contributing to society and the economy in a productive manner, educational emphasis is placed on the development of critical thinking. The above necessitates that higher education institutions are able to engage in responsive curriculum design and delivery for enhanced student success and access. Public Administration programmes focus on equipping students to work within the broader government sector, able and capable of delivering public functions responsive to the needs of society. Literature suggests that there are a number of factors which influence the success ratio of any undergraduate programme in the South African context, including, inter alia, increased enrolments, student--staff ratios and the overall decline of professional and intellectual life in the country. Further complicating matters are classes too big to be participatory and crammed syllabi preventing in-depth discussions. The notion of embedding academic literacy development in curriculum design through a scaffolded approach aims to influence the academic performance of students through engaged and active learning in order to attain a higher level of achievement as well as benefit from the process of scaffolding. The research comprises a mixed method approach using a case study of the first-year students enrolled for a Public Administration degree. Data collected included an analysis of 2015, 2016 and 2017 student cohorts in: determining their academic literacy level upon registration (set as a baseline before any academic literacy intervention); tracking their academic performance through their formative and summative assessments (through a scaffolded approach); and reflecting upon their learning through their completion of a semi-structured survey. The research intends to argue that the use of a scaffolded approach to learning enhances epistemic access, which sees students moving beyond propositional, or foundation knowledge to epistemic or reflexive knowledge. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01