Ani nvestigation of grade 12 English home language learners’ reading of Shakespeare’s plays for writing development
| dc.contributor.author | Nondabula Nikiwe | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-09-10T09:18:52Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-09-10T09:18:52Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2024 | |
| dc.description.abstract | The reading and learning of Shakespearean plays have potential benefits in developing a learner’s writing skills. Both these skills are imperative in a learner’s overall development as reading and writing share similar and generative characteristics. This study investigates the intrinsic benefits of reading Shakespearean plays to develop learners’ writing skills and overall creative writing development. Shakespearean plays are written in a figurative language and requires learners to develop understanding and create meaning with the texts they are reading. While this could be an impediment, it could as well serve as a platform to enhance the learners’ critical thinking skills. The reading and understanding of Shakespearean plays may at times pose some insurmountable problems to learners. Therefore, it is important for teachers to use various teaching methodologies and improve their pedagogical skills for teaching these plays replete with such enriched and ennobling language. One of the salient features of reading literature, especially Shakespearean plays is that, it encourages learners to become better readers of the word and world thereby expanding the learners’ writing abilities and improving their higher order thinking skills in keeping with their literacy development. Drawing on the stimuli and synergies of the Social Cognitive Learning (SCL) theory, this study sets out to understand how learners’ thinking, understanding, creativity and interpretations of texts are shaped by environmental conditions. This study employs a qualitative research design predicated on a case study research approach, in an attempt to understand learners’ perspectives on reading plays as a vibrant form of literature and how these learners use that to foster their writing and thinking skills. The qualitative research design includes, focus group interviews with learners, teacher interviews, document analysis of the learner’s June examination and classroom observations. This enables a deeper understanding of learners’ prevailing experiences with reading Shakespeare’s plays and thereafter writing about them. The findings indicate that, teachers created a platform for learners to express their interpretations of the play, by asking personal views regarding characters of the play and group discussions. The findings also indicate that, even though learners are not English Home Language speakers, they use Shakespeare’s plays as an aid to further develop their language skills. Learners also acknowledged the difficulties with understanding. Early Modern English but with the assistance of the teacher, understand the intricate nature of the plays. https://uwcscholar. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10566/20873 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | University of the Western Cape | |
| dc.subject | Shakespeare | |
| dc.subject | Expressive reading | |
| dc.subject | Expressive writing | |
| dc.subject | Higher order thinking | |
| dc.subject | English as Home Language | |
| dc.title | Ani nvestigation of grade 12 English home language learners’ reading of Shakespeare’s plays for writing development | |
| dc.type | Thesis |