Academic literacy challenges of multilingual first-year students : a case study of university students in Namibia

Abstract

Academic literacy, particularly academic reading and writing is linked to academic achievement. Students attending university should possess the necessary language and academic literacy proficiency to succeed in their studies. The purpose of this study was to examine the language and academic literacy challenges, especially of first-year students at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) in Namibia. The study investigates the nature of academic literacy difficulties that multilingual first-year students face while studying at NUST and the adaptation strategies they use; and thus establishes the implications for the design and teaching of the academic literacy programmes. The study was informed by the academic literacies framework (Street, 1984; Lea and Street, 1998) anchored in the New Literacy Studies (NLS) which conceptualises literacy as social practice across contexts, a shift of focus from just skills acquisition (Gee, 1991; Street, 1996). The NLS involves the recognition of multiple literacies, varying according to place and space, and contested relations of power (Street, 2003). A sample of 645 first year students who were attending the ‘English for Academic Purposes’ course and 6 English language lecturers who were teaching the course at NUST formed part of the study population. The student sample was selected through convenience sampling technique, while lecturers were chosen using purposive sampling. It is a case study set within mixed methods (convergent/parallel) research design centred on understanding the challenges of academic literacy of first-year students at NUST and the strategies they use to adapt. The quantitative data were collected through the closed-ended items of the survey, while the qualitative data were collected through the open-ended items of the survey, interviews, and a report writing task. Findings indicated that the first-year students at NUST encountered several language and academic literacy-related challenges. They mainly included lack of academic reading and writing skills, poor citation/referencing, research and information skills, and the inability to use technology including virtual/online learning platforms. The study concluded that the identified challenges seriously impeded the students’ academic progress. The study recommended that NUST should continuously revise and update the content and pedagogy approach of the current core courses including English for Academic Purposes to ensure that they are aligned to the literacy needs of students and to remain relevant to changing needs. Also, it recommended the university to enhance its early alert programme used to identify underprepared students, to ensure that students at risk are identified early enough and assisted. The study also proposed a model to improve academic literacy at NUST and higher education in general in Section 7.4. This was on the premise that academic literacy is firstly fundamentally intertwined with students’ transition from school to university and, secondly, how effectively students are inducted to the new norms and cultures at university.