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Tobie Van Dyk is professor at the School of Languages, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, South Africa and Head of the Centre for Academic and Professional Language Practice at the Faculty of Arts of the same university.
Introduction
Academic literacy has been the focal point of educational and applied linguistic research for a considerable time (cf. Brinkworth, McCann, Matthews, & Nordström, 2009; Darlaston-Jones, Pike, Cohen, Young, Haunold, & Drew, 2003; Gee, 2000, 2003; Johl, 2002; Lea & Street, 1998, 1999; Leki, 2006; Lillis, 2003; Lillis & Scott, 2007; Scott, 2009; Slonimsky & Shalem, 2006; Van de Poel & Gasiorek, 2012; Van de Poel & Van Dyk, 2014; Van Dyk, 2005, 2010; Van Dyk & Van de Poel, 2013; Van Dyk & Weideman, 2004; Van Schalkwyk, 2008). Various themes are addressed in such research, among others academic under-preparedness of particularly first-year students, formal and epistemological access and concomitant success rates, academic language ability, reading and writing for academic purposes, and language testing. The common denominator seems to be to gain insight into the acculturation of students, as well as policies, procedures and means that universities can introduce to support and empower students to successfully meet the challenges higher education poses, with specific reference to language.
Language, academic literacy and academic performance
Scholars agree that a lack of proficiency in the language(s) of teaching and learning, and an inability to deal with the language demands of higher education have a detrimental effect on student success (Van der Walt & Dornbrack, 2011:89-92). Weideman (2003:56), in this regard, asserts that a lack of ability in academic discourse (in particular where reading and writing is concerned) is considered to be one of the major causes of academic failure. The premise of this kind of argumentation is that students need to acculturate to the academic environment and, among others, confidently use the academic community's currency, defined as norms, standards, procedures, and linguistic forms (especially the non-vocal skills of reading and writing) that constitute academic discourse (Van de Poel & Gasiorek, 2012). When students are academically literate they will be able to activate the knowledge and skills required to communicate and function with ease in the academic environment. Academic acculturation, in other words, involves the students' ability to handle and apply, among...