Mignonne Breier

Bio: Mignonne Breier is an academic researcher from University of Cape Town. The author has contributed to research in topics: Higher education & Poverty. The author has an hindex of 15, co-authored 23 publications receiving 946 citations. Previous affiliations of Mignonne Breier include Human Sciences Research Council.

The social uses of literacy : theory and practice in contemporary South Africa

Abstract: 1. Preface (by Street, Brian) 2. Introduction (by Prinsloo, Mastin) 3. Section 1: Literacies at work 4. 1. Literacy, voter education and constructions of citizenship in the Western Cape during the firstdemocratic national elections in South Africa (by Prinsloo, Mastin) 5. 2. Literacy, knowledge, gender and power in the workplace on three farms in the Western Cape (by Gibson, Diana) 6. 3. Literacy and communication in a Cape factory (by Breier, Mignonne) 7. 4. Communicative practices of the service staff of a school (by Watters, Kathy) 8. Section 2: Mediating literacies 9. 5. Literacy mediation and social identity in Newton, Easter Cape (by Malan, Liezl) 10. 6. Cultural brokers and bricoleurs of modern and traditional literacies: Land struggles inNamaqualand's Coloured reserves (by Robins, Steven) 11. 7. Literacy learning and local literacy practice in Bellville South (by Malan, Liezl) 12. 8. 'We can all sing, but we can't all talk': Literacy brokers and tsotsi gangstersin a Cape Town shantytown (by China, Ammon) 13. Section 3: Contextualising literacies: policy lessons 14. 9. Literacy, migrancy and disrupted domesticity: Khayelitshan ways of knowing (by Mpoyiya, Phumza) 15. 10. "We are waiting/ this is our home': Literacy and the search for ressources in the ruralEastern Cape (by McEwan, M.J.) 16. 11. Taking literacy for a ride - reading and writing in the taxi industry (by Breier, Mignonne) 17. 12. Literacy practices in an informal settlement in the Cape Peninsula (by Kell, Catherine) 18. Afterword (by Morphet, Tony) 19. References 20. Index

Nursing in a New Era: The Profession and Education of Nurses in South Africa

Abstract: By reading, you can know the knowledge and things more, not only about what you get from people to people. Book will be more trusted. As this nursing in a new era the profession and education of nurses in south africa professions and professional education s, it will really give you the good idea to be successful. It is not only for you to be success in certain life you can be successful in everything. The success can be started by knowing the basic knowledge and do actions.

From ‘financial considerations’ to ‘poverty’: towards a reconceptualisation of the role of finances in higher education student drop out

Abstract: While the role of financial considerations in higher education student dropout is being recognized increasingly, the dominant international literature fails to reflect the extent of socio-economic deprivation among students in countries where many people live below the poverty datum line. This article draws on a study of student retention and graduate destination at seven HE institutions in South Africa, focusing on the University of the Western Cape which caters for a large proportion of impoverished students. The study found many students left before completing a qualification because they were too poor to stay. A model of student departure is presented which draws on the very influential work of Vincent Tinto but also allows for greater emphasis than he did on students’ ability to pay (real or perceptual) and demarcates the times in the academic calendar when finances present their greatest challenge to retention. The model also invites consideration of the national and international factors which impact on the social/economic/political milieu in which students’ persist-or-depart decisions are made.

A disciplinary-specific approach to the recognition of prior informal experience in adult pedagogy: ‘rpl’ as opposed to ‘RPL’

Abstract: ‘Recognition of Prior Learning’ (RPL) is usually associated with assessment processes prior to entry into an educational programme. This paper considers the recognition of prior learning in post-entry pedagogy (referred to here as ‘rpl’ lower case). The focus is on informal learning or experience in courses in Labour Law at two universities in South Africa. Transcripts of interactions between lecturers and students are viewed in the light of three common perspectives on RPL and then in terms of a proposed new disciplinary-specific approach. This approach exhorts adult educators to consider the nature and structure of a discipline or field of study and the relationship between formal and informal knowledge within that structure to ensure the authenticity of a programme and the success within it of students with extensive practical experience but limited formal qualifications.

Social Linguistics and Literacies: Ideology in Discourses.

Abstract: Many people in "literate" societies, when asked to define literacy, almost always do so in terms of reading and writing abilities This narrow interpretation of literacy, an offspring of reductionist psychology, has reigned supreme in many academic and educational contexts for decades, greatly shaping literacy theories and classroom practices Within the past ten years, however, a large body of multidisciplinary research has begun to undermine the authority of this perspective by situating literacy in larger social practices

Discourse: A Critical Introduction

Abstract: This engaging 2005 introduction offers a critical approach to discourse, written by an expert uniquely placed to cover the subject for a variety of disciplines. Organised along thematic lines, the book begins with an outline of the basic principles, moving on to examine the methods and theory of CDA (critical discourse analysis). It covers topics such as text and context, language and inequality, choice and determination, history and process, ideology and identity. Blommaert focuses on how language can offer a crucial understanding of wider aspects of power relations, arguing that critical discourse analysis should specifically be an analysis of the 'effects' of power, what power does to people, groups and societies, and how this impact comes about. Clearly argued, this concise introduction will be welcomed by students and researchers in a variety of disciplines involved in the study of discourse, including linguistics, linguistic anthropology and the sociology of language.