Investigating Strategies for Enhancing Appropriate Nominalisation by Selected Grade 7 English First Additional Language Learners: Morphological Perspective

Abstract

Nominalisation is an indispensable process in written and verbal communication. However, nominalising words is a daunting exercise for learners with limited exposure to English. This study investigated strategies for enhancing appropriate nominalisation by selected Grade 7 English First Additional Language (EFAL) learners. This topic has been chosen because the nominalisation process challenges these learners. The paper was underpinned by Halliday’s (1985) grammatical metaphor and Jackendoff’s parallel architecture theories relevant to the study. The objectives were to identify, describe and evaluate suitable strategies for dealing with the nominalisation process by selected Grade 7 EFAL learners at primary schools. This study employed a quantitative research approach coupled with a descriptive research design. Using a simple random sampling technique, 47 learners participated in this study. Data were collected using structured questionnaires. A pilot study was conducted on 10 learners, not from the target group. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 29 was employed to analyse the findings due to its new achievements towards data interpretation. The preliminary results showed that some learners could not nominalise English words appropriately. However, the main findings revealed that learners performed preternaturally after utilising ‘written and spoken instruction’, ‘vocabulary learning’, ‘comprehensible input’ and ‘language output’ strategies. The study implies that the identified strategies are indispensable during nominalisation. Future researchers can conduct further studies on the current topic. This study recommends frequently using the identified strategies to enhance appropriate nominalisation by selected Grade 7 EFAL learners.