Lecturer 

MA, PGDipHE (Rhodes)

Email: t.bowles@ru.ac.za

Research interests:

• Psycholinguistics
• Literacy
• Language Acquisition and Language learning
• Syntax

Modules taught: 

• Linguistics 1 Language in Childhood and Education
• Linguistics 2 Psycholinguistics
• Linguistics 3 Psycholinguistics
• Linguistics 2 Linguistics and Community
• Postgraduate Psycholinguistics of Literacy

PhD topic: Syntactic awareness and its impact on reading comprehension and writing
Supervisor: Prof. Mark de Vos

My PhD, which is an exploratory, quantitative study, seeks to explore how syntactic awareness in English affects reading comprehension and writing in second-language English undergraduate students. The research falls within the field of the Psycholinguistics of Literacy, drawing on Generative Syntactic Theory, specifically the Minimalist Program (Chomsky, 1995).

Publications:

• 2024: Cox, P.S. & Bowles, T.N. ‘Expanding the neighbourhood watch: Orthographic neighbours in isiXhosa reading and spelling’, Reading & Writing, 15(1), a461. https://doi.org/10.4102/rw.v15i1.461
• 2024: Daries, M.A. & Bowles, T.N. ‘Orthographic knowledge as a predictor of reading and spelling in isiXhosa third graders’, South African Journal of Childhood Education 14(1), a1471. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajce.v14i1.1471
• 2024: Long, K. A., & Bowles, T. N. No-fee school consistently outperforms Progress in International Reading and Literacy benchmarks: Presenting early grade reading data from a case in Makhanda, Eastern Cape. South African Journal of Childhood Education, 14(1), 1-11. https://dx.doi.org/10.4102/sajce.v14i1.1376
• 2022: Daries, M.A., Bowles, T.N. & Schaefer, M.N. The contributions of reading and phonological awareness for spelling in grade three isiXhosa learners. Reading & Writing 13(1), a365. https://rw.org.za/index.php/rw/article/view/365/824
• 2022: Bowles, T. and De Vos, M. Creating an Epistemically Diverse Undergraduate Linguistics Curriculum. Educational Research for Social Change, 11 (2), 57-75. http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2221-4070/2021/v11i2a4  
• 2020: Schaefer, M., Probert, T., & Rees, S. The roles of Phonological Awareness, Rapid Automated Naming and Morphological Awareness in isiXhosa. Per Linguam, 36(1): 90-111. http://dx.doi.org/10.5785/36-1-878
• 2020: Daries, M. & Probert, T. A linguistic analysis of spelling errors in Grade 3 isiXhosa home-language learners. Reading & Writing 11(1), a265. https://doi.org/10.4102/rw.v11i1.265   
• 2019: Probert, T. A comparison of the early reading strategies of isiXhosa and Setswana first language learners. South African Journal of Childhood Education, 9(1), a643. https://sajce.co.za/index.php/sajce/article/view/643/980
• 2016: Probert, T. & De Vos, M. Word recognition strategies amongst isiXhosa/English bilingual learners: The interaction of orthography and language of learning and teaching. Reading & Writing Journal of Reading Association of South Africa, 7(1), a84. http://dx.doi. org/10.4102/rw.v7i1.84
• 2016: Bennett, W., Diemer, M., Kerford, J., Probert, T. and Wesi, T. Setswana (South African). Journal of the International Phonetic Association, 46 (2), pp. 235-246. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0025100316000050

Conference Presentations:

• 2021: Daries, M. Probert, T. & Schaefer, M. The contributions of phonological awareness and decoding on spelling in isiXhosa grade 3 learners. SALALS virtual conference. 20-23 September 2021. 
• 2020: Probert, T. & Gush, C. Give that child a book: A Classroom Library Project Initiative. LITASA virtual conference. 19 September 2020. 
• 2019: Probert, T. “Switch brain switch”: Exploring the impact of translanguaging pedagogy on literacy development in pre-Grade R learners. Literacy Association of South African Annual Conference at 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网 of Cape Town, Cape Town, 12-14 July 2019.
• 2019: Schaefer, M., Probert T. and Rees, S. The roles of phonological awareness, rapid automatised naming and morphological awareness in isiXhosa. SAALT and SALALS Joint Annual Linguistics Conference at Wits 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网, Johannesburg, 3-4 July 2019.
• 2018: Probert, T. Molo, Goeie môre, Good morning: Exploring translanguaging practices in a multilingual pre-Grade R classroom. 5th International Conference on Language and Literacy Education at Wits School of Education, Johannesburg. 17-19 August 2018.
• 2018: Probert, T. Translanguaging for epistemological access in a multilingual pre-Grade-R classroom. Literacy Association of South African Annual Conference at Nelson Mandela 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网, Port Elizabeth, 5-7 October 2018.
• 2016: Probert, T. A comparative study of syllables and morphemes as literacy processing units in word recognition: isiXhosa and Setswana. 2016 LSSA/SAALA/SAALT Joint Annual Linguistic Conference at 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网 of the Western Cape, Cape Town, June 2016.
• 2015: Probert, T. Syllables and morphemes as literacy processing units in word-recognition: isiXhosa and Setswana. 2015 LSSA/SAALA/SAALT Joint Annual Linguistic Conference at North West 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网, Potchefstroom, June 2015.
• 2014: Probert, T. Transfer of word recognition strategies from a transparent to an opaque orthography. 2014 LSSA/SAALA/SAALT Joint Annual Linguistic Conference at 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网 of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, June 2014.
• 2014: Probert, T. The effects of orthography and language of literacy: transfer of word recognition strategies amongst isiXhosa/English Bilinguals. Reading Association of South Africa 9th Annual Conference 2014 at Rhodes 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网, Grahamstown, September 2014.

Last Modified: Fri, 04 Oct 2024 15:37:51 SAST