Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 2005.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Canterbury, 2007. / Typescript (photocopy). "March 2007." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 216-233). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego and San Diego State University, 2009. / Title from first page of PDF file (viewed July 14, 2009). Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

This study, based on the socio-cultural theory of the book as a mediating tool, examines how four teachers say they work with the reader ABC-klubben. This is done with a focus on how they reason about choosing the level of readers for the pupils and about what compensation, if any, they make for pupils who read the simpler book and therefore miss the more difficult words and expressions. The result shows that all the teachers say that they take the pupils’ motivation for and pleasure in reading as an important ground for the decision as to which reader a pupil should use, and that this decision is taken with a focus on the individual. When it comes to compensation for the pupils who read the simpler book, the teachers do not describe consistently focused work on this, but they describe a similar way of working whereby they nevertheless acquaint these pupils with the more difficult book and the harder words and expressions. The conclusion of the study is that the teachers use many different methods to determine a pupil’s reading ability and hence which book is reasonable for the pupil to read, and one of the methods described is based on reading tests. Other methods are based on experience and the teachers’ own ability.

This thesis explores the efficacy of think-aloud protocols (TOLs), and the extent to which the TOL technique is able to reveal the nature of ESL reading interaction with expository prose. The investigation constituted a critical evaluation of current ESL TOL research, which was essentially a theoretical examination of emerging problems derived from an in-depth assessment of current ESL TOL studies. The theoretical examination was supplemented by the practical implementation of the technique in a case study research, utilising three verbal protocols obtained from ESL students at the University of Fort Hare. The close observation afforded by the evaluative case study research paradigm provided the writer - as participant observer - with a further means of judging the merit of TOLs, which corroborated findings from the theoretical evaluation, and enabled a consideration of unanticipated issues which emerged from the practical implementation of the technique. The conclusion was that TOLs seem to have a unique ability to identify aspects of the nature of ESL reading gained from an on-line assessment of reader interaction, provided that TOL research is conducted within certain methodological and analytic research constraints. The writer has proffered suggestions for future ESL TOL research, and feels that the combination of TOL research findings with other measures of reading comprehension could elucidate aspects of ESL comprehension, making a valuable contribution to ESL reading theory and practice.

This study aimed to investigate the role of time constraint on second language reading comprehension via the recruiting of 47 Saudi participants who were learning English as a second language. Subjects shared similar level of English proficiency; all participants were in their third semester of English at Aljouf University, Saudi Arabia, at the time of data collection. Participants were divided into three time groups; limited (20 minutes), extended (30 minutes), and unlimited (40 minutes). In terms of stimuli, a reading text was adapted from a standard English proficiency exam, TOEFL. The text consisted of 699 words and was of moderate level in difficulty, calculated as between 8th and 9th grade for native English speakers; passive structures comprised 6% of the text. Questions were also divided into three groups to elaborate the effect of time constraint on each type of questions. The particulars of the study were as follows. Firstly, this study analyzed effect of time constraint on the overall performance on the TOEFL reading passage. Then, effect of time on the three groups, including vocabulary-based questions, literal comprehension questions, and higher order inferential questions. Results revealed that time constraint tends to be an affective factor in reading. In the overall comparison among the 3 different time groups, the unlimited time group showed the highest performance on the reading comprehension task. ii In view of the categories of questions, no significant difference was found on the vocabulary-based questions between time condition groups. The overall low vocabulary scores across groups and the lack of significant effect for time constraint suggest that extended time does not compensate for poor vocabulary knowledge. On the other hand, the unlimited time group demonstrated the best performance relative to the other two groups on the literal comprehension and higher order questions. Of all three categories, the higher-order questions were the most difficult for all three time constraint groups. Overall, the results of this study show that time given to the reading task significantly affects overall reading comprehension scores, but they also suggest that this effect varies in relation to the types of questions.

The current study explored the relationship between working memory (WM) and reading performance in 50 typically-developing third-grade students, as well as the effect of WM-training on their WM, reading fluency, and reading comprehension skills. Half of the sample was randomly assigned to the experimental group, while the other half was placed in the control group. Children in both groups participated in a battery of WM and reading assessments preceding and following three weeks of computer game play. The children in the experimental group played a WM-training computer game for about 10 minutes a day (Monday-Friday) for three weeks, while children in the control group played a computer game that required sustained attention, but did not have a WM component. It was hypothesized that WM performance would predict reading performance, such that better WM ability would be associated with better reading ability. Furthermore, it was predicted that WM span would mediate the relationship between reading fluency and reading comprehension. In terms of WM training, it was hypothesized that WM training would significantly improve the experimental group's performance on the measures of WM, reading fluency, and reading comprehension relative to the control group. Results indicated that WM ability significantly predicted performance on measures of reading fluency and reading comprehension at pre-test; however, WM performance was not observed to mediate the relationship between reading fluency and reading comprehension despite being closely associated with both skills. Finally, although children in the experimental group did not show improvements in WM performance relative to those in the control group on transfer tasks, they did demonstrate improvements in reading fluency and reading comprehension. The findings of this study not only suggest that WM ability is closely related to reading skills, but also that WM training may serve as another route to further improve and develop students' literacy abilities.

M.Ed. / The research problem addressed in this project focuses on the role of pictorial information in reading comprehension of grade six pupils in rural primary schools in the Northern Province. The investigation was carried out with the aim of identifying and exploring the possible influence pictures might have in helping to contextualise the reading text. The inquiry was conducted by means of a quasi experimental design study, which included both quantitative and qualitative methods for data collection. The research population was divided into experimental and control groups. The over-riding rationale which initiated the investigation came about as a result of the observation that young children are able to interpret and understand television programmes communicated to them through the medium of second languages. Teaching reading comprehension to pupils in a rural environment was assumed to need additional teaching and learning media than the teacher's oral instruction plus the verbal text to help pupils to contextualise and understand the written text. The hypothesis underlying the study is that the use of pictures in reading comprehension can improve pupils' reading performance as well as facilitate the learning of English second language within a particular context at the same time. The literature review in this investigation was confined to the role of schema or background knowledge in relation to understanding of reading content and also a brief review of socio-cultural influences on the reading process. The literature review stresses the pedagogical significance of relevant schema and culturally based reading text as well as the role of pictorial information assisting text comprehension. Data collection took place in the classroom set-up. The data were collected from three major sources namely test scores, interviews and observation. The investigation indicated that there appeared to be some positive relationships between the use of pictures in reading comprehension and reading performance for grade six pupils in the experimental group. The findings of the investigation can be used as a stepping stone towards implementing communicative teaching strategies as well.

The main objective of this research was to explore how teachers teach reading comprehension to Grade 3 Tshivenda-speaking learners. The research was prompted by the low performance of reading amongst these Grade 3 learners in this area. This study was a qualitative study. The paradigmatic position of the study was the interpretive paradigm. Data was collected through individual teachers’ interviews, focus group interviews, classroom observations and content analysis. Interviews and focus group discussions were taped, transcribed, analysed, and data was categorised into themes. Three schools, each with two Grade 3 classes, were selected. Learners were involved because the main aim was to observe teachers teaching reading comprehension to them. This study did not attempt to measure learner performance, but investigated the teaching of reading comprehension to Grade 3 Tshivenda-speaking learners. The aim of this was to investigate how teachers teach reading comprehension in their classrooms. The study developed a conceptual framework from the literature review, consisting of five phases. These phases were identified and developed as it became clear that, in order to teach reading comprehension effectively, various parties involved in schools need to be actively involved in the different phases when teaching reading comprehension education of learners. In addition, the learning and developmental theories consulted in this study were related to the conceptual framework. The research implies that reading comprehension can be taught and learnt, which further supports the development of the conceptual framework for this study. The findings of the study revealed that the participating teachers had limited understanding of reading comprehension strategies. They regarded teaching comprehension as a challenge as they do not know what comprehension strategies are and how to apply them. Additionally, they are stressed, confused and frustrated, because learners cannot read and understand the text. Furthermore, responses showed that teachers are uncertain of how to teach reading comprehension. Teachers spent little time on reading comprehension with learners, with no uniform approach amongst them on how to teach reading comprehension. Guided practice and time to practise comprehension strategies were absent in classrooms. The teachers also showed a lack of theoretical knowledge and practical experience about teaching comprehension strategies, which seems to result in teachers’ developing a negative attitude towards their learners (who struggle to read). Interviews and classroom observations revealed that, although the participating teachers said they understood what reading comprehension was, there was no correlation between what they said and what they did in practice in their classrooms. The results measured against Zimmerman’s (1998) applied social model of self-regulated learning, show that teachers lack the theoretical knowledge of teaching reading comprehension. In addition, participants were not satisfied with the intervention strategies and policies provided by the Department of Education. They felt neglected because guidelines were only in English and not in African languages, like Tshivenda. As such, no guidelines to teachers written in Tshivenda with Tshivenda examples exist. Workshops had not been helpful to Tshivenda teachers either. The study also revealed a lack of learning support materials, no variety of reading materials for learners and, in some schools, no readers at all. Lastly, the study shows that these teachers do not have access to research literature on the teaching of reading comprehension and rely on their own experience. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Early Childhood Education / unrestricted

Since the official opening of ex-model C (previously whites only) schools to learners of all races, cultures and languages, there has been an influx of black learners into these schools. Reasons for this are that many black parents believe the quality of education and resources available at these ex model C schools is better than those available in township schools (De Klerk, 2000). Parents also believe sending their children to English medium schools enables them to compete and be marketable in the global world of work. This dissertation describes a qualitative case study of grade 8 learners who took part in a six week intervention conducted at a school in the Eastern Cape where they learn through an additional language (English). The purpose of the intervention was to equip these learners with skills to enable them to improve their reading and comprehension in this language. Participation in the intervention was voluntarily, based on a selection conducted of learners who wrote a baseline English assessment test. Assessments done during the intervention suggest that isiXhosa home language learners fare academically weaker than their English and Afrikaans counterparts who learn through the medium of English. This correlates with findings done nationally and internationally with regard to South African learners’ literacy levels. This dissertation looks at the affective and cognitive effects of the intervention on its participants. Literature on how additional language learning should be done is examined, as well as the Language in Education policy of South Africa (1997). Findings from the research suggest the importance of establishing a ‘safe’ teaching and learning environment for learning to take place optimally and indicate that interventions to improve English reading can produce positive results. Furthermore the research provides evidence that explicitly teaching reading strategies can improve the participants’ comprehension and overall language competence. While English, as the language of technology and economics is acknowledged, it is argued in this dissertation that due to a lack of information to make informed choices, parents and learners become victims of the ‘straight for English’ phenomenon, and learners are robbed of an opportunity to reach their academic potential. However, if additional language learning takes place under the ideal conditions, learners can be enabled to become academically equipped to deal with the demands of learning through an additional language. What is essential for the afore-mentioned to materialize is that learners need to be equipped with reading and comprehension skills in their home language first, for these skills to be effective in attaining the ‘other’ language. Also, learners need to be aware of the fact that they carry knowledge in their own language that can and should be used to learn (in) the additional language.