Daar bestaan nie duidelike riglyne waarvolgens Afrikaanse leesreekse wat in die grondslagfase gebruik word, geëvalueer kan word nie. Hierdie studie was verkennend van aard met die doel om kriteria te identifiseer wat aangewend kan word om Afrikaanse leesreekse in die grondslagfase te evalueer. Ek het ʼn interpretivistiese metateoretiese paradigma gevolg aangesien ek diepgaande kennis wou verkry oor die onderwerp. Daarvoor het ek gebruik gemaak van ʼn gevallestudie gerig deur Chall (1990) se model van leesontwikkeling. Daarby het ek uit die literatuur ʼn rubriek ontwikkel wat ek aangewend het om die drie leesreekse wat in die studie ondersoek is, se teoretiese onderbou te bepaal. Die literatuur het my ondersteun om vrae te onwikkel wat ek tydens drie fokusgroeponderhoude gevra het. Die fokusgroeponderhoude het by drie Afrikaanse laerskole binne die Tshwane-metropool in verskillende sosio-ekonomiese gebiede plaasgevind. Twaalf onderwysers het deelgeneem (n=12; vroue=12). Die deelnemende onderwysers is doelgerig geselekteer. Om my data te versterk, het ek ook gebruik gemaak van observasienotas verkry van 57 studente in die Vroeë Kinderontwikkeling en Grondslagfaseprogram, aan die Universiteit van Pretoria. Ek het die data gedokumenteer as oudio-opnames, verbatimtranskripsies en veldnotas. Verder het ek tematiese analise gebruik om die verbatimtranskripsies te analiseer, waarvolgens temas en subtemas geïdentifiseer is. Die volgende vier temas is geïdentifiseer: (i) relevansie van leesreekse, (ii) belangrike aspekte by die gebruik van leesreekse, (iii) onderwysers se gebruik van leesreekse tydens leesonderrig, (iv) wetenskaplike ontwikkeling van leesreekse vir grondslagfaseleesonderrig. Ek het inhoudsanalise gebruik om die leesreekse en observasienotas te analiseer. Bevindinge uit die studie dui daarop dat van die deelnemende skole verouderde leesreekse gebruik waarvan die inhoud nie relevant is vir die hedendaagse leerder se leefwêreld nie. Dit blyk ook dat onderwysers moontlik ʼn gebrekkige kennis van leesteorieë het. Verder het ek bevind dat onderwysers hul eie stories skryf om persepsie en fonologiese bewustheid te integreer, aangesien leesreekse nie dié leesvaardighede aanspreek nie. Ek het ook bevind dat onderwysers sekere aspekte belangrik ag by leesreekse, naamlik (i) leesreekse moet binne die leerder se leefwêreld wees, (ii) illustrasies moet die leerder uitnooi om te lees, (iii) progressie moet voorkom, (iv) herhaling van sigwoorde is belangrik, (v) uitgewers moet die volgorde van die aanleer van klanke in gedagte hou tydens die skryf van leesreekse, (vi) uitgewers moet die skriftipe, woordkeuses en korrekte spelling in ag neem, (vii) die behavioristiese benadering word algemeen aangewend tydens leesonderrig en (viii) slegs een leesreeks (leesreeks C) het voldoen aan meeste van die kriteria. <ul> “To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark” Victor Hugo</ul> ENGLISH : No definite guidelines exist which can be used to evaluate Afrikaans graded readers in the foundation phase. The main goal of this study was to identify criteria which can be implemented within the foundation phase to evaluate graded readers. I made use of an interpretative metatheoretical paradigm, since I anticipated gaining in-depth knowledge regarding the subject by means of this method. Chall’s Model of Reading Development (1990) was used as a basis for this case study. I developed a rubric, which was used to identify the theoretical aspects related to the three graded readers used in the study. The literature furthermore supported me in the formation of questions which were posed to the focus groups. The focus group meetings took place at three Afrikaans primary schools within the Tshwane Metropole in different socio-economic areas. Twelve teachers participated (n=12; women=12). The participating teachers were selected using stratified sampling. In order to enhance the validity of the data, I made use of observation notes, obtained from 57 students in the Early Childhood Development and Foundation Phase programme at the University of Pretoria. The data was documented as audio-recordings, transcriptions and field notes. Thematic analysis was employed to analyse the transcriptions, whereafter themes and sub-themes were identified. The following four themes were identified: (i) The relevance of graded readers; (ii) important aspects related to the use of graded readers; (iii) the use of graded readers by teachers during reading instruction; and (iv) scientific development of graded readers for use during foundation phase reading instruction. The graded readers and observation notes were analysed by means of content analysis. The findings indicated that participating schools used graded readers of which the content is not relevant for the learner of today. It would also seem that teachers possibly lack knowledge of reading theories. In addition, teachers are writing their own stories in order to integrate perception and phonological awareness, since graded readers do not incorporate it. The findings further illuminated the fact that teachers value certain aspects in graded readers as important, namely: (i) Graded readers must fall within the context of the child’s world; (ii) illustrations must invite the learner to read, (iii) there must be progression, (iv) repetition of sight words are vital, (v) when publishers write graded readers, the range pertaining to how sounds are learned must be borne in mind, (vi) publishers must pay attention to the font type, word selection and spelling in readers, (viii) the behaviouristic approach is frequently used during reading instruction, and (viii) only one graded reader (graded reader C) met most of the set criteria. <ul>“To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark” Victor Hugo</ul> / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Educational Psychology / unrestricted