Thesis (Ph.D.(Language Education)) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / The purpose of this study was to explore the challenges encountered by teachers in teaching reading to EFAL learners in rural schools. This is based on the fact that reading is a fundamental skill upon which all formal education depends. In view of this, a child who does not learn reading early enough is doom to underperform in their academic pursuits. Thus, any child who doesn’t learn to read early and well would not easily master the other literacy skills and is unlikely to ever perform well in school or in life. However, teaching reading to English first additional language learners comes with a lot of challenges. To this effect, Sentsho (2000) argues that many teachers are not perfect in that regard and this imperfectness impacts negatively on the outcomes which is on the learners (child). If the teachers are incapable of using basic structures correctly, or if his/her pronunciation is so bad that the words are incomprehensible, he/she would not be able to teach the spoken language competently. Among the main challenges identified in the literature review, the lack of teaching skills, remuneration, lack of resources, overcrowded classrooms are the major challenges encountered by the teachers. The study is located in the interpretive paradigm which sought to explore teachers’ experiences and their views. The experiences and the qualifications of teachers were taken into consideration during the empirical study when the interviews, seminar and the observations were conducted. Qualitative research approach was adopted in the study with the intentions of finding as much detail as possible using a case study design. Participants for this study were teachers who teach English first additional language at rural schools in the Seshego Circuit in Polokwane, Limpopo. The empirical investigation revealed that teachers did not have necessary skills and expertise to teach reading to EFAL learners. They knew less about the approaches to teaching reading and that reading was treated as a separate entity from speaking and writing. The conditions that they found themselves were appalling due to lack of motivation and support from the Department of Education, overcrowding in classrooms, lack of resources, socio-economic status etc. and how these factors impact negatively on the teaching of reading. Also important to note was the fact that the teachers did not receive any form of in-service training at their respective schools in relation to the teaching of reading. The investigation concluded that the teachers were qualified and had enough experience in teaching English but not reading per se.

My thesis is about mapping of silent reading mode with understanding among students at five grade of basic school. The thesis is divided into two parts - the theoretical part and empiric part. In the theoretical part the thesis is focused on the theory of silent reading, comprehension of what we read and you can find the description of context of listening versus the silent reading there. The attention is focused on approaches to reading, the diagnostic of reading and the preconditions which are projected into reading. The empiric part is based on two levels of settled aims - the primary aim and the secondary aim. The adaptation of the test of the silent reading, We are going on a trip, is the primary aim. In terms of this aim we will investigate discriminatory and reflective value of the test at the fifth classes. The thesis is engaging in itemized analysis of individual questions of test. You can read there about dynamics of the development from the side of student's progress at the start and end of the school year. In terms of secondary aim the results were processed by quantitative methodology and it is discussed from the view of the pattern of reading (usual writing and Comenia Script) and from the view of gender. The evaluation of differences between the original version and new one of the...

Research has shown that literacy acquisition and the ultimate realisation of literacy, comprehension of the written text requires more than the ability to decode individual words. This study brings together a synthesis of current research on early language acquisition, language structure, vocabulary development and its intrinsic underpinning of comprehension in monolinguals thereby providing a theoretical framework for a comparative study of limited English proficient learners (LEP’s)/English language learners (ELLs) acquiring first time literacy with the attendant vocabulary deficits and age appropriate decoding skills. A quantitative and qualitative study examines the statistical differences between reading, vocabulary, rapid automatic naming (RAN/decoding) and comprehension when a learner born of foreign parents acquires first time literacy in a language other than the language spoken at home. The study isolates and specifies an at risk educational minority through the identification of a hidden comprehension deficit (HCD). In summarising the main findings from the literature review and the empirical investigation, an “at risk educational minority” was identified and isolated through the identification of the HCD. The envisioned outcome was achieved and the hypothesis accepted. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Inclusive Education)

Research has shown that literacy acquisition and the ultimate realisation of literacy, comprehension of the written text requires more than the ability to decode individual words. This study brings together a synthesis of current research on early language acquisition, language structure, vocabulary development and its intrinsic underpinning of comprehension in monolinguals thereby providing a theoretical framework for a comparative study of limited English proficient learners (LEP’s)/English language learners (ELLs) acquiring first time literacy with the attendant vocabulary deficits and age appropriate decoding skills. A quantitative and qualitative study examines the statistical differences between reading, vocabulary, rapid automatic naming (RAN/decoding) and comprehension when a learner born of foreign parents acquires first time literacy in a language other than the language spoken at home. The study isolates and specifies an at risk educational minority through the identification of a hidden comprehension deficit (HCD). In summarising the main findings from the literature review and the empirical investigation, an “at risk educational minority” was identified and isolated through the identification of the HCD. The envisioned outcome was achieved and the hypothesis accepted. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Inclusive Education)