Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Multigrade teaching has been used in Namibia since the introduction of formal education; however, it became more prominent after independence, when the government proposed it to be the norm. Yet, regardless of its prevalence in rural schools – as high as 40% – qualified teachers are still not trained to teach multigrade classes. The primary aim of the research study therefore was to investigate multigrade teaching at three rural primary schools in the Ncuncuni circuit in the Kavango region. By employing a phenomenological methodology, the study explores the experiences and challenges as encountered in multigrade classrooms by six teachers. While a number of the challenges are common to experiences in typical monograde classrooms in Namibia – such as shortages of resources, poor parental involvement, and high rates of learner attrition – there are others that are specific to a multigrade setting. Given the growing number of multigrade schools in Namibia, particularly in rural settings, where infrastructure is already poor, the urgency for properly trained multigrade teachers can no longer be ignored. Among the key recommendations made by this study is that appropriate and sufficient teaching and learning materials, such as self-instructional and self-learning materials, should be provided to schools offering multigrade teaching. In acknowledging that the introduction of professional training will take time, and that the current teachers in multigrade classrooms are in dire need of support, the study would also like to recommend support from regional offices in the form of specialist advisers. There are numerous teachers in multigrade classrooms – many of whom will never receive any formal training. These teachers require immediate and on-going support if the Ministry of Education hopes to provide quality teaching and learning to learners.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T20:58:07Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Waldemar dos Santos Cardoso Junior.pdf: 3843817 bytes, checksum: 5cbcde3d8ab0354540ffdc8a9a9c5f5a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-12-04 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / The rural education teachers who work in multigraded classes have to face great challenges, especially when they alphabetize children. The objectives of the present work included: learning about those teachers; describing the teaching-learning difficulties regarding written language in the initial grades; discussing the ways of alphabetizing and the projections for the teachers efficient work; analyzing the teachers comments under the approach of the relation between metalinguistic abilities and learning of written language. The research involved a group of 74 rural education teachers who work in multigraded classes in a small town named Breves in the state of Pará. The data were collected through a questionnaire containing 24 open and closed questions based on the objectives of the present study. The data analysis procedure was based on the content analysis approach. The results showed that most teachers are 31 to 50-year-old women who are graduate in teacher education and work part time; they have had 1 to 10 years experience in alphabetization and in rural education. Some difficulties were found regarding the challenge of alphabetizing children: an operational difficulty involving work in multigraded classes, lack of didactic resources, lack of school transportation and adequate room, lack of professionals for school maintenance, and other difficulties related to alphabetization practice. It was observed that most teachers do not have a specific theoretical approach to teach how to read and write. In general, they do not mention activities related to the development of metalinguistic abilities as a facilitation tool for the teaching of written language. However, they try to create several didactic resources and have great motivation to work in that reality despite all setbacks / Os professores de classes multisseriadas da educação do campo enfrentam grandes desafios, inclusive no momento de alfabetizar seus alunos. Os objetivos deste trabalho foram: conhecer o perfil desses professores; descrever as dificuldades de ensino e aprendizagem da linguagem escrita nas séries iniciais; relatar os modos de alfabetização e as projeções para um trabalho docente eficaz; analisar os relatos dos professores sob a abordagem das relações entre habilidades metalinguísticas e aprendizagem da linguagem escrita. A pesquisa foi realizada com um grupo de 74 professores que atuam na educação do campo em classes multisseriadas no município de Breves (PA). O instrumento de coleta de dados foi um questionário com 24 perguntas abertas e fechadas, delineado a partir dos objetivos deste estudo. O procedimento de análise de dados se baseou na abordagem da análise de conteúdo. Os resultados mostraram que, na sua maioria, o grupo pesquisado é formado por mulheres com idade entre 31 e 50 anos, com formação em magistério, trabalham um período, são funcionárias efetivas, com uma média de 1 a 10 anos de prática na alfabetização e de atuação na educação do campo. Em relação aos desafios relatados ao alfabetizar crianças, foram encontrados relatos de duas naturezas: de ordem operacional, como por exemplo, atuação em classes multisseriadas, ausência de recursos didáticos, de transporte escolar e espaço físico adequado, falta de pessoal de apoio para a manutenção da escola; e outras mais ligadas às práticas de alfabetização. Constatou-se que, em sua grande maioria, esses docentes não se referem à utilização de um enfoque teórico específico para ensinarem a ler e escrever. De modo geral, não mencionam o uso de práticas voltadas para o desenvolvimento de habilidades metalinguísticas como facilitadoras de ensino da linguagem escrita. Observa-se ainda a busca de utilização de diversos recursos didáticos e uma grande motivação para atuarem naquela realidade apesar de todos os impasses a serem transpostos