Literacy is currently a topic of great concern in Namibia. Learners in this country have difficulty in reading and writing, and are often functionally illiterate. This study focuses on the beliefs, experiences and practices of teachers of reading in English to second language learners in Grade 4. Grade 4 is the transitional grade from mother tongue to English as the medium of instruction. The switch to English makes teaching reading in that language especially challenging. The study is structured according to the case study mode of enquiry, with the target respondents comprising Grade 4 teachers. Classroom observation, interviews and document analysis were used as means of collecting data. The main findings revealed that beliefs and experience had an impact on the way in which reading was taught in this study. It emerged that the teachers’ childhood experiences of literacy and learning to read are perpetuated in their beliefs, their attitudes, their basic conceptualization of reading and their current practices, all of which directly affect the children in their classes. Although the teachers’ professional training also had some influence on their teaching methods, neither of the two teachers interviewed had received much in-service support on how to teach reading, and they depended to a large extent on their recall of how they had learned to read themselves. Both teachers were taught in a traditional, teacher-centered way, involving phonics, rote-learning and drilling. Because they see themselves as competent readers, they believe that these approaches were effective and worth sustaining. Tentative recommendations arising from analysis of the data indicate possible areas for improvement in the teaching of reading, and offer guidelines to help teachers cope with the challenge.

This study aims to explore four grade 3 teachers’ understanding of teaching reading in Rukwangali, a home language in Namibia in Kavango region and to observe the strategies they use as well as the activities they set for their learners. During my School Based Studies (SBS), I noticed that learners were not reading with understanding. My interest was also stimulated by a study carried out in Namibia that found that the literacy levels for Namibian learners were poor compared to those of other African countries. This is a qualitative case study carried out within an interpretive paradigm. It seeks to understand the meaning that people attached to human actions. I selected the participants purposefully and in terms of convenience, as all three schools selected are situated in Rundu, the town in which I work as a college lecturer. The research tools I employed were semi-structured interviews, document analysis, classroom observation, and stimulated recall discussions on the lessons I observed. I used a variety of methods to triangulate data and enhance validity. This study reveals that teachers use multiple methods to teach reading. These methods include phonics and syllabification to help struggling learners to decode difficult and long (polysyllabic) words and the look-and-say method for whole word recognition and meaning making at word and sentence level. In addition, they also use the thematic approach to teaching and learning to expand learners’ vocabulary and enhance their understanding of the texts they read and to make their lessons learnercentred. However, the problems of language, lack of reading books written in Rukwangali and large class sizes constrain the teachers from teaching in a more learner-centred way. Therefore, the study gives some tentative recommendations to remedy this situation.

This study investigated the factors affecting the teaching of English reading skills in a second language of Grade 3 learners in three primary schools, in Ongwediva town of Oshana Regional Education Directorate in Northern Namibia. It also investigated methods and approaches that were used to promote the teaching of reading in English as a second language and the linguistic environment of the classroom in which the teaching of reading occurs. Classroom environments were observed and telephonic interview was conducted with the circuit inspector of the three schools selected. Individual interviews were also done with the principals, Grade 3 teachers and Grade 3 learners of the three chosen schools. Focus group interview was also done with the same Grade 3 teachers. This study found out that insufficient reading books, poor teaching methods, insufficient teachers’ and learners’ interactions and overcrowded classrooms were some of the factors that made the teaching of reading unsuccessful. From the interviews of the circuit inspector, principals and teachers it was revealed that inadequate teacher training workshops for teachers teaching English reading, lack of parental involvement, low budget allocation to Primary Education and lack of reading capacity in vernacular affected the teaching of reading negatively. The outcome of learners’ interviews indicated that phonemic awareness and lack of comprehension created reading problems. Given the factors referred above, it is recommended that more interesting readers should be purchased to solve the shortage of reading materials. In addition, more effective teachers’ workshops should be given to strengthen the teachers’ approaches to reading skills development for Grade 3 learners. / M. Ed. (with specialisation in Early Childhood Development) / Educational Studies

This study investigated the factors affecting the teaching of English reading skills in a second language of Grade 3 learners in three primary schools, in Ongwediva town of Oshana Regional Education Directorate in Northern Namibia. It also investigated methods and approaches that were used to promote the teaching of reading in English as a second language and the linguistic environment of the classroom in which the teaching of reading occurs. Classroom environments were observed and telephonic interview was conducted with the circuit inspector of the three schools selected. Individual interviews were also done with the principals, Grade 3 teachers and Grade 3 learners of the three chosen schools. Focus group interview was also done with the same Grade 3 teachers. This study found out that insufficient reading books, poor teaching methods, insufficient teachers’ and learners’ interactions and overcrowded classrooms were some of the factors that made the teaching of reading unsuccessful. From the interviews of the circuit inspector, principals and teachers it was revealed that inadequate teacher training workshops for teachers teaching English reading, lack of parental involvement, low budget allocation to Primary Education and lack of reading capacity in vernacular affected the teaching of reading negatively. The outcome of learners’ interviews indicated that phonemic awareness and lack of comprehension created reading problems. Given the factors referred above, it is recommended that more interesting readers should be purchased to solve the shortage of reading materials. In addition, more effective teachers’ workshops should be given to strengthen the teachers’ approaches to reading skills development for Grade 3 learners. / M. Ed. (with specialisation in Early Childhood Development) / Educational Studies