The state of education in South Africa is of nationwide concern and primary school learners are at serious risk of not learning to read. The lack of parental involvement in children's reading development is one of the main barriers to quality education. Mothers are customarily the parent who is most often involved in the reading development of children but there has been an increased interest in asserting more about how fathers are taking on the reading tasks of children. The focus of the study is on the involvement of fathers in the reading development of their children and aims to determine the fathers’ perceptions regarding their roles in the reading development of their children, the barriers that hinder their involvement as well as the benefits of their involvement. The literature review was done using Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory as theoretical framework. A qualitative research design was employed using phenomenology as a research strategy. The research is underpinned by the interpretive paradigm and involved the fathers of grade 4 learners at a primary school in the Northern Areas of Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Data was collected from these fathers by means of questionnaires, group and semi-structured interviews and narratives. The main findings that emerged from the study revealed that fathers’ lack of support in reading development was embedded in the fact that they perceived their role as provider who underestimated their individual contribution. They acknowledged their participation in uncoordinated reading efforts whilst engagement with teacher and policy document were also findings that emerged from this study.

Psychological tests are closely tied to the context in which they were designed. Within the South African context, the inequalities of apartheid played a major role in test development and use, and it relies on various international tests that may not be suitable to the context and on local tests that may not include all linguistic groups. There is a need for psychological tests that are in use to be reliable, valid and free from bias. Thus, this research examined the applicability of the Neale Analysis of Reading Ability-Second Revised British Edition (NARA II) in the South African context. Aspects of reliability, validity and bias were examined. A non-probability sample of 144 Grade Four first and second language learners attending one of four government schools in Gauteng were assessed on the NARA II. A non-probability sample of eight professionals (two teachers, one psychometrist, two educational psychologists, two speech therapists and one reading therapist and trainer) were interviewed for their views on the applicability of the NARA II. The research followed a mixed methods approach, namely a sequential explanatory strategy. The results demonstrated adequate internal consistency reliability, although this was lower than in the normative sample and other studies. Face validity and concurrent validity were adequate. The content validity of the NARA II was questionable within the South African context, suggesting it should be adapted for use in this country. Some evidence of bias based on gender, home language, population group, educational level of parents and the school learners attended was found. The qualitative data supported findings from the quantitative data. A thematic content analysis identified nine themes namely Suitability of the NARA II to the South African context, Similarities between the NARA II and reading tasks in school, Differences between the NARA II and reading tasks in school, Comprehension skills, Assessment tools utilised for reading in South Africa, Learner errors on reading, Foundations of reading, Benefits and Affordability. The overall conclusion is that adaptation of the NARA II and norming on the South African population be undertaken.

D. Phil. / The unit of analysis in this study is the reading competence of a selection of grade three learners in linguistically diverse schools in Gauteng Province. In a socio-cultural perspective on their reading competence (and logically also their English language proficiency), the findings indicate that their reading performance is linked to a variety of factors in the context of school and family. The inquiry was motivated by the need to understand and interpret the reading performance of learners who do not appear to benefit from early schooling, specifically in the area of reading literacy. The main premise of the study was that the young learners' reading could not be viewed in psychological isolation and that a broader picture of the pedagogical, the social, the cultural and the personal components interfacing with the action of reading would capture data that could inform both theory and practice of reading pedagogy. In the context of South African educational policy this is pertinent, because the learners in this country have a choice of the language of instruction (Department of Education, 1997), and parents often decide on English as the medium of education for their children — probably because of the assumed status of English as language of opportunity. Thus young children who do not know English as a primary language access the world of reading literacy though this often-strange medium. In addition, the teachers have mostly not been educated to practice a pedagogy of bilingualism or one that is suited to a typical ESL classroom. The research question posed in the study addresses this complex world of reading in a second/additional language, including the interaction between teachers, learners and the broader socio-cultural context. The study draws on literature in studies of socio-cultural research and concomitant pedagogies, arguing that Vygotsky's notion of mediated action is a viable perspective from which to try to understand problems in reading and reading instruction in a multilingual setting, with teachers ostensibly ill-equipped to practice effectively. The theoretical argument pertaining to reading as socio-culturally situated activity was woven into a research design that would capture both psychological and social components of reading action. To capture data that would reveal details of this action as well as the interrelatedness of various components of the action, I used multiple methods of data gathering, data analysis and data presentation of processed data. Methods of data gathering included language and reading evaluation instruments, evaluation of pre-literacy skills instruments, interviews with learners and educators, classroom observations and questionnaires. Data obtained from these research methods were described and interpreted qualitatively and/or quantitatively. The findings show that that both the learners' language and reading competence are not sufficiently developed for successful progress in grade three. An important finding is also that there is a relationship between the socio-economic background of the learners and their proficiency in English and also their reading and pre-literacy skills development. The findings have furthermore shown that reading development is influenced by pre-literacy skills development. Findings derived from the educators' interviews and classroom observations show that some of them, for whom English is not a primary language, use a pedagogic discourse that is generally ambiguous and that could confuse the young learners who have few other examples of English language use. It is furthermore evident that the educators do not have knowledge of reading pedagogy for the ESL classroom and that their theoretical knowledge does not get proceduralised. These findings were substantiated by the content of the teacher survey questionnaires. The significance of the findings is that reading pedagogy would have to be adapted in order to facilitate improved teaching practice and improved reading literacy of the learners, including the enhancement of pre-literacy skills development. I therefore recommend, again from the domain of socio-cultural research, that a model for teacher professional development be applied in the context of the six research schools. This model, which is essentially organic, is aimed at sustainable and dynamic professional development at grassroots level. It was originally designed by Lave and Wenger (Wenger et al, 2002) and has become known as the "communities of practice" model of work, learning and development. I present an application that can be used in the schools and which can include myself as co-founder of the community.

Primary school teachers are expected to teach reading. Whether they are adequately prepared to fulfil this role, particularly for those preparing to teach in the senior primary phase, is the concern of this thesis. Reading teaching models are useful to reading teaching course developers for devising initial training syllabuses. Such models are described, followed by an example of such a syllabus developed at Rhodes University. The Rhodes University model, described early in the thesis, is used as a background for the further consideration of aspects of reading teaching at other institutions. This model is also used as an instrument for assessing the pre-service teaching experience of student teachers. The study focuses on English speaking teacher training institutions where the majority of the student teachers are preparing to teach in English speaking primary schools. Because of the considerable influence of developments in England on South African English speaking teacher training institutions, reading teaching developments in England from 1972 to 1990 are described. The pioneering work of Cook and Moyle provides a background against which subsequent developments in reading teaching are traced. Reports produced by the Department of Education and Science provide many insights into the state of reading teaching in schools in England as well as developments in teacher training. The reading teaching courses at six teacher training institutions are examined - three in England and three in South Africa. The differences are considerable, particularly the amount of time allocated to reading teaching during the four years of initial teacher education and training common to the six institutions. Two cohorts of student teachers review and assess the Rhodes University reading teaching course in terms of the extent of its interest and value for them as prospective teachers, and the amount of time allocated to the course. The most disturbing finding of this study is the nature of reading teaching observed in schools by student teachers. It is suggested that if reading teaching in senior primary schools is to be improved, the deadlocked cycle needs to be broken by education authorities, teachers and teacher trainers resolving the problem jointly.

No description available.

The role of teachers has been defined as that of providing knowledge and skills to learners, so it is imperative for them to understand their roles and responsibilities in. This extends to language teachers’ enhancing their performance in teaching reading, particularly because of the large and increasing number of learners who are having reading difficulties. Their inclusion in mainstream classrooms necessitates that teachers optimise reading to all learners who are experiencing reading difficulties. In some schools teachers are underqualified or not qualified to teach language, hence there are inadequate strategies for teaching reading skills. The study will shed light on how to help teachers in imparting reading skills to learners in KwaDukuza circuit, South Africa. It analyses the role of inclusive intermediate phase teachers in imparting reading skills, with 80% of schools in the circuit requiring training for teachers, to empower them to assist learners with reading difficulties. The qualitative method as mode of inquiry used in the study was suitable for gaining more information on and understanding of the role of inclusive teachers in teaching reading skills to learners Qualitative data elucidated the role of teachers in imparting reading skills and the study was carried out with 20 participants, comprising 10 learners, five School Management Team (SMT) members chosen because they had final accountability in teaching and learning, and five teachers selected by purposive sampling because they were either language teachers or inclusive teachers of reading in schools. Observation of actions they embarked on were made to illuminate teachers’ roles. The findings of the study determined that there was a major consensus that the ability of teachers to deliver good reading instruction was the most powerful factor in determining how well learners learn to read. Appropriate resources, adequate human resources, and material resources are an integral part of teaching of reading. The study makes recommendations and suggests further areas of research. / Inclusive Education / M. Ed. (Inclusive Education)

This research focuses on the reading of self-help books, or ‘advice literature’, by Intermediate Phase teachers in Soweto schools. The study is based on Bourdieu’s concept of habitus, other theories about the nature of literacy practices and how initial literacy is mediated. It includes a survey of the political and social factors that may have influenced the teachers’ attitudes to reading. It includes interview data on the topics they favour, their perceptions of the effects of such books on their own lives, whether or not they read other genres, such as children’s books, and whether or not their reading impacts on the methods they use in teaching children to read. It therefore contributes to a broader understanding of the literacy habitus of the subject group, and, viewed within the context of the literacy crisis in South African schools, provides insights into their attitudes towards reading and the reasons why they often fail to extend their learners’ reading abilities beyond the level of basic decoding.

The teacher‘s knowledge and instructional expertise are vital for the reading development of beginner readers. This study investigated the daily activities of teachers and learners, which promote the development of beginner reading in the Umlazi District, KwaZulu Natal. A literature study on theoretical frameworks that influence a teacher‘s reading instruction practices, policies that guide reading instruction, and the main curriculum components of beginner reading instruction within the South African context informed a classroom ethnography study conducted in a purposefully selected Grade 1 class in the Umlazi District, Kwazulu Natal. Detailed observation of the instruction of beginner reading, interviews with the teacher, the Head of Department, the parents and the learners were used to gather the data. Key findings indicated that a knowledgeable teacher who plans a variety of activities around the key components of beginner reading (reading and sight words, phonics, vocabulary, phonemic awareness and comprehension) and accommodates the diverse needs of all the learners is essential to promote beginner reading. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Comparative Education)

The role of teachers has been defined as that of providing knowledge and skills to learners, so it is imperative for them to understand their roles and responsibilities in. This extends to language teachers’ enhancing their performance in teaching reading, particularly because of the large and increasing number of learners who are having reading difficulties. Their inclusion in mainstream classrooms necessitates that teachers optimise reading to all learners who are experiencing reading difficulties. In some schools teachers are underqualified or not qualified to teach language, hence there are inadequate strategies for teaching reading skills. The study will shed light on how to help teachers in imparting reading skills to learners in KwaDukuza circuit, South Africa. It analyses the role of inclusive intermediate phase teachers in imparting reading skills, with 80% of schools in the circuit requiring training for teachers, to empower them to assist learners with reading difficulties. The qualitative method as mode of inquiry used in the study was suitable for gaining more information on and understanding of the role of inclusive teachers in teaching reading skills to learners Qualitative data elucidated the role of teachers in imparting reading skills and the study was carried out with 20 participants, comprising 10 learners, five School Management Team (SMT) members chosen because they had final accountability in teaching and learning, and five teachers selected by purposive sampling because they were either language teachers or inclusive teachers of reading in schools. Observation of actions they embarked on were made to illuminate teachers’ roles. The findings of the study determined that there was a major consensus that the ability of teachers to deliver good reading instruction was the most powerful factor in determining how well learners learn to read. Appropriate resources, adequate human resources, and material resources are an integral part of teaching of reading. The study makes recommendations and suggests further areas of research. / Inclusive Education / M. Ed. (Inclusive Education)

This study reports on the investigation of the educators teaching methods at Grade 4 First Additional Language. The study focused on selected schools in Moretele APO. It took into consideration the teaching methods and the challenges of the environment educators found themselves in teaching FAL. The study used a qualitative method to investigate the teaching of FAL. The experiences and the qualifications of educators were taken into consideration during the empirical study when the observations and the interviews were conducted. The empirical investigation revealed that educators did not know how to teach reading in FAL. They knew less about new 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, overcrowding in classes, lack of resources and lack of support from the Department of Education. / Language Education, Arts and Culture / M.Ed. (Curriculum Studies)