Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010. / This study explores the reading experiences of grade four children from an affective perspective. The poor state of reading in the present South African climate incites individuals to be concerned about young children who may not acquire reasonable levels of reading proficiency for daily living or tertiary education. The decline of reading in the home, the lack of emphasis on reading in some schools, the decrease in children‟s motivation to read and South Africa‟s poor literacy performance in international studies are all reasons for concern. Literature suggests that reading comprises both a cognitive and an affective component. Reading, in other words is not merely a mental skill, it is also influenced by emotions. Research shows that whether the cognitive aspects of reading are achieved will be determined by a child‟s affective disposition. In South African reading studies, a greater emphasis is placed on the cognitive aspects of reading. Not enough voice has been given to the children to find out about their personal feelings about reading. There are, however, international affective studies, but they cannot be applied fully to the South Africa context. This study, therefore, attempts to fill these gaps by focusing on the affective aspects of children‟s reading by interviewing the children themselves. A qualitative research design was used to explore children‟s feelings about reading. The semistructured interview was used as the main instrument. In addition three techniques, viz. thoughtbubble drawings, storytelling and selection of reading material (four activities, each followed by an informal interview) were employed. Even though each child expressed his/her emotions in a variety of ways, the analysis is presented according to the dominant emotions as exemplified by each child. Some of the emergent findings were that children preferred to read loudly as compared to reading silently, children generally displayed a positive attitude toward reading and children showed an interest in reading material that was based on popular culture. The study concludes with recommendations for teachers and recommendations for further study.

Thesis (M.ED) --University of Limpopo, 2013 / There is a general outcry from the Department of Education (DoE) and universities with regard to the levels of reading/literacy of learners entering university, as the standard of reading levels seems to be a recurring issue in most of the South African schools. The problem of students’ poor reading skills in primary schools is usually carried over into secondary schools and higher education institutions as underlying cause of many students struggling to cope academically. Despite the introduction of several measures and guidelines, most learners remain functionally illiterate. In 2008, a National Reading Strategy (NRS) was put into place by the DoE: the aim of which was to promote a nation of life-long readers and life- learners. Well-developed reading skills are central to successful learning across the curriculum. The study examined the reading levels of the intermediate phase learners in the rural areas of Limpopo province. Following case study procedures, the study examined natural occurring reading of grade five learners in the intermediate phase. Collected data included observation, video tapes of learners while reading grade prescribed texts and interviews with intermediate phase educators. A descriptive quantitative discourse analysis of learners' reading and descriptive qualitative case study analysis were employed. The researcher takes the reader into the ordinary South African rural classroom, discusses findings and analysis, followed by suggested recommendations.

This case study examines the pedagogy of early reading in one mainstream (numerical norm) South African school. Existing research shows that there is reason for grave concern in South Africa regarding the reading achievements of a large proportion of children in the Foundation Phase of schooling. The impact of poor reading achievement in the early years not only remains largely unmitigated throughout schooling, but also affects adult illiteracy rates and academic achievement in institutions of higher learning. The implications for individuals and for society as a whole are profound. However, the acquisition of reading competence in the Foundation Phase at school in South Africa is surprisingly under-researched and has tended to focus on the language of instruction (the "mother tongue debate") or on broader sociological explanations for the generally poor reading performance of South African school children who do not attend elite schools. Explanations relate to the web of widespread poverty, poor health conditions, and early childhood learning experiences at home and in ECD centres which inadequately prepare children for the demands of schooling, and lack of access to resources such as books in the home. Little of the existing literature directly addresses how pedagogies of early literacy influence the "reading crisis". This study contributes to understanding poor reading achievement by providing a rare rich description of three Grade 1 literacy classrooms in one South African township school, seeking pedagogical explanations for the continued low reading achievement of South African school children. This interpretative, qualitatively dominant, theory-seeking case study is bounded by category (the pedagogy of teaching reading), space (Grade 1 classrooms in one particular mainstream school in KwaZulu-Natal), time (2006/2007) and theme (How meaning is positioned in the teaching of reading). It captures the understandings and practices of Grade 1 teachers with respect to the initial teaching of reading through an additional language in a typically mainstream school in South Africa. The positioning of reading as a meaning-making activity and the kind of "literate subject" produced by this positioning are foci of investigation and analysis. Data are examined from the perspective of reading theory. Data were gathered from a transect walk through classrooms, extensive classroom observations, teacher interviews, participatory artefact analysis, questionnaires and children‘s drawings. Findings were that these teachers, though fully qualified, have neither coherent understandings of how literacy develops nor appropriate pedagogical knowledge to inform their practice. The dominant instructional practice in these Grade 1 classrooms is whole class recitation of lists of words and of short and mostly unconnected text with restricted meaning and function. Teachers do not consciously help learners to develop the ability to manipulate and play with sounds. Scant attention is paid to the development of concepts about print in these Grade 1 classrooms, in spite of the literacy-poor backgrounds from which most learners come. There is effectively no access to books in the classroom, visits to the school library are irregular and teachers do not read aloud regularly to learners. Learners are not significantly exposed to extended text in the first year of schooling. The almost exclusive use of phonic decoding does not develop learning strategies for word recognition and comprehension, and is inappropriate for proficient reading in English. Most importantly, teachers and learners do not approach reading or writing as a meaning making activity. In the light of international research, it is argued that these practices prevent children from coming to an early understanding of the functions of text and from developing a range of strategies for comprehension. It is argued that this lack of focus on meaning and on ways of constructing meaning in reading are factors contributing to the poor performance of learners in standardised reading tests. Explanations for these pedagogical practices involve a complex interplay of personal experience of reading, outdated initial teacher education and inadequate continuing teacher education. Recommendations are made regarding initial and continuing teacher education for Foundation Phase teachers. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2010.

The problem of poor reading levels among South African students is still prevalent at all levels of education. Attempts to eradicate the problem through various means, for example, Foundations for Learning Campaign, Readathon Campaign, National Strategy for Reading, and many more have been made, yet to date no observable improvements have been noted. The purpose of this study is to explore the teaching of reading in isiZulu home language classrooms. The study aimed to answer three research questions: (i) What do foundation phase teachers say about teaching reading in isiZulu home language classes? (ii) How do foundation phase teachers teach reading in isiZulu home languages classes?, and (iii) Why do foundation phase teachers teach reading in isiZulu home language classes in the way they do? The study is conducted at Umlazi, an African Township, where isiZulu is the language spoken in the community and is the language of learning and teaching in all foundation phase classrooms. The research sites are two schools, in the same area. The participants of the study are eight teachers, all mother tongue speakers of isiZulu. There are six teachers in one school, and two from the other school. The children taught are also speakers of isiZulu. The study is a qualitative case study, situated in the constructivist paradigm. Semi-structured interviews; observations as well as document analysis are used as data collection methods. The study uses qualitative methods for the analysis of data. Vygotsky’s (1978) social-constructivist theory is used as a theoretical framework, and a conceptual framework is also developed for data analysis. Eight themes emerge from the findings. The first theme; content taught, is found to focus on the teaching of sounds and words, taught in isolation. The second one; ways of teaching, seem to be the phonic and look and say methods, which are due to beliefs that teachers have about them. The third one; reading resources is seen to be lacking in both schools, and teachers are seen to rely on traditional resources for the teaching of reading. The fourth one; context in which reading is taught, appears to be not conducive to the children’s reading development. Fifth; assessment of reading; is indirect. This means that teachers use written tasks, and not reading activities to assess reading. The sixth; aims of reading; is found to be on writing accuracy and not on reading for comprehension. The seventh; teachers’ beliefs; are the reasons for teachers’ actions and sayings. The last one; teachers’ attitudes towards isiZulu, are found to be the most dominant predicament, as teachers themselves see isiZulu as a problem, and prefer English rather than isiZulu. Findings of the study indicate that, teachers are highly influenced by their beliefs, the aspect which impacts on the ways they teach reading in isiZulu home language classrooms. Secondly, teachers do not adequately encourage children to read in isiZulu because of their bias towards the English language. The third finding is the lack of resources for the teaching of reading in isiZulu home language. It is concluded that isiZulu home language learners in such schools are not able to read because the problem starts at a very elementary level, in the foundation phase, and the problem is carried over into their whole academic life. Inkinga yamazinga aphansi okufunda okubhaliwe kubafundi baseNingizimu Afrika yinto ekhungethe onke amazinga emfundo. Nakuba iminingi imizamo esizanyiwe ukulwa nale nkinga, kuze kube manje bekungakabi bikho mibiko ebika ubungcono. Lapha ngingabala imizamo yaseNingizimu-Afrika efana ne-Foundations for Learning Campaign, Readathon Campaign, National Strategy for Reading. Inhloso yalolu cwaningo ukubheka ukufundiswa kokufunda okubhaliwe olimini lwasekhaya lwesiZulu emabangeni aphansi. Ucwaningo luhlose ukuphendula imibuzongqangi emithathu elandelayo: (i) Othisha bamabanga aphansi bathini ngokufundisa ukufunda okubhaliwe emabangeni aphansi esiZulu njengolimi lwasekhaya? (ii) Othisha bamabanga aphansi bakufundisa kanjani ukufunda okubhaliwe emabangeni esibili nelesithathu emakilasini esiZulu njengolimi lwasekhaya? (iii) Kungani othisha bamabanga aphansi befundisa ukufunda okubhaliwe ngendlela abakwenza ngayo? Ucwaningo lwenziwe elokishini lama-Afrika laseMlazi, lapho isiZulu siwulimi olukhulunywa emphakathini, kanti nasezikoleni zamabanga aphansi kusetshenziswa sona njengolimi lokufundisa. Ucwaningo lwenziwe ezikoleni ezimbili ezisesigcemeni esisodwa. Bayisishiyagalombili othisha ababe yingxenye yocwaningo, bayisithupha kwesinye isikole, kanti kwesinye babili. Ucwaningo lulucwaningo lobunjalo besimo (qualitative case study), ngaphansi kwe-social constuctivist paradigm. Kusetshenziswa izingxoxo ezisakuhleleka (semi-structured interviews), ukubukela othisha befundisa (observations), kanye nendlela yokuhlaziya imibhalo njengezindlela zokuqoqa ulwazi locwaningo. Ucwaningo luphinde lusebenzise izindlela zocwaningo lobunjalo besimo ukuhlaziya ulwazi olutholakele. Kusetshenziswa insizakuhlaziya kaVygotsky (1978) njengohlaka lwenjulalwazi kanye nohlaka lwemicabango ukuhlaziya ulwazi olutholakele. Kugqama izindikimba eziyisishiyagalombili olwazini olutholakalayo. Kukhona emayelana nokufundiswayo lapho kufundiswa ukufunda okubhaliwe. Lapha kuvela ukuthi othisha bafundisa imisindo namagama nemisho emifushane, okufundiswa kuzihambela kodwa; ngamanye amazwi kungasukeli embhalweni. Enye imayelana nezindlela namasu okufundisa ukufunda okubhaliwe. Lapha kuvela ukuthi othisha bafundisa ngendlela yokufundisa ngemisindo, bayihlanganise nendlela yokubuka-usho (look-and–say method). Enye imayelana nezinsizakufundisa zokufunda okubhaliwe, okubonakala ziyindlala kuzo zombili izikole, kanti futhi ukusetshenziswa kwazo kuncikene nezinkolelo othisha abanazo. Enye imayelana nendawo okufundelwa kuyo ukufunda okubhaliwe, okutholakala kungagqugquzeli kangako ukuthuthuka kwengane ekufundeni imibhalo yesiZulu. Enye imayelana nokuhlolwa kokufundiswa kokufunda okubhaliwe. Lapha kuvela ukuthi ukuhlola kwenzeka ngendlela engaqondene nokufunda okubhaliwe, ngoba ukuhlola ukufunda okubhaliwe kwenzeka ngokuthi abafundi benze imisebenzi ebhalwayo, efana nesibizelo nokunye. Enye yezindikimba imayelana nenhloso yokufunda okubhaliwe. Lapha kubonakala ukufunda okubhaliwe kungenanhloso yokufunda ngokuqondisisa umbhalo ofundwayo, kodwa kunalokho kube ukubhala ngokucophelela, ‘ngendlela enembayo’ (writing accuracy). Enye indikimba imayelana nezinkolelo othisha abanazo ngokufundisa ukufunda okubhaliwe. Lokhu kubonakala kuyisona sizathu kwabakwenzayo nabakushoyo othisha ngokufundisa ukufunda okubhaliwe. Kanti enye imayelana nokuzenyeza kothisha ngolimi abalufundisayo lwesiZulu. Lapha othisha babonakala besibukela phansi isiZulu kodwa bencamela isiNgisi. Imiphumela yocwaningo ikhombisa ukuthi abakushoyo nabakwenzayo othisha kungenxa yezinkolelo abanamathele kuzo, okuyizona ezinomthelela ezindleleni abazisebenzisayo lapho befundisa ukufunda okubhaliwe. Okwesibili ukuthi othisha abazilekeleli ngokwanele izingane ukuba zithuthuke ekufundeni okubhaliwe olimini lwesiZulu, ngenxa yokuchema nesiNgisi. Okwesithathu ukuthi izinsizakufundisa zolimi lwesiZulu ziyindlala kuzo zombili izikole. Ngakho-ke ucwaningo lusonga ngokuthi kusho ukuthi abafundi bakulezi zikole banenkinga yokufunda okubhaliwe olimini lwesiZulu nje yingoba inkinga iqala emabangeni aphansi, besebancane, bakhule baqhubeke nayo impilo yabo yonke emfundweni. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2011.

This study aims to investigate how Grade One isiZulu teachers teach reading in the Foundation Phase of Schooling. History of teaching can be traced back as far as the 1800s up until the introduction of the Outcome Based Education (OBE) that came into being after the first South African democratic elections in 1994. Data for this study was collected from the three Grade One isiZulu teachers of my school. This was a qualitative study and data was collected through semi-structured interviews, observation and document analysis. Interviews were taped, transcribed and analysed, and data was categorized into themes. The study revealed that there were some social conditions that did hinder the progress of reading in the school. There was a lack of motivation from parents. It was found out from the study that, in spite of all the Department of Education’s attempts to provide teachers with handbooks with strategies on how to tackle reading lessons, some teachers still have problems in putting these into practice. It also became clear that reading involves role players which are learners, teachers, parents and the community as well as the Department of Education. The study has also revealed that the best way to teach reading is through a variety of methods. It is recommended that Grade One classes should not consist of more than fifty learners. Policies implemented by both the Department of Education and various schools should be reinforced. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.

Thesis (M.A. (English Studies)) -- University of Limpopo, 2015. / This study explores reading comprehension in rural and urban schools. The study was conducted against the background that it takes five to seven years for second language (L2) learners to become proficient in the English language. Generally, learners in rural schools use the mother tongue as the language of schooling. English is introduced only as a medium of instruction at Grade Four, although this is not often implemented or applied. By contrast, in urban schools the medium of instruction is English from as early as Grade R. As a result of this discrepancy in practice, learners in urban and rural schools have different experiences. This study was conducted to gain more insight into the reading comprehension and reading preferences of learners in both rural and urban schools, especially since there is a mismatch between the language policy on paper and the language realities on the ground. Descriptive statistics and analysis of variance was used to measure differences, determine mean scores and analyse tendencies of preferences. The total mean score for reading comprehension obtained by learners from Grade Four Rural (GFR) was 1.48, whereas the mean score for Grade Four Urban (GFU) was 1.92. From these scores, it is evident that the learners from GFR gave comparatively more wrong answers than their counterparts from GFU. Similarly, the results from the Grade Seven learners showed that there was a significant difference in mean scores (or performance) between Grade Seven Rural (GSR) and Grade Seven Urban (GSU) since the mean score for GSR was 1.37, while that for GSU was 2.24. The English language was preferred by the majority of the learners. The results of the study show that learners lack adequate proficiency in English second language to enable them to use it solely and effectively as a medium of instruction and learning. In addition, a low reading comprehension performance was noted, with the majority of the participants scoring below 50%. Recommendations are provided to improve the reading comprehension and performance of the learners.

Bibliography: pages 123-132. / The dissertation reports on a study of the classroom practice of four Grade One teachers who teach in multilingual classrooms. The report seeks to provide a descriptive analysis of what these teachers say and do as they teach their pupils a concept of print. Increasing numbers of teachers in South African schools find themselves teaching linguistically diverse groups of pupils. While these teachers are most often unable to speak or understand the home languages of all of the pupils in their classes, they are faced with the task of teaching pupils to read in a language which may not be equally familiar to all of them. The reading lessons of four teachers in four schools were observed over a period of six months as they taught Grade One pupils to read. Instruments in the form of observation schedules, questionnaires, miscue analysis schedules and a schedule of indicators were designed to collect information on both the teachers' practice and pupil outcomes. A Vygotskian theory of teaching and learning is used to interrogate the data. The study shows that there are differences in the ways that these teachers demonstrate an understanding of print to their pupils as well as in the ways in which the teachers mediate a concept of print. The study further shows that the teachers' understanding of the task of teaching children to read and their understanding of teaching and learning has significant pedagogical implications for the ways in which they develop pupils' concept of print. The study concludes that the teachers' demonstrations of the way in which print works have a greater impact on their pupils developing a concept of print than their own inability to speak and understand the home languages of all of the pupils in their classes.

Submitted In Fulfillment Of The Requirements For The Degree Of Master Of Technology (Quality), Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2012. / Reading is fundamental to functioning effectively in today's society. Learners with poor reading abilities have low opinions of themselves and their abilities (Patil, Saraswathi and Padakannaya, 2009:93). Behavioural problems may arise as these learners feel isolated and frustrated. The development of learners’ literacy in South Africa as a developing country is accentuated by several challenges. Many learners in South Africa have difficulty understanding the language in which they are taught as they are not taught in their mother tongue. However, the language of instruction is not solely responsible for the poor performance in international reading tests and schooling in general. Learners are faced with socio-economic issues, very little or hardly any parental supervision and educators are faced with the challenge of finding reading methods and strategies suitable to improving reading. Learners in the foundation phase are explicitly taught reading skills. In the intermediate phase, learners are expected to apply the skills acquired in the foundation phase to access the curriculum. In reality, this is difficult to achieve. The focus of this study is on preparing current intermediate phase educators in the development of learner literacy by contributing possible strategies that will enable the improvement of the quality of intermediate phase reading. The study was conducted at primary schools to the north of Durban. A questionnaire was distributed to intermediate phase educators, including members of school management. Of the selected sample of 450, 366 of the respondents returned the questionnaire with no inaccuracies, declaring an 85% response rate. The Predictive Analytic Software (PASW) Version 18.0 was used to analyse the data collected from the responses. The results are presented in the form of graphs, cross tabulations and other figures. An analysis of the data revealed significant statistics from the different aspects explored (biographical data; factors impacting on reading literacy; language and reading instruction; strategies for teaching reading; library and computer resources; systems for improving reading quality; and homework). The study contributes to several academic disciplines and the development of society in general, as it proposes strategies and recommendations that may be implemented to improve the quality of intermediate phase reading, and thereby contribute to schooling experience in general. The study recommends that all stakeholders (home; school management; educators; and the department of education) be held accountable for the improvement of literacy in our country. Educators need to be trained in the teaching of reading and parents need to play a more active role in the learners’ lives. It is imperative that remedial educators and special personnel be employed by the department of education to assist learners with reading difficulties. The study further recommends that the time allocated for intermediate phase literacy education be reviewed. The reinstating of collapsed libraries is vital to improving the quality of reading. In addition, the administrative workload of educators requires re-examination in light of the poor results achieved in the national (ANA) and international (PIRLS) literacy programmes. / M

Thesis (M.A. (English)) -- University of Limpopo, 2015 / This study seeks to determine the support of reading–literacy provided by homes of grade six learners in some Limpopo primary schools, which assists them in learning to read, and particularly to read with understanding. This study adopted a qualitative approach. The case study design was used. Twelve learners and twelve parents of the chosen learners served as participants to this study. Three data collection instruments were used. As the researcher wanted to first determine good and poor readers a comprehension test was designed by the researcher in order to select the learners. After learners had written the test an interview guide was given to the learners to establish different kinds of reading related activities which learners engage in with their parents. Lastly a check list was issued to learners and parents to assess parental involvement in learners’ reading literacy development. Findings of the current study are that some learners do not receive the parental support they need in order to develop reading literacy. As a result, many learners fail in school because they are illiterate. It is suggested that in order for learners to improve in their reading literacy parental support must be encouraged in South African schools. School programmes must be designed in a way that it inculcates parental support. And most importantly parents need to be made aware of the crucial role they play in their children’s reading literacy development. Key words: Reading literacy, multiple literacy, parental support and home literacy.

Thesis (MTech (Education Management))--Peninsula Technikon, 2002 / In this thesis it is argued that attempts by teachers to 'simulate' middle class home based reading practices in working class schools is not effective in building a reading culture among young learners. The "mismatch' between learners' home and school cultures inhibits this. Instead, an understanding of the different ways in which learners construct their view of literacy through their interactions at school should be sought. This can be achieved through an analysis of a range of literate actions and interactions in the school context. As reading is associated with academic success more generally" it is proposed that integrating supplementary reading into mainstream academic subjects, particularly ,,"here those subjects are interesting to learners, is more effective in the promotion of reading practices than the traditional provision of supplementary reading material. Thus, it is proposed that supplementary reading should be introduced to support mainstream academic work, particularly in those subjects which are of interest to learners at this level. But offering learners a variety of reading situations in this research project. it was found that learners felt more "empowered' to make reading choices and to become intrinsically motivated to read. What has emerged from this research is that children's reading is very complex - and if it is to be adequately supported, it is likely to need a "multipronged' approach, By this it is meant that it not sufficient to offer supplementary reading texts and activities at school when these are not consistent with practices in the home.