Thesis (MEdPsych)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / Includes bibliography / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: According to the results of the Annual National Assessment (ANA) of 2011 in South African schools, approximately 53% of learners in grade 3 and 70% of learners in grade 6 did not reach a partially achieved level of reading. As a result of the reading difficulties, these learners have varying degrees of learning and behavioural difficulties and also experience psychological and emotional challenges. This figure indicates that a high number of people are parenting a child identified as having reading difficulties. Bronfenbrenner’s theory of the ecology of human development indicated the importance of interconnections between school, home, and community settings in order to foster children’s learning. Parents may be better supported and empowered to assist their child by collaboration among teachers and families. This collaboration may be strengthened by utilising knowledge gained from parents’ lived experiences of parenting a child identified as having reading difficulties. The primary research question guiding this phenomenological study involved understanding the experiences of parents with children identified as having reading difficulties. The study’s research methodology can be described as basic qualitative research which is embedded within an interpretive paradigm. Purposive sampling was used to select three parents as research participants. Three methods of data collection were employed, namely written reflective notes, structured individual interviews and observations. Furthermore, qualitative content analysis was used to analyse the data. The analysis revealed that four interconnected contexts emerged concerning parents’ lived experiences, namely their relationship with their identified child, their relationships with other family members, their interactions with teachers and the child’s school, and their perception of social support in raising their child. The study found that parents experienced a variety of dismaying emotions regarding their child’s reading difficulties and that parents adopted roles such as caretaker, motivator and advocate in order to obtain the intervention and educational services needed for their child. The findings of this study inform and encourage educators and other support personnel to support parents and promote collaboration with parents of children identified as having reading difficulties, potentially enabling those parents to better support their identified child. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Na aanleiding van die uitslae van die Jaarlikse Nasionale Assessering (ANA) van 2011 in Suid- Afrikaanse skole, het ongeveer 53% van leerders in graad 3 en 70% van leerders in graad 6 nie ‘n gedeeltelik bereikte vlak van lees behaal nie. As gevolg van die struikelblokke met lees, ervaar hierdie leerders verskeie grade van leer- en gedragsuitdagings, asook sielkundige en emosionele uitdagings. Hierdie syfers dui aan dat ‘n beduidende hoeveelheid mense in die rol staan van die ouer van ‘n kind met leesstruikelblokke. Bronfenbrenner se teorie van die ekologie van menslike ontwikkeling dui op die belangrikheid van interkonneksies tussen die leerder se skool, tuiste en die konteks van sy gemeenskap vir die bevordering van leer. Ouers kan moontlik meer effektief ondersteun en bemagtig word om hul kind meer effektief te ondersteun, indien ‘n medewerking tussen ouers en onderwysers bewerkstellig kan word. Hierdie medewerking kan versterk word deur kennis aan te wend aangaande ouers se ervaringe in hul rol as die ouer van ‘n kind met leesstruikelblokke. Die navorsingsvraag wat hierdie fenomenologiese studie lei, handel oor ’n begrip van die ervaringe van ouers van kinders wat met leesstruikelblokke geïdentifiseer is. Die navorsingsmetodologie wat in hierdie studie gebruik is, kan beskryf word as basiese kwalitatiewe navorsing binne ’n interpretivistiese paradigma. ’n Doelgerigte steekproef is gebruik om drie ouers as deelnemers te identifiseer. Drie metodes van data insameling is gebruik, naamlik geskrewe, reflektiewe notas; gestruktureerde, individuele onderhoude en waarnemings. Verder is kwalitatiewe inhoudsanalise gebruik om die data te analiseer. Die data analise het aan die lig gebring dat vier kontekste wat telkens met mekaar verband hou, na vore gekom het rakende ouers se ervaringe as die ouer van ‘n kind met leesstruikelblokke, naamlik die ouers se verhouding met hul kind, die ouers se verhoudinge met ander lede van die gesin, die ouers se interaksies met die kind se onderwysers en skool asook die ouers se persepsie van die sosiale ondersteuning wat hulle ontvang in hul rol as ouers. Die bevindinge van hierdie studie het aangetoon dat ouers verskeie ontmoedigende emosies ervaar rakende hul kind se leesstruikelblokke en dat ouers in die rol van versorger, motiveerder en advokaat optree om sodoende die nodige intervensie en opvoedkundige dienste wat hul kind benodig, te bekom. Die bevindinge het ten doel om opvoeders en ander ondersteuningspersoneel in te lig en aan te moedig om ouers te ondersteun en medewerking tussen opvoeders en ouers van kinders met leesstruikelblokke te bevorder. Sodanige medewerking kan ouers in staat stel om hul kinders meer effektief te ondersteun.

Thesis (MEd) -- Stellenbosch University, 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: It is estimated that some 12,5 to 15 million adults in South Africa have had little or no education. Since the first democratic elections in April 1994 the political, economical and social context in South Africa is in the process of transformation. In order to cope with this transformation phase, South Africa is creating structures where the culture of every citizen, irrespective of class, race or gender is acknowledged and respected. One of these structures is the provision of basic education to all South African adults who have historically been deprived of education and training. The changing political situation in South Africa has inevitably influenced the concept of what literacy is for and how it should be taught. This inevitably affects the role performance of facilitators (educators of adults) at grass roots level. Recent policy developments place heavy demands on facilitators without adequately considering the necessary inputs needed to cope with these demands. The purpose of this study is therefore to make a meaningful contribution to the understanding of the challenging and important role of the facilitator in ABET. A qualitative approach which provided a clear description of the roles facilitators are currently performing in a rural area in the Southern Cape was chosen. This revealed the factors having an impact on the role performances of a facilitator. This study revealed the following: • In keeping with international trends the teacher's role in adult basic education in South Africa has been redefined as that of a facilitator of learning. • The attitudes adopted by the literacy organization can directly influence the teaching approach adopted by facilitators during classroom practice. • Facilitators need to exhibit flexibility when using different teaching styles during classroom practice. • Training objectives should encompass the different learning and teaching styles of facilitators. In order to enable facilitators to perform their multiple roles in ABET the preparation and continuing support of facilitators at grass roots level is crucial, especially if ABET is to make a meaningful contribution towards solving the adult literacy problems as experienced in South Africa and to prevent littering the South African landscape with the debris of failed projects / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Na raming het ongeveer 12,5 tot 15 miljoen volwassenes in Suid-Afrika min of geen onderwysonderrig gehad nie. Sedert die eerste demokratiese verkiesing in April 1994, is die politieke, ekonomiese. en sosiale konteks in Suid-Afrika in 'n proses van transformasie. Ten einde hierdie transformasiefase te bowe te kom, is Suid-Afrika besig om strukture te skep waarin die kultuur van elke burger ongeag klas, ras of geslag, erken en gerespekteer word. Een van hierdie strukture is die voorsiening van basiese onderwys aan alle Suid-Afrikaanse volwassenes wat histories onderwys en opleiding ontbeer het. Die veranderende Suid-Afrikaanse politieke situasie het 'n uitwerking gehad op die begrip van die doel van geletterdheid en hoe dit onderrig moet word. Hierdie werklikheid het onvermydelik weer 'n uitwerking op die rolvervulling van fasiliteerders ( onderwysers v1r volwassenes) op grondvlak. Onlangse beleidsontwikkeling stel hoe eise aan fasiliteerders, sonder voldoende oorweging van die noodsaaklike insette wat fasiliteerders moet lewer ten einde aan hierdie eise te voldoen. Die doel van hierdie studie is dus om 'n sinvolle hydrae te lewer om die uitdagende en belangrike rol van die fasiliteerder in volwasse basiese onderwys (VBO) te verstaan. 'n K walitatiewe benadering is verkies wat 'n dui de like beskrywing gee van die rolle wat fasiliteerders tans in 'n landelike gebied van die Suid-Kaap vervul en wat die faktore weerspieel wat 'n uitwerking op die rolvervulling van 'n fasiliteerder het. Die studie het die volgende tendense aan die lig gebring: • In ooreenstemming met intemasionale neigings, is die rol van die onderwyser in volwasse basiese onderwys in Suid-Afrika herdefinieer as 'nfasiliteerder van die leerproses. • Die gesindhede wat deur die geletterdheidsorganisasie aanvaar word, kan die onderrigbenadering van die fasiliteerder in die klaskamer direk be"invloed. • Fasiliteerders moet buigsaamheid aan die dag le by die gebruik van verskillende onderrigstyle in die klaskamer. • Opleidingsdoelwitte moet die verskillende leer- en onderrigstyle van fasiliteerders omsluit. Ten einde fasiliteerders in staat te stel om hulle veelvuldige rolle in volwasse basiese onderwys te vervul, is die voorbereiding en deurlopende ondersteuning van fasiliteerders op grondvlak deurslaggewend, veral indien volwasse basiese onderwys en opleiding 'n sinvolle hydrae wil maak tot die oplossing van volwassenes se geletterdheidsprobleme soos dit tans in Suid-Afrika ondervind word en as dit wil verhoed dat die Suid-Afrikaanse landskap met die opdrifsels van mislukte projekte besaai word. / National Research Foundation (NFR)