The purpose of this enquiry was to explore reading development experiences of adult learners learning English Level 4. The research focused on their early reading experiences and the development of their reading experiences over the years and particularly in the present classes. The research site was an Adult Literacy Centre at a school in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal. The study was conducted within a qualitative interpretive paradigm, using a case study approach. Data collection techniques employed included personal interviews, observations and a focus group interview. The data collection instruments used was: interview schedules, observation checklists and audio visual aids. Data was analysed thematically. In exploring the participants’ lived experiences in the development of reading; this study drew on the Landscape Model of reading by David Rapp and Paul van den Broek, as well as Vygotsky’s social constructivism. The themes that emerged from the study were: reading development in Adult Basic Education (ABE) level 4 classes in relation to achieving the learners’ goals, reading development in ABE level 4 classes in relation to achieving the goals of the curriculum, motivation to read, reading and family life, reading and life in general, learners’ difficulties in expressing themselves, language gaps as a barrier to learning in the second language and finally, the functioning of and challenges faced at adult literacy centres. The main reasons for adult literacy centres not being fully functional were: a lack of learning, teaching and support material due to insufficient funds, some educators are not qualified or lacked the skills to teach reading and writing, goals of the curriculum are too academic, the distances that learners have to travel to the centres are too long and the times of the classes are not always suitable to the learners, especially if they are employed. Finally, the study presented recommendations to improve the functionality at adult literacy centres, to enable learners to gain maximum benefit. Recommendations were made for further research. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermartizburg, 2013.

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Many L2 students in Namibia are not adequately prepared for the academic demands of university courses, mainly because of poor reading skills in the L2. University students reading below their maturational levels, can mainly be attributed to their print-impoverished backgrounds, as reading is a skill that develops mainly through reading. Without any assistance, poor readers at university will continue to read poorly and as a result perform weaker in their academic courses compared to their peers who are better readers. The overall aim of this study is to explore the effects of a reading intervention program on a group of university students in Namibia. A quasiexperimental method with a control and an intervention group was employed. The effect of reading ability on academic performance was also investigated. In addition, through a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, the pre-literacy experiences of students, the differences between good and poor readers at university, their views about the reading intervention program as well as the attitudes and practices of university lecturers towards reading instruction at tertiary level were examined. / Linguistics / M.A. (with specialisation in Applied Linguistics)

Linguistics and Modern Languages / M.A. (Linguistics)

Attrition for entry-level, non-traditional college students taking developmental reading courses is a concern for higher education institutions. Students need to complete basic developmental reading courses in order to progress in their vocational or collegiate studies. This phenomenological study followed a social constructivist approach to attempt to understand what developmental reading students and faculty experience regarding persistence. The key research question examined the perceptions and understandings of college students and faculty involved in college entry level, non-traditional developmental reading classes regarding the factors impacting student persistence at a local community college. Using interviews, surveys, and participant journals, data were collected from 3 non-traditional, developmental reading students, who were over 24 years of age, and 3 of their instructors. Interview data were transcribed and all data were analyzed using open coding and thematic analysis. The themes discovered from both student and instructor perspectives were that student-centered instruction, experiential learning, and critical reflection were all methods for improving developmental reading student persistence. Implications for positive social change include providing research findings to the local site that might be used to improve student retention in developmental reading courses.

Many L2 students in Namibia are not adequately prepared for the academic demands of university courses, mainly because of poor reading skills in the L2. University students reading below their maturational levels, can mainly be attributed to their print-impoverished backgrounds, as reading is a skill that develops mainly through reading. Without any assistance, poor readers at university will continue to read poorly and as a result perform weaker in their academic courses compared to their peers who are better readers. The overall aim of this study is to explore the effects of a reading intervention program on a group of university students in Namibia. A quasiexperimental method with a control and an intervention group was employed. The effect of reading ability on academic performance was also investigated. In addition, through a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, the pre-literacy experiences of students, the differences between good and poor readers at university, their views about the reading intervention program as well as the attitudes and practices of university lecturers towards reading instruction at tertiary level were examined. / Linguistics and Modern Languages / M.A. (with specialisation in Applied Linguistics)

Linguistics and Modern Languages / M.A. (Linguistics)

"It is the purpose of this paper, therefore, to explore some of those books included in several literary selection tools in order to determine whether they present the needs of children and the satisfaction of those needs in terms of experiences showing developmental values of a social and ethical nature. To recognize that a certain youngster needs more self-confidence, to give him a book in which the hero is beset by the same situation and overcomes it, and then to sit back with the calm expectation of seeing a miracle wrought would be optimistic to the point of simple-mindedness. All that the librarian can do is to present the book to the child in the hope that he will absorb some help from his reading and thus be encouraged to solve his problems successfully"--Introduction. / Typescript. / "August, 1958." / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science." / Advisor: Agnes Gregory, Professor Directing Paper. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 45-47).