Arising from the increasing demands of the twenty-first century workplace, concern
over learner reading performance is at the forefront of national education. The
increasing demands have raised the literacy bar for learners and subsequently,
schools have been forced to accommodate instruction for these increased
expectations. Successful reading requires the learner to incorporate a number of
reading skills in appropriate ways. Oral reading fluency and reading comprehension
are identified as components in effectively gaining meaning from text. A reciprocal
relationship exist between the two that allows one to comprehend more thoroughly
as one reads more fluently. Additionally, as one reads more fluently, one‟s ability to
comprehend also improves. This is due to the fact that one‟s brain is more capable in
processing text when one is able to read fluently. Therefore, when one automatically
identifies words one is able to comprehend text more completely.
The purpose of this study was to determine whether a linear relationship exists
between Grade 4 learners‟ oral reading fluency on different types of tests and their
reading comprehension.
The study was conducted within a positivistic research paradigm. A one-shot crosssectional
survey design was used to determine the relationship between oral reading
fluency and reading comprehension of Grade 4 learners in selected schools in
Kimberley in the Northern Cape Province. Five schools, representing the different
quintiles, were selected to participate in the study. A total of 406 Grade 4 learners
made up the study population. Two tests were developed and validated in order to
assess the learners‟ oral reading fluency and reading comprehension. The data was
analysed by means of descriptive statistics as well as Pearson product-moment
correlations. The results indicate that learners in rural schools could only read at 52 words per
minute (wpm) which meant that they could be grouped in the 10th percentile. With
regard to reading comprehension the learners in the rural areas scored an average
of 54% on the first reading comprehension test. Their results on the second
comprehension test indicated that they experienced difficulties with inference
questions.
The results indicated that learners in urban schools read at 107.5 words per minute
(wpm) which meant that they could be grouped between the 50th and 75th percentile.
In their first reading comprehension test they scored an average of 78%. Their
results on the second comprehension test indicated that they experienced difficulties
with interpretation questions.
Pearson product moment correlations indicated a practically significant difference
between rural and urban schools on oral reading fluency and reading comprehension
with urban schools outperforming rural schools.
Overall, the results indicated a practically significant relationship of r = 0.69 between
oral reading fluency and reading comprehension. The findings of this study should
be noted by teachers as well as be addressed in interventions as a matter of
urgency. / MEd (Learner Support), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:nwu/oai:dspace.nwu.ac.za:10394/11925 |
| Date | January 2014 |
| Creators | O'Connor, Michelle |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | other |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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