Teachers’ voices on the poor reading skills of Setswana-speaking Foundation Phase learners

Reading & Writing

 
 
Field Value
 
Title Teachers’ voices on the poor reading skills of Setswana-speaking Foundation Phase learners
 
Creator Mokobe, Joyce Badenhorst, Jo Schlebusch, Luzaan
 
Subject Education foundation phase; reading skills; Setswana-speaking learners; insufficient sources; teacher training.
Description Background: Proficient reading skills are crucial for Foundation Phase learners to develop critical thinking and problem-solving abilities. The 2021 PIRLS assessment highlighted alarmingly low reading proficiency among ten-year-olds. Effective reading instruction, and a positive reading environment are essential for developing confident, skilled readers.Objectives: This research focused on the reading instruction challenges of selected Setswana-speaking Foundation Phase teachers in the Dr Kenneth Kaunda Education District in the North West Province in South Africa.Method: Using a qualitative approach, the study employed a multiple case study design, incorporating interviews and document analysis.Results: The findings revealed significant challenges for Grade 3 teachers in teaching reading to Setswana-speaking students. A key issue was inadequate training in reading instruction methods, which hindered their effectiveness. Teachers also lacked sufficient subject knowledge of Setswana, complicating their ability to support reading development. Additional problems included a severe shortage of essential resources: textbooks, visual aids, and access to libraries were limited, depriving learners of necessary reading materials and opportunities.Conclusion: The study highlighted the critical role of teacher training and sufficient resources in effective teaching and the impact of their absence on instructional challenges. It underscored the need for education authorities to address the difficulties rural schools and their staff face.Contribution: Currently, there is no effective system in place for teachers in this district to enhance reading instruction and better support their learners. This research aimed to address this gap by establishing how the extent of these problems may help identify measures to address them.
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor No supporting agencies
Date 2025-02-05
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — Interview
Format text/html application/epub+zip text/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/rw.v16i1.520
 
Source Reading & Writing; Vol 16, No 1 (2025); 9 pages 2308-1422 2079-8245
 
Language eng
 
Relation
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:

https://rw.org.za/index.php/rw/article/view/520/1304 https://rw.org.za/index.php/rw/article/view/520/1305 https://rw.org.za/index.php/rw/article/view/520/1306 https://rw.org.za/index.php/rw/article/view/520/1307
 
Coverage South Africa Current 27 - 63yrs; Male and Female; African
Rights Copyright (c) 2025 Joyce Mokobe, Jo Badenhorst, Luzaan Schlebusch https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
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