Literacy support in practice: Grade 3 teachers’ experiences with government reading interventions

Reading & Writing

 
 
Field Value
 
Title Literacy support in practice: Grade 3 teachers’ experiences with government reading interventions
 
Creator Khan, Clare van der Merwe, Dean Koekemoer, Christopher W.
 
Subject Education reading; literacy; support programmes; support materials; Grade 3; reading comprehension; Department of Basic Education
Description Background: South Africa faces a critical challenge with reading literacy, particularly in the Foundation Phase of schooling, prompting government intervention. To address this, the government has introduced various skills development programmes and focused teaching materials aimed at improving reading literacy outcomes.
Objectives: This study explored the experiences of Grade 3 teachers in Gauteng with the reading support programmes and materials provided by the Department of Basic Education (DBE).
Method: A generic qualitative research design was employed. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 15 Grade 3 teachers, complemented by focus group interviews involving the same participants. The data were analysed using the constant comparative method.
Results: The data analysis revealed that teachers have diverse levels of familiarity with, and use of the reading support programmes and materials provided by the DBE. This highlighted the need for more tailored and targeted support. Additionally, teachers’ use of these resources varied significantly, with differing impacts on learners’ reading literacy skills as perceived by the teachers.
Conclusion: The study concludes that teachers’ differing perspectives and experiences with the DBE reading support programmes and materials influence both how these resources are used and their perceived effectiveness in improving literacy outcomes.
Contribution: This study adds to the body of knowledge on teachers’ experiences with DBE reading support programmes and materials. It underscores the importance of incorporating teachers’ insights into the design of effective interventions, as they provide valuable perspectives on classroom realities and the practical impact of these initiatives.
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor
Date 2025-07-26
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — —
Format text/html application/epub+zip text/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/rw.v16i1.534
 
Source Reading & Writing; Vol 16, No 1 (2025); 9 pages 2308-1422 2079-8245
 
Language eng
 
Relation
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https://rw.org.za/index.php/rw/article/view/534/1413 https://rw.org.za/index.php/rw/article/view/534/1414 https://rw.org.za/index.php/rw/article/view/534/1415 https://rw.org.za/index.php/rw/article/view/534/1416
 
Coverage South Africa — —
Rights Copyright (c) 2025 Clare Khan, Dean van der Merwe, Christopher W. Koekemoer https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
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