Challenges faced by educators in the teaching of reading in the foundation phase in Clare Estate Durban
There is universal concern with regard to learners’ low reading levels (Klapwijk & Pretorius, 2016). Reading is one of the fundamental skills that learners need to master in their early school years of formal schooling in South Africa. Educators are expected to lay a good foundation of reading skills for the learners at this phase so as to build a strong learning foundation (DoE, 2011). Poor or incorrect teaching methods during these years may have an adverse effect on a learners’ schooling career. Teaching reading is a complex process in the classroom as educators are faced with challenges, which may result negatively in the learner’s capacity to understand and comprehend. Literature indicates that a large number of learners who cannot read and understand the text are mostly in the foundation phase. Thus, it was vital for the researcher to embark on this study. The aim of the study was to explore the phenomenon of the challenges educators experience in teaching reading in the foundation phase in Clare Estate Durban. The objectives of the study were: to explore some of the challenges foundation phase educators experience in teaching reading skills to learners; to determine the approaches that are used by educators to teach reading and lastly to explore some of the strategies that can be used to improve learners’ reading skills. This study employed a qualitative research methodology; a case study research design was used to gain an in-depth understanding of educators’ experiences in the teaching of reading. Information was derived by the use of focus group interviews. The study sample comprised of thirteen foundation phase educators. The findings revealed that some of the challenges that educators faced in teaching reading skills to learners in the foundation phase were as follows: language barrier, large class size, lack of parental involvement and the use of phonic and look and say approaches, which do not necessarily benefit all learners in class. The study explores strategies that could be used to improve reading in the foundation phase as well as the findings and recommendations towards minimising the challenges faced by educators teaching reading in the foundation phase.
challenges --educator --teaching --reading --foundation phase
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