Teaching Methods to Support the Teaching of Reading in the Foundation Phase Class: A Case Study of Schools around Capricorn South District, Limpopo, South Africa

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate how instructors experienced teaching reading in Foundation Phase classrooms and how they applied various tactics to make reading instruction successful. In a case study design, a qualitative research methodology was used. Six educators from three distinct schools made up the sample: two were Foundation Phase specialists, two had never participated in in-service training, and two are from former Model C schools. Semi-structured interviews and in-class observations were used to gather data. The semi-structured interviews' raw recorded data was first converted into written language, after which initial codes were assigned to each category of data. These results showed that teachers' methods in the classroom did not align with contemporary theories and best practices for teaching reading. Their proficiency in teaching reading utilising the CAPS-recommended reading approaches generally is adversely affected by this aspect. Learners' failure to meet satisfactory reading outcomes in Foundation Phase classrooms may be due to the difficulties in implementing various reading approaches.

Keywords

• Grade R
• teaching methods
• social constructivism
• reading materials
• learning techniques