Adapting instruction to meet the individual needs of foundation phase readers and writers

• Main Author: Swart, Marika
• Other Authors: Nathanson, Renee Riette
• Format: Others
• Language: en_ZA
• Published: Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch 2011
• Subjects: Early literacy development > Study and teaching (Elementary); Reading and writing > Study and teaching (Elementary); Theses > Education; Dissertations > Education
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/6804

Thesis (MEd)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. === ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Current intervention programmes implemented in most Western Cape schools reflect the use of isolated item-based literacy teaching methods. However, the low literacy levels in the Western Cape primary grades do not indicate successful literacy learning. Therefore, this study seeks to implement alternative approaches to fostering literacy comprehension, such as socio-cognitive processing and constructivist approaches, which are more in line with current research than the traditional items based models of literacy instruction. The alternative, research-based methods were explored through the implementation of an individualized contingent literacy intervention with emergent literacy learners. The intervention took shape as a comparison between low progress learners, who participated in the literacy intervention lessons, and average progress learners, who did not participate in the literacy intervention lessons. The aim was to accelerate the low progress learners’ literacy learning so that they could reach the average-band performance of their classmates after 12 weeks in the intervention. Data were gathered by means of observations of learners and a Grade one teacher, an interview with the teacher and assessment results obtained in a pre-mid-post-test design. In order to triangulate the results of the intervention, both qualitative data and quantitative data were obtained and discussed. Based on qualitative data, the intervention lessons proved to be successful, because observations indicated positive change in the low progress learners’ reading and writing behaviours. Given the small sample size, the overall trend in the quantitative data supported the value of the intervention and indicated a need for extending the research beyond a pilot study. Further research using larger sample sizes is thus recommended. More research is also needed to obtain data on research-based interventions that are flexible enough to meet the diverse needs of learners from different cultural backgrounds. === AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die meerderheid Wes-Kaapse skole maak gebruik van intervensie programme wat geskoei is op die geïsoleerde item-geletterdheidsmetodes. Die lae geletterdheidsvlakke in die Wes- Kaapse laerskool grade reflekteer egter nie positief op die metode wat tans gebruik word nie. Daarom word hierdie studie onderneem met die oog op alternatiewe benaderings om geletterdheid te bevorder en sodoende verbeterde leesbegrip tot gevolg sal hê. Die benaderings ter sprake is sosio-kognitiewe prossessering en konstruktivistiese benaderings, wat beide meer in gehoor is met huidge navorsing. Deur alternatiwe navorsingsgebaseerde metodes, is ‘n individuele geletterdheid-intervensie program ontwikkel vir ontluikende geletterdheidsleerders. Die intervensie is geïmplementeer en gemeet deur middel van ‘n vergelyking tussen stadig vorderende leerders en gemiddeld vorderende leerders, waarvan laasgenoemde nie in die intervensie lesse deelgeneem het nie. Sodoende kan die impak onafhanklik vergelyk word. Die doel was om die stadig vorderende leerders se geletterdheidsvlak te versnel ten einde dieselfde geletterdheidsvlak van hul gemiddeld vorderende klasmaats binne 12 weke te behaal. Data is ingesamel deur middel van observasies van die leerders en ‘n Graad 1 juffrou, ‘n onderhoud met die juffrou en toetsresultate verkry in ‘n voor-middel-na-toets ontwerp. Om die resultate van die intervensie interpreteerbaar te vergelyk, is beide kwalitatiewe en kwantitatiewe data ingesamel en bespreek. Uit die kwalitatiewe data blyk dit dat die intervensie lesse suksesvol was aangesien die observasies dui op ‘n positiewe lees en skryf gedragsverandering in die stadig vorderende leerders. Met die klein steekproef van leerders betrokke, was die algemene tendens van die kwantitatiewe data dat die intervensie wel waardevol was, maar dat verdere studies met groter steekproef groepe noodsaaklik is. Verdere navorsing t.o.v. die insameling van data vir navorsingsgebaseerde intervensies is nodig. Hierdie data insameling en evaluasie tegnieke moet die diverse behoeftes van leerders, afkomstig van ‘n verskeidenheid agtergronde, in ag neem en akkomodeer om resultate vergelykbaar te maak.