The reading experiences of grade four children.

• Main Author: Ganasi, Romy.
• Other Authors: Amin, Nyna.
• Language: en
• Published: 2010
• Subjects: Reading (Primary) > South Africa.; Theses > Education.
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10413/1152

Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010. === This study explores the reading experiences of grade four children from an affective perspective. The poor state of reading in the present South African climate incites individuals to be concerned about young children who may not acquire reasonable levels of reading proficiency for daily living or tertiary education. The decline of reading in the home, the lack of emphasis on reading in some schools, the decrease in children‟s motivation to read and South Africa‟s poor literacy performance in international studies are all reasons for concern. Literature suggests that reading comprises both a cognitive and an affective component. Reading, in other words is not merely a mental skill, it is also influenced by emotions. Research shows that whether the cognitive aspects of reading are achieved will be determined by a child‟s affective disposition. In South African reading studies, a greater emphasis is placed on the cognitive aspects of reading. Not enough voice has been given to the children to find out about their personal feelings about reading. There are, however, international affective studies, but they cannot be applied fully to the South Africa context. This study, therefore, attempts to fill these gaps by focusing on the affective aspects of children‟s reading by interviewing the children themselves. A qualitative research design was used to explore children‟s feelings about reading. The semistructured interview was used as the main instrument. In addition three techniques, viz. thoughtbubble drawings, storytelling and selection of reading material (four activities, each followed by an informal interview) were employed. Even though each child expressed his/her emotions in a variety of ways, the analysis is presented according to the dominant emotions as exemplified by each child. Some of the emergent findings were that children preferred to read loudly as compared to reading silently, children generally displayed a positive attitude toward reading and children showed an interest in reading material that was based on popular culture. The study concludes with recommendations for teachers and recommendations for further study.