| Summary: | A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the
Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of
MSc. (MED)(Health Sciences Education)
Johannesburg, 2016. === English reading and writing proficiency are at the heart of academic study. The Read On! is a
reading intervention for to first and repeating year students at the University of the
Witwatersrand, South Africa in 2013 and 2014. The aim of the study was to evaluate the
Read On! programme and to determine students’ perceptions and experiences of Read On!
Evaluation research methodology with four phases was used and quantitative statistical
analyses of the mean (average), standard deviation, Pearson’s product-moment correlation
coefficient and two-way ANOVA were performed on data from a first year Voluntary Group
(VG). The Compulsory Group (CG) data and students' reported experiences and perceptions
of the Read On! programme were analysed using the same statistical tests. The results
showed a strong, positive relationship between Read On! and National Benchmark Testing
(NBT) with specific reference to Academic Literacy , and a moderate positive relationship to
NBT Quantitative Literacy, NBT Mathematics and the NBT Average. A mixed strong but
mainly moderate positive relationship was found between Read On! and Composite Index,
Academic Index and NSC at Grade 11 and 12 data. In the Likert-scale questionnaire, 70% to
85% of students reported positive benefits from Read On! In the open-ended responses
participants gave overall positive responses reporting that they believed that practice sessions
in Read On! had contributed to their improved English reading, comprehension, vocabulary
and writing skills. In conclusion, reading interventions are important tools that can assist
South African EAL students transitioning into English medium tertiary education. It is
recommended that an effective reading intervention with discipline specific academic
language to support the curriculum be included as part of the academic programme.
Keywords: Reading, academic proficiency, tertiary, National Benchmark Testing (NBT),
student perceptions, English Additional Language (EAL). === MT2017
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