Exploring views of educators on the outcomes of the reading campaign

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Date
2013
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Zululand
Abstract
The purpose of the present study was to understand the efficacy of the reading campaign in improving learners’ competences in reading. The study was conducted in the northern KwaZulu-Natal province, and the researcher chose Uthungulu district as the field of study. The study was conducted in senior phase schools under Mthunzini circuit in Uthungulu district with a sample size of sixty educators. Educators answered a questionnaire with closed and open- ended questions. A questionnaire was administered to educators to solicit (a) their views on the implementation of the ELITS’ reading campaign, (b) their awareness of the campaign and (c) the availability and accessibility of the quality reading collections supplied by ELITS to schools. The findings revealed that majority of the educators are not aware of the ELITS reading campaign, their knowledge of the campaign is limited and they are not even aware of the objectives and time frame of the project. The implementation of the ELITS campaign was not monitored as a result some schools do not engage leaners in reading activities and they do not regard it as a skill that must be taught. The distribution of relevant reading material is not made readily available to the majority of schools, the majority of schools do not have libraries and library personnel; as a result it is hard for learners to access reading materials; thereby impacting negatively on learners’ competences in reading. Based on the findings the researcher realised that the objectives of the ELITS reading campaign were not achieved due to poor planning for the campaign, lack of training for the educators, lack of monitoring and evaluation of the project and time frame for the project was not clearly stated. The study recommends that reading campaigns be planned properly, all stakeholders must know and understand objectives of the campaign, time frame must be clearly stated to all stakeholders and monitoring and evaluation must be taken into consideration.
Description
A Dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the Degree Master of Education in the Department of Curriculum and Instructional Studies at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2013.
Keywords
Reading campaign
Citation