Experiences of Teaching Reading in IsiZulu in Grade 3 in Ilembe District Schools

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Date
2023
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Abstract
There is much concern regarding learners who struggle with reading. The study aimed to look into teachers' experiences teaching reading in isiZulu in Grade 3 in iLembe District schools. All of the learners spoke isiZulu as their home language. The research was conducted qualitatively. The interpretive paradigm was the study's paradigmatic position. Individual teacher interviews, classroom observations, and content analysis were used to gather data. After the interviews were taped, transcribed, and analyzed, the data were grouped into themes. Three schools were chosen, each with three Grade 3 classes. Learners participated because the primary goal was to observe teachers' experiences teaching reading in isiZulu. The purpose of this study was to learn more about the teachers' experiences teaching reading in IsiZulu in Grade 3 classrooms, rather than to assess learners' performance. The goal of this study was to find out how teachers in isiZulu classrooms teach reading. The study's findings suggested that the teachers who took part had a weak understanding of reading skills. They saw teaching reading as a difficult task because they had no idea what reading tactics were or how to use them. Teachers spent little time with learners discussing reading, and there was no consistent approach to teaching reading among them. Teachers also demonstrated a lack of theoretical knowledge and practical expertise in teaching reading skills, which leads to teachers adopting a negative attitude toward their learners (who struggle to read). Although the participating teachers claimed to understand reading, interviews and classroom observations demonstrated no correlation between what they stated and what they performed in practice in their classes. Teaching reading has been an ongoing challenge in Grade 3 classrooms. These findings revealed that teachers' classroom practice was not consistent with current best practice and the modern theories of teaching reading. This factor negatively affects their expertise in teaching reading using the CAPS (2011) recommended reading methodologies in general. The challenges faced by applying different reading methodologies might be the reason for learners' inability to achieve successful reading outcomes in Grade 3 classrooms. They felt forgotten because the instructions were only in English and not African languages like isiZulu. As a result, there are no isiZulu teachings for teachers with isiZulu examples. Workshops had also been ineffective for isiZulu teachers. In other schools, the survey found a dearth of learning v | P a g e support tools, a scarcity of books, and a lack of a variety of reading materials for learners.
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Dissertation Submitted in Accordance With The Requirements for The Master’s Degree in Education at the University Of Zululand
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