Promoting early literacy and reading skills in the Foundation Phase in Klein Letaba Circuit

Abstract

Reading and literacy are imperative in the education of all. It is important to note that literacy is the foundation for learners in schools because it can enhance their learning, implying that improving literacy levels can also help improve numeracy skills. This is supported by Kim (2020:97), who pointed out that improving literacy and numeracy skills is crucial to a child's learning ability to develop fully as an individual. Hence, the purpose of this study was to explore teachers’ teaching strategies to promote early literacy and reading in the Foundation Phase. To achieve this, the study adopted a qualitative research approach where the foundation phase teachers participated in face-to-face interviews. Another method of data collection was observations. For an in-depth understanding of strategies which could be used to promote early literacy and reading, twenty (20) Foundation Phase teachers from primary schools in Klein Letaba Circuit were the sample size of the study. The sampling method adopted was a purposive sampling method. Piaget's cognitive development theory underpinned this study. To analyse data, this study adopted a thematic analysis method. The study found that learners' backgrounds play a significant role in the teaching of early literacy and reading. Because some parents do not engage themselves in learners' home activities. The study also found that learners lack parental support because their parents do not themselves take part in teaching and learning. This study found that teachers require ongoing professional development programmes which will focus on comprehension and phonics to improve teachers’ teaching knowledge. The study also found that using the mother tongue as a language of teaching can be an effective strategy for teaching early literacy and reading. Therefore, this study recommends that teachers should be provided with phonics-based materials tailored to multilingual classrooms, ensuring alignment between English and local language phonemes to reduce confusion.