Effects of Teaching Reading Strategies in the English first Additional Language in Grade 2

Abstract

The need to teach reading strategies cannot be overemphasised. The research aimed to examine the effects of teaching reading strategies in English as a First Additional Language in Grade 2. Teaching reading skills is crucial to learners in the Foundation Phase; hence, it is regarded as a strategy that instils knowledge. The study adopted an explorative qualitative research design, allowing the researcher to gather vast, in-depth data from the participants. The population of this study was all Grade 2 English First Additional Language teachers. The purposive sampling method was applied, with six (6) teachers selected from three (3) schools with concentrated Grade 2 classes. Data were collected through classroom observation, document analysis, and structured, individual face-to-face interviews. Data were analysed using thematic analysis, allowing the researcher to code and formulate themes from the raw data. The findings indicated that teachers who use reading strategies, such as phonics, the language experience approach, and shared reading, produced more effective readers than those who did not. The study recommended that teachers must use different reading strategies to produce effective readers, thereby potentially improving the literacy levels of Grade 2 learners.