- Title
- Exploring extensive reading in cultivating positive attitudes and reading comprehension with Grade 8 Learners: a case study in a selected Namibian secondary school
- Creator
- Engelbrecht, Sylviana
- ThesisAdvisor
- Mawela, Rethabile
- Subject
- Reading comprehension Namibia
- Subject
- High school students Books and reading Namibia
- Subject
- High school students Attitudes
- Subject
- Fluency (Language learning) Namibia
- Subject
- Motivation in education Namibia
- Subject
- Affective education Namibia
- Subject
- Second language acquisition
- Date
- 2022-10-14
- Type
- Academic theses
- Type
- Master's theses
- Type
- text
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10962/403092
- Identifier
- vital:69921
- Description
- Extensive reading, otherwise known as “reading for pleasure”, “recreational reading” or “voluntary reading”, appears to be absent in the Namibian society, especially within public educational institutions. With the reformed Education System, the Namibian Curriculum for Basic Education makes room for a reading period in a 7-day cycle, from grade 1 to 11, in which all learners are expected to engage in a sustained silent reading (SSR) of interesting material of their choice. Nevertheless, such a period seems to be insufficient for engaging learners in an enjoyable reading experience, which could possibly create a positive attitude towards reading as well as enhance their reading skills of comprehension and reading fluency, possibly resulting in a habit of individual SSR. This research intended to explore an out-of-school, extensive reading program, over the period of one year, in the hope of cultivating Grade 8 learners’ positive attitude toward reading, in a selected secondary school in the township of Katutura, Windhoek, Khomas Region, Namibia. This one-year study, in which eight Grade 8 learners participated, focused on English only reading, as it is the Language of Learning and Teaching (LoLT). Operating within the interpretivist paradigm, the research adopted a qualitative approach, using a single case study to explore how participants make meaning of their experiences and attitudes toward ER. Qualitative data was collected through pre- and post-questionnaires and document analysis of learners’ reading journals as well as the researcher’s reflective journal. The research site was purposively and conveniently selected. The study drew on Krashen’s, input and affective filter hypotheses as the driving theory of this study, which according to some scholars, is the main second language acquisition theory applied in ER research. Findings of this study suggest that ER programs have a positive impact on learners’ attitudes towards reading as well as on their reading comprehension, even in poorly resourced schools in previously disadvantaged communities.
- Description
- Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, Education, 2022
- Format
- computer, online resource, application/pdf, 1 online resource (181 pages), pdf
- Publisher
- Rhodes University, Faculty of Education, Education
- Language
- English
- Rights
- Engelbrecht, Sylviana
- Rights
- Use of this resource is governed by the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons "Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike" License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/)
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| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | SOURCE1 | ENGELBRECHT-MED-TR22-226.pdf | 5 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |