A study of the teaching of reading in Grade 1 in the Caprivi region, Namibia
- Authors: Nzwala, Kenneth
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Reading (Primary) -- Namibia Teachers -- Attitudes -- Namibia Teaching -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1785 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003670
- Description: This study was conducted in order to understand how Grade 1 teachers teach reading in mother tongue with a focus, firstly, on teacher beliefs and how such beliefs influence teachers’ practice, and secondly, on the methods they use to teach reading. The study was carried out in the Caprivi Region of Namibia. It took the form of an interpretive case study. Three schools were selected for study: one urban, one peri-urban and one rural. The purpose of this sampling was to consider the influence of context on teachers’ practice. The data was gathered by using semi-structured interviews with open ended questions, as well as lesson observations and stimulated recall with the individual teachers after every lesson. This was important in order to have clarity on areas that were not clear during lesson presentations. The key findings are that the teachers I studied taught reading without using books, and there was an absence of shared reading with the learners. Other key findings are: teachers had great love for stories; they had a problem of language, and had no proper understanding of the concept ‘literacy’.
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- Authors: Nzwala, Kenneth
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Reading (Primary) -- Namibia Teachers -- Attitudes -- Namibia Teaching -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1785 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003670
- Description: This study was conducted in order to understand how Grade 1 teachers teach reading in mother tongue with a focus, firstly, on teacher beliefs and how such beliefs influence teachers’ practice, and secondly, on the methods they use to teach reading. The study was carried out in the Caprivi Region of Namibia. It took the form of an interpretive case study. Three schools were selected for study: one urban, one peri-urban and one rural. The purpose of this sampling was to consider the influence of context on teachers’ practice. The data was gathered by using semi-structured interviews with open ended questions, as well as lesson observations and stimulated recall with the individual teachers after every lesson. This was important in order to have clarity on areas that were not clear during lesson presentations. The key findings are that the teachers I studied taught reading without using books, and there was an absence of shared reading with the learners. Other key findings are: teachers had great love for stories; they had a problem of language, and had no proper understanding of the concept ‘literacy’.
- Full Text:
The transition from Oshikwanyama to English as a medium of instruction: a case study of a rural Namibian school
- Authors: Shilongo, Teressia N
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Education -- Namibia Kuanyama language -- Study and teaching -- Namibia English language -- Study and teaching -- Namibia Language and education -- Namibia Rural schools -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1805 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003690
- Description: The study investigates how rural Grade 4 teachers and learners experience the transition from Oshikwanyama to English as a medium of instruction. The study was conducted at a rural school in Oshana region in northern Namibia. The research site and participants were purposefully selected. Grade 4 teachers and learners were interviewed and observed. Relevant documents were also analyzed. The purpose was to understand participants’ experiences, perceptions and practices in relation to their experience of the transition to English medium instruction. The study revealed out that both Grade 4 teachers and learners are struggling to teach and learn through the medium of English. This was borne out by participants’ responses, classroom practices and document analysis, especially learners’ oral presentation and written work. The conclusion is drawn that limitations in English proficiency overshadow the good intentions of the curriculum. This was evident in the fact that Grade 4 learners at a selected school found it difficult to cope with the demands of the curriculum. In addition, most of the learners have poor literacy skills even in their mother tongue, Oshikwanyama. In the linguistic sense, proficiency in the first language can pave the way for second language to flourish. If the reverse is the case then the learner might find it difficult to acquire linguistic skills in the second language. The study concludes that for the sake of effective learning, an intervention on professional development needs to be in place. This might help rural lower primary teachers to upgrade their existing skills particularly in terms of the English language proficiency as well as how to prepare learners for the transition to English.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Shilongo, Teressia N
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Education -- Namibia Kuanyama language -- Study and teaching -- Namibia English language -- Study and teaching -- Namibia Language and education -- Namibia Rural schools -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1805 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003690
- Description: The study investigates how rural Grade 4 teachers and learners experience the transition from Oshikwanyama to English as a medium of instruction. The study was conducted at a rural school in Oshana region in northern Namibia. The research site and participants were purposefully selected. Grade 4 teachers and learners were interviewed and observed. Relevant documents were also analyzed. The purpose was to understand participants’ experiences, perceptions and practices in relation to their experience of the transition to English medium instruction. The study revealed out that both Grade 4 teachers and learners are struggling to teach and learn through the medium of English. This was borne out by participants’ responses, classroom practices and document analysis, especially learners’ oral presentation and written work. The conclusion is drawn that limitations in English proficiency overshadow the good intentions of the curriculum. This was evident in the fact that Grade 4 learners at a selected school found it difficult to cope with the demands of the curriculum. In addition, most of the learners have poor literacy skills even in their mother tongue, Oshikwanyama. In the linguistic sense, proficiency in the first language can pave the way for second language to flourish. If the reverse is the case then the learner might find it difficult to acquire linguistic skills in the second language. The study concludes that for the sake of effective learning, an intervention on professional development needs to be in place. This might help rural lower primary teachers to upgrade their existing skills particularly in terms of the English language proficiency as well as how to prepare learners for the transition to English.
- Full Text:
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