Reading for foundation : why Science Foundation Programme students struggle and how scaffolding can help.
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Date
2007
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Abstract
Reading lies at the centre of Science Foundation Programme (SFP) students' struggle
for access to the very support that such programmes offer in preparation for
undergraduate study. It is a skill that is generally not sufficiently improved over an
initial year of university study because, apart from being underdeveloped in previous
educational and life experiences, it is not explicitly developed at tertiary level where
students are generally expected to process extended texts independently in a limited
time period. This study not only probes the background literacy experiences of UKZN
(PMB) SFP students, but also measures the reading ability, in terms of reading
comprehension, rate, and receptive non-technical academic vocabulary, with which
the majority begin their studies. To better understand why many SFP students struggle
with their academic reading and find prescribed science texts inaccessible, student
feedback on reading difficulties and reasons for not attempting homework reading is
also considered.
In response to such data from the 2005 cohort of about 180 students, a means of
supporting or "scaffolding" student reading was investigated. This involved preparing
an experimental group of students for independent reading by initially "talking them
through" an overview of the text in commonsense terms so that even the weakest
readers could begin the reading process with some understanding of the extended text
that had been assigned. The other half of the student cohort made up a control group
who were merely instructed to read the text for homework. Overall comprehension of
experimental and control groups was tested, and questionnaires about reading
difficulty administered. The effect, on reading rate, of using a paraphrased version of
a text was also investigated by dividing students into an experimental group to read
such a version and a control group to read the original. Reading rate was measured
again at the end of the year, in comparison with a mainstream sample, for potential
progress.
Findings suggest that SFP students are largely under-prepared academic readers who
are more likely to read a prescribed text, and this with comprehension, when initially
talked through a commonsense paraphrase. It is hoped that provision of such
scaffolding over the course of the foundation year will develop students' confidence
to attempt reading the texts assigned to them so as to become more practiced
academic readers, and thus better prepared for mainstream study.
Description
Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2007.
Keywords
University of KwaZulu-Natal. Science Foundation Programme., Language arts--Correlation with content subjects., Science--Study and teaching (Higher)--South Africa., English language--Study and teaching--Foreign speakers., Theses--Linguistics.