Exploring the teaching of reading comprehension in isiZulu home language in Grade 7 classrooms at Umvoti Circuit.

Abstract

The study aims to explore how teachers teach reading comprehension in isiZulu home language in Grade 7 classrooms. The study utilized a purposive sample in which three schools from the UMvoti circuit were selected and six teachers were selected as the participants in the study. All the selected schools currently offered isiZulu as home language and all six teachers taught isiZulu in Grade 7 and also were isiZulu speakers. To fit the aim of the study, the scaffolding concept and the Establish, Maintain and Consolidate (EMC2) framework were chosen as the appropriate conceptual framework informing the methods of data analysis and overall findings. To explore teacher experiences, three research questions were posed, namely: 1) What are teachers’ understandings of teaching reading comprehension in isiZulu home language in Grade 7? 2) What strategies do teachers use to teach reading comprehension in isiZulu home language in Grade 7? and 3) What other factors influence the teaching of reading comprehension in isiZulu? Lesson observations and semi-structured interviews were used to generate data in the study. Deductive content analysis and inductive methods were used to analyze data. Findings from the study revealed that teachers do not use a teaching reading comprehension strategy in their instruction. The findings also suggested that teachers had a significant role to play in assisting learners to read with understanding. From the findings it is recommended that the Department of Education should train teachers on how to implement reading comprehension strategies in their teaching and teachers should be taught how to scaffold and model appropriate reading comprehension strategies that enhance critical thinking by learners, in their instruction.