The reading world of Black primary school teachers in rural KwaZulu-Natal.
| dc.contributor.advisor | ||
| dc.contributor.author | Broster, Allison Joyce. | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2011-01-18T09:51:42Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2011-01-18T09:51:42Z | |
| dc.date.created | 1999 | |
| dc.date.issued | 1999 | |
| dc.description | Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Natal, 1999. | en_US |
| dc.description.abstract | An investigation into the extent to which rural black primary school teachers of English in Kwazulu-Natal have been exposed to a culture of reading in general and, more particularly, their perceptions of the value of proficiency in reading English. In this study I set out to explore the reading attitudes and practices of underqualified teachers of English studying for their Teacher's Diploma, as well as the broad context within which these were acquired. I also wished to examine whether teachers from remote rural areas where little English is spoken, perceive proficiency in reading English as providing access to social and economic progress, power and prestige. These two issues are interconnected for this study because as teachers of English and reading, their reading attitudes and practices will impact on their learners at a formative stage in their education. The data for this study were obtained by means of questionnaires and reading histories which investigated the above two issues. Respondents completed questionnaires giving details of their early experiences of reading. In this first part of the study which explored the exposure to a culture of reading, the language of reading is not specified. The questionnaire also dealt with adult reading attitudes and practices and here respondents were given the opportunity to make a distinction between their main language and English. This part of the study related to attitudes to reading in general, as well as perceptions of the value of proficiency in reading English. Questionnaire data were amplified by extended reading histories. It was found that respondents had had little exposure to a reading culture either at school or at home. Harsh teaching methods had militated against the development of a practice of reading for pleasure. Respondents therefore did not place a high value on reading, either in their personal or their professional lives. In addition, respondents generally did not perceive proficiency in reading English as conferring social or economic benefits. It is assumed that because respondents live and work in remote, linguistically homogeneous areas of Kwazulu-Natal where little English is spoken, they do not see a dynamic connection between English competence and improved job prospects and social status in their everyday lives. The tentative conclusion which is confirmed by other research in this field is that respondents would benefit from an intervention which would engender a sense of reading as connecting with their existing lives and affording access to the national and global world. Expanding the notion of reading to incorporate a critical literacy approach and extending the notion of text to include those drawn from popular culture might encourage a closer sense of engagement with written texts. Respondents could thus be empowered to become teachers of reading and English able to equip their learners to deal with the demands of the modem world. | en_US |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10413/2188 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | en_US |
| dc.subject | Theses--English. | en_US |
| dc.subject | Education, Rural--KwaZulu-Natal. | en_US |
| dc.subject | Primary school teachers--Rating of--KwaZulu-Natal. | en_US |
| dc.subject | Teachers, Black--KwaZulu-Natal--Books and reading. | en_US |
| dc.subject | Students--KwaZulu-Natal--Books and reading. | en_US |
| dc.subject | Teachers, Black--Rating of--KwaZulu-Natal. | en_US |
| dc.title | The reading world of Black primary school teachers in rural KwaZulu-Natal. | en_US |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_US |