Identifying and understanding enabling conditions for supporting reading literacy development for primary schools in Zimbabwe

Abstract

This thesis documents an investigation seeking to identify enabling classroom conditions that promote the development of reading literacy competencies among lower grade learners in some selected high-performing schools in Zimbabwe. National and regional surveys have revealed that most lower grade learners in public schools proceed to higher levels of academic schooling unable to read. The study employed a multiple case study within an interpretivist paradigm. Data were gathered through document analyses, interviews, participant observations, and focus group discussions with 23 participants, four of which were school principals, 18 teachers and one Education Officer. The Exemplary Model of Early Reading Growth and Shulman’s Pedagogical Content Knowledge model informed the conceptual framework for this study. The findings indicated the impact of the guided reading approach, the effect of societal value systems and the contribution of organised pedagogical approaches on reading literacy development. Whilst the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (MoPSE) determines curricula content materials for all schools in the country, most high performing schools design school-based reading syllabi that involve parental participation. Furthermore, school governing bodies of most high performing schools in Zimbabwe ensure that each class has a well-resourced library and lower grade learners in high performing schools have a daily session of mandatory exposure to printed media. Teachers facilitate and tend to learners with exceptional reading challenges. Such reading literacy development programmes constitute reading as part of the school culture of high performing schools in Zimbabwe. The analysis of the teaching of reading literacy in high-performing schools identified four critical enabling factors namely: the need to develop reading as part of school culture, the need to involve parents in assisting their learners with homework activities in reading, teacher competencies (including the ability to interpret syllabi appropriately) and the provision of adequate reading resources. Furthermore, the study culminated in the design of a Multifaceted Reading Literacy Development Model including eight important factors for reading literacy development namely: interpretation and implementation of curriculum; professional development of teachers; curriculum materials and other resources; school-level reading policies; mentoring and monitoring; parental involvement; teaching approaches, strategies and methods; and professional competencies and attributes. The significance of the findings provides hope for those in educationally deprived environments in that, regardless of where the school is located, lower grade learners have the potential to acquire competent reading skills provided the above-mentioned conditions exist. As resource availability alone is inadequate, teachers need to upgrade their pedagogical skills continuously and schools need to exchange experiences and knowledge to suit local/contextual realities.