Abstract:
This study reports on a doctoral investigation (Van Staden, 2010) to identify and
explain relationships between some major learner- and school-level factors associated
with successful reading in Grade 5. South African classrooms are characterised by
large variation, with linguistically and socio-economically heterogeneous groups of
learners. However, there is a paucity of theoretical frameworks that could explain
reading effectiveness in a developing context. For purposes of this study, the South
African Grade 5 data from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study
(PIRLS) 2006 were analysed. Hierarchical Linear Modelling (HLM) was applied to
determine the effect of a number of explanatory variables at learner- and school-level
on reading achievement as outcome variable, while controlling for language. In the
absence of a reading effectiveness framework, Creemers’ Comprehensive Model of
Educational Effectiveness was used as theoretical point of departure. The framework
left the differences in reading scores largely unexplained and could not capture the
South African PIRLS 2006 data adequately. The study concludes with reflections on
whether Creemers’ model could guide an analysis to explain reading performance and
on what further modifications to the model might be required to suit a developing
South African context more adequately.
