Using dynamic assessment to guide differentiated instruction of reading comprehension

Abstract

Many school going learners in South African schools face a daily challenge of reading and comprehending texts written in English their first additional language (AL1). Learners need to develop their basic interpersonal communication skills and cognitive academic language proficiency to make sense of that which they are reading. Many South African learners lack basic comprehension skills and in general have low literacy rates. If learners master basic reading comprehension skills they could possibly overcome many of the challenges they face. However all learners have unique learning needs, making it imperative to differentiate the instruction of reading comprehension. For this reason the study looked at the use of dynamic assessment to guide the differentiated instruction of reading comprehension skills. The research was qualitative, conducted within a combination of constructivist, social-constructionist and social-constructivist paradigmatic perspectives. The study took the form of a case study at a predominantly Afrikaans school in a small town in South Africa. The Grade 7 learners were grouped into four bands according to their average reading comprehension performance. By means of a combination of convenience, purposive and random sampling strategies, sixteen participants were selected from the different bands. Observations, participants answer sheets, individual discussions and a researcher s journal were used as data collection strategies. Three reading comprehension tasks focusing on different text types were administered to all the classes. From the results obtained from the first and second tasks lessons on basic reading comprehension strategies were designed and presented in class. The participants received mediation additionally during individual discussions subsequent to the first two reading comprehension tasks. During the process of data analysis both a priori and emerging codes were utilised and combined to form five overall themes for further analysis, namely Vocabulary, Background knowledge, Knowledge of text organization, the Assessment experience and Principles of the zone of proximal development. The findings revealed that five dynamic assessment strategies could possibly be successfully utilised in the Grade 7 classroom to inform the differentiated instruction of reading comprehension skills: 1) Dialogue between teachers and learners; 2) The careful construction of questions in an attempt to prevent the assessment instrument in itself from becoming a barrier to learning; 3) Phrasing questions in such a way that they guide learners to specific parts of text where answers can be found; 4) Including word explanations in the assessment instrument; and 5) Referring learners who lack basic reading skills for appropriate remedial programmes.In Suid-Afrika ervaar heelwat skoolgaande leerders `n daaglikse uitdaging om tekste in Engels hulle eerste addisionele taal (AT1) - te lees met begrip. Indien leerders leesmateriaal met genoegsame begrip wil lees, moet hulle basiese interpersoonlike kommunikasievaardighede en kognitiewe akademiese taalvaardigheid ontwikkel word. Baie Suid-Afrikaanse leerders se basiese leesbegripvaardighede is ontoereikend en verder toon baie leerders ook in die algemeen `n lae geletterdheidsvlak. Baie van die uitdagings wat leerders ervaar kan moontlik oorbrug word indien hulle basiese leesbegripvaardighede bemeester. Tog het alle leerders unieke leerbehoeftes en juis daarom is dit noodsaaklik om die onderrig van leesbegripvaardighede te differensieer. Juis daarom het die studie gefokus op die gebruik van dinamiese assessering om die gedifferensieerde onderrig van leesbegripvaardighede te rig. Die navorsing was kwalitatief en uitgevoer binne `n kombinasie van konstruktivistiese, sosiale- konstruktionistiese en sosiale-konstruktivistiese paradigmatiese raamwerke. Die studie het die vorm van `n gevallestudie by `n oorwegend Afrikaanse skool in `n klein dorpie in Suid-Afrika aangeneem. Die Graad 7 leerders was volgens hulle gemiddelde leesbegrip prestasie in vier verskillende groepe verdeel. Deur middel van `n kombinasie van gerieflikheids-, doelmatige-, en ewekansige steekproefopnames is sestien deelnemers geselekteer uit die verskillende groepe. Observasies, deelnemers se antwoordblaaie, individuele gesprekke en `n navorsersjoernaal is gebruik as data-insamelingstegnieke. Drie leesbegripopdragte, wat elk gefokus het op `n ander tipe teks, is toegepas in al die Graad 7 klasse. Die resultate verkry van die eerste en tweede leesbegripopdragte is aangewend om lesse saam te stel wat ten doel gehad het om basiese leesbegrip-vaardighede te onderrig. Die deelnemers het verder ook addisionele mediëring ontvang gedurende individuele gesprekke wat op die eerste twee leesbegripopdragte gevolg het. Gedurende die proses van data-analise is beide a priori kodering en kodes wat vanuit die data na vore gekom het gebruik en gekombineer om vyf finale temas vir verdere analise te vorm, naamlik Woordeskat, Agtergrondkennis, Kennis van teksorganisasie, die Assesserings-ervaring en Prinsipes van die terrein van naasliggende ontwikkeling. Die bevindinge het getoon dat vyf dinamiese assesseringstrategieë moontlik suksesvol aangewend kan word in die Graad 7 klaskamer om besluite te neem in verband met die differensiasie van die onderrig van leesbegripvaardighede, naamlik 1) Dialoog tussen onderwysers en leerders; 2) Die versigtige bewoording van vrae, sodat die assesserings-instrument self nie `n leerhindernis word nie; 3) Die formulering van vrae op so `n wyse dat dit leerders lei na spesifieke dele in die teks waar die antwoorde gevind kan word; 4) Die insluiting van verduidelikings van woordeskat wat in die assesserings-instrument voorkom; en 5) Die verwysing van leerders wie se leesvermoë nie op standaard is nie na geskikte remediërende programme.