Challenges faced by teachers in facilitating the acqusition of reading and writing skills by learners, and learners' challenges in acquiring reading and writing skills in the foundation phase (Grade R-3)

Abstract

Teaching reading and writing skills and the acquisition of those skills is a challenge for teachers and learners respectively. Teachers encounter challenges in teaching and learners likewise encounter challenges of acquisition. The ability of learners to have the skills of reading and writing is undoubtedly one of the most important skills they need to possess. Likewise, teachers need to possess the ability to facilitate the acquisition of those skills by learners. The study was aimed at determining from teachers what challenges they encounter in facilitating the acquisition of reading and writing skills by Foundation Phase learners, and what the learners' challenges are in acquiring those skills. A brief questionnaire with one rating scale question, a dichotomous scale and two open-ended questions was designed and administered to a convenience sample of fifty teachers from ten randomly selected primary schools in the Montshioa Stadt Cluster. ln addition, a test of reading and writing literacy was administered to Grade R - 3 learners in selected schools in the cluster. The findings from the study revealed that teachers are playing a positive role in identifying the causes of the learners' lack of acquiring reading and writing skills and managing that problem constructively. Teachers however. feel that they need further training on some aspects of reading and writing skills. In view of the findings of the study. it is recommended that parents whose children have reading and writing problems be visited to investigate the source of the learners' problems. Parents should be requested to visit the school at the end of each tem1 to check on children's work. Learners should be given intervention forms to fill to show that they deserve to remain in the same class.