Investigating the academic reading and writing skills required by the Grade 4 curriculum during the transition to English as language of learning and teaching

Abstract

In South Africa, the transition from the Foundation Phase to the Intermediate Phase is complex and problematic, as is evident from reports on learner underperformance in national and international assessments. The focus of this study was to analyse the South African national curriculum (and specifically the EFAL CAPS in the Foundation and Intermediate phases, and the CAPS for Mathematics in the Intermediate Phase), centring around the preparation of learners to make the transition to English as Language of Learning and Teaching, and to the Academic Literacy associated with the transition. This was a qualitative study within the interpretivist paradigm, and a literature survey, and document analysis, was utilised to identify the underlying assumptions and expectations for learners in the curriculum and compare those to the current skill sets and literacy of learners in South Africa. The findings suggest that, while the theory underpinning the policy documents may be sound, in practice it falls apart in the actual circumstances modern South African teachers find themselves in.