Examining the reading comprehension pedagogical practices developed by ESL teachers in Namibian primary schools

Abstract

Many studies addressing methods to improve reading comprehension in English Language Learners (ELLs) primarily focus on WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic) samples. Unfortunately, ESL teachers in global South regions like Namibia have often been overlooked in this research. This study aims to bridge this gap by examining the self-developed strategies employed by Grade 7 ESL teachers to enhance reading comprehension in primary schools within Namibia’s Oshikoto region. This research adopts an exploratory case study approach with an interpretivist orientation. The selection of five Grade 7 ESL teachers is done purposefully, and data collection involves stimulated recall interviews and classroom observations. To analyse the collected data, an inductive thematic analysis is applied. The findings shed light on the practices of experienced teachers, revealing that they continue to utilise pedagogical methods acquired during their initial teacher education, including previewing, reading aloud, fluency training, and vocabulary development. However, these methods do not appear to guarantee improved reading comprehension for learners. Importantly, these teachers did not adapt their practices to suit their specific cultural and linguistic contexts and the needs of their learners. The study’s findings hold implications for the initial teacher education curriculum as they emphasise the importance of incorporating reflective practice to foster personal practical knowledge for teaching reading in non-Western settings.