Foundation Phase Research Articles

Foundation Phase teachers’ knowledge on common visual problems affecting children

Background: Vision disorders are a public health problem as they cause a delay in academic progress and affect learners’ future career. Teachers spend most of the time with children at school and can help in the early identification and referral of children with visual problems.Aim: To evaluate the knowledge of Grade R to Grade 3 teachers on children’s visual problems before and after educating them on the different visual disorders that affect learners in the classroom.Setting: Low socio-economic status (Quintile 1) schools in Bloemfontein, South Africa.Methods: Convenience sampling was carried out to include Grade R to Grade 3 teachers from 11 Quintile 1 schools. In this quantitative study, two questionnaires with nine items each were administered to determine the teachers’ knowledge. A 45-min educational session on common vision disorders was presented by the researcher. The teachers were classified as having good knowledge if they obtained seven or more correct answers in each questionnaire.Results: Thirty-six female teachers participated in the study. Most of the participants (72.22%) were in the age group of 36 years and older, and 44.44% had been teaching for more than 10 years. Thirty-four participants (94.44%) obtained an overall score of seven and higher before the educational session, and all participants obtained a score of seven and higher after the educational session. There was a statistically significant difference (p 0.0001) between the scores of participants before and after the educational session.Conclusion: The Foundation Phase teachers had adequate knowledge about common visual problems. The educational session was beneficial as it enhanced the teachers’ knowledge.

(Mis)versioning as a quality assurance compromise in the development of numeracy curriculum in African languages

Along with literacy, numeracy is considered a critical skill that impacts on the success or failure of learners in the formative stages of the schooling system. In the context of the Language in Education Policy, which accords every learner in every public school the right to use the language of their choice in the process of being educated, the numeracy learning area should be taught and learnt in Sepedi. To operationalise this policy provision, curriculum policymakers generally subject learning materials available in English to a translation process and make them available in the various official African languages. This paper discusses the challenges encountered in translating numerical word expressions from English into Sepedi and offers, from a linguistic point of view, solutions to deal with the challenges encountered. Data were collected from existing Sepedi literature, and an analysis was conducted of how numerical word expressions are used and treated relative to how they were translated. To validate the literature’s authenticity in the use of the concepts under discussion, a survey was conducted amongst mature and home-language users of Sepedi. The findings show that there are contradictions in how plural forms of numerical word expressions are used by Sepedi language professionals, as is the case in other literature. This creates a problem for the teaching and assessment of these concepts in the foundation phase of the schooling system. Based on the available evidence, the paper makes an argument against the use of bo- when pluralising cardinal numbers in the context of numeracy. The paper concludes with a call for Umalusi to implement systems to quality-assure learning materials translated from English into African languages.

Foundation Phase Teachers’ Experiences with Teaching Xhosa Home Language to Baca-Speaking Learners in Umzimkhulu

Native speakers’ learning of dialects is often hampered where a standard language is used. Most learners in Umzimkhulu are members of the Baca people, who use Baca as a home language. Baca is regarded as a dialect of Xhosa, which is the only subject for learners to choose as a home language. The study investigated teachers’ experiences in teaching Xhosa as a home language to Baca-speaking learners from Umzimkhulu. Semi-structured interviews were administered to eight Foundation Phase Xhosa teachers who were purposively selected from three schools. A qualitative case study design was used. The theoretical framework for the study was sociocultural theory, and content analysis was used to analyse the data. The findings showed that learners’ conceptualisation of and expression in Xhosa was not up to standard. The authors propose that the government revisit the issue of learners who speak dialects but have to take standard languages as a home language in schools.

Understanding the pedagogical content knowledge of teachers in teaching isiZulu reading: a case study of two rural primary schools in KwaZulu-Natal

Teaching reading in the Foundation Phase is a challenging issue since most South African learners struggle to read at their grade level. Learners in rural areas suffer the most as they are from disadvantaged homes that do not have sufficient resources for the promotion of a literate environment. The study aimed to understand the teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge in teaching reading in isiZulu. A qualitative approach framed within an interpretive paradigm was undertaken. Seventeen Foundation Phase teachers in King Cetshwayo District, KwaZulu-Natal, participated in two focus group discussions. The data obtained from transcripts were analysed using a thematic approach. The findings revealed that teachers seemed to have misconceptions and inadequate knowledge of how to develop basic foundational reading skills. It was evident that the teachers lacked the capacity to choose appropriate strategies for teaching reading that suited the learners’ individual needs. Thus, the study recommends multisensory and multimodal approaches to teaching reading to accommodate the different learning styles of learners.

Teachers` Experiences on the use of Learning and Teaching Support Materials in the Foundation Phase Classrooms: The Efficiency and Effectiveness of Education

This study reports on the use of Learning and Teaching Support Materials for foundation phase classroom teaching. Learning and Teaching Support Materials is regarded as one of the core components for effective curriculum delivery in the classroom. This study was encouraged by the need to investigate how teachers facilitate learning and teaching support materials for teaching and learning, since it is well known that schools have been adequately resourced with financial means to provide learning and teaching support materials in line with the call of one textbook per learner per subject made by the Minister of Basic education. This was a qualitative study which was conducted in two foundation phase schools in the area of Lehlabile in Brits township. The data collection methods used were lesson observations and interviews. Teachers were not able to use the learning and teaching Support materials at the intellectual level of the learners, or to help the Grade 3 learners reach the intellectual level which is expected of them. Learners’ poor language skills and/or teachers’ inability to use learning and teaching support materials for teaching and learning are both contributing factors. This study presents its findings at a time when learner attainment is seen to be low, as indicated in the Annual National Assessment results recently presented by the Minister of Education. Hopefully this research study will contribute towards a realisation by the Department of Basic Education that there is a need to capacitate teachers in the use of learning and teaching support materials for teaching and learning. The article thus recommends that appropriate learning and teaching support materials should be made available in order to ensure efficient and effective implementation of curriculum implementation. It also recommends that a teacher: learner ratio of 1:30 should be practiced ensuring that teachers give special attention to each learner.

Portfolios as assessment for learning: A case study of pre-service Foundation Phase teacher education students

Portfolios as assessment for learning: A case study of pre-service Foundation Phase teacher education students

Foundation Phase teachers’ challenges in teaching reading in South Africa

The reading ability of learners in the Foundation Phase through the development of reading proficiency at an early age could determine learning. With the study reported on here I intended to explore the challenges faced by Foundation Phase teachers in teaching reading. I used a qualitative approach and employed an explanatory case study design. The study was guided by the social constructivist theory of German psychologist, Max Wertheimer. Twelve participants (n = 12) were purposively selected from 4 schools in the Vhembe district in the Limpopo province, South Africa. These were learners who performed poorly in reading. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. I recorded that the Foundation Phase teachers experienced various challenges, namely overcrowded classrooms, a lack of resources and support from the school management team and parents, and poor knowledge of reading instruction. I further recorded that teachers’ inability to administer assessment tasks, as prescribed by the Department of Education, might be addressed through workshops, which might also alert teachers to the value of pre-reading and setting learning outcomes before reading lessons.

Preparing South African Foundation Phase Preservice Teachers to Teach Reading for Meaning

Scholars have widely documented the current reading crisis in South Africa. This crisis has drawn attention to the need for adequately prepared teachers to teach reading for meaning, particularly in the Foundation Phase classroom. However, little is known about how South African teacher education institutions prepare preservice Foundation Phase teachers to teach reading for meaning. This article addresses this gap by offering recommendations on how South African teacher education institutions can prepare preservice teachers to teach reading for meaning in the Foundation Phase classrooms. The article argues that there is an urgent need for South African teacher education institutions to rethink their curricula to prepare teachers to teach reading for meaning in the South African Foundation Phase classroom. By focusing on preparing Foundation Phase teachers to teach reading for meaning, the article seeks to contribute to a reconceptualization of the content and structure of the South Foundation Phase teacher education curriculum. It also lays the groundwork for further research on the preparation of South African Foundation preservice teachers to teach reading for meaning.

Challenges in Using African Languages as the Language of Learning and Teaching (LoLT) for Mathematics in Rural Schools: Foundation Phase Teachers’ Perspectives

The South African Language in Education Policy (LiEP) advocates using African languages in the Foundation Phase (FP) which is the first phase of formal schooling in South Africa. This paper seeks to identify the challenges in implementing the language provisions prescribed in the LiEP in South Africa and within the region. Using the challenge-based learning (CBL) approach, this paper provides a glimpse into the challenges that 50 FP teachers based in six rural schools in South Africa face when using African languages as LoLT when teaching mathematics. Data collected through questionnaires, focus-group interviews, and observations in mathematics classrooms were used to illuminate these challenges. The results indicate that teachers experienced three main challenges: multilingual learners and learners who were taught in English in pre-school, English scripted lesson plans, and teacher training that was only provided in English. Importantly this paper identified a language disjuncture between policy and practice where the policy requires teachers to teach in African languages while the teaching material is written in English.

Instructional Language Dichotomy on Foundation Phase Learning: A Case of University Student Teachers

For proficiency in language learning, the prescribed medium of instruction for Foundation Phase (FP) learning becomes a prerequisite, as demarcated by South African policy on language learning. Nevertheless, student teachers while embarking on Teaching Practise (TP) find comfort at infusing the English medium when interacting with learners. In contradiction, English language learning is compromised as most subjects underpinning the FP curriculum are offered in home languages. This paradox of mixed opinions on policy, student teacher perspective hence their medium of learning is English language for all courses offered at university level, together with the situation where students are expected to consider FP curriculum offering, really causes some inconsistency, leading to compromised English language proficiency as both student teachers and learners infuse IsiXhosa to a greater extent during the entire process. This paper therefore seeks to investigate whether home language teaching has any substantial influence towards enhancing English language as one of the subjects underpinning FP curriculum. A qualitative approach embedded in a case study design was administered on two purposefully identified university teachers as pioneers expected to conduct assessment during practise teaching. To collect data, semi structured interviews were conducted to understand better the underlying factors caused by instructional language contradiction in-between student teachers and learners. It emerged as major findings that (i) conflicting media of instruction (in university and in schools), (ii) home language dominance, and (iii) policy imperatives were challenging causes on the declining English proficiency in learners. This paper concludes and recommends that for sustained English language development, policies underpinning teaching and learning need to be re-defined as all subjects offered rely on efficient attainment of the language component, thereby leading to improved learner throughput rate.

Ibn Khaldun in early German-language sociological theory

In the course of recent debates, Ibn Khaldun has been (re-)claimed not as a precursor, but as one of the “founding fathers” of sociology. This entails the suspicion that Ibn Khaldun’s legacy, especially his Muqaddima as an important reference in the foundational phase of modern European sociology, has been sidelined in the construction of the sociological canon and thus remains an unacknowledged source today. This paper presents a historical case of South-North reception of sociological theory. A systematic assessment of the reception of Ibn Khaldun in early German-language sociology reveals that while his acknowledgment was quantitatively rather low, it was indeed qualitatively interesting. In particular, two important early sociologists, Ludwig Gumplowicz and Franz Oppenheimer, mobilized references to his Muqadimma in the context of their “sociological theory of the state.” They discovered the fundamental theoretical convergence between their approach and the early Arab scholar. Against the ahistorical philosophical idea of the state and the non-historical juridical idea of the state, both authors defended the sociological idea of the state. It is the conquest of one tribe over another with the aim of economic exploitation through political subjugation that gives rise to the state. Here, Ibn Khaldun appeared as a particularly reliable reference. His reception in the works of Gumplowicz and Oppenheimer also sheds a different light on the much-voiced refusal of imported social theory as being irrelevant.

Foundation phase teachers' experiences of physical education in low-resourced schools: Implications for continuing professional development

Physical Education (PE) provides Foundation Phase learners aged six to nine the opportunity to develop their cognitive, social, emotional and physical domains. However, if these benefits are not realised for learners in low-resource schools, contextually-based and needs-driven continuing professional teacher development (CPTD) courses may be warranted. The aim of this study was to interpret Foundation Phase teachers’ experiences of teaching PE in low-resource schools, to inform the design of CPTD in this area. A qualitative research design situated within the interpretive paradigm was employed. Twenty-four (24) Foundation Phase teachers working in nine Quintile Three schools in Gqeberha participated in semi-structured interviews. The data was thematically analysed. Three broad themes were identified, namely personal barriers, systemic barriers and positive responses to existing challenges. There was a significant overlap between the themes, which highlights the complexity of teachers’ experiences and perceptions of PE. The findings support a transformative and collaborative approach to CPTD to assist Foundation Phase teachers with teaching PE in the context of disadvantaged low-resource schools.

Foundation Phase Teachers Practices of E-learning Strategies in a Rural Context Challenges and Opportunities for Innovations during the COVID19 Pandemic

Foundation Phase Teachers Practices of E-learning Strategies in a Rural Context Challenges and Opportunities for Innovations during the COVID19 Pandemic

Foundation Phase Learners Mathematical Errors Caused by Weaknesses in Reading and Ill Posed Problems

Foundation Phase Learners Mathematical Errors Caused by Weaknesses in Reading and Ill Posed Problems

Curriculum Advisors’ and Teachers’ Perceptions of Teaching Reading in Foundation Phase Classrooms

This article aims to examine curriculum advisors’ and teachers’ perceptions of teaching early reading in Foundation Phase classrooms. It also aims to provide recommendations to alleviate overlaps based on the findings. A qualitative approach was used to gather data through semi-structured interviews. Purposeful convenience sampling was used to study two curriculum advisors and five Grade 1 teachers from five schools in the Mopani district of Limpopo Province. Data collected were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings showed that the curriculum advisors and teachers vary in their perceptions of early reading. Both curriculum advisors perceived that teachers change slowly, teach early reading unsystematically, and show superficial compliance, but do not really abide by guidelines, while teachers say the National Curriculum does not give them enough time to teach properly or attend to struggling learners. Teachers also expressed their frustration in managing large classes. This research article contributes to the body of knowledge in creating an awareness that new curriculum requirements are tools used for aligning teachers with change.

Translanguaging in a Northern Sotho classroom: A case study of Khelobedu-speaking learners and their teachers in the Foundation Phase in Mopani District

Previous research has established that translanguaging can be utilised as a resource for bilingual or multilingual children to accomplish specific communicative goals. However, translanguaging in South African classrooms is presently not generally accepted as a legitimate classroom strategy by Curriculum specialists, nor has it been sanctioned in teacher training. Therefore, teachers in Bolobedu are not really at liberty to use the local language, Khelobedu, in the classroom despite didactic benefits associated with using the local language as a medium of instruction. This study aimed to explore the cases of translanguaging in a Northern Sotho classroom by teachers and Khelobedu-speaking learners. In exploring such, the study aimed to investigate the extent to which translanguaging was used in the Foundation Phase classrooms and, the didactic consequences of such practice in the classrooms in Motupa circuit. The study utilised a case study design with quantitative and qualitative components. A purposive sample of four Foundation Phase Northern Sotho teachers and 129 learners was used to collect data. Four classroom observations were conducted at one selected primary school in [ blinded ] District and content analysis was used to analyse data. The findings of this study indicated that translanguaging is widely used by Northern Sotho Foundation Fhase teachers and considered successful in minimizing learners’ miscomprehension of the lesson. Furthermore, the study revealed that also learners employed translanguaging in the Northern Sotho classrooms. Learners were found to enjoy lessons and were actively involved throughout the activities that were performed in class when translanguaging was used. Contribution: The most outstanding feature of this article is that it makes a plea to those responsible for language policy formulation in South Africa that mother tongue instruction is a right even for those learners who do not speak standard languages. The article reveals the challenges faced by Khelobedu Foundation Phase learners who do not learn in their mother tongue but are forced by the South African Language in Education Policy which dictates the language used in disseminating knowledge in schools. This article further posits that translanguaging is a suitable teaching strategy for a multilingual country like South Africa and should therefore be placed at the centre of classroom practice in South Africa.

Practitioners’ challenges in the application of conceptions of mathematical knowledge in the foundation phase mathematics learning

This study used a qualitative research design to examine the difficulties faced by ECD practitioners when applying their mathematical expertise to improve young children's arithmetic learning. Five practitioners were selected from among the five ECD centers using a purposive sampling method for the study. Semi-structured interview questions were employed to collect the data. The construction of themes and sub-themes resulted from analyzing the collected data thematically. According to the research's findings, early childhood educators face difficulties due to their limited grasp of mathematical language, lack of classroom environments conducive to children learning mathematics, and lack of experience incorporating play into their instruction. It was discovered that some practitioners struggled to get kids interested in learning the language since they don't know how to communicate and take a long time to educate because they don't pay attention in class and forget rapidly. Based on the findings of this research, there is a need for proper in-service training of the practitioners, as was the provision of adequate space for the ECD centers.

An Investigation of the Role the School Library Space Plays in Promoting Reading Habits in Foundation Phase Learners in Vhembe District in South Africa

The school library space is of utmost importance in the school community as a whole. A library space provides, both teachers and their learners, with a space, which is safe and conducive to learning. The aim of this paper is to explore the role the school library space plays in promoting reading habits of the foundation phase learners in Vhembe District. The paper employed or followed a qualitative research method based on the nature of the study. The population of the study is the teacher librarians who are responsible for school libraries in the foundation phase. Purposive sampling was used to select eight schools from Vhembe District. Eight participants were sampled by virtue of their being teacher librarians serving in the Foundation Phase school libraries. Data was collected by means of individual interviews. The finding revealed that although they have a separate building for the library, the sitting space for learners is not sufficient because there are many learners. Secondly, the finding was concerned with the capacity of the school libraries in as far as the space to accommodate bookshelves, computers and other library facilities required in the library. The third finding was concerned with the challenges like overcrowding due to the lack of enough space in the school library. The fourth finding was concerned with the school libraries being used for purposes other than library activities. The study recommended that the library should also provide both teacher and learners with a space that encourages individual study, group cooperation and big group exhibition.

The State and Conditions of School Libraries in Vhembe District, Limpopo Province, South Africa

School libraries or media centres are an essential element of quality in education and learning for all the South African learners. The objective of this paper is to assess the state of library materials and resources obtained in school libraries. It is therefore important that schools should have a library or a media centre for the provision of materials for the purpose of conducive learning and reading for learners. This study investigated the state and conditions of school libraries in rural areas of Vhembe District in Limpopo Province, South Africa. The method used in this study is a qualitative research approach through face-to-face interviews with foundation phase literacy teachers and teacher librarians in eight schools, which were purposely selected for being known to have a school library or media centre buildings in their premises. The conclusion from the findings is that school libraries and media centres in these rural schools do not provide a suitable and conducive learning environment to learners.

Positioning Male Teachers In the Foundation Phase In South Africa: A Case of One Education District

Observation and literature confirmed that men are unduly scarce in the count of foundation phase teachers in South Africa and the few that are presented as foundation phase teachers are often criticized and ridiculed with the argument that foundation phase teaching is for women. Therefore, the study sought to understand gendered ideologies in order to address the issue of missing male teachers in the foundation phase, which is currently considered to be feminized. Using Sandra Bem’s Gender Schema Theory, the study explores the perceptions embedded within gender issues and how these influence the appointment of male teachers in the foundation phase in the Amathole Education District of the Eastern Cape Province. A qualitative approach was adopted, and a case study research design was employed where six participants (three males and three females) were purposely sampled and interviewed. Data were analyzed using content analyses where some themes emerged. The study revealed that most males are unwilling to work with younger kids, while the study also confirms their roles as very important in the development of younger kids. The study concludes that male teachers’ positive influence cannot be underestimated; hence the government should devise a way to motivate male teacher educators toward the world of work in the foundation phase.