Implementation of the National Reading Strategy in South Africa: An Evaluation of the Implementation of the National Reading Strategy at Primary Schools in South Africa

by Indira Naidoo

The National Reading Strategy (NRS) was introduced in 2008 in primary schools in response to the alarmingly low levels of reading ability in South Africa. The main goal of this strategy was to improve the reading competence of all learners; however, many educators had an under-developed understanding of teaching reading. The educators were faced with major challenges in implementing the NRS as they were left to interpret the document on their own in the absence of adequate training. This study investigated the implementation of the NRS by educators of grade 3 learners. Grounded within a social constructivist paradigm and underpinned by Vygotsky’s theory of the zone of proximal development, this study used a mixed methods approach to gather qualitative and quantitative data from grade 3 foundation phase educators and learners. Analyses of data revealed that those schools that implemented the NRS effectively and in accordance with national directives, obtained higher mean Total Reading Scores. Findings accentuated that the NRS was not effectively implemented due to multifarious factors within the schools.

192 pages, Paperback

Published July 9, 2013

About the author

Indira Naidoo is one of Australian television's best-known broadcasters and journalists. South-African born, she first joined the ABC in Adelaide in 1990 and since then has become a regular fixture on our TV screens, most notably as the presenter of SBS Television's highly regarded national mid-evening news service, World News Tonight. She has also hosted the ABC's 7.30 Report, National Late Edition News and Behind the News, and made regular guest appearances on Good News Week, Race Around the World, The New Inventors and The Glass House, amongst other shows, most recently appearing on the first series of Celebrity MasterChef on Network Ten. Indira is passionate about growing her own produce and creating delicious meals with the bounty from her balcony. Details of her food adventures can be found at her blog saucyonion.blogspot.com.