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Factors influencing Grade 1 Sepedi-speaking learners’ reading outcomes in Limpopo
Thesis (PhD (Early Childhood Education))--University of Pretoria, 2025.
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University of Pretoria
2025
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| _version_ | 1869483823141486592 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author2 | West, Joyce |
| author_browse | West, Joyce |
| author_facet | West, Joyce |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | © 2024 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. |
| description | Thesis (PhD (Early Childhood Education))--University of Pretoria, 2025. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/105270 |
| institution | University of Pretoria (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-07-01T04:05:07.035Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | University of Pretoria |
| publisherStr | University of Pretoria |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| spelling | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/105270 Factors influencing Grade 1 Sepedi-speaking learners’ reading outcomes in Limpopo West, Joyce carolinenom@gmail.com Bipath, Keshni Zondi, Nombuyiselo Caroline UCTD Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Alignment Language policy Professional development Reading Sepedi Thesis (PhD (Early Childhood Education))--University of Pretoria, 2025. South Africa’s reading proficiency in indigenous African languages remains critically low, as confirmed by the past four cycles of the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS). The 2021 PIRLS findings indicate that 81% of South African learners demonstrate limited reading comprehension skills in any language, with no recorded progress in the Sesotho language family over the past decade. Despite literacy interventions by the Department of Basic Education and non-governmental organisations such as Room to Read South Africa, the underlying causes of poor reading outcomes, particularly for Sepedi mother-tongue learners, remain poorly defined. Empirical evidence on effective strategies to improve literacy instruction for Sepedi-speaking Grade 1 learners is also limited. Research in developing countries suggests that a combination of teacher training, structured lesson plans, textbooks, and coaching enhances Foundation Phase literacy. However, researchers have provided little evidence on how to improve the quality of early literacy instruction for Sepedi-speaking children. This study addresses this gap by identifying and analysing four key factors influencing Grade 1 Sepedi learners’ reading outcomes in Limpopo province: language education policies, structured pedagogy, alignment of teaching and learning materials, and professional development. The study is grounded in Lee Shulman’s Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) theoretical framework, where curriculum knowledge informs policy analysis, general pedagogical knowledge guides pedagogy, content knowledge is used to assess materials, and pedagogical content knowledge underpins teacher development. Data were collected from four schools participating in the Room to Read Sepedi Literacy Programme through classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, field notes, a reflection journal, and five national language education policies. Findings reveal that weaknesses in any one of the four factors disrupt coherence in instruction and learning. Policy gaps around Sepedi’s linguistic and orthographic structure limit effective instruction; misaligned materials undermine pedagogy, while fragmented professional development weakens impact. The study contributes the Zondi-Tšweletso Integrated Model for Improving Reading Outcomes in Sepedi – a scalable, evidence-based framework that aligns policy, pedagogy, materials, and professional development with PCK domains. It advances the use of PCK in indigenous language education and offers practical recommendations to strengthen policy coherence, material alignment, structured pedagogy, and teacher development in multilingual, under-resourced contexts. Canon Collins Trust UP Postgraduate Research Bursary Early Childhood Education PhD (Early Childhood Education) Unrestricted Faculty of Education SDG-04: Quality Education 2025-11-13T09:27:26Z 2025-11-13T09:27:26Z 2026-04 2025-05 Thesis A2026 http://hdl.handle.net/2263/105270 10.25403/UPresearchdata.25712397 en © 2024 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. application/pdf University of Pretoria |
| spellingShingle | UCTD Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Alignment Language policy Professional development Reading Sepedi Factors influencing Grade 1 Sepedi-speaking learners’ reading outcomes in Limpopo |
| title | Factors influencing Grade 1 Sepedi-speaking learners’ reading outcomes in Limpopo |
| title_full | Factors influencing Grade 1 Sepedi-speaking learners’ reading outcomes in Limpopo |
| title_fullStr | Factors influencing Grade 1 Sepedi-speaking learners’ reading outcomes in Limpopo |
| title_full_unstemmed | Factors influencing Grade 1 Sepedi-speaking learners’ reading outcomes in Limpopo |
| title_short | Factors influencing Grade 1 Sepedi-speaking learners’ reading outcomes in Limpopo |
| title_sort | factors influencing grade 1 sepedi speaking learners reading outcomes in limpopo |
| topic | UCTD Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Alignment Language policy Professional development Reading Sepedi |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/2263/105270 |