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Teacher questioning and early grade literacy in Nguni languages: practice, knowledge and in-service development
Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2026.
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2026
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| author | Mtsatse, Nangamso |
| author2 | Jansen, Jonathan |
| author_browse | Jansen, Jonathan Mtsatse, Nangamso |
| author_facet | Jansen, Jonathan Mtsatse, Nangamso |
| author_sort | Mtsatse, Nangamso |
| collection | Thesis |
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| description | Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2026. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/136135 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
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| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/136135 Teacher questioning and early grade literacy in Nguni languages: practice, knowledge and in-service development Mtsatse, Nangamso Jansen, Jonathan Pretorius, Elizabeth Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Education Policy Studies. Reading (Primary) -- South Africa Communication in education -- South Africa Nguni languages -- Study and teaching (Primary) -- South Africa Teachers -- In-service training -- South Africa Study and teaching (Primary) -- South Africa UCTD Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2026. Mtsatse, N. 2026. Teacher Questioning and Early Grade Literacy in Nguni Languages: Practice, Knowledge and In-Service Development. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/5b03ea47-9889-4af0-81ad-6d0f36acfd04 ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis investigates the oral questioning patterns of early-grade teachers in isiXhosa and isiZulu language lessons, their pedagogical understanding of how to identify and develop literal and inferential questions, and, through the design of an in-service structured pedagogy programme, the pedagogical and contextual considerations required to strengthen large-scale teacher professional development. Despite significant policy investments and national efforts to improve foundational literacy, reading comprehension results remain alarmingly poor, with many learners unable to read for meaning by the end of Grade 3. The study adopts a mixed-method, thesis-by-publication consisting of three stand-alone but integrated chapters that examine classroom oral instructional practices, teacher content and pedagogical knowledge, and the design of professional development within structured pedagogy reforms. Drawing on the theory of teacher knowledge of Shulman (1987), the pedagogic device of Bernstein (1996), and Elmore’s Instructional Core (2008), the three empirical chapters examine (1) how teachers’ questioning practices shape learner engagement with texts, (2) the depth and nature of teachers’ content and pedagogical content knowledge (CK and PCK) about reading comprehension and (3) how a structured pedagogy intervention Funda Wande was designed, implemented and scaled to strengthen instructional support for teachers. In these chapters, the findings show that comprehension instruction in early grades is characterised by surface-level questioning and limited inferential engagement, underpinned by conceptual and pedagogical gaps in teachers’ knowledge of reading theory and text complexity. At the systemic level, implementation misalignments between curriculum guidance, professional development, and materials constrain classroom enactment. Collectively, the study contributes a theoretically grounded account of how the quality of literacy instruction is shaped by the interaction between teacher knowledge, instructional design, and system support. The research argues that improving reading comprehension outcomes in low-resource contexts requires a simultaneous strengthening of teacher expertise, material design, and instructional coaching, an alignment at the heart of the Instructional Core. The study offers both theoretical and policy insights: it deepens understanding of oral questioning practices as a key instructional lever in African classrooms, clarifies the extent and nature of teacher content and pedagogical knowledge required to generate and scaffold literal and inferential comprehension, and identifies the pedagogical and contextual design principles necessary to build coherent, scalable, and contextually responsive in-service professional development within structured pedagogy reforms. Chapter Two investigates how early-grade teachers use questioning to mediate comprehension in isiXhosa and isiZulu home-language classrooms. Using lesson observation data from 120 literacy lessons in 60 schools, the analysis applies Shulman’s framework of pedagogical reasoning and Bernstein’s concept of framing to examine the nature and cognitive level of teacher–learner interaction. The findings reveal that classroom discourse is dominated by factual and literal questions, with limited opportunities for inferential reasoning or interpretive engagement. Teachers rarely prompt elaboration or provide formative feedback, which constrains the learners’ ability to construct meaning from text. Weaknesses in pedagogical framing and over-scaffolding practices further restrict learner talk. The chapter concludes that improving comprehension pedagogy requires a deliberate focus on teacher questioning repertoires and scaffolding strategies, emphasising the need for professional development that cultivates higher-order questioning and dialogic teaching. Chapter Three examines the Content Knowledge (CK) and Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) of 300 early-grade teachers on reading comprehension and text grading. Using teacher assessment data and qualitative interviews, the study explores teachers’ understanding of the Simple View of Reading, comprehension components, and principles to match text difficulty with learner ability. The findings indicate substantial misconceptions about reading as decoding, limited understanding of inferential processes, and inconsistent criteria for text selection. Many teachers equate text difficulty solely with word length or Phonics coverage, overlooking the syntactic and inferential dimensions of complexity. The chapter argues that sustained gains in literacy require professional development that explicitly targets teachers’ disciplinary and pedagogical reasoning, integrating theory with guided practice. Chapter Four documents the design, implementation, and scaling of the Funda Wande structured pedagogy programme, within the broader foundational literacy reforms in South Africa. Guided by Elmore’s Instructional Core, the study analyses how the programme integrated teacher knowledge, content, and coaching support to improve early-grade instruction. Drawing on interviews, programme documents, and evaluation data, the thesis identifies key implementation drivers: high-quality lesson materials, ongoing instructional coaching, and alignment between curriculum, training, and assessment. The analysis shows that, although the content development was rigorous, the early phases of implementation revealed key pedagogical and contextual factors that shape the effectiveness of in-service professional development. These included the need for a coherent Phonics scope and sequence, materials that reduce teacher workload and cognitive load, a wider variety of text types, and closer alignment with Department of Education expectations around pitching instruction at the right level. The analysis further highlights the importance of meaningfully integrating Life Skills into the reading programme to expand opportunities for comprehension and cross-curricular reading, addressing the limited evidence of effective Life Skills implementation in classrooms. Finally, the chapter highlights the role of collaboration with curriculum officials in ensuring coherence, relevance, and system-level ownership of structured pedagogy reforms. Over time, adaptive design and partnerships with government and NGOs strengthened system alignment and sustainability. The chapter distils six design principles for scaling structured pedagogy in low-resource contexts coherence, simplicity, contextualisation, feedback loops, government buy-in, and fidelity monitoring, providing a model for system-wide instructional reform. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie proefskrif ondersoek grondslagfase-onderwysers se mondelinge vraepatrone in isiXhosa en isiZulu-taallesse, hul pedagogiese begrip van hoe om letterlike en inferensiële vrae te identifiseer en te ontwikkel, en deur die ontwerp van ’n indiens-gestruktureerde pedagogiese program, stel die pedagogiese en kontekstuele oorwegings voor wat noodsaaklik is om grootskaalse professionele ontwikkeling vir onderwysers te versterk. Ten spyte van beduidende beleidsbeleggings en nasionale pogings om grondslaggeletterdheid te verbeter, bly leesbegripuitkomste ontsettend laag, met baie leerders wat teen die einde van Graad 3 nie met die nodige insig kan lees nie. Die studie volg ’n gemengde-metode, publikasieproefskrif-benadering bestaande uit drie afsonderlike maar geïntegreerde hoofstukke wat ondersoek instel na mondelinge klaskamerpraktyke, onderwysers se inhouds- en kennis, en die ontwerp van professionele ontwikkeling binne gestruktureerde pedagogie. Met verwysing na Shulman (1987) se teorie van onderwyserskennis, Bernstein (1996) se pedagogiese apparaat en Elmore (2008) se Instructional Core, ondersoek die drie empiriese hoofstukke onderskeidelik: (1) hoe onderwysers se vrae leerderbetrokkenheid by tekste vorm; (2) die aard en diepte van onderwysers se inhoudskennis en pedagogiese inhoudskennis (CK en PCK) oor leesbegrip; en (3) hoe die gestruktureerde pedagogiese intervensie Funda Wande ontwerp, geïmplementeer en opgeskaal is om ondersteuning vir onderwysers te versterk. Oor die drie hoofstukke heen, toon die bevindinge dat leesbegripsonderrig in die grondslagfase oorwegend gekenmerk word deur oppervlakkige vraetegnieke en beperkte inferensiële betrokkenheid, onderlê deur konseptuele en pedagogiese leemtes in onderwysers se kennis van leesteorie en tekskompleksiteit. Op sistemiese vlak beperk wanbelyning tussen kurrikulumriglyne, professionele ontwikkeling en onderrighulpmiddele die gehalte van klaskamer-implementering. Gesamentlik lewer die studie ’n teoreties-gefundeerde uiteensetting van hoe die kwaliteit van geletterdheidsonderrig gevorm word deur die interaksie tussen instruksionele ontwerp, en stelselondersteuning. Die navorsing voer aan dat verbeterde leesbegripuitkomste in lae-hulpbron-kontekste gelyktydige versterking vereis van onderwyserkundigheid, materiaalontwerp en instruksionele afrigting, wat ’n kernbelyning van die Instructional Core vorm. Die studie bied belangrike teoretiese en beleidsbydraes deur die begrip van mondelinge vrae as ’n sleutel-instruksionele hefboom in Afrikaklaskamers te verdiep, deur te verduidelik watter omvang en aard van inhouds en pedagogiese kennis nodig is om effektiewe letterlike en inferensiële begrip te bevorder, en deur die pedagogiese en kontekstuele ontwerpbeginsels te identifiseer wat noodsaaklik is vir koherente, skaalbare en konteksgegronde indiens-ontwikkelingsprogramme binne gestruktureerde pedagogiek. Hoofstuk twee ondersoek hoe grondslagfase-onderwysers vrae gebruik om leesbegrip in isiXhosa- en isiZulu-huistaalklaskamers te bemiddel. Met leswaarnemingsdata van 120 geletterdheidslesse in 60 skole gebruik die analise Shulman se raamwerk van pedagogiese redenasie, en Bernstein se konsep van raamvorming om die aard en kognitiewe vlak van onderwyser-leerder-interaksie te ondersoek. Die bevindinge toon dat klaskamerkommunikasie oorheers word deur feitelike en letterlike vrae, met min geleenthede vir inferensiële of interpretatiewe denke. Onderwysers moedig selde verdere verduideliking aan of bied formatiewe terugvoer, wat leerders se vermoë om betekenis uit tekste te konstrueer, beperk. Swak raamvorming en oor-ondersteuning versmoor leerdergesprek. Die hoofstuk sluit af dat die verbetering van begripspedagogie doelbewuste ontwikkeling van onderwysers se vraerepertoriums en skaalstrategieë verg, met ’n besondere fokus op hoër-orde vrae en dialogiese onderrig. Hoofstuk drie ondersoek die inhoudskennis (CK) en pedagogiese inhoudskennis (PCK) van 300 grondslagfase-onderwysers rakende leesbegrip en teksgradering. Met onderwyserassesseringsdata en kwalitatiewe onderhoude ondersoek die studie hul begrip van die Simple View of Reading, die komponente van begrip, en die beginsels vir die bepaling van teksmoeilikheid in verhouding met leerdervermoë. Die bevindinge toon beduidende wanopvattings oor lees as bloot dekodering, beperkte begrip van inferensiële prosesse, en inkonsekwente kriteria vir tekskeuse. Baie onderwysers koppel teksmoeilikheid uitsluitlik aan woordlengte of foniese dekking, eerder as sintaktiese en semantiese kompleksiteit. Die hoofstuk voer aan dat volhoubare geletterdheidswins eksplisiete professionele ontwikkeling verg wat onderwysers se dissiplinêre en pedagogiese redenasie versterk, deur teorie met begeleide praktyk te integreer. Hoofstuk vier dokumenteer die ontwerp, implementering en opskaal van die Funda Wande-programme binne Suid-Afrika se breër grondslaggeletterdheidshervormings. Gelei deur Elmore se Instructional Core analiseer die studie hoe onderwyserskennis, inhoud en afrigtingsondersteuning geïntegreer is om gehalte-onderrig in die vroeë grade te verbeter. Met data uit onderhoude, programdokumente en evalueringsverslae identifiseer die hoofstuk die sleutel-implementeringsdrywers: lesmateriaal van hoë aard van inhouds en pedagogiese kennis nodig is om effektiewe letterlike en inferensiële begrip te bevorder, en deur die pedagogiese en kontekstuele ontwerpbeginsels te identifiseer wat noodsaaklik is vir koherente, skaalbare en konteksgegronde indiens-ontwikkelingsprogramme binne gestruktureerde pedagogiek. Hoofstuk twee ondersoek hoe grondslagfase-onderwysers vrae gebruik om leesbegrip in isiXhosa- en isiZulu-huistaalklaskamers te bemiddel. Met leswaarnemingsdata van 120 geletterdheidslesse in 60 skole gebruik die analise Shulman se raamwerk van pedagogiese redenasie, en Bernstein se konsep van raamvorming om die aard en kognitiewe vlak van onderwyser-leerder-interaksie te ondersoek. Die bevindinge toon dat oorheers word deur feitelike en letterlike vrae, met min geleenthede vir inferensiële of interpretatiewe denke. Onderwysers moedig selde verdere verduideliking aan of bied formatiewe terugvoer, wat leerders se vermoë om betekenis uit tekste te konstrueer, beperk. Swak raamvorming en oor-ondersteuning versmoor leerdergesprek. Die hoofstuk sluit af dat die verbetering van begripspedagogie doelbewuste ontwikkeling van onderwysers se vraerepertoriums en skaalstrategieë verg, met ’n besondere fokus op hoër-orde vrae en dialogiese onderrig. Hoofstuk drie ondersoek die inhoudskennis (CK) en pedagogiese inhoudskennis (PCK) van 300 grondslagfase-onderwysers rakende leesbegrip en teksgradering. Met onderwyserassesseringsdata en kwalitatiewe onderhoude ondersoek die studie hul begrip van die Simple View of Reading, die komponente van begrip, en die beginsels vir die bepaling van teksmoeilikheid in verhouding met leerdervermoë. Die bevindinge toon beduidende wanopvattings oor lees as bloot dekodering, beperkte begrip van inferensiële prosesse, en inkonsekwente kriteria vir tekskeuse. Baie onderwysers koppel teksmoeilikheid uitsluitlik aan woordlengte of foniese dekking, eerder as sintaktiese en semantiese kompleksiteit. Die hoofstuk voer aan dat volhoubare geletterdheidswins eksplisiete professionele ontwikkeling verg wat onderwysers se dissiplinêre en pedagogiese redenasie versterk, deur teorie met begeleide praktyk te integreer. Hoofstuk vier dokumenteer die ontwerp, implementering en opskaal van die Funda Wande-programme binne Suid-Afrika se breër grondslaggeletterdheidshervormings. Gelei deur Elmore se Instructional Core analiseer die studie hoe onderwyserskennis, inhoud en afrigtingsondersteuning geïntegreer is om gehalte-onderrig in die vroeë grade te verbeter. Met data uit onderhoude, programdokumente en evalueringsverslae identifiseer die hoofstuk die sleutel-implementeringsdrywers: lesmateriaal van hoë gehalte, volgehoue instruksionele afrigting, en belyning tussen kurrikulum, opleiding en assessering. Die ontleding toon dat hoewel inhoudsontwikkeling deeglik was, die vroeë implementering kritieke pedagogiese en kontekstuele faktore blootgelê het wat die effektiwiteit van indiens-ontwikkelingsprogramme beïnvloed. Hierdie faktore sluit in die behoefte aan ’n samehangende foniese omvang-en-volgorde, materiale wat onderwysers se werkslading en kognitiewe las verminder, ’n groter verskeidenheid tekssoorte, en nouer belyning met die Departement van Onderwys se verwagtings rakende onderrig op die gepaste vlak. Die hoofstuk beklemtoon verder die belangrikheid van die betekenisvolle integrasie van Lewensvaardighede in die leesprogram om meer geleenthede vir begrip en kurrikulum-oorskrydende lees te skep, veral teen die agtergrond van beperkte bewyse van effektiewe Lewensvaardighede-onderrig in klaskamers. Ten slotte onderstreep die hoofstuk die rol van samewerking met kurrikulumamptenare om koherensie, relevansie en stelsel-eienaarskap van gestruktureerde pedagogiese hervormings te versterk. Met verloop van tyd het aanpasbare ontwerp en vennootskappe met regering en nie - stelselbelyning en volhoubaarheid verbeter. Die hoofstuk destilleer ses ontwerpbeginsels vir die opskaal van gestruktureerde pedagogie in lae-hulpbron-kontekste, koherensie, eenvoud, kontekstualisering, terugvoerlusse, regeringsamewerking en getrouheidsmonitering, en bied sodoende ’n model vir sistemiese onderrighervorming. Doctoral 2026-04-23T08:20:34Z 2026-04-23T08:20:34Z 2026-03 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/136135 en_ZA Stellenbosch University 193 pages : illustrations application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Reading (Primary) -- South Africa Communication in education -- South Africa Nguni languages -- Study and teaching (Primary) -- South Africa Teachers -- In-service training -- South Africa Study and teaching (Primary) -- South Africa UCTD Mtsatse, Nangamso Teacher questioning and early grade literacy in Nguni languages: practice, knowledge and in-service development |
| title | Teacher questioning and early grade literacy in Nguni languages: practice, knowledge and in-service development |
| title_full | Teacher questioning and early grade literacy in Nguni languages: practice, knowledge and in-service development |
| title_fullStr | Teacher questioning and early grade literacy in Nguni languages: practice, knowledge and in-service development |
| title_full_unstemmed | Teacher questioning and early grade literacy in Nguni languages: practice, knowledge and in-service development |
| title_short | Teacher questioning and early grade literacy in Nguni languages: practice, knowledge and in-service development |
| title_sort | teacher questioning and early grade literacy in nguni languages practice knowledge and in service development |
| topic | Reading (Primary) -- South Africa Communication in education -- South Africa Nguni languages -- Study and teaching (Primary) -- South Africa Teachers -- In-service training -- South Africa Study and teaching (Primary) -- South Africa UCTD |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/136135 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mtsatsenangamso teacherquestioningandearlygradeliteracyinngunilanguagespracticeknowledgeandinservicedevelopment |