Abstract
This article is a conceptual discussion of certain aspects of the science of reading that may give essential information to support the teaching of reading in South Africa. It includes a brief introduction to international theoretical models of reading and systems of reading comprehension developed over decades of research.
The article also references reports and research on reading instruction in South Africa. The results of the international tests, PIRLS 2011, 2016 and 2021, provided evidence of a very low standard of reading comprehension at Grade 4 level. The results of internal research also indicate a very weak level of reading comprehension among learners and students at various reading levels in South African schools, particularly in the intermediary and tertiary sectors.
Recent provincial-level interventions in South Africa refer to the science of reading as an approach to shaping the nature of reading instruction. It must, however, be emphasised that the science of reading is not an approach or model for a teaching framework for reading instruction. The science of reading refers to a body of research on reading comprehension that has developed over more than four decades. It must be read in conjunction with the results and frameworks of this research. It does, however, encompass a variety of aspects, knowledge, and a basic understanding of the reading process, including learning to read for meaning, which must be included in a functional curriculum for teacher training.
In this article, elements of various models and frameworks are discussed, including the simple view of reading, Scarborough’s rope, the pillars of reading, and the active view of reading. Frameworks of the reading system, such as the linguistic and writing system of reading by Perfetti and Stafura, and the direct and inferential mediation model of reading (DIME), are also discussed. The purpose is to utilise this information from the SoR for planning and teaching reading to support learners, as well as for the training of reading teachers, in-service training, and ongoing professional development. It includes the different phases of teaching from the Foundation Phase to the Intermediary Phase and beyond.
In the simple view of reading, the broad aspects of decoding, language comprehension, and word recognition are included as the basics of teaching reading to achieve comprehension. Further research showed that decoding, where students learn to blend phonemes represented by graphemes, is the most important step in recognising new words. These aspects were more clearly defined in Scarborough’s rope, where the reading process is divided into two strands: Language comprehension and Word recognition. Language comprehension refers to the use of background knowledge, vocabulary and language structures. Word recognition includes the development of phonological awareness, decoding and sight words. The intertwined “rope” formed by these elements in the process and development of integrating these different strands towards comprehension of the reading material is illustrated.
In the active view of reading, the different aspects presented in the above models are further refined and integrated into the areas of decoding, fluency, comprehension, vocabulary, and reading strategies. It also includes the bridging and overlap of language comprehension and word recognition. These bridging elements include building vocabulary, improving reading fluency, and developing morphological awareness. Other factors that enhance comprehension are also included in this model, such as executive skills and self-regulating processes. The active view of reading also amplifies external factors that influence the teaching of reading, such as school policies, socio-economic circumstances, the number of learners, and individual barriers to learning. The explicit teaching and modelling of different aspects and strategies are clearly stated. The different phases of learning to read with comprehension make it clear that the reading process is a complex and multifaceted activity that requires explicit and direct teaching.
According to the National Reading Panel, the five pillars of reading, which are essential for learning to read and comprehend, include phonemic awareness, phonics and decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Later, a sixth pillar of reading, knowledge, became known as a vital component of the development of reading comprehension. This knowledge includes the reader’s general background knowledge, knowledge of the language orthography and structure, and different characteristics of texts in relation to other subjects or disciplines.
In the reading system of Perfetti and Stafura, the linguistic and writing system, which includes the situational model, the process of reading is described as follows: decoding, word identification, forming meaning, understanding sentence structure, inferencing, monitoring comprehension, and insight into the coherence of the text. It also shows the different and variety of elements that may have a direct influence on the forming of meaning.
The direct and inferential mediation model (DIME) places greater emphasis on higher-order reading skills and highlights six primary constructs it considers essential for reading for meaning: knowledge, vocabulary, word-reading strategies, making inferences, and reading comprehension of longer, more challenging texts.
The nature of the South African context is also taken into consideration in different articles published. The article alludes to the influence of the compulsory move to English as the language of instruction in Grade 4 for learners whose home language is not English or Afrikaans. Socioeconomic factors are highlighted, including the lack of knowledge and training among teachers and in the curriculum for teacher training. There is also a lack of a national framework for the teaching of reading.
Guidelines for the development of reading instruction include the importance of planning and discussion at both national and provincial levels, a whole-school approach that incorporates other content subjects, and a serious consideration of the curriculum for teachers and the training of students regarding learning to read and reading to learn.
The various reading models and systems, as well as critical articles on reading in South Africa, all emphasise the importance of basic, direct, and explicit teaching in decoding, word knowledge, vocabulary knowledge, and the development of fluent reading across the curriculum.
Teachers should also be aware of the language structures that inform meaning, like deictic and anaphoric references, as well as morphological awareness and knowledge. The explicit teaching of reading comprehension strategies and the making of inferences should follow the process of decoding while also explicitly showing and modelling the use of syntax.
The literacy gap between the Foundation Phase and the Intermediate Phase can only be bridged if students and teachers in the following phase are aware and knowledgeable about the basics of beginning reading and can respond to struggling readers. Reading texts aloud and modelling the different elements of reading comprehension in fiction and content-area subject matter is one way of teaching explicitly.
The development of the teacher’s own metacognition regarding the various aspects of reading comprehension is also crucial for modelling different strategies and elements of various texts.
Further research that can be considered is the following:
- The development of effective interventions to bridge the literacy gap between Grade 3 (Foundation Phase) and Grade 4 (Intermediate Phase).
- The planning of focusing on reading skills and strategies as part of the content area curricula.
- The inclusion of the study of the science of reading as part of the curriculum in the Foundation and Intermediary Phases.
- Collaboration between colleagues in the different phases to integrate their knowledge and experience to develop the level of reading comprehension.
Keywords: executive skills; pillars of reading; reading comprehension instruction; reading comprehension models; Scarborough’s reading rope; science of reading; self-regulation; teacher training
- This article’s featured image was created by Martin Péchy and obtained from Pexels.
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