Time to go back to the drawing board: organisation of primary school reading development in South Africa

Zimmerman, Lisa; Howie, Sarah J.; Smit, Brigitte

doi:10.1080/13803611.2011.620339

Cited by 10 publications

(6 citation statements)

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“…For sampling, in this study, the mean Grade 4 class performance score of each EFL or EAL class was calculated, and, because PIRLS 2006 background questionnaire data are aligned with average learner performances, each learner ( n = 14,299) in each class in the sample was allocated the mean class performance score to allow for comparison of teaching practices according to class average performance. These mean class performances then were checked for possible alignment to each of the PIRLS international benchmarks (Zimmerman, 2010; Zimmerman, Howie, & Smit, 2011).…”

Section: The Mixed Methods Research Design For the Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This sample reclassification led to the discovery that 70% ( SE = 5.3) of learners tested in English were in EFL classes where the class average achievement was outside the parameters of the PIRLS international benchmarks. Moreover, all learners ( n = 11,496) tested in an African language were in EAL classes where the average class achievement was below the low international benchmark (Zimmerman, 2010; Zimmerman et al, 2011). Given that the vast majority of the sample were in classes with an average below the international benchmarks—suggesting that most had not yet achieved basic reading literacy competencies—it was necessary to identify further benchmarks lower on the achievement scale for investigation into teaching and learning associated with these benchmarks.…”

Section: The Mixed Methods Research Design For the Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Comprehending the Macro Through the Lens of the Micro

Zimmerman

Smit

2016

International Journal of Qualitative Methods

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The South African Grade 4 learners had the lowest achievement mean of all participating education systems for the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2006. Further investigation was required to explore the potential reasons for the low performance. Although traditionally, secondary analyses of the data for international comparative studies of learner achievement have involved quantitative procedures, the mixed methods research design used for this study with emphasis placed on the qualitative phase was a unique departure from this methodological status quo. The aim was to explore schooling conditions and teaching practices for Grade 4 learners' reading literacy development across the range of South African education contexts. In the first phase of the research, teacher and school survey data linked to a nationally representative learner sample (n ¼ 14,299) for the PIRLS 2006 were used for description of Grade 4 teachers' instruction practices and schooling conditions. This description took place on the basis of the reclassification of the teacher and school survey data according to class language profiles and average class performance as aligned to each of the achievement benchmarks of the PIRLS 2006 and further benchmarks created to describe the performance levels of the majority of South African learners. Thereafter, in the second phase, seven qualitative school and teacher case studies from each reclassification subsample were purposively selected to add illuminatory depth to the study. The sampling strategy allowed for scrutiny of cases with high PIRLS achievement profiles against cases with poor achievement profiles, and the comparisons afforded a far greater understanding of the problem. This article reflects on the methodological rationales, processes, and outcomes associated with this methodological choice. The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS)is an international assessment study of reading literacy at Grade 4 that is conducted every 5 years by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). Forty countries and 45 education systems participated in the PIRLS 2006. In South Africa, more than 30,000 Grade 4 and Grade 5 learners were assessed using instruments translated into the 11 official languages of the country. The Grade 5 learner sample was included as a national option in South Africa to track achievement progression in the education system. The PIRLS 2006 focused on (a) processes of comprehension, which involved being able to focus on and to retrieve explicitly stated information, to make straightforward inferences, to interpret and to integrate ideas and information, and to examine and to evaluate content, language, and textual elements; (b) purposes for reading, which included the examination of literary experience and the ability to acquire and to use information; and (c) reading behaviors and attitudes toward

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Section: The Mixed Methods Research Design For the Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Mixed Methods Research Design For the Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Comprehending the Macro Through the Lens of the Micro

Zimmerman

Smit

2016

International Journal of Qualitative Methods

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“…Table 1 outlines the international benchmarks for PIRLS 2006. The international achievement median for each benchmark is given alongside the median achievement of Grade 4 learners from South Africa, from the overall PIRLS 2006 (Howie et al 2008;Zimmerman et al 2011).…”

Section: Case Study Samplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Given the learners' lack of class average representation at the international benchmarks, new benchmarks had to be created to allow for greater insight into group variations between classes, especially those with EAL learner cohorts. (Zimmerman 2011;Zimmerman et al 2011).…”

Section: Case Study Samplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lessons learnt: Observation of Grade 4 reading comprehension teaching in South African schools across the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2006 achievement spectrum

Zimmerman

2014

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The evidence of the huge challenges of literacy development faced by South African learners is primarily gleaned from the results of learners’ external assessments. There is little research which explores, in-depth, the strategies used by teachers to teach reading literacy and reading comprehension specifically. Questions remain about what is going wrong and, most importantly,what can be changed to rectify the poor outcomes of learners. To gain insight into the poor achievement of Grade 4 learners, in South Africa in the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2006, six case studies were undertaken. Each school case had a different class average achievement profile ranging from low to high on the PIRLS achievement scale.This article presents findings from the observation of Grade 4 reading comprehension lessons in six schools. The comparison of observations of teaching practices aligned to higher achieving schools, against those of lower performing schools, indicates the discrepancies in the quality of teaching reading comprehension across the schools, and reveals potential foci for teacher development. The value of comparative lesson observation for these purposes is highlighted.

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“…A strength of the overall study (Zimmerman, 2011) wherein this highly privileged school was explored is that it also investigated a range of school-situations via comparative case studies to learn what is possible under 'normal' circumstances (Levin, 2006: 401) reflective of the South African education landscape. When these schools, selected according to their Grade 4 learners' class average in the PIRLS 2006, were compared, it showed the discrepancies in practices between highly privileged and less privileged schools (see Zimmerman, 2014;Zimmerman & Smit, 2014Zimmerman et al, 2011). This highly privileged school is important, not only to demonstrate what learners can achieve given multiple teaching resources, but more importantly as an illustration of exemplary management structures employed for reading development -practices and structures which can be transferred to less privileged teaching environments with minimal resource expenditure, but with a focus on teacher and school manager skill development.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%