Teachers’ and principals’ perceptions of reading: Can they perpetuate inequalities in reading?

Abstract

What teachers know about a subject that they teach and how well informed they are about the effective ways to teach it can affect the performance of learners in their classes. The aim of this study was to investigate teachers’ and principals’ perception about reading to examine possible factors that contribute to inequalities in reading. This study was conducted in four poorly resourced schools with low academic performance in the Zambezi region of north-eastern Namibia. The schools cater for learners from pre-primary to Grade 9, and most learners are from a low socio-economic background. Drawing on a componential interactive view of reading derived from the science of reading, a qualitative research method was used with two semi-structured interview guides (one for seven Grade 5 teachers and one for four school principals) in four schools, to investigate what the participants know about reading and how to teach it. The interview results show that the teachers and the principals had limited knowledge about teaching reading comprehension. The teachers tended to ‘do’ reading rather than teach it, and they did not provide necessary reading support to learners because they did not have enough knowledge and skills about teaching reading. The findings suggest that the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture needs to strengthen teacher development programmes and that teacher training institutions need to examine the quality of their training.