Teachers Development in Enhancing Isixhosa Reading in the FP

The poster reports on the findings of the study which investigated teachers` perceptions of factors affecting Foundation Phase learners` reading abilities in isiXhosa in the Mthatha District. Foundation Phase teachers of one school participated in the case study. The study explored teachers' perceptions with regard to factors that lead to poor learners' reading abilities in isiXhosa. A qualitative approach was used with a case study research design to conduct the study. Data were collected through interviews and was analysed by N-VIVO. In the school where research was conducted there was a lack of resources, teachers were not properly trained and parents were not involved. The study`s findings revealed that teachers in the Foundation Phase lack expertise in teaching reading in the mother-tongue. Parental involvement in relation to learner performance in reading was found to be poor amongst the uneducated parents, who are in the minority amongst parents of learners in the school; while parents of learners from educated families, who are in the minority provided exposure of their children to reading material.