ERIC Number: EJ1320744
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Oct
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0256-0100
EISSN: N/A
Language as Contextual Factor of an Education System: Reading Development as a Necessity
South African Journal of Education, v41 suppl 1 Article 1831 Oct 2021
Language is a contextual factor of an education system as it determines the Language of Learning and Teaching (LOLT). In order to provide for diversity in South Africa, the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, makes provision for 11 official languages and the Language in Education Policy (LiEP) promotes respect for not only these official languages, but languages in general as well as the preservation of cultural diversity by means of multilingualism. Having measures like these in place creates the assumption that different languages are used as LOLT. However, mother tongue education is not fully realised in South Africa. A large percentage of learners' LOLT is not their home language. This lack of mother tongue education may cause poor reading ability. South Africa's government and Department of Education (DoE) has certain strategies available to promote reading, however, the feasibility of these strategies is questionable when the poor reading performance of South African learners is taken into account. To find a solution for the above-stated problem, due to the fact that reading plays an important role within an education system, and the integral part it forms in nation-building, we conducted a literature study to identify current national and international reading strategies. In this article we present a synthesis of these strategies, which we refer to as a "reading motivation framework," outlining the responsibilities of various social role players.
Descriptors: Language of Instruction, Educational Policy, Native Language, Multilingualism, Official Languages, Foreign Countries, African Languages, Second Language Learning, Language Maintenance, Cultural Maintenance, Native Language Instruction, Correlation, Reading Strategies, Reading Motivation, Teaching Methods, Socioeconomic Status, Parent Child Relationship, Administrator Role, Teacher Role, Language Teachers, Reading Instruction, Gender Differences, National Programs, Achievement Tests, Grade 4, International Assessment, Reading Achievement, Reading Tests, Elementary Secondary Education
Education Association of South Africa. University of Pretoria, Centre for the Study of Resilience, Level 3, Groenkloof Student Centre, Department of Educational Psychology, Faculty of Education, George Storrar Road and Lleyds Street, Pretoria 0001, South Africa. Web site: http://www.sajournalofeducation.co.za/index.php/saje/index
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Grade 4; Intermediate Grades; Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: South Africa
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Progress in International Reading Literacy Study
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A