Grade 1 teachers’ knowledge and perceptions regarding reading instruction in Windhoek, Namibia

Abstract

A number of international and national assessments show that Namibian children are not reading according to set benchmarks. The teaching and learning of reading can only be as good as the teachers who facilitate the reading acquisition process. Namibian learners are formally taught how to read in Grade 1, and thus this article focuses the perceptions of Grade 1 teachers in Windhoek, Namibia regarding their knowledge and classroom practices in teaching reading and how they support their learners’ reading acquisition. Through a survey to gauge their use of reading practices, 132 teachers were asked about the teaching methods they use, the specific instruction content they use, how they create a literate classroom, how they encourage and support poor readers, and whether and how reading instruction in small groups occurs. Their teacher training was examined, as well as the knowledge that they have regarding certain language and reading components that support reading instruction. Teachers reported that they mostly use a range of methods when teaching reading (83%), while (15%) report using only one method. Of all the reading and language skills that teachers had to select from, 90% included phonological awareness as part of their reading instruction content, more so than the other reading and language skills. Among different strategies used to create a literate environment in the classroom, the majority (82%) use labels and notices to draw children's attention to literacy. To encourage struggling readers to read, teachers indicated they mainly use simple, easy texts so that poor readers can experience success. The results of the study reveal that while most Grade 1 teachers (81%) claim that they have received average to excellent training in teaching reading and demonstrate that they overwhelmingly agree (99%) with good reading practices and beliefs, the results reveal that their actual knowledge of various aspects of reading does not relate to their stated teacher training and reading beliefs. It appears that the overall average for the knowledge section showed that less than 37% of teachers had detailed knowledge of specific aspects of reading such as being able to identify syllables, morphemes, and speech sounds in words as well as demonstrating knowledge of phonics, phonemes, and diphthongs. The article discusses some strategies to alleviate some of the issues highlighted in the results.