A Comparison of Higher-Order Reading Comprehension Performance for Different Language of Instruction Models in South African Primary Schools

Autor/inn/en	Palane, Nelladee McLeod; Howie, Sarah
Titel	A Comparison of Higher-Order Reading Comprehension Performance for Different Language of Instruction Models in South African Primary Schools
Quelle	In: Perspectives in Education, 37 (2019) 1, S.43-57 (15 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0258-2236
DOI	10.18820/2519593X/pie.v37i1.4
Schlagwörter	Reading Comprehension; Language of Instruction; Models; Elementary School Students; Foreign Countries; Indo European Languages; African Languages; Difficulty Level; Test Items; Literacy; Grade 4; Reading Achievement; International Assessment; Reading Tests; Achievement Tests; Official Languages; Socioeconomic Status; Grade 1; Grade 2; Grade 3; Native Language; English (Second Language); Benchmarking; Disadvantaged Youth; South Africa; Progress in International Reading Literacy Study + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Leseverstehen; Teaching language; Unterrichtssprache; Analogiemodell; Ausland; Indoeuropäisch; Africa; Language; Languages; Afrika; Sprachen; Afrikanische Sprache; Schwierigkeitsgrad; Test content; Testaufgabe; Alphabetisierung; Schreib- und Lesefähigkeit; School year 04; 4. Schuljahr; Schuljahr 04; Leseleistung; Lesetest; Achievement test; Achievement; Testing; Test; Tests; Leistungsbeurteilung; Leistungsüberprüfung; Leistung; Testdurchführung; Testen; Office language; Amtssprache; Socio-economic status; Sozioökonomischer Status; School year 01; 1. Schuljahr; Schuljahr 01; School year 02; 2. Schuljahr; Schuljahr 02; School year 03; 3. Schuljahr; Schuljahr 03; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Benachteiligter Jugendlicher; Südafrika; Süd-Afrika; Republik Südafrika; Südafrikanische Republik
Abstract	In this article, preProgress in Reading Literacy Study (prePIRLS) 2011 data is used to compare the performance of different language of instruction groupings (English, Afrikaans and African languages) in primary schools on the more complex, higher-order reading comprehension items tested in a large-scale international test. PrePIRLS 2011 (N=15,744) was conducted in South Africa's eleven official languages. Schools were sampled according to the language of learning and teaching (LoLT) in Grades 1-3 and the reading comprehension test was administered in that same language. To examine bilingual effects, a sub-sample was drawn from the national dataset that consisted of low socio-economic status (SES) learners whose first language was not English (but who had received instruction in English from grades 1-3) as well as low SES learners who received their Foundation Phase instruction in one of the African languages as a mother tongue. A linear regression (n = 6,342) showed that low socio-economic status (SES) learners whose language of instruction is English, despite it not being their mother tongue, benefitted by 20.35 score points with a t-value of 3.19. This is significant at the 0,01 level (equivalent to half a year) from being in the English L2 group, in comparison to the African languages L1 group, as a measure of achievement on the higher-order subscale. It is argued in this paper that learners whose LoLT is English, but who do not speak English as a home language and tend to be part of the most disadvantaged sector of the population, perform better on the higher-level reading comprehension processes when compared with African language mother tongue instruction across the same grades and socio-economic status. The findings highlight the importance of improved English second language instruction for all LoLT groupings. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	University of the Free State Faculty of Education. P.O. Box 339, Bioemfontein 9300, South Africa. Tel: +27-51-401-2368; e-mail: PiE@ufs.ac.za; Web site: http://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/pie/index
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01