A digital storybook project with mothers of grade four learners in support of literacy learning : A participatory action learning and action research study

Josephs, Chantell M B

Title: A digital storybook project with mothers of grade four learners in support of literacy learning : A participatory action learning and action research study
Creator: Josephs, Chantell M B
Subject: Children's electronic books -- Activity programs
Subject: Intermediate – parents
Date Issued: 2023-04
Date: 2023-04
Type: Master's theses
Type: Thesis
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/63472
Identifier: vital:73379
Description: According to the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS, 2016), 78% of grade four children in South Africa's poorest communities lack access to adequate educational resources and infrastructure, which prevents them from reading for meaning in any language. Children in South Africa lack the foundational reading abilities required to finish grade four in compliance with international standards. This project used the participatory action learning and action research (PALAR) approach to prepare mothers to create a digital storybook as learner support material and because participatory action research is a method of evaluation that generates data about an ongoing change process and encourages learning amongst the people most intimately connected to the change. The study centred on the use of digital storytelling as a literacy resource to create learning experiences in the literacy classroom, as well as to determine how PALAR can be used as a methodology to aid mothers in creating a digital storybook. The research objectives guided the workshops held over five weeks with twelve grade four learners’ mothers. I held a two to three-hour, one-day start-up workshop that was recorded and documented. The key advisory set (KAS) members received baseline checklists, which were then sent to the action learning set (ALS) members in their respective groups. The information received from the checklist was used as discussion points in the follow-up workshops. Critical discourse analysis (CDA) served as the foundation for the data analysis. The generated data was interpreted and analysed using Schneider’s (2013) ten work steps. The data-gathering method was based on a qualitative approach and the study was underpinned by critical theory and critical pedagogy that enabled a collective approach which results in greater epistemic justice. The principal, parents, and learning support specialists (LSSs) had informal pre-entry talks before the start of the official data collection. A total of twelve participants were chosen for this study based on their willingness to participate and their being parents or guardians of children in grade four. The research objectives informed three iterative cycles of planning, observing, and reflecting. The usage of both open and closed coding led to the emergence of three main themes, which were understanding literacy, communication between school and parents, and learning materials. iii New categories were created because of the continuous comparison and analysis that were employed between cycles to answer the sub- and main research questions. Data generated throughout the three cycles revealed the mothers' concerns, misconceptions and level of knowledge and commitment to the creation of literacy resources and the possibility of creating a digital storybook. Despite the workshops generating advancement and excitement, the findings indicate that the participants' assessments of their role in the creation of learning materials varied. The report indicates that the parents felt powerless to influence educational decisions based on their past and present experiences regarding their involvement and interaction with the school. It is necessary to employ strategies to put parents at ease and to reassure them that their opinions are important and required to ensure their children’s educational achievement. Essentially, this means ascertaining how to guarantee closer relationships between parents, teachers and learners. Recommendations are made regarding parental involvement in curriculum development based on the study's findings. The recommendations include effective parent-teacher communication through parental involvement in curriculum development, increased parent-teacher interaction to meet learners’ needs more effectively, and finally, an expansion of the study considering a larger sample size, a new study site, and an expansion of the goals beyond the digital storybook.
Description: Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, 2023
Format: computer
Format: online resource
Format: application/pdf
Format: 1 online resource (xiv, 145 pages)
Format: pdf
Publisher: Nelson Mandela University
Publisher: Faculty of Education
Language: English
Rights: Nelson Mandela University
Rights: All Rights Reserved
Rights: Open Access

Hits: 253
Visitors: 253
Downloads: 14

Collections

NMU School for Education Research and Engagement

		Thumbnail	File	Description	Size	Format
View Details Download			SOURCE1	JOSEPHS, C.pdf	1 MB	Adobe Acrobat PDF	View Details Download