Long-term effects of a morphophonological awareness training programme on motivation for reading

Abstract

Leesmotivering is van uiterste belang vir toekomstige akademiese sukses. Tog toon heelwat skoolleerlinge 'n geleidelike onwilligheid om te lees soos die jare vorder, met stygende skoolverlating tot gevolg. Een van die moontlike redes hiervoor is reeds in die skrywer se vorige navorsing uitgewys, naamlik, onderontwikkelde leervaardighede as gevolg van morfofonologiese bewustheidstekortkominge. Morfofonologiese bewustheid is leerlingbesef van die klankeenhede van gesproke woorde wat nodig is vir die vloeiende dekodering en begrip van woorde van die geskrewe teks. Leerlinge, geidentifiseer in die vorige studie as potensiele swak lesers, het 'n morfofonologiese bewustheidstekort getoon. Om hierdie skoliere by te staan, is 'n morfofonologiese bewustheidsopleidingsprogram (MSO) deur die navorser opgestel wat vir amper 'n jaar tegelykertyd met die konvensionele leesonderrigmetodes deur die leerkrag geimplementeer is. Daaropvolgende leesresultate het sonder twyfel die kwintessensiele rol van morfofonologiese bewustheid vir leesvaardigheidontwikkeling bevestig, en het verder die rehabiliterende gevolge van die MBO-program vir risiko lesers openbaar. Of hierdle gevofge buite die lmplementeringstydperk kon funksioneer en toekomstige lees kon motiveer, was nog onbekend. Ole doelstelling van die huidige ondersoek was om die vroee bevindinge te verleng deur die langtermyneffekte van die MBO-program op leesvaardighede en motivering oor 'n tydperk van drie jaar na te vors. In die natuurlike klaskameromgewing het die studie op die oorspronklike steekproeflede gefokus wat voorheen vir die eksperimentele en kontrole groep op regverdige wyse geselekteer is. Motiveringsverskynsels is in terme van attribusie teorie, spesifiek, en sosiaal-kognitiewe teorie, oor die algemeen, bespreek. Gestandaardiseerde, projektiewe, waarnemings - en onderhoudsmetodes het openbaar dat, in vergelyking met die kontrole groeplede, eksperimentele leerlinge meer leesmotivering getoon het. Ander konstruktiewe langtermyneffekte van die MBO-program is opgemerk: vir akademiese prestasie, spelling, woordeskat, persoonlikheid, attribusies, emosies, leerling-leerkrag en leerling-ouer interpersoonlike verhoudings wat die motiverende effekte blyk te konsolideer. Daar word beweer dat leesmotivering minstens twee vereistes benodig, naamlik, vroee identifikasie van probleemlesers en vroee implementering van die leerkragvriendelike MBO-program.

Reading motivation is of paramount importance for future academic success. Yet numerous school pupils display gradual reluctance to read in advancing years, the outcomes of which compound drop-out rates. One of the possible reasons for this was already identifioo in the earlier research of the writer, namely, underdeveloped reading skills as a result of morphophonological awareness deficits. Morphophonological awareness is pupil consciousness of the sound units of spoken words whlch are vital to fluently decode and understand the sound elements of written text. Pupils Identified in the previous study as potential at-risk readers capable of later reading difficulties indicated a lack of morphophonological awareness. To assist these pupils, a morpho phonological awareness training (MAT) programme was constructed by the researcher and implemented by the class teacher for almost a year in tandem with the conventional reading instructional methods. Subsequent reading results unequivocally confirmed the quintessential role of morphophonological awareness for reading skill development, and moreover revealed the rehabilitating effects of the MAT programme for at-risk readers. However, it was not known at that time whether these effects could extend beyond the period of application and mollvate future reading. The aim of this current investigation was to extend the earlier findings by exploring the long-term effects ofthe MAT programme on reading skills and motivation ov·er a period of three years. In the naturalistic classroom setting, the study focused on the original sample members previously randomly assigr.ed to experimental and control groups. Motivational phenomena are discussed in terms of attribution theory, in particular, and social-cognitive theory. in general. Standardized, projective, observational and interview methods revealed that, relative to control group rnambers, experimentals exhibited more motivation to read. Other constructive long-term effects of the MAT programme were noted for general academic achievement, spelling, vocabulary, personality. attributions. emotions, pupil-teacher and pupil-parent interpersonal relationships which appear to consolidate the motivational effects. It Is concluded that reading motivation requires at least two conditions to be met, namely, early identification of problem readers and early implementati9n of the teacher-friendly MAT programme.