The influence of policy on classroom literacy instruction : the case of the Foundations for Learning Campaign in the Mopani District in Limpopo, South Africa

Abstract

In response to local and international findings which reflected over a number of years that South African learners cannot read and write at their expected levels, the Department of Education (DoE) launched the Foundations for Learning Campaign (FFLC) in March 2008 as an intervention strategy. It is against this background that a research project was initiated to investigate the impact of the FFLC on teachers’ classroom instruction and the reading culture of foundation phase learners. Qualitative interviews and observations were used to collect data from the participants. While many of the participating teachers had found creative ways to make the new policy work in their own literacy classrooms, the study found that there was no sufficient training of teachers and other stakeholders prior to the launch of the FFLC. The lack of monitoring and support by the DoE was also seen as a hindrance to the success of the initiative. I concluded the study by recommending that the time is ripe for a more detailed and introspective reflection and review of the FFLC policy.