Some Difficulties Encountered By Limpopo Province Foundation Phase Teachers In The Teaching Of Reading And Writing: A Sustainable Approach.

The culture of reading and writing is highly recommended in the educational setting of primary schools in South Africa. Schools are witnessing various challenges in curriculum implementation of teaching literacy in their classroom arrangements. The purpose of this research is to investigate the difficulties encountered by foundation phase teachers in the teaching of reading and writing in the primary schools of Limpopo province. Three primary schools from the Capricorn District formed the population for the study, wherein three educators were interviewed. Convenience sampling was used in the identification and selection of the participants. The study adopted an explorative participatory qualitative method to explore the literacy difficulties faced by teachers through interviews. Teacher opinions were recorded by cell phones and transcribed to identify themes. The content analysis of the interview data transcribed led to the development of themes and patterns for discussion. The findings under discussion highlighted the Foundation Phase teacher incompetency, lack of knowledge in phonics teaching, overcrowded classrooms, SIAS and lack of parental involvement. An intervention strategy is suggested and solutions to the challenges under investigation are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]