Reading and academic performance of first and second English language grade 8 learners.
Date
2009-03-19T09:13:06Z
Authors
Krishnan, Khatpagam
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Abstract
Ten years into a democratic South Africa, significant changes have been witnessed in
economic, social, political and educational development. Changes in the education system have
resulted in many of the learners being encouraged to attend English medium schools although
this is not their L1. Hence, there has been an increase of learners learning to read in a language
that is not their first language. The transition from their home language to the language of
learning is often not easy and impacts on their academic proficiency as well as academic
development. This study investigated English reading abilities and academic performance of
Grade 8 L1 and L2 learners attending an Ex-Model C school. The SDRT – Brown Level was
used to assess the level of reading and its impact on academic achievement was investigated.
Results show that the SDRT was highly correlated with, and a significant predictor of
academic performance with certain tests being stronger predictors than others for L1 and L2
learners. Implications of these findings for the education of L1 and L2 learners are discussed.
Description
Keywords
SDRT-Stanford Diagnostic reading test, L1-English first language, L2-English second language