The reading of self-help books by intermediate phase teachers in Gauteng townships.

Abstract

This research focuses on the reading of self-help books, or ‘advice literature’, by Intermediate Phase teachers in Soweto schools. The study is based on Bourdieu’s concept of habitus, other theories about the nature of literacy practices and how initial literacy is mediated. It includes a survey of the political and social factors that may have influenced the teachers’ attitudes to reading. It includes interview data on the topics they favour, their perceptions of the effects of such books on their own lives, whether or not they read other genres, such as children’s books, and whether or not their reading impacts on the methods they use in teaching children to read. It therefore contributes to a broader understanding of the literacy habitus of the subject group, and, viewed within the context of the literacy crisis in South African schools, provides insights into their attitudes towards reading and the reasons why they often fail to extend their learners’ reading abilities beyond the level of basic decoding.