Bridging the gap in teaching comprehension in English as First Additional Language in two Phases, Grade 3 and Grade 4 teachers’ perspective

Background: Reading proficiency in English as a First Additional Language remains a critical challenge in South Africa and other countries. The 2021 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study starkly highlighted this issue, revealing that South African 10-year-olds perform at an extremely low level of reading for meaning, scoring 288 points far below the international centre point of 500 and ranking last among 65 participating education systems.
Objectives: To investigate the pedagogical and systemic challenges teachers face in assisting learners with the transition from mother tongue instruction in the Foundation Phase to English as the primary language of teaching and learning at the start of Grade 4.
Method: Informed by a constructivist paradigm, the research employed a qualitative approach. Twelve Grade 3 and Grade 4 language teachers were purposively sampled from four under-resourced rural schools. Data were collected through classroom observations and a semi-structured focus group interview to explore teaching practices. Document analysis was conducted to provide context and allow for rich qualitative data.
Results: Thematic analysis revealed a systematic misalignment between policy, curriculum design, and classroom practice. Results indicated profound lack of targeted teacher development and institutional support, and indicated that transition to English is sudden, causing academically capable Grade 3 learners to struggle in Grade 4.
Conclusion: The abrupt linguistic transition is disadvantageous to learners, with no coherent plan to manage it. Grade 3 teachers are left to cope individually.
Contribution: The study contributes specific recommendations to address this systemic failure: implementing robust teacher professional development programmes; adopting a structured dual-language scaffolding model; and ensuring the provision of sufficient high-quality resources to support a more gradual and effective transition.