Investigating the Affordances of an Open Education Resource for Supporting Teachers’ Use of Pre-reading Strategies in Primary School Language Classrooms

Background: In South African primary schools, reading is an integral part of the language curriculum and is taught as a three-step process. However, the ability of many learners to read with comprehension is limited, with lasting effects on reading proficiency and overall academic achievement. A literature review confirmed that the first step in the reading process, pre-reading, is critical to establishing reading comprehension. The aims of the pre-reading step are to activate prior knowledge, build vocabulary, and enhance meta-cognition. Open education resources (OERs) are mostly in digital format and adhere to the “four Rs” of openness: re-use, revise, remix, and redistribute.

Objective: To investigate the take-up of an OER designed to support teachers and to improve pre-reading instruction.

Methods: Using a qualitative, multiple-case design, 14 language teachers were purposively selected. The OER was designed to be accessible and useful to teachers. Teachers’ implementation of the OER was established through interviews, and thematic analysis was used to derive meaning from the data.

Results: The OER enabled the teachers to implement the pre-reading step using various activities. They were able to re-use and revise the OER for specific contexts and learners’ needs, but did little remixing and redistributing. The OER’s usefulness depended largely on its accessibility. Use of the OER resulted in more engaging reading lessons. A critical finding was the teachers’ affirmation of the importance of learners’ background knowledge for successful reading with comprehension. Findings suggest that teachers value accessible OERs but need support in using, remixing and redistributing them.

Conclusion: The successful use of an OER and its contribution to improved teaching and learning depend on its design and accessibility. Of the five pre-reading steps included in the OER, learners’ background knowledge and vocabulary learning received most attention from the teachers. The limited attention they gave to language structures, verbal reasoning and literacy knowledge needs further investigation. Teachers are likely to benefit from professional development opportunities that focus on using OERs optimally—particularly with reference to remixing and redistributing them.