| dc.description.abstract | Although the Zambian government has put in place the New Breakthrough to Literacy to help grade one pupils read local languages, studies show that some children who have gone through NBTL fail to break through to literacy. The questions on the mind of parents and scholars in Zambia is why is the situation like this, especially that NBTL was heralded as a success during the evaluation of the pilot stage in Northern Province. This study was conducted to establish the NBTL methods which were applied by grade one teachers in literacy classes in two schools in Lusaka. The study identified other general methods that grade one teachers used, besides NBTL methods, the challenges they faced when teaching initial literacy and the teaching aids that teachers used as they taught. The study employed theoretical framework drawn from social constructivism, which assumes that meaning making and knowledge are socially constructed by learners as they socially interact. The research design was an interpretative case study and it was conducted in Lusaka District. The selection of two schools was guided by the principles of purposive sampling. Having randomly selected twenty schools from initial screening, two schools were purposively picked from the sample. One school was located in a high density area while the other was in a low density area. Data was collected using observation (by means of observation schedule), interviews and document analysis. Data analysis was by means of inductive processes. The researcher drew patterns and themes, categories and sub categories from observation notes, interview scripts and document review. The findings of this study revealed the following: some teachers preferred using traditional literacy teaching methods as opposed to the recommended NBTL methods; teaching and learning material were not enough in schools; large number of classes made the application of NBTL methods difficult; little time was allocated to teaching of literacy; poor class management and teachers lacked skills in NBTL methods. Based on the findings, the study made recommendations for policy consideration and for further studies. At policy level the study recommends that schools should invest in the production of NBTL teaching materials using school grants, all grade one teachers need to be trained in NBTL in college or through school based CPD in order to effectively teach literacy. Four topics were identified for further studies. | en_US |
