Riglyne om selfgerigte lesers en leerders in Natuurwetenskap te ontwikkel

Abstract

Guidelines for developing self-directed readers and learners in Natural Science The results of research completed in 2021 with a speci fi c group of Grade 8 Natural Science learners at a school in the Free State are discussed in this article. The problem statement of this study was that this group of Grade 8 Natural Science learners could not read and understand texts in a self-directed manner, and thus comprehension of these texts was lost. The learners’ loss of comprehension had a huge impact on their academic performance. Within the interpretivist research paradigm, a qualitative research method, convenience sampling and a variety of data-gathering techniques were used. The data collection methods were based on a content and thematic analysis of a literature review and the analysis of documents. From this, overlapping themes were identi fi ed which helped with curriculating of the lesson series. In addition, the effectiveness of the study was determined by analysing the eight learner-centred lessons and observation checklists, pre-journal entries, re fl ective post-journal entries and the pre- and post-tests. Firstly, the scienti fi c investigation involved a literature review focused on multimodal reading, viewing, and learning strategies with the aim of integrating these strategies into the lesson series. The focus of the lesson series was to help these Natural Science learners become self-directed readers and learners of different Natural Science texts. The relationship between self-directed reading and learning was thoroughly explored, and it was discovered that self-directed reading leads to self-directed learning. The cognitive development phase of Grade 8 learners was investigated in this research