The reading habits/ behaviour and preferences of African children: The Namibian chapter in collaboration with UNISA URPC/2011/37 E. KIRCHNER S. ALEXANDER A-J. TÖTEMEYER APRIL 2014 1 The reading behaviour and preferences of Namibian children: report of a study 1. Introduction to the study The study entitled, “The reading behaviour and preferences of Namibian children” has been successfully concluded. It was launched in 2011 by the University of Namibia (UNAM), Faculty of Education together with the Namibian Children’s Book Forum in collaboration with the University of South Africa (UNISA), Department of Information Science. The project comprised a pilot study and a main study. A report on the pilot study was submitted to the Research and Publications Committee, University of Namibia in November 2012. This document is a final report on the main study. 1.1 Background to the study Readership studies in multilingual countries are challenging. Developing a scientifically acceptable research methodology for the investigation of reading behaviour and preferences of children in multilingual Namibia, was a process fraught with many difficulties, some of which were almost insurmountable. The research team was faced with situations that required the breaking of new ground. Since it has generally been observed that the vast majority of Namibian children have not developed a reading habit and that this situation may be having a detrimental effect on school success, we tried to establish to what extent language, cultural and socio-economic factors may be impacting on the development or non-development of a reading culture. In 2012 fourteen languages were used in 1515 schools as main media of instruction during Grades 1 to 3 (Namibia, Ministry of Education. 2012: 42. Table 17). These fourteen languages also included the minority languages, San (Jul/hoansi), German, Setswana and Sign Language in a few schools. In the upper primary phase, as from Grade 4, students switch to English medium instruction and in addition study one of the Namibian languages as a school subject. In 2012, 55 422 students in Grade 6 were studying a local language as a subject (EMIS 2012. [Education statistic given by Deputy Director]). This is still the situation in 2014 but a curriculum change which entails the 2 extension of mother tongue as medium of instruction has been announced by the Ministry of Education to be implemented as from 2015 (see section 2.1 in this regard). One of the challenges to develop a questionnaire for 1402 children speaking up to 13 recognised languages, plus several other dialects without an orthography, was to cope with the “grey areas” that the language policy for Namibian schools does not mention. While the policy does allow for mother language instruction for Grades 1 - 3 and the teaching of the 13 languages as a subject as from Grade 4 up to Grade 12, the reality in many Namibian schools is different. Many schools opt for English medium instruction already from Grade 1, i.e. they do not offer mother tongue as the medium of instruction. For some students, owing to the multilingual nature of some regions and within some school classes, it is not their mother tongue they are studying, but a dominant local language spoken in the region. All students who did not have the opportunity to receive mother tongue medium instruction from grades 1 - 3, have no choice but to proceed with this non-mother tongue language as a subject in the upper primary as well. According to the UNICEF Trend and GAP Analysis (2011: 17), “The vast majority of San learners and most Rugciriku [Rumanyo] speaking learners are not being catered for in terms of home language medium of instruction in the lower primary school.” There are also “vast numbers of non-Silozi speakers who are being placed in Silozi medium instruction classes in grade 1 - 3” (p. 41). This also applies in the upper primary to “vast numbers of non-Silozi speakers” and all San students (p. 40). There are also many non- Oshindonga speakers who are receiving instruction through the Oshindonga medium. The choice of what language medium to use for a questionnaire designed for Grade 6 students was therefore a difficult decision. This was one of the main reasons why a pilot study was decided upon. Another question was that, if the questions should be put in English, what the level of difficulty of the English should be. Even before the pilot study it became clear that pre-pilot small group testings would have to be undertaken. Then after the pilot study, so many changes had to be made that a number of post-pilot testings and several adjustments to the questionnaire were again necessary. Of 3 particular concern was the social desirability factor that presented itself during the pilot study. In the face of militating circumstantial evidence, 88% of the respondents claimed that they were avid readers. Drastic changes to the questionnaire had to be made in order to reduce this factor and ensure more reliable results for the main study. The process delayed the launching of the main study with one year. An article entitled, Pilot study on children’s reading in Namibia: pitfalls and new strategies written by the research team is forthcoming in the accredited, peer reviewed journal, MOUSAION 32 (2) 2014. (Manuscript attached as Appendix 1). 1.2 Importance of the study The findings of the study provided information for recommendations to government, suggesting certain interventions needed to promote a reading culture in Namibia. Findings also created a basis for advocacy to educators, libraries, publishers and other authorities responsible for the education of children and the production and dissemination of children’s books and other information materials for children. We trust that the outcome will stimulate more concerted efforts to promote the reading habit, develop the various Namibian languages and improve the resources needed to ensure quality education and life-long learning. 1.3 Statement of the problem An underdeveloped reading culture in Namibia appears to be determined by a whole syndrome of problems. Contributory factors may be the low reading proficiency both in English and in the mother tongue of students, the low educational level of parents, a low or non-existent proficiency in English of parents, their non-involvement in the education of their children, the lack of reading materials in the home, child labour in the rural areas, poor socio-economic conditions; inadequate qualifications of teachers, inadequate proficiency in English as well as in the local languages of teachers, the fact that lower primary subject teacher training takes place in English (and not in the mother tongues), insufficient suitable teaching materials and storybooks for the language teachers; the small number of children’s books being published in the various indigenous languages of Namibia; the general lack of adequate libraries in the schools 4 and the surrounding environment; poorly resourced schools, often also lacking in basic amenities and the lack of sufficient basic materials such as paper and pencils; and lastly the possible deterioration of storytelling in the country. All these problems are too wide for one study to investigate. A small number of other studies have however, been conducted on some of the issues raised above. This study therefore concentrated mainly on those areas that have not yet been researched in Namibia. But in order to place findings into a wider context, published results of other studies and official statistics were used. Triangulation allows for the inclusion of information not obtained through the empirical research of a study but obtained through the review and analysis of secondary data such as other studies and statistical sources in order to enrich the study and offer a wider perspective (Theis 2003: 44). “Triangulation means drawing data from two or more methods or sources, so that you can use a range of information to answer your research questions. In addition, weaknesses of one method or source may be compensated by strengths of another, so you can have greater confidence in what you find out” (Lambert 2012: 138). For this study, information on sensitive issues such as the literacy rate of parents and the qualifications of teachers to teach the languages they teach was derived from government statistical sources. Information on the relationship of parents with the school and on the socio-economic situation of the students in the sample was given by the teachers, as the parents were not directly involved in the study. Information on the state of publishing for Namibian children was derived from publications on the subject. 1.4 Aims and research questions The study aimed to investigate the following research questions: Are grade 6 Namibian students readers? Do Namibian children read in their free time after school? What are the possible reasons why students don’t read? What do Namibian children do in their free time? Do they take part in sports, spend time with friends or work in and around the home, rather than read? 5 Why do Namibian children read? Do they primarily read for educational purposes? Do they also read in their free time for enjoyment? Do the readers read mostly in English or in their mother tongue? Why? Are there readers who, for recreational purposes, prefer to read books with facts (non-fiction) rather than reading stories? What are the characters and themes in storybooks or topics of non-fiction children like to read about? Do Namibian children read magazines, newspapers and picture stories? Are there significant differences between Namibian boys and girls as regards their reading behaviour? Which factors influence the respondents’ choice of reading material? Where do the motivation to read come from? From which source, e.g.