Report on reading in English in primary schools in Zambia - Education Research Paper No. 05, 1993, 55 p.

Table of Contents

E Williams
University of Reading
April 1993

Serial No. 5
ODA Research Project 4770
ISBN: 0 902500 65 1

Overseas Development Administration

Table of Contents

Overseas development administration

Summary and recommendations

1. Introduction: English and primary education in Zambia

2. Zambia: Primary education

2.1. Structure
2.2. Statistics

3. Reading and language learning

3.1. Definition of reading
3.2. Second and foreign language learning
3.3. Learning to read in a foreign language
3.4. The testing of reading

4. Description of the project

4.1. Aims of the project
4.2. Project timetable outline
4.3. The initial field trip
4.4. Final test instruments
4.5. Sample of schools
4.6. Data structure for tests

5. Resources in schools visited

5.1. Overall impression
5.2. Description of individual schools

6. Approaches to reading in Zambian primary schools

6.1. The English syllabus
6.2. The approach to reading
6.3. The approach to reading in teacher training
6.4. Observation of reading lessons
6.5. Comments on observations

7. Results of English reading test "Word Find" and Nyanja test

7.1. The interpretation of results of word find
7.2. Results by school and year
7.3. Subtest scores
7.4. Comments on word find test results
7.5. Results of Nyanja reading test, Nyanja V.01
7.6. Correlation of English test results with Nyanja test results
7.7. Significance of sex, rural/urban, school year and home language
7.8. Relationship between factors in educational provision and scores

8. The read aloud tests

8.1. Procedure
8.2. Administration
8.3. Describing reading performance
8.4. Rationale for the questions
8.5. Example of read aloud transcript
8.6. Findings of the read aloud testing
8.7. Reading aloud: Assessment sheet for School D
8.9. Conclusions on read aloud testing

9. Reading comprehension tests in Zambian primary schools

9.1. The grade 7 examination
9.2. Assessing reading achievement nationally at grade 4

10. Conclusion and suggestions for improvements

References and select bibliography

Appendices

Appendix A - Structure of education system: Zambia

Appendix B - Methods of teaching initial reading

Appendix C - The testing of reading abilities

Appendix D - Read aloud test

Appendix E - Word find reading test: Extracts

Appendix F - Nyanja reading test: Extracts

Appendix G - Texts for two lessons

Appendix H - Transcript of a lesson

Appendix I - Descriptive statistics for English word find reading test

Appendix J - Descriptive statistics for Nyanja reading test V.01

Appendix K - Significance testing of the results of the reading tests

Appendix L - Reading aloud: assessment results for all schools

Appendix M - Extract: Draft teaching syllabus, functional objectives, reading, grade 7

Acknowledgements