Integrating oral literature in oral language activities for initial literacy teaching for initial literacy teaching in selected schools in Pemba district.
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Date
2019
Authors
Muyawa, Fred Muyawa
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The University of Zambia.
Abstract
Oral literature refers to folk-tales, songs, proverbs, sayings, tongue twisters and others which are passed down orally from generation to generation. Oral Literature is not only entertaining, it is also educative and promotes social and moral values. Since children enjoy listening to oral literature, it serves as a useful tool for the development of children’s listening and speaking skills as well as their vocabulary. In schools, literacy teaching and learning materials in the form of books and teaching aids are not always readily available to teachers and learners. Few schools have libraries that can provide suitable materials that support literacy practice through reading of story books. Oral literature can be a source of cheap and readily available teaching and learning materials if utilized by teachers. Whether teachers are integrating oral literature in literacy lessons and language activities is not yet established. This study sought to investigate whether teachers use oral literature in literacy teaching and learning in selected rural Schools of Pemba District, Zambia. Specifically, the study sought to establish the extent to which classroom teachers use oral literature readily available in the communities surrounding their schools as literacy teaching and
learning materials in the face of lack of officially printed materials. It also sought to determine the forms or types of oral literature teachers use in oral language teaching and learning and assess whether the use of oral literature as a teaching strategy bears any positive results in the teaching and learning of literacy. The study utilized qualitative data collection methods that included interview schedules, observation checklist, video/photograph and document analysis. Purposive sampling was used to select the respondents for the research. The sample comprised one District Resource Centre Coordinator, three head-teachers and 12 school teachers from three selected schools. The data collected was analyzed systematically: emerging themes from the data were noted, categorized and interpreted via forming an impression. The study established that teachers
do use folk-tales and songs when teaching literacy but mainly for the purpose of keeping their learners motivated and interested in the lessons. It also found that in a few cases attempts were made to use mainly stories and songs to enhance listening, speaking skills, comprehension, phonemic awareness and vocabulary. It was also established that, generally, teachers did not collect or convert the available oral literature into written literacy materials to supplement the scantly available literacy materials in the schools. The study concluded that in-service teachers need training in integrating oral literature in literacy lessons and, through continuous professional development, improve their resourcefulness in the creation of written supplementary teaching and learning mate
Description
Thesis of Master of Education in Literacy and Learning.