“I Don’t Know How to Help Them”: Teaching Reading Comprehension in a Teacher Education Programme in South Africa

Abstract

South Africa faces challenges in improving reading levels, including teacher shortages and outdated teacher education. This collaborative study piloted a mobile app developed by universities in South Africa and England to support pre-service teachers with reading comprehension strategies. Participants from a KwaZulu-Natal university engaged in a mixed methods study using questionnaires and focus groups. While pre-service teachers responded positively to the app, they lacked foundational knowledge in teaching reading, limiting the app’s impact. The paper emphasises the need to strengthen reading instruction in teacher education and recommends ways educators can help pre-service teachers effectively use digital resources.

Keywords

References

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Copyright © 2026 Karan Vickers-Hulse, Jane Carter, Tessa Podpadec, Ben Knight, Paul Matthews, Pravina Pillay, Jethro Gina, Lindiwe Mthethwa. Published by Nature and Information Engineering Publishing Sdn. Bhd..

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