The development of identity and agency in primary school learners through reading texts

Abstract

This study examines how engagement with diverse reading materials, including stories, children’s literature and informational texts, contributes to the development of learner identity and agency in the primary school classroom. Situated within the South African literacy context, the research explores how reading experiences shape learners’ self-perceptions, meaning-making processes and their understanding of themselves as capable participants within social and educational environments. The study is grounded in a social constructivist theoretical framework, which positions learning as a socially mediated process shaped through interaction, dialogue and cultural context. Ideas from the reader-response theory and agentic perspectives are drawn upon to deepen understanding of how learners interpret texts through lived experience and develop a sense of autonomy through engagement with literature. An exploratory qualitative research design was employed within an interpretive paradigm to gain insight into learners’ subjective reading experiences. Data was collected through classroom observations, individual semi-structured learner interviews and the analysis of learners’ written responses to selected texts. The Critical Discourse Analysis informed the analytical process, enabling an examination of how learners constructed meaning and expressed identity and agency through language, interaction and narrative engagement. The findings indicate that engagement with culturally and contextually meaningful texts supported learners in reflecting on personal experiences, articulating perspectives and demonstrating emerging forms of agency. Dialogic classroom practices further enabled collaborative meaning-making and encouraged learners to position themselves as active contributors to learning. The study highlights the significance of purposeful text selection and interactive reading practices in supporting identity formation and learner agency, suggesting that socially mediated reading experiences can serve as an important pedagogical resource for fostering self-understanding and meaningful participation in diverse educational contexts. In doing so, the study contributes to existing literacy research by demonstrating how classroom reading practices can function not only as tools for comprehension development but also as spaces for identity negotiation and the cultivation of learner agency within multilingual and culturally diverse schooling contexts.

Hierdie studie ondersoek hoe betrokkenheid by uiteenlopende leesmateriaal, insluitend stories, kinderlektuur en inligtingstekste, bydra tot die ontwikkeling van leerders se identiteit en agentskap (selfregulering) in die primêre skoolklaskamer. Gesitueer binne die Suid-Afrikaanse geletterdheidskonteks, verken die navorsing hoe leeservarings leerders se selfpersepsies, betekenisvormingsprosesse en hul begrip van hulself as bevoegde deelnemers binne sosiale en opvoedkundige omgewings vorm. Die studie is gegrond in ’n sosiaal-konstruktivistiese teoretiese raamwerk wat leer beskou as ’n sosiaal-gemedieerde proses wat deur interaksie, dialoog en kulturele konteks gevorm word. Idees uit die leser-respons-teorie en agentskapsperspektiewe word benut om te verduidelik hoe leerders tekste interpreteer deur hul geleefde ervarings en om ’n gevoel van outonomie te ontwikkel deur betrokkenheid by literatuur. ’n Verkennende kwalitatiewe navorsingsontwerp is binne ’n interpretiewe paradigma toegepas om insig te verkry in leerders se subjektiewe leeservarings. Data is gegenereer deur klaskamerwaarnemings, individuele semi-gestruktureerde leerderonderhoude en die ontleding van leerders se geskrewe reaksies op geselekteerde tekste. Kritiese Diskoersanalise het die analitiese proses gerig en dit moontlik gemaak om te ondersoek hoe leerders betekenis konstrueer en identiteit en agentskap deur taalgebruik, interaksie en narratiewe betrokkenheid uitdruk. Die bevindings dui daarop dat betrokkenheid by kultureel en kontekstueel betekenisvolle tekste leerders ondersteun het om oor persoonlike ervarings te reflekteer, perspektiewe te verwoord en ontluikende vorme van agentskap te demonstreer. Dialogiese klaskamerpraktyke het samewerkende betekenisvorming bevorder en leerders aangemoedig om hulself as aktiewe deelnemers tot leer aan te spoor. Die studie beklemtoon die belangrikheid van doelbewuste tekskeuse en interaktiewe leespraktyke in die ondersteuning van identiteitsvorming en leerderagentskap, en dui daarop dat sosiaal-gemedieerde leeservarings as ’n belangrike pedagogiese hulpmiddel kan dien om selfbegrip en betekenisvolle deelname binne diverse opvoedkundige kontekste te bevorder. Sodoende dra die studie by tot bestaande geletterdheidsnavorsing deur aan te toon hoe klaskamerleespraktyke nie slegs as hulpmiddels vir leesbegripontwikkeling funksioneer nie, maar ook as ruimtes vir identiteitsonderhandeling en die ontwikkeling van selfregulering binne meertalige en kultureel diverse skoolkontekste kan dien.

zokufunda, okubandakanya izindaba, izincwadi zezingane kanye nemibhalo yolwazi, kunomthelela kanjani ekuthuthukisweni kobuwena kanye namandla okuzimela kubafundi basezikoleni zamabanga aphansi. Lolu cwaningo lubekwe ngaphakathi komongo wokufunda nokubhala waseNingizimu Afrika, futhi luhlola ukuthi ulwazi lokufunda luwuthinta kanjani umbono abafundi abanawo ngabo uqobo, indlela abakha ngayo incazelo, kanye nokuqonda kwabo njengabantu abakwazi ukubamba iqhaza ezimweni zomphakathi nezemfundo. Ucwaningo lusekelwe kuhlaka lwethiyori lwe-social constructivism, olubheka ukufunda njengohlelo olwenzeka ngokuxhumana, ingxoxo kanye nomongo wamasiko. Ithiyori yokuphendula komfundi kanye nemibono ye-agency kusetshenzisiwe ukusiza ukuqonda ukuthi abafundi bahumusha kanjani imibhalo besebenzisa ulwazi lwabo lwempilo futhi bathuthukise umuzwa wokuzimela ngokubandakanyeka ezincwadini. Kusetshenziswe umklamo wocwaningo lwekhwalithethivu oluhlolayo ngaphakathi kwepharadayimu yokuhumusha ukuze kutholakale ukuqonda okujulile kokuhlangenwe nakho kwabafundi ngesikhathi sokufunda. Idatha yaqoqwa ngokubhekwa kwekilasi, izingxoxo zomuntu ngamunye ezihlelwe ngokwengxenye nabafundi, kanye nokuhlaziywa kwezimpendulo ezibhaliwe zabafundi emibhalweni ekhethiwe. Ukuhlaziywa Kwenkulumo Ngokujulile (Critical Discourse Analysis) kwasetshenziswa ekuhlaziyeni idatha ukuze kuhlolwe ukuthi abafundi bakha kanjani incazelo futhi baveze ubuwena namandla okuzimela ngokusebenzisa ulimi, ukuxhumana kanye nokubandakanyeka ezindabeni. Imiphumela ikhombisa ukuthi ukubandakanyeka emibhalweni ehambisana namasiko kanye nomongo wabafundi kusize abafundi ukuthi bacabange ngezinto abazihlangabezane nazo, baveze imibono yabo futhi bakhombise ukukhula kwamandla okuzimela. Izingxoxo zekilasi zisize ekwakheni incazelo ngokubambisana futhi zakhuthaza abafundi ukuthi bazibone njengababambiqhaza abakhuthele ekufundeni. Ucwaningo lugcizelela ukubaluleka kokukhetha imibhalo ngenhloso kanye nokusebenzisa izindlela zokufunda ezisebenzisanayo ekusekeleni ukwakheka kobuwena kanye namandla okuzimela kwabafundi. Lokhu kuphakamisa ukuthi ukufunda okwenzeka ngokuxhumana kungaba ithuluzi elibalulekile lokufundisa elikhuthaza ukuzazi nokubamba iqhaza okunencazelo ezimweni zemfundo ezihlukahlukene. Ucwaningo luphinde lugxile ekutheni izinhlobo ezahlukene zemibhalo, ezifana nezindaba, izincwadi kanye nemibhalo yolwazi, zingathonya kanjani indlela izingane ezizibona ngayo kanye nokuzethemba kwazo ekwenzeni izinqumo. Idatha yaqoqwa ngokubhekwa kwekilasi, izingxoxo kanye nokuhlaziywa kwezimpendulo ezibhaliwe zabafundi. Ukuhlaziywa kwalolu lwazi kwasiza ukuthola amaphethini nezindikimba ezichaza ukuthi ukufunda kuthinta kanjani indlela abafundi abacabanga ngayo ngabo kanye nendima yabo emphakathini. Ngokubanzi, ucwaningo lunikeza ukuqonda okubalulekile ngokuthi othisha bangasebenzisa kanjani ukufunda ukusekela ukuthuthukiswa kobuwena babafundi kanye namandla abo okulawula imicabango nokuziphatha kwabo. Ngokukhetha nokusebenzisa imibhalo ngokucophelela, othisha bangasiza abafundi bakhe umuzwa oqinile wobuwena, baqonde amakhono abo futhi bakwazi ukusebenza ezimweni ezahlukene.