A critique of how the foundation phase curriculum policy document, CAPS, addresses the literacy needs of young learners in South Africa.
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Date
2025
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University of the Western Cape
Abstract
Years of study and experience of teaching in schools in Bahrain, England and Hong Kong, and particularly in South Africa, have led me to question the quality of curricula and how these may affect the development of learners and the quality of their lives. While engaging with the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) document in Grades 2 and 3 in an urban school in Cape Town, South Africa, from April 2018 to December 2019, some key issues
of concern were highlighted, which I hope to address through this study. The CAPS document does not promote learners’ literacy development. Insufficient opportunities are provided for learners to rehearse, practice, refine, develop and extend their literacy skills and knowledge. There are many reasons for this. In addition, the amount of content packed into each week, term, and year is excessive, which provides little time for exploratory problem solving on the part of learners. Little thought was given to how language is used to engage learners. The above observations have led me to want to explore early childhood literacy development practices in South Africa and elsewhere. The research question driving this study is: How does the Foundation Phase National Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) address young learners’ literacy development in a culturally and economically diverse South Africa? The educationist Hyun (1998) states that teachers enter the learning environment with their own sociocultural backgrounds. To respond appropriately to the diverse sociocultural needs of their learners, it is incumbent on them to transcend their own sociocultural contexts “since these would be more responsible and relevant to the diverse young child’s growth and optimal learning experiences” (Hyun, 1998, p. 1). Inherent in this understanding is the ability of teachers to identify individual learners’ differing needs and make sense of developmentally and culturally appropriate practice. Effective teachers adapt curricula to the diverse needs of learners. Palaiologou (2016) emphasises the three-way relationship between teacher, learner and parent. It is, in my experience, a mutually beneficial relationship that allows the expertise of each to ultimately enhance the development and potential of the learner in the early years’ educational setting. The research methodology employed in this study is a case study which involves collaboration with five classroom teachers to capture a more comprehensive picture of what goes on in classrooms (Mills, 2014). It is aimed at investigating observable differences and practices between two schools, (one in a low- and one in a middle economic area), in their application of the CAPS document in the Western Cape, South Africa and that each school has at least two Grade 3 classes using English as their Home Language and medium of instruction. The research involves classroom observations, interviews with teachers, an analysis of the CAPS documents and learners’ classroom assessments. This study focusses on Grade 3, the last grade in the Foundation Phase. It is hoped that the study will stimulate teachers into examining their own practices critically in the interest of their learners
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Keywords
CAPS, Cultural diversity, Curriculum, Early Childhood Development, Early Childhood Education