Die ontwikkeling van lees- en speltoetse vir Sesotho-sprekende leerders in die grondslagfase

Abstract

The development of a child's language skills is very important for his/her success at school, as well as in his/her later life. Learning problems may arise at school as a result of problems experienced in mastering a language. Such learning problems can cause the child to develop a poor self-image, which in turn may lead to deficient social skills. For this reason, it is very important to monitor the language skills of learners on a continual basis, so that any reading or spelling problems can be identified as early as possible. In the past, reading and spelling tests were developed and standardised for Afrikaans- and English-speaking learners; but as yet, no similar tests have been developed for learners whose mother tongue is an African language. In this study, a reading and spelling test for the Sesotho-speaking learners in the elementary phase was developed and standardised. A Sesotho reading and spelling test was developed, which could be used to determine the reading and spelling skills of Grades 1–3 learners. The test indicated norms per quarter and could be used to identify specific reading and/or spelling problems. The test had high reliability levels. The predictive validity of the test was investigated and was found to be high. Therefore the test could be used meaningfully in the identification of learners with reading and/or spelling problems.

South African Journal of Education Vol. 26(2) 2006: 267–279