The benefits of an extra-curricular 'reading for enjoyment' programme for primary school learners

Changing perceptions of literacy over the past few decades have produced new approaches to the problem of how best to improve the literacy competence of primary school learners. Literacy remains a continuous problem in South Africa, as learners lack motivation to read or are struggling to read, write, and learn in a language that is unfamiliar to them. Researchers such as Street (2005) believe that literacy should not be viewed only as a set of skills to be mastered, but rather as something which must be understood in its broader social context. In accordance with this theory, the South African organisation PRAESA uses their Nal'ibali campaign to promote 'reading for enjoyment' and the formation of 'reading clubs' in order to improve learners' motivation to read and thus their literacy competence by increasing their exposure to pleasurable reading experiences. In this study it is argued that reading for enjoyment is beneficial to primary school learners' literacy competence as well as their personal and social development. In this study, Grade 5, 6, and 7 learners belonging to the reading club at a primary school in Port Elizabeth were observed over a six-month period. Data was collected through ethnographic observation of the reading club sessions and compiled into a detailed expository and sequential report. This narrative was then analysed in order to determine to what extent the learners had benefited in terms of their development from their participation in the reading club's activities. The analysis of the narrative demonstrated that learners' literacy competence, as well as personal and social skills such as self-confidence and tolerance, had been enhanced by the learners' voluntary participation in enjoyment-centred experiences with literacy. The findings of this study demonstrate that, in under-resourced schools and communities lacking a strong reading culture, an extra-curricular 'reading club' with a focus on reading for enjoyment was able to improve learners' literacy skills and provide opportunities for holistic growth by increasing learners' motivation to read