, PLEASE USE THIS DOCUMENT AS A GUIDE ONLY
TABLE OF CONTENT
Topic 1 - Exploring the role of play-based learning in enhancing early literacy Page 3
development among Grade R learners in public schools
Topic 2 - Evaluating the effectiveness of work-integrated learning in equipping Page 12
Early Childhood Studies (ECS) student teachers to manage classroom
challenges
Topic 3 - Investigating how teacher-child interactions influence the social and Page 21
emotional development of children aged 3 to 6 years
, Topic 1 - Exploring the role of play-based learning in enhancing early literacy development
among Grade R learners in public schools
1) Title
Play-Based Learning for Early Literacy
2) Background to the Problem Statement
2.1 The Importance of Early Literacy Development
Early literacy development, encompassing the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that precede
conventional reading and writing, is widely recognised as a critical foundation for later academic
success. The period from birth to age six represents a sensitive window for language and literacy
development, during which children's brains are exceptionally responsive to environmental input.
Vocabulary growth, phonological awareness (the ability to recognise and manipulate sounds in
spoken language), print awareness (understanding that print carries meaning and follows conventions
such as left-to-right directionality), and narrative skills (the ability to describe events and tell stories)
all develop rapidly during the preschool and early school years (National Early Literacy Panel, 2008).
Children who enter Grade 1 with strong early literacy skills are significantly more likely to read
proficiently by the end of the foundation phase, while children who lag behind in these skills rarely
catch up without intensive, costly intervention. Longitudinal studies have demonstrated that early
literacy difficulties predict later academic failure, school dropout, and reduced employment
outcomes, making early intervention a matter of both educational effectiveness and social justice
(Snow, Burns, & Griffin, 1998).
In South Africa, the context of Grade R (the reception year preceding formal Grade 1, now
compulsory as part of the Foundation Phase), early literacy development is particularly urgent. South
African reading achievement, as measured by international assessments such as the Progress in
International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), has consistently ranked among the lowest of
participating countries. In the most recent PIRLS administration, over 70% of South African Grade 4
learners could not read for meaning in any language—a figure representing a national crisis in
literacy (Howie, Combrinck, Roux, Tshele, Mokoena, & McLeod Palane, 2017). While multiple
factors contribute to this crisis, including large class sizes, limited resources, and socioeconomic
disadvantage, the quality of early literacy instruction in Grade R is unquestionably a key variable.
What happens—or does not happen—in Grade R classrooms profoundly shapes children's literacy
trajectories for years to come.
2.2 The Nature of Play-Based Learning
Play-based learning is an educational approach in which play is not merely a break from learning or
a reward for completing work, but the primary vehicle through which learning occurs. In play-based
learning, children engage in structured or unstructured play activities that are intentionally designed
by educators to promote specific developmental and learning outcomes, while preserving child
agency, choice, and enjoyment (Weisberg, Hirsh-Pasek, & Golinkoff, 2013). Play-based learning
stands in contrast to didactic, teacher-directed instruction, where the teacher presents information
and children passively receive it, and to free play without educational intent, where there is no
explicit learning goal.
TABLE OF CONTENT
Topic 1 - Exploring the role of play-based learning in enhancing early literacy Page 3
development among Grade R learners in public schools
Topic 2 - Evaluating the effectiveness of work-integrated learning in equipping Page 12
Early Childhood Studies (ECS) student teachers to manage classroom
challenges
Topic 3 - Investigating how teacher-child interactions influence the social and Page 21
emotional development of children aged 3 to 6 years
, Topic 1 - Exploring the role of play-based learning in enhancing early literacy development
among Grade R learners in public schools
1) Title
Play-Based Learning for Early Literacy
2) Background to the Problem Statement
2.1 The Importance of Early Literacy Development
Early literacy development, encompassing the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that precede
conventional reading and writing, is widely recognised as a critical foundation for later academic
success. The period from birth to age six represents a sensitive window for language and literacy
development, during which children's brains are exceptionally responsive to environmental input.
Vocabulary growth, phonological awareness (the ability to recognise and manipulate sounds in
spoken language), print awareness (understanding that print carries meaning and follows conventions
such as left-to-right directionality), and narrative skills (the ability to describe events and tell stories)
all develop rapidly during the preschool and early school years (National Early Literacy Panel, 2008).
Children who enter Grade 1 with strong early literacy skills are significantly more likely to read
proficiently by the end of the foundation phase, while children who lag behind in these skills rarely
catch up without intensive, costly intervention. Longitudinal studies have demonstrated that early
literacy difficulties predict later academic failure, school dropout, and reduced employment
outcomes, making early intervention a matter of both educational effectiveness and social justice
(Snow, Burns, & Griffin, 1998).
In South Africa, the context of Grade R (the reception year preceding formal Grade 1, now
compulsory as part of the Foundation Phase), early literacy development is particularly urgent. South
African reading achievement, as measured by international assessments such as the Progress in
International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), has consistently ranked among the lowest of
participating countries. In the most recent PIRLS administration, over 70% of South African Grade 4
learners could not read for meaning in any language—a figure representing a national crisis in
literacy (Howie, Combrinck, Roux, Tshele, Mokoena, & McLeod Palane, 2017). While multiple
factors contribute to this crisis, including large class sizes, limited resources, and socioeconomic
disadvantage, the quality of early literacy instruction in Grade R is unquestionably a key variable.
What happens—or does not happen—in Grade R classrooms profoundly shapes children's literacy
trajectories for years to come.
2.2 The Nature of Play-Based Learning
Play-based learning is an educational approach in which play is not merely a break from learning or
a reward for completing work, but the primary vehicle through which learning occurs. In play-based
learning, children engage in structured or unstructured play activities that are intentionally designed
by educators to promote specific developmental and learning outcomes, while preserving child
agency, choice, and enjoyment (Weisberg, Hirsh-Pasek, & Golinkoff, 2013). Play-based learning
stands in contrast to didactic, teacher-directed instruction, where the teacher presents information
and children passively receive it, and to free play without educational intent, where there is no
explicit learning goal.
