Reading for Meaning Among Grade 9 Sepedi Home Language Learners: A Case Study of a Selected School in the Mankweng Circuit, Capricorn South District, Limpopo Province, South Africa
Ngwanamphaga Alettah Matji 
& Tsebe Wilfred Molotja
Issue: Vol.6 No.12 Article 17 pp. 3123 – 3133
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.202561217 | Published online 27th November, 2025
© 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Reading is crucial for the development of a young mind. The inability to read affects the failure rate of learners in schools, as most subjects require that a learner have reading skills to understand the content. What contributes to these learners failing is the manner in which reading is taught in the classroom. The aim of the study was to investigate the challenges faced by grade 9 Sepedi Home Language learners when attempting to read text for meaning. The study is underpinned by Vygotsky’s Theory of Social Constructivism, which contributes to social learning and teaching. The study adopted the qualitative research approach, with an interpretivist paradigm. Six learners were purposefully sampled to conduct the study through semi-structured interviews. The thematic analysis method was used in the form of non-participatory observation, whereby the learners should identify the errors in a text. The findings revealed that learners lack reading skills, are unable to identify words and cannot read for meaning. This is due to the lack of reading strategies being implemented during the lesson. There are, therefore, no pre-reading, reading and post-reading activities that the teacher uses in the classroom. The recommendations suggest the use of pre-reading, reading and post-reading strategies to help learners understand what is being read and therefore be able to engage with the text. The research will contribute greatly to both the study of teaching reading and writing with comprehension, as well as to the study of factors contributing to the failure rate among Grade 9 Sepedi Home Language learners.
Keywords: Reading, Meaning, Pre-Reading, Post-Reading
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Dr. N.A. Matji is a distinguished academic and language expert specialising in Sepedi. She currently serves as a Lecturer in Sepedi at the University of Limpopo, a position she has held for the past four years. Dr. Matji holds a PhD in African Languages, reflecting her deep commitment to the preservation, development, and promotion of indigenous languages.In addition to her academic role, Dr. Matji contributes to national education through her work with the Department of Basic education (DBE) as a chief Examiner, where she plays a key role in maintaining high standards of language assessment and curriculum development. Her passion for African linguistics, combined with extensive experience of 31 years of being a high school teacher, continues to inspire sudents in the field of language education.
Tsebe Wilfred Molotja is a Full Professor in English Education in the Department of Language Education in the School of Education at the University of Limpopo. He lectures modules in Language Education, particularly English Education and has positively contributed to the training of English First Additional language teachers. His research revolves around issues in Academic Reading, Academic Literacy, Multigrade teaching in primary schools, Assessment in Language Teaching, English language teaching methodologies, Developing Reading and Writing Skills in the Primary, Secondary schools and Institutions of Higher Learning. He is currently serving as the Head of Department of Language Education. He has presented papers at National and International conferences on issues pertaining to language teaching (Reading and Writing). He has supervised Honours, Masters and PhD candidates in studies in developing reading and writing skills and has externally examined Masters and PhD students from various universities in the country. He is actively involved in developing literacy skills in primary schools in Mankweng and Dikgale clusters as part of VLIR Project 3 (Multiple Literacies: Science Literacy, Health Literacy and Academic Literacy) where he serves as the Deputy Leader. He is currently serving as the Principal Investigator in Kagiso Trust in Sekhukhune East District, Limpopo Province and the Deputy Chair of Schools as Enabling Environments (NRF SarChI Research Chair) under Prof Themane.- He is the leader of the Curriculum Stream. His involvement in community engagement projects has resulted in the publication of book chapters and articles in peer reviewed books and journals. He is also involved in adjudicating in the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (Limpopo Province) in developing young writers in English and Sepedi in Limpopo Province. He is currently the Convenor of the Language Education Stream in PANSALB.He serves as a mentor for young and upcoming lecturers in the department in English language teaching.
Matji , Ngwanamphaga Alettah, and Tsebe Wilfred Molotja.“Reading for Meaning Among Grade 9 Sepedi Home Language Learners: A Case Study of a Selected School in the Mankweng Circuit, Capricorn South District, Limpopo Province, South Africa.” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 6, no. 12 (2025): 3123 – 3133, https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.202561217.
© 2025 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
