EXPERIENCES AND PRACTICES OF NON-NATIVE ENGLISH-SPEAKING PARENTS READING TO THEIR PRESCHOOL CHILDREN IN SOUTH AFRICA

Abstract

Situated within the broader context of South Africa’s literacy crisis, this study sought to
gain insight into parents’ reading experiences and practices with their preschool children.
It further examined whether parents1 exposed their children to stories or literature in
languages other than their mother tongue (first language), as well as the ways in which
children’s interest in reading or literature in additional languages could be identified or
described. This focus aligns with the Language-in-Education Policy, which introduces
English as a language of learning and teaching from Grade 1 or Grade 4. The study
followed a qualitative case study design, and participants were recruited through
purposive and snowball sampling methods, targeting literate non-native English-speaking
parents of preschool-aged children who engage in some form of reading with their
children. The participant interviews were analysed using the six steps outlined in Braun
and Clarke’s (2022) Reflexive Thematic Analysis method. Cross-case analysis revealed
several themes, including survival-driven reading practices, outdoor play as a competing
activity, television as a tool for learning English, shifts toward digital newspaper platforms,
and the perception that reading and learning are primarily school-based responsibilities.
Additional themes included the (in)accessibility of libraries, the creative potential of oral
storytelling, and the influence of parental modelling on children’s reading behaviours.

Keywords: Literacy, non-native English-speaking parents, parent-child reading
experiences, parent-child reading practices, preschool-aged children