Teaching for autonomy: Grade 3 teachers’ strategies for self-directed learning in literacy

Poor literacy performance in South Africa is often attributed to limited meaningful teaching and learning in the Foundation Phase, where Grade 3 learners are expected to achieve proficiency in reading and writing. Many learners with low literacy levels also demonstrate underdeveloped metacognitive monitoring and limited exposure to learning strategies, factors that may collectively hinder self-directed learning. This study examined how Grade 3 teachers’ teaching strategies promote self-directed learning in literacy. Using a qualitative approach within an interpretivist paradigm, the research adopted a basic qualitative design to explore the teaching practices of 15 purposively selected Grade 3 literacy teachers across five public primary schools. Data were generated through open-ended, semi-structured interviews, capturing teachers’ views of their own and their learners’ self-directed learning skills, and teaching strategies for fostering SDL. Findings indicate that while some teachers demonstrated confidence in encouraging learners to become more independent learners, others reported knowledge gaps and contextual challenges limiting effective guidance and nurturing of self-directed learning in Literacy.