Teaching for thinking: developing metacognitive and self-directed learning skills in foundation phase literacy

The underperformance of South African learners in Literacy is frequently ascribed to the ineffective quality of teaching and learning in the Foundation Phase, where it is presumed that Grade 3 learners are to develop meaningful reading, writing, and critical thinking capabilities. The Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement supposes the Foundation Phase. The dismal literacy performances of South African learners may emanate from inefficient self-directed learning approaches and ineffective use of metacognitive strategies. Following a qualitative research approach within an interpretivist paradigm, this paper reports on how Grade 3 teachers use teaching and learning strategies for developing metacognitive skills to enhance self-directed learning in Grade 3 Literacy. A basic qualitative design was adopted, in which observations were carried out among 14 purposively selected Grade 3 Literacy teachers from five primary schools. The findings revealed that the participants’ use of metacognitive strategies is reliant on their teaching approaches, as well as the overwhelming curriculum content, which led to time restrictions to nurture metacognitive skills. It is recommended that teachers be exposed to professional development and training to enhance their awareness of metacognitive strategies and self-directed learning skills.