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Exploring Grade 1 English Home Language teachers’ pedagogical approaches and implementation practices of CAPS in teaching reading

Nophawu Madikiza, Madoda Cekiso, Florence Olifant

Department of Applied Languages, Tshwane University of Technology, Soshanguve South Campus, South Africa

Abstract

To address systemic literacy deficiencies and pedagogical injustices left over from the apartheid era, the South African Department of Basic Education established the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) in 2012. Empirical data indicates that CAPS has not been able to substantially raise national literacy rates despite these revolutionary goals. Inconsistent pedagogical alignment with the curriculum is identified in the literature as the main factor impeding its effectiveness. The degree to which Grade 1 English Home Language (EHL) teachers´ reading instruction complies with CAPS requirements was the focus of this study´s investigation of their teaching methods. Three EHL teachers were the participants of the study, which used a qualitative case study design. Structured classroom observations of core reading components, such as group-guided reading, phonics, and shared reading, were used to gather data.  The results suggest that the participants successfully incorporated the requirements set forth by CAPS into their reading and phonics lessons. But when it came to classroom engagement, a pedagogical gap was found as there were discrepancies between policy and practice. This was evident in the continued use of teacher-centered instruction.  While Grade 1 teachers successfully incorporate CAPS-mandated information into their literacy courses, a persistent "pedagogical gap" in the delivery of that content persists, according to this study, which adds to South African educational research. The study emphasizes that curriculum compliance by itself is not enough to address systemic literacy issues without a fundamental shift in instructional involvement, as seen by the persistence of teacher-centered approaches despite regulatory changes.

Keywords: Reading instruction; CAPS; Phonics teaching; Group guided reading; Shared reading; English Home Language; Teacher implementation

How to cite this article: Madikiza, N., Cekiso, M., & Olifant, F. (2026). Exploring Grade 1 English home language teachers’ pedagogical approaches and implementation practices of CAPS in teaching reading. African Perspectives of Research in Teaching and Learning, 10(1), 168–183.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.70875/v10i1article13      

Date published: 07 April 2026