Improving early grade reading for multilingual learners in English-medium classrooms: Evidence from the QondaRead programme in under-resourced schools in Makhanda, Eastern Cape

Abstract

Background: South Africa’s early grade reading challenges are well documented and deeply systemic. Despite curriculum expectations that learners read with understanding by Grade 3, most, particularly in no-fee schools, fall short of this benchmark. The challenge is particularly acute for multilingual learners who speak an African language at home but attend English-medium schools.
Objectives: Although policy supports mother tongue instruction to Grade 3, many learners enter straight-for-English classrooms with limited language support. Addressing this intersection of language, literacy, and inequality requires scalable, curriculum-aligned solutions. This study evaluates QondaRead, a low-cost, classroom-embedded literacy intervention piloted in four under-resourced English-medium schools in the Eastern Cape.
Method: The programme integrates explicit phonics instruction, scaffolded fluency practice, and graded reader use into daily teaching. A mixed-method, pre–post design was employed with over 700 Grades 1–3 learners, complemented by teacher focus groups. Learner progress was assessed using standardised letter–sound fluency (LSF) and oral reading fluency (ORF) tools.
Results: Learners made statistically significant and educationally meaningful gains. Grade 1 LSF and Grade 2–3 ORF improved substantially, with effect sizes from moderate to large (Cohen’s d = 0.7–1.9). The weakest readers showed the largest relative gains. Teachers reported improved classroom structure, learner engagement, and confidence in structured routines.
Conclusion: Low-cost, classroom-embedded interventions such as QondaRead can improve foundational reading outcomes in multilingual, English-medium classrooms. The findings suggest that structured decoding and fluency instruction can be effectively integrated into daily classroom practice in under-resourced school contexts.
Contribution: This study contributes empirical evidence on the implementation and scalability of structured literacy interventions in multilingual South African classrooms and highlights the potential of embedded teacher-supported models to strengthen early grade reading outcomes.