Undergraduates' academic literacy and comprehension: Changes observed during an intervention

Area of Science:

• Education
• Higher Education Studies
• Literacy Studies

Background:

• Undergraduate academic literacy and reading comprehension in South Africa are frequently inadequate for higher education demands.
• First-year students in Extended Curriculum Programmes are particularly vulnerable to these literacy challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the academic literacy and reading comprehension levels of first-year South African undergraduates.
• To evaluate the impact of a year-long academic literacy course on students' inferential reading abilities.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 51 first-year Extended Curriculum Programme students participated in the study.
• Paired t-tests were employed to compare pre- and post-course reading comprehension scores.
• Students were divided into groups based on initial performance for differentiated analysis.

Main Results:

• Students with the lowest pre-test scores demonstrated significant improvements in reading comprehension after the course.
• Students with the highest pre-test scores showed minimal gains, indicating varied responses to the intervention.
• The findings underscore the effectiveness of academic literacy interventions for academically vulnerable students.

Conclusions:

• Differentiated instructional strategies are crucial for effectively supporting diverse student needs in higher education.
• Targeted academic literacy interventions can lead to substantial gains for struggling students.
• Improving reading comprehension is vital for academic success in South African higher education.