摘要：This study identifies factors predicting reading literacy achievement among Grade4 students in South Africa by utilizing Vygotsky’s social interaction theory. Thestudy draws on the preProgress in International Reading Literacy Study(prePIRLS) 2011 data, which places South African Grade 4 students’ results belowthe international centre point of 500 at 461. For the current analysis, distinct itemsfrom the prePIRLS 2011 parent, student, and teacher questionnaires predictlearning outcomes significantly, including parents talking to students about schooland assisting with homework, teachers’ degree of success in implementing theschool’s curriculum, and student responses on how clear teacher expectations are.Findings explain 41% of the variance in student reading achievement and provideevidence for the significant role of teachers and parents in predicting increasedreading literacy achievement scores. An absence of interaction with the child ineither parents who do not engage in homework activities or talking about school,teachers who do not successfully implement the curriculum or make theirexpectations clear to students link statistically significantly to lower readingliteracy achievement scores. Achievement for Grade 4 students who were tested inAfrican languages was adversely worse than those students by test language.
关键词：Vygotsky’s social interaction theory; contextual factors; social interaction;prePIRLS 2011; reading literacy achievement
