In 2017, a team of three staff members won a research grant through the BIUST Research Initiation Grant which was set up to encourage academic staff members to engage in research consistent with the BIUST Mission of being a research-intensive university. The project became known as the Reading and Writing Lab (RAWL) based at Mokgalo Junior Secondary School in Lecheng, which is a small village less than 20 kms east of BIUST. The general aim of the project was to assist students who were considered weak / slow learners at this school, with the view to improving their reading and writing skills. The intended outcome was to bring them at par with other fellow students. The team consists of Dr. Mokgwathi (Principal Investigator), Mr. Benjamin Mogotsi (Researcher) and Mr. Boitshoko Otlhomile (Research Assistant). The project was a continuation of what the trio had already started at the said school using their own resources.
The project continued until December 2019. The project involved two classes – the first class (in 2017) comprised 30 slow learners in Form three who were identified by the school as needing assistance with their reading and writing to enable them to cope with their studies at the school. The school seconded one teacher to assist the team from BIUST during the Lab sessions. The sessions during the RAWL involved writing of comprehension exercises to assist the learners to improve their reading with comprehension, essay writing to improve writing skill, read aloud sessions to target the reading skill. The second group involved 40 learners from Form two also classified as slow learners. The trio worked with this group for two years (from 2018 to 2019) until the students wrote their final Form three examinations. From the project, the researchers became aware of challenges facing the country’s education system especially at the basic level of education. Through the project, the researchers made a significant contribution to the improvement of the learners’ language competency skills which assisted them to cope with other school subjects. Due to the sudden outbreak of the Covid 19 Pandemic, the researchers could not continue with the project, which they had planned to roll out to other schools.
Principal Investigator: Dr T.S. Mokgwathi