Mobile phone technology and reading behaviour: Commentary on the FunDza programme

South African learners generally perform badly on external tests of reading literacy. In the 2011 international Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), South African Grade 4 learners performed poorly in comparison with their international counterparts, especially on higher order comprehension (Howie, van Staden, Tshele, Dowse, & Zimmerman, 2012). The 2013 Annual National Assessments reported a national average percentage of 43% for Grade 9 learners in their home language and 35% in a first additional language, which often is English (Department of Basic Education, 2013). The Department’s report recommended that learners be encouraged to read additional books, and more widely, to improve their scholastic attainment. There is much evidence to support the argument that reading for pleasure has a positive effect on both personal and educational development (e.g. Clark, 2011). Encouraging learners to engage in self-initiated reading as a leisure activity therefore may be positively related to reading literacy. Unfortunately, many South African learners attend schools with no libraries, and come from households without resources, including books, to promote reading (Howie et al., 2012). The question then is how to fill this gap, to provide reading content to young people who are interested in reading,but who find it difficult to access reading material that would interest them. For a number of years now, mobile phone technology has been seen increasingly as a promising platform to deliver educational services, including literacy development (Lee & Wu, 2012). UNESCO, for example, organises mobile learning weeks. At the second such week,it specifically addressed the question of mobile technology and literacy development for young people and adults(UNESCO, 2013). In South Africa at least two non-profit organisations have developed projects to deliver reading materials to young people via this medium. One is the m4Lit project, funded by the Shuttleworth Foundation, which gives young readers access to novels via the mobile phone. Vosloo (2010) found that these novels attracted over 60,000 reads, suggesting that mobile phone-based reading is a viable strategy to encourage reading. Our researchers have been working with the second organisation, the FunDza Literacy Trust, to provide an assessment of the viability of mobile phones to attract readers. The Trust has been in existence since 2011 and provides readers with locally-written material in a number of South African languages through the mobile social application Mxit or FunDza’s website, http://www.FunDza.co.za This research note offers an overview of work on FunDza reported in three, separate, scholarly publications

A PROCESS EVALUATION OF A PROGRAMME FOR STREET PEOPLE

The plight of the homeless in South Africa has been graphically described by Cross and Seager (2010a:18) as “the proverbial skeletons at the feast, the excluded poorest who enter unobserved and stand by gaunt and starved, terrifying to the invited guests but deprived of any capacity to join the party.

Mobile phones and reading for enjoyment: evidence of use and behaviour change

A South African non-profit organisation, FunDza, launched a programme that delivers reading material via mobile phones. Computer log files of user activity over an eight-month period were analysed (N = 9,212,716), which showed that relatively large numbers of readers made use of the material (N = 65,533), and read a substantial amount of the material. We found evidence of positive shifts in reading behaviour. Further analysis showed that greater levels of participation in the programme were associated with greater enjoyment of reading. Furthermore, the longer participants read, the more confident they felt about their self-rated reading proficienc

AN OUTCOME EVALUATION OF A YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

The Child Care Act of South Africa (1983) requires children who are in children’s homes to leave these places of care once they reach 18 years of age. Research indicates that youths aging out of foster care are more likely to experience homelessness, unemployment, substance abuse and lack of basic healthcare services (Courtney, Drowsy, Ruth, Havelock & Boost, 2005). Atkinson (2008:195) points out that as a result a life marked by traumatic experiences and their lengthy time on the streets, foster care youths often lack the basic skills necessary for independence such as keeping appointments, managing a bank account, finding housing, shopping for groceries, cooking meals, driving a car and taking public transportation

Evaluating human resource interventions

Orientation: Programme evaluation is a transdiscipline, which examines whether a programme has merit or not. A programme is a coherent set of activities aimed at bringing about a change in people or their circumstances. Research purpose: The purpose of this special edition is to introduce readers to the evaluation of human resource (HR) programmes. Motivation for the study: There are few comprehensive evaluations of HR programmes despite many publications on functional efficiency measures of HR (i.e. measures of cost, time, quantity, error and quality). Research design, approach and method: This article provides a value chain for HR activities and introduces the reader to programme theory-driven evaluation. Main findings: In summarising all of the contributions in this edition, one of the main findings was the lack of programme evaluation experience within HR functions and the difficulty this posed for the evaluators. Practical/managerial implications: This introductory article presents answers to two simple questions: What does HR do? and, What is programme evaluation? These answers will enable practitioners to understand what programme evaluators mean when we say that programme evaluation seeks to determine the merit of a programme. Contribution/value-add: The main contribution of this introductory article is to set the scene for the HR evaluations that follow. It alerts the reader to the rich theory contribution in HR literature and how to apply this in a theory-driven evaluation

A theory evaluation of an induction programme

Orientation: An induction programme is commonly used to help new employees understand their job within the organisation. Research purpose: The main aim of this study was to examine whether or not the programme theory of an induction programme was plausible and would lead to the intended outcomes as described by the programme manager. Motivation for the study: Induction training is one of the most common training programmes in an organisation. However, there is little research to evaluate whether or not the activities of an induction programme will lead to the intended outcomes of such a programme. Research design, approach and method: This theory evaluation used a descriptive design. One hundred and thirteen employees of a media company completed a ten-item, five-point Likert scale which measured their perceptions of the programme’s outcome, identification with the organisation and intentions to stay with the organisation. Main findings: From this theory evaluation it was apparent that an induction programme based on an implausible programme theory could be problematic. An implausible programme theory affects the design of the programme activities and unsuitable activities may not deliver the desired outcomes. Practical/managerial implications: The intention of the evaluation is to guide human resource managers through a process of replacing an implausible programme theory with one that is plausible, and which ensures better alignment of programme activities and outcomes. Contribution/value-add: The evaluators showed how a plausible programme theory could improve programme design. This redesigned induction programme may lead to benefits, such as staff retention and company identification, rather than the vague assumption that it has been conforming to a legal obligation

An implementation evaluation of a voluntary counselling and testing programme for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)

Orientation: Employee wellness programmes have become standard interventions in most organisations. In South Africa, these programmes invariably contain an element to address the problem of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in the workplace.Research purpose: The purpose of this evaluation was to assess whether or not a Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) programme for HIV and AIDS, at a South African university, was implemented as intended.Motivation for the study: The evaluators were motivated to explore indications in the existing literature about these programmes that participants in VCT programmes are often not the intended target population who live a high risk lifestyle.Research design, approach and method: A descriptive design was used to evaluate service utlisation, service delivery and organisational support. Questionnaire data from 285 respondents who participated in the programme and programme records supplied by the programme staff were consulted to answer the evaluation questions.Main findings: The evaluation showed that the highest uptake for the programme occurred amongst female students. The low uptake amongst men was a concern. It was found that the programme was delivered as intended and that there were enough resources to implement it according to standards set.Practical/managerial implications: The systematic report on the programme process provided the programme managers with practical suggestions for programme improvement.Contribution/value-add: This was the first implementation evaluation of a VCT programme in a South African university context. As such it aimed to educate programme managers to think evaluatively about introducing new or continuing existing programmes.</p

A formative evaluation of a pay-for-performance system

Orientation: Pay-for-performance (PFP) systems emerged during the 1980s as performance improvement tools. However, research findings have shown contradictory evidence as to whether these systems motivate employees to improve their performance. Research purpose: The main aim of this evaluation was to assess whether a PFP system, which a South African university introduced for administrative employees, improved their performance. A secondary aim was to examine whether the university implemented the system as it intended to. Motivation for the evaluation: The motivation for this evaluation was to add to the social science literature on the effectiveness of PFP systems. There are many contradictions in the literature and further exploration of whether these systems deliver their intended outcomes seemed overdue. Research design, approach and method: The evaluators used a descriptive design. They administered a customised questionnaire, to which 391 university staff members responded. Of these, 129 were line managers and 262 were administrative staff. Main findings: The administrative staff, whose working lives the PFP system affected, thought that it did not improve their performance. Both line managers and administrative staff indicated that the pay aspect of the system did not differentiate between poor and excellent performance. Practical/managerial implications: The evaluators made practical recommendations for improving the implementation of the system. Contribution/value-add: This evaluation contributed to the social science literature on the effectiveness of PFP systems by showing that poor implementation rather than poor design often lies at the root of a system that does not deliver its intended outcomes