Peer-reviewed article
Practitioners’ perspectives on using recyclable materials to promote holistic, sustainable literacy development in early childhood care and education
Sekanse Abiner Ntsala, Seipati Baloyi-Mothibeli ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5-5This South African study worked with early childhood practitioners and parents in economically challenged communities to make teaching materials from recyclable items. It used a participatory action learning and action research approach. After the project was put in place, practitioners said children enjoyed the materials and that the activities helped vocabulary and other skills. The authors conclude that literacy teaching with recyclable materials may sustainably improve literacy.
Key points
- Practitioners in early childhood centres lack sufficient professional development from government departments.
- Practitioners struggle to find teaching and learning resources in economically challenged communities.
- Practitioners reported that children enjoy manipulating recyclable material and that practitioners value it.
- Practitioners reported that activities with recyclable material improve children's vocabulary significantly.
- Interaction in literacy classrooms was reported to improve skills such as critical thinking, listening, following instructions, speaking, problem-solving and communication.
Limitations
The abstract reports practitioners' views after the project and gives no sample size, setting details or measured literacy outcomes. It cannot show whether children's literacy actually improved or whether any gains last.
Abstract
Recently, Early Childhood Care and Learning has become a central point in the South African education spectrum. Unfortunately, this sector faces challenges, especially in economically challenged societies. Practitioners are not receiving sufficient professional development from relevant government departments, and they also struggle to find teaching and learning resources due to the prevalent socio-economic issues in the societies where their centres are located. This interpretive project, which is premised on Participatory Action Learning and Action Research as a research design, was conceptualised to support early childhood practitioners and parents in creating diverse teaching media, using recyclable materials. Engagements with practitioners after the implementation stage indicate the following: children enjoy manipulating recyclable material, practitioners value recyclable material; practitioners appreciate new pedagogical strategies; activities involving recyclable material improve children’s vocabulary significantly; the activities cement schemata; interaction in literacy classrooms improves critical skills such as critical thinking, effective listening, following instructions, speaking, problem-solving, and communication. The project concludes that literacy instruction using recyclable materials in early childhood learning may sustainably improve literacy.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- Practitioners and parents were supported to create diverse teaching media from recyclable materials and use them in literacy activities.
- Population
- Early childhood practitioners and parents, and the children in their centres, in economically challenged communities in South Africa.
Key finding
Practitioners reported that children enjoy manipulating recyclable material.
Ntsala et al. · OpenAlex · 1 Oct 2026