Challenges experienced by teachers in implementing the creative writing curriculum

Background: Teaching creative writing in the early grades provides learners with the opportunity to express their thoughts and ideas which contributes to their holistic development. Curriculum documents have been neatly laid out, yet in practice, it is challenging, and teachers struggle to find effective ways of teaching and assessing creative writing skills. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the challenges that teachers experience in implementing the creative writing curriculum in Grade 3. Method: The study adopted a descriptive qualitative approach which used an exploratory case study design. Purposive sampling was employed to recruit six Grade 3 teachers from two selected primary schools. Focus group interviews, classroom observations and document analysis were used to generate data. Results: The results revealed that the intended curriculum for teaching writing skills is not necessarily the curriculum that is implemented in schools. Teachers were frustrated although helpful guidelines were available in the policy document. Genres like opinion writing were neglected. Conclusion: The impact of and challenges (such as didactical neglect, subject-related issues, and negative teacher attitudes) related to misinterpretation or even a lack of knowledge of curriculum documents were discussed, and practical recommendations were made. Contribution: The study recommends that a joint effort be made between all role players, such as the school management and teachers to deal with the challenges stemming from a lack of knowledge of curriculum documents. Teacher training programmes should include curriculum knowledge as part of their training.