Examining the Impact of Fictional Stories on Reading Comprehension: Successes and Insights

Reading comprehension challenges are prevalent worldwide and continue to deter the goals set by various national curricula. This is particularly clear in South Africa's Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS), which emphasizes essential competencies such as literacy and numeracy. Above all, CAPS underscores skills, attitudes, and knowledge as the fundamental goals needed to produce independent citizens. To promote the acquisition of these competencies, reading strategies like reading aloud and paired reading are commonly implemented. However, despite these efforts, reading comprehension in the English First Additional Language (EFAL) at the intermediate phase remains an important challenge to achieving curriculum outcomes. This study aims to examine how the use of fictional stories can enhance EFAL reading comprehension. The study employed a participatory action research approach using qualitative method, with structured interviews generating the results. Additionally, 13 participants from a district in the Free State were purposively sampled. Human values such as forgiveness, sympathy, and empathy, along with reading engagement, were identified as core aspects attributed to fictional stories. Fictional stories enhance reading comprehension as readers not only develop critical thinking skills but also benefit from values like compassion, empathy, and humility conveyed through characterizations. The study findings aim to affect policy frameworks and strategies aimed at enhancing reading comprehension in intermediate schools.