Reading is a skill you build. Not one you're born with.
SenseLab SA helps students and young professionals build the reading comprehension and critical thinking skills that turn information into understanding – in the classroom, the exam room, and the workplace.
We teach people how to learn.
Rarely how to read it.
Students and young professionals spend years mastering content, but almost no time learning how to read a dense document quickly and effectively, separate signal from noise, or reason confidently under pressure. That gap doesn't start at university or in a professional exam. It starts far earlier, and it doesn't go away on its own.
Grade 4 pupils who cannot read for meaning
South Africa's 2021 PIRLS results found that 81% of Grade 4 pupils cannot read for meaning in any of the country's 11 official languages — up from 78% in 2016, and the worst result since the study began.
PIRLS 2021 resultsFirst-year students, one subject, same story
In a needs analysis of first-year South African university students, 74% reported reading challenges in their coursework — most commonly comprehension, followed by the sheer volume and length of academic texts.
SenseLab SA research libraryThis is a pipeline problem, not a once-off event. The children who struggle with reading comprehension in Grade 4 are the university students of tomorrow. Without deliberate intervention, the same difficulties can follow them into adulthood — into university, professional exams and the workplace.
The student who repeatedly rereads a paragraph under exam pressure, the graduate who struggles to extract what matters from a dense report, or the young professional who takes longer than they should to interpret complex information may be experiencing different versions of the same underlying gap. A gap that starts early does not necessarily close by itself. It has to be addressed directly and deliberately.
Reading, writing, critical thinking and problem-solving are deeply connected
Reading comprehension is a foundational skill. Many of the skills expected at university and the workplace rely on the ability to understand, interpret and evaluate written information. Difficulties with comprehension can therefore affect far more than reading performance alone.
Reading
Understanding what a text actually says — its facts, its structure, and what it leaves unstated.
Writing
You cannot write a clear, well-organised response about something you understood poorly. Research on first-year students found their reading difficulties were directly reflected in the quality of their written assignments and exam answers.
Critical thinking
Evaluating evidence, spotting an unsupported claim, or connecting two documents all depend on having accurately understood each one first.
Problem-solving
A confidently wrong reading of the facts produces a confidently wrong solution. Problem-solving is only as good as the comprehension it's built on.
Read. Interpret. Apply.
Our approach is deliberately context-specific. SenseLab SA brings together expertise in literacy and reading comprehension with subject and disciplinary knowledge to help participants develop the skills they need to engage with complex information. Rather than teaching reading comprehension as a generic skill, we work with the kinds of texts, questions and problems that participants encounter in their studies, professional examinations and workplaces.
The focus is not simply on what to read, but on how to read it. We focus on how to identify what matters, interpret meaning, evaluate information and apply what has been understood.
Read
Develop reading comprehension foundations.
Interpret
Build deeper understanding and critical thinking.
Apply
Use knowledge in practical and professional scenarios.
The research behind our approach
SenseLab SA draws on established research in reading comprehension, academic literacy and literacy development. This includes published research by Dr Naomi Boakye on reading proficiency and interventions designed to strengthen reading. A selection of the research informing our approach is presented below.
Improving the reading proficiency of mature students through a task-based language teaching approach
A task-based reading intervention lifted mature students' reading scores from 25.96 to 43.50 (a large, statistically significant gain), against just a 3.17-point gain in the traditionally-taught control group. Frequent feedback, an enabling classroom environment and collaborative tasks were identified as the key drivers of improvement.
Read the paperExtensive reading in a tertiary reading programme: Students' accounts of affective and cognitive benefits
Among high-risk first-year students given a structured extensive-reading component, 86% reported improved comprehension and 100% reported increased reading speed and vocabulary. Gains were statistically significant and were echoed in students' own accounts of newfound confidence and enjoyment in reading.
Read the paperA needs analysis for a discipline-specific reading intervention
74% of first-year Sociology students reported reading challenges, including difficulties with comprehension, managing the volume and length of texts, and vocabulary. The study highlights the importance of conducting a needs analysis before designing a reading intervention, rather than assuming that all students experience the same reading difficulties.
Available on requestThe social dimension of reading literacy development in South Africa: Bridging inequalities among the various language groups
A statistically significant relationship was found between students' home language, social reading background and tertiary reading proficiency, with differences in reading literacy evident across language groups. The findings highlight the importance of considering linguistic and social context in understanding students' reading development.
Read the paperThese principles inform how SenseLab SA assesses reading needs, designs interventions and adapts learning activities to different academic and professional contexts.
Reading development for study, professional examinations and work
SenseLab SA develops context-specific programmes that strengthen reading comprehension, critical reading and reasoning. Our programmes are designed around the demands participants encounter in their academic, examination or professional environments.
Programmes for organisations
SenseLab SA works with universities, professional education providers and organisations to develop programmes for groups and cohorts. Programmes can be adapted to the participants, context and learning objectives.
Academic Reading & Critical Thinking
For universities and educational institutions
Developing the reading comprehension, critical-reading and reasoning skills students need to engage effectively with academic texts, case studies, assessments and examinations.
EnquireProfessional Examination Reading & Reasoning
For professional bodies, education providers and organisations
Developing the comprehension, interpretation and reasoning skills required to work effectively with complex information under professional examination conditions. Programmes can be adapted to different qualification and assessment formats, including case-based and integrated examinations.
EnquireWorkplace Reading & Critical Thinking
For employers, graduate programmes and professional organisations
Developing the ability to read, interpret and evaluate complex workplace information — from reports and briefs to policies, technical documents and client material — and use that information effectively in reasoning and decision-making.
EnquireProgrammes for individuals
We're developing programmes that will allow individuals to build the same core reading, comprehension and reasoning skills in formats designed for independent participation.
University students
Academic reading, comprehension and critical-thinking development for students navigating the demands of tertiary study.
Professional examination candidates
Reading, interpretation and reasoning development for individuals preparing for professional examinations.
Young professionals
Practical reading and critical-thinking development for professionals who regularly work with complex written information.
Not sure what your organisation needs?
SenseLab SA programmes are designed around context rather than a one-size-fits-all curriculum. Talk to us about your cohort, the reading demands they face and the skills you would like to strengthen.
Talk to us about a programme →Expertise across literacy, education and professional practice
SenseLab SA brings together expertise in reading and literacy development, higher education and professional practice. Our facilitators combine research-informed approaches to reading with an understanding of the academic and professional contexts in which these skills are applied.
Dr Naomi Boakye
Dr Naomi Boakye is an academic literacy specialist and researcher whose work focuses on reading comprehension, academic reading and the development of reading proficiency, particularly within higher education.
Read full profile
She holds a DPhil focused on a socio-affective approach to improving students' reading comprehension and has extensive experience in academic literacy teaching, research and curriculum development. Her work has examined the factors that influence how students read and learn, including reading strategies, motivation, self-efficacy, language and social context.
A significant part of Dr Boakye's research has focused not only on identifying reading difficulties, but on developing and evaluating practical interventions to address them. Her published work includes research on discipline-specific reading, explicit reading-strategy instruction, extensive reading, role play and approaches designed to strengthen students' ability to engage with complex academic texts.
At SenseLab SA, this expertise helps shape a research-informed approach to developing reading comprehension and critical-reading skills. Her work provides an important foundation for how SenseLab SA understands reading development and translates research into practical, context-specific learning experiences.
Disciplinary & Professional Expertise
SenseLab SA's programmes are adapted to the reading and reasoning demands of different academic and professional contexts. Our disciplinary facilitators bring subject knowledge and professional experience to that process.
Mary-Ann Boakye, CA(SA)
Mary-Ann is a Chartered Accountant with experience spanning higher education, executive leadership, consulting and corporate governance. As a former Senior Lecturer and Deputy Head of Department at Walter Sisulu University, she taught accounting and contributed to the successful SAICA re-accreditation of the university's BCompt programme. She holds a Master's in Development Finance from the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business, graduating as the top student with distinction in both coursework and dissertation.
Beyond academia, Mary-Ann has served as a Chief Operating Officer and advises businesses through her consulting work. She also holds board and committee roles, including within a JSE-listed company. This combination of academic and professional experience informs her practical approach to developing the reading, reasoning and critical-thinking skills required to engage with complex information in academic and professional settings.
SenseLab SA reframes reading as a lifelong developmental skill, cultivated within context, not left to chance. We build confident, self-reliant readers, equipped to succeed academically and engage meaningfully in their professional lives.
LET'S WORK TOGETHER
SenseLab SA works with universities, professional education providers and organisations to develop context-specific programmes for students, professional examination candidates and professionals.
Looking for a programme for yourself?
Our individual programmes are currently in development.