(Namibian Educational Research Association (NERA), 2008) Willemse, Laetitia
Academic success at university level is mainly determined by reading ability as most students still read for their courses. L2 university students reading below their maturational levels, can mainly be attributed to their print-impoverished backgrounds, as reading is a skill that develops mainly through practice. The overall aims of this study are to establish the literacy backgrounds of a sample of first- year students at UNAM (University of Namibia) as well as their reading levels. In the process, it is attempted to ascertain the differences between good and poor readers in a developing country like Namibia. Furthermore, the literacy backgrounds of the participants in the study are used in order to determine whether they could have been exposed to additive or subtractive bilingualism. A combination of qualitative and quantitative methods are employed.