A CASE STUDY OF AFIKPO EDUCATION ZONE IN EBONYI STATE, NIGERIA
DEPARTMENT OF
ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCE,
FACULTY OF
EDUCATION
Abstract
The
study focused on the relationship between reading interest and students’
achievement in reading comprehension in Afikpo education zone of Ebonyi State,
Nigeria. The purpose of the study was to determine the relationship between
reading interest and students’ achievement in reading comprehension. The
correlational survey design was used.
The study was carried out in Afikpo
education zone of Ebonyi State. The sample of the study consisted of seven
hundred and sixty nine students in Afikpo Education zone of Ebonyi State.Two
instruments were used: a questionnaire titled “Reading Interest Inventory’’
(RII) and a ‘‘Reading Comprehension Achievement Test” (RCAT) was used to elicit
data from students. The instruments were distributed and the data collected
were analyzed. The research questions were answered using the Mean and Standard
Deviation while the hypotheses were tested using the Product Moment Correlation
Coefficient. The results show that there is no significant relationship between
reading interest and reading comprehension achievement of SSS 2 students in
Afikpo Education Zone of Ebonyi State. It was concluded that students' reading
interest does not necessarily determine their achievement in reading
comprehension tests. This resulted to the recommendation that reading
instruction should be well accommodated in the school timetable and adequate
reading materials and enough time provided for the students to engage in
meaningful reading activities.
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
Cover
Page
Title
Approval
Certification
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Abstract
Table
of Contents
CHAPTER ONE:
INTRODUCTION
Background
to the Study
Statement
of the Problem
Purpose
of the Study
Significance
of the Study
Scope
of the Study
Research
Questions
Hypotheses
CHAPTER TWO:
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Conceptual
Framework
The
Concept of Reading/ Reading Comprehension
The
Concept of Voluntary Reading
The
Concept of Reading Interest
Student’s
Attitude towards Reading/Teacher’s Competence
The
Place of Reading Comprehension in the Secondary School Curriculum/
Timetable
The
Concept of Large Classes
Environmental/Cultural
Factors and the Students’ Reading Interest
Methods
of Teaching Reading
Gender
and Reading Interest
The
Chief Examiners Reports on SSCE past Examinations
Analysis
of Students Five-Year Performances on WASSCE
Relationship
between Reading and Students Reading
Aacademic Achievement
Theoretical
Framework
Theories
of Learning
Anderson’s
Schema-Theoretical Model of Reading
Edward
L. Thorndike’s Theory of Connectivism (S-R)
Empirical
Studies
Summary
of Literatures Reviewed
CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY
Design
of the Study
Area
of the Study
Population
of the Study
Sample
and Sampling Technique
Instrument
for Data Collection
Validation
of Instrument
Reliability
of the Instrument
Method
of Data Collection
Method
of Data Analysis
CHAPTER FOUR
Findings
CHAPTER FIVE
Discussion
of Findings
CHAPTER SIX
SUMMARY,
CONSLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Implication
of the Study
Recommendations
Limitations
of the Study
Summary
of the Study
Conclusion
REFERENCES
APPENDICES
Appendix
A: Questionnaire (RII/RCAT)
Appendix
B: Reading Comprehension Achievement Test
Appendix
C: The reading interest of male and female students (29 items)
Appendix
D: The reading interest of male and female students (20 surviving items after Factor Analysis)
Appendix
E: Reliability Analysis Scale of K-R
20
Appendix
F: Reliability using Cronbach Alpha approach
Appendix
G:Tables
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to
the Study
The importance of English language
cannot be over-emphasized. Among the numerous benefits, it is the language of
communication which unites the various ethnic groups in Nigeria. The Nigerian
constitution, National Policy on Education and many books are all written in
the English language. To access the information contained in any document,
reading has to be employed. Also, reading is an important skill for any student
who wants to excel academically. Agwu
(2011) explains that it is a vital ticket for graduating from one level of
learning to another. According to
Omojuwa (2005), reading is getting meaning from a text or symbols that
represent the language we speak and that it is interacting with the language
that has been coded into print. Furthermore, Maduabuchi (2005:66) conceives
reading as “a process and not a product” which characterizes an ongoing
activity that begins long before the child gets to school and continues to
develop through life. Reading, therefore, involves learning which incorporates
the individual’s linguistic knowledge and can positively or negatively be affected
by non-linguistic internal or external variables.
Interest on the other hand, according to
Hidi (2001), is the desire to learn more about something. It manifests in any
activity or subject that one enjoys and that one spends ones free time doing or
studying. Schraw (2001) equally conceives interest as a relatively long-lasting
habit of re-engaging with particular objects and events. It is this
re-engagement that increases knowledge, value and positive attitude. Reading
interest, consequently, may be seen as the inner urge or desire to engage in
reading always. In addition, interest leads to more elaborate and deeper
processing of texts.
Potter (2011) argues that reading fires
children’s imagination, encourages quick learning, widens views, expand horizons,
and helps readers learn about climes. Reading encourages imagination, curiosity
and the ability to handle complex ideas. It plays a vital role in any
worthwhile effort to learn. It is a tool for learning other subjects and a
yardstick for measuring academic progress. It is also through reading that
educational objectives can be accomplished. Above all, reading is related to
other language skills such as writing and speaking. Fatimayin (2012) describes
it as the core of the English language syllabus by explaining that the
acquisition of the large vocabulary needed for clear and accurate oral and
written expression depends to a large extent on reading.
It is a gateway to academic success.
That is the reason its importance cannot be overstated. However, in spite of
this acclaimed importance of reading, many Nigerian students according to Agwu
(1994) have reading problems. As if to compound these problems, Nigerian
schools do not have a time specifically set aside for the teaching of reading
in the school timetable and this is part of the reasons for the poor
performance in reading comprehension in external examinations.
In addition, the reason for the poor
performances of students in reading, according to Chief Examiner’s Report
(2011) of West African School Certificate Examination is that students do not
engage in substantial reading to retain that which will enable them perform
well in reading comprehension tests. It is failure in reading comprehension
that gives rise to failure in the English Language which directly or indirectly
affects other subjects. This analysis underscores the importance of reading
especially to students.
According to Ekpu (2005), Omojuwa
(2005), Udosen & Ukpak (2005), reading is making meaning from texts. The
implication is that a poor reader or a person who finds reading boring also has
comprehension problems. When a student has comprehension problems, he/she is
bound to have a wrong interpretation of questions during examinations which may
lead to answering examination questions out of context. This consequently
culminates to failure.
The whole essence of studying English
language based on the provisions of the National Policy on Education is for
effective communication. For a student to communicate effectively, he/she needs
to build background knowledge which could be gained from a well developed
reading interest. For instance, when Ekpu (2005) points out that good readers
make good writers he means, by implication, that the background knowledge one
acquires from reading feeds into the writing engagements.
Furthermore, Aliyu in Ekpu (2005) has
traced the high failure rates in some subjects like mathematics, biology,
physics, to mention but a few, to failure in English Language. Since school
failure has been blamed on reading failure, there appears to be a link between
school poor performance and reading comprehension. In the same vein, students’
inability to comprehend could be linked to low reading interests.
As important as reading is, it is
particularly problematic for children within the school system. A great
majority of them are failing to learn to read and many more are unable to read
to learn. Oyetunde (2001) believes the reading failure is as a result of the
nature of the reading process which is not generally understood by language
teachers in Nigeria, perhaps because English is a second language, and as such
a school language.
Oyetunde (2001) further maintains that
many teachers and teacher trainers do not readily appreciate the difference
between teaching the English language and teaching of reading. Reading,
therefore, is not usually conceived as something separate from English. This
may explain the reason reading is not included in the Nigerian secondary school
time-table. The general assumption is that children learn to read in the course
of schooling through learning the English language. People, therefore, see
reading as what is caught and not taught. Because of the failure to make a
distinction between reading and English language, it is sometimes assumed that once
a child can speak the English language he/she can already read. This assumption
leaves the child struggling on his/her own to develop interest in reading which
he knows very little about.
Potter (2011) is of the opinion that
reading is a major source of pleasure in any society. This is true of a society
with a reading culture. In the views of Fatimayin (2012), Nigeria is a country
with a poor reading culture and this has a corresponding negative effect on the
young students who look up to the adults as their models. This further helps to
kill the students’ interests in reading.
However, in spite of the immense
benefits derived from reading, secondary school students do not seem to have
interest in it. Obanya (2002) and
Anderson (2012) note that in Nigeria, many students do not come to school with
the necessary texts or at least the basic reading materials. The reason may be
traced to environmental factors which have to do with family background (where
adult models do not have reading interests themselves) and inadequate school
facilities. Fatimayin (2012), on the other hand, observes that the place of
reading by students is gradually being taken over by home video watching. This
causes their interests in reading to wane at the stage when in fact it should
be the period for building for higher learning. This accounts for why students
are not doing well in both internal and external examinations owing to their
decline interest in reading.
Uyoata (2005) holds that an important
means of realizing the goals of the National Policy on Education (2004) is the
mastery of skills of reading and comprehending the contents of subject areas.
Potter (2011) equally argues that reading serves as one of the language skills
employed for effective academic pursuits. For reading to be meaningful,
children must be able to comprehend and learn from text. This will not just be
in the classroom but equally in their spare time. The major problem encountered
is that teaching reading is erroneously conceived as testing reading comprehension
by most teachers of the English Language. This confusion of reading and testing
reading comprehension further helps to kill the reading interests of students.
Reading is a prerequisite for graduating
from one level of learning to another. To a student, a good academic
performance is not divorced from thorough reading and understanding of the
content areas of a particular subject, just as an excellent performance
requires an extra reading especially beyond the content areas. According to
Scraw (2001), when a student indulges in this ‘extra’ reading (by personal
choice) either for pleasure or for information, he/she is said to be engaging
in voluntary reading. It can be deduced that interest in reading could
gradually build students' voluntary reading habits which could in turn boost
students’ performance in examinations and consequently reduce the rate of
failure recorded in reading comprehension tests.
In addition, Schraw (2001) notes that
reading interests activate text-processing strategies that result in readers
being engaged in deeper–level processing. It follows that the connections
readers make between information and their prior knowledge or previous experiences
increase their reading interests. When this happens, comprehension is
facilitated which subsequently leads to higher academic achievements.
Another factor that has been associated
with reading interest and increased learning is attention. Hidi (2001) argues
that interest is associated with automatic attention that facilitates learning.
More specifically, Hidi (2001) argues that such attention frees cognitive
resources and leads to more efficient processing and better recall of
information.
Another factor that may influence the
reading interest of students is gender. Schraw (2001) believes that social
categories such as gender and race function as individual interest factors that
may affect classroom engagement. In his view, individual interest in a subject
may help individuals deal with relevant but boring texts. It is this interest
that sustains the reader as he/she gets through to the information that led to
the reading of the text.
In addition, Oyebola (2004) argues that
gender influences stereotypes thereby affecting the text choice and achievement
of the students. This argument is convincing because gender stereotyping has
permeated the school system, manifesting in both direct and subtle ways.
Certain subjects are usually perceived as ‘masculine’, for example science,
technology and mathematics while others like home economics, literature, and
secretarial studies are usually seen as ‘feminine’. Oyebola (2004) equally
upholds that the African society emphasizes gender and this greatly affects both
the students reading, reading interest and reading comprehension achievement.
Boys believe that certain subjects perceived to be easier are for girls. Thus
their interests tend to tilt towards the ones they believe to be appropriate to
their gender.
Statement
of the Problem
Available research indicates that most
students do not have interest in reading (Agwu 1994). The implication is that
they only read when they are compelled by teachers and adults to do so,
especially during examinations and as a result, they find reading very
difficult and boring. Most of the students struggle through reading tasks, not
understanding what they read because their interest is simply not there. This
seems to explain the reason for the poor reading comprehension achievements
recorded in examinations. This is evidenced in the poor performances recorded
yearly in almost all subjects especially in reading comprehension tests. High
failure rate in the English Language has a correlative effect on other
subjects. This is a cause for concern to educationists and well meaning
individuals because students are gradually loosing reading interest which is
the master key to success in examinations.
The problem of selection of reading
materials that are gender biased by the students is another issue that led to
the birth of this study. Oyebola (2004) explains that gender affects
stereotypes in the Nigerian society. This stereotyping which has found its way
to the schools leads to the students’ interests tilting towards the subjects
they perceive to be appropriate to their gender. This seriously affects their
reading interests, reading comprehension and reading comprehension
achievements. All these problems exrays the weakness in the school curriculum.
To avert the near total collapse of
the education system in Nigeria based on these problems so identified, there is
a strong need for the overhaul of the school curriculum to put the teaching of
reading at the centre of all curricular activities. It is in view of these
problems that this study looks at the Relationship between Reading interest and
reading comprehension achievement of senior secondary school students in Afikpo
Education Zone of Ebonyi State.
Purpose of the
Study
The purpose of this study was to
determine the relationship between reading interest and reading comprehension
achievement of senior secondary school students in Afikpo Education Zone of
Ebonyi State. This study specifically seeks to:
•
determine
the reading interest of the students,
•
ascertain
the achievement of the students in reading comprehension,
•
determine
the reading interest of the students based on gender,
•
ascertain
the reading comprehension achievement of the students based on gender.
•
determine
the relationship between reading interest and reading comprehension achievement
of the students.
Significance of the Study
This study determined the relationship
between reading interest and reading comprehension achievement of senior
secondary school students and made recommendations for improved reading
comprehension. It may be useful to all stakeholders of the education sector:
curriculum planners, Ministry of Education, schools, school heads and teachers,
students, future researchers and the general public.
It would be useful to curriculum
planners because it would expose the need to pay serious attention to reading
as a core subject in the school system during curriculum planning and
development. This is because the Nigerian school curriculum does not accord it
the importance it deserves by separating it from the English Language and
allotting it a separate time in the school time table.
The Ministry of Education would benefit
immensely from this study because the ministry would become aware of the
relationship between reading interest and reading comprehension achievement and
thereby plan the language curriculum to properly accommodate reading
instruction for the student’s greater reading comprehension achievement. It
would equally help the ministry to allot appropriate time to reading
instruction in the school time table. They would also begin to organize
workshops and in-service training for teachers of the English Language who are
currently used as substitutes to reading instruction teachers pending when
curriculum planners would include reading as a separate subject in the school
curriculum and more teachers trained for reading instruction.
Every school would want to achieve the
best result both in internal and external examinations. This study would
benefit school authorities immensely as they would realize that students’
interest in reading would bring improved performance in all the subjects. The
school authorities, therefore, would become aware of the importance of good and
well equipped libraries with current books as well as interesting ones to
attract the reading interest of the students for better academic performance.
This study may also be beneficial to
teachers generally and the English language teachers as they may be motivated
to employ teaching methods that would raise reading interests of the students.
It may also be useful to students
because through what their teachers may have gained through the study, they
would begin to enjoy improved lessons. This would in turn lead to better
performances in reading comprehension achievement. More so, students would, through
reading, develop the basis for greater achievement in vocabulary knowledge,
verbal fluency, spelling, reading comprehension and general world knowledge.
This is possible because the gap between reading interest and reading
comprehension achievement has been established and teachers would take
advantage of it to teach students properly. The study may also be beneficial to
future researchers as it would provide some bench marks upon which to back
their own findings.
Scope of the
Study
This study determined the relationship
between reading interest and reading comprehension achievement of senior
secondary school students in Afikpo Education Zone of Ebonyi State. It focused
mainly on reading, reading interests, reading comprehension, and reading
comprehension achievement. The study was delimited to all the SSS 2 students in
Afikpo Education Zone of Ebonyi State.
Research
Questions
The
following research questions were formulated to guide the study:
1. What is the extent of the students’
reading interests?
2. What is the extent of the students’
achievement in reading comprehension passages?
3. To what extent would the students’
reading interest relate by gender?
4. To what extent would the students’
achievement in reading comprehension differ by gender?
5. What is the relationship between the
students’ reading interest and their reading comprehension achievement?
Research
Hypotheses
The
hypotheses that guided the study include:
Ho1: There is no significant relationship between
the mean student’s reading interest and their mean in reading comprehension
achievement.
Ho2: There is no significant difference between
the reading interest rates of male and female students.
Ho3: There is no significant difference between
the mean achievement of male and female students in reading comprehension
tests.
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