Abstract:
This study sought to investigate the reading difficulties among Class 6 pupils of
Kolbure Primary School in the Tempane District of the Upper East Region of Ghana.
It followed the qualitative research design approach. To obtain a sample of the
population for the study, the researcher adopted the simple random sampling technique,
selecting 15 participants for the study. He adopted this technique because of the similar
characteristics exhibited by the pupils. Three research instruments used in the study
included observation, interview and test. The observation and interview revealed that
the unavailability of reading books, pupils lack of knowledge of the sound of the
English alphabet, lack of support for reading at home, poverty and poor teaching
methods were some of the causes of reading difficulties among pupils. The results
showed that 100% of the participants did not have reading materials. The test results
indicated that teaching reading using the phonic approach is beneficial to pupils because
the results after the intervention was positive. The researcher recommends that schools
should make reading materials available for use by pupils and also teachers should be
trained to handle reading effectively especially the use of the phonic method in teaching
reading. The government through the ministry of education as well as organisations and
individuals should help to equip schools with adequate learning materials.
Description:
A dissertation in the Department of Applied Linguistics, Faculty of Foreign
Language Education and Communication, submitted to the School of Graduate
Studies in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the award of the degree of
Master of Education
(Teaching English as a Second Language)
in the University of Education, Winneba
SEPTEMBER, 2019