Abstract:
Reading ability is a crucial developmental skill for learners of English as a second
language. This is because it has a significant impact on the performance of students in
other courses of study. Owing to this, it became necessary that the poor reading abilities
among students of Axim Anglican Junior High school be investigated to ascertain the
causes and devise probable measures to ameliorate the situation. This study was
therefore set out to examine the causes of poor reading abilities among the pupils of
Axim Anglican JHS and to explore measures that can be adopted in helping the pupils
to overcome their poor reading abilities. A qualitative case study design was adopted
using observation and interview for thematic analysis. The findings showed that lack
of library, inadequate time for reading comprehension lessons, and lack of learner centred approaches are some of the endogenous causes of poor reading performance
among the students. It was also revealed that parents have not taken the responsibility
to ensure that their children develop reading skills, as they fail to acquire reading
materials for their children. On addressing the situation, the findings showed that
teachers need more time for reading lessons; they need to adopt learner-centred
strategies such as peer teaching. Based on the results, it is recommended that Axim
Anglican Junior High School should have a library where the students can practise
reading outside the classroom. Additionally, it is recommended that parents take
responsibility of developing their children’s reading ability by buying them books.
Description:
A dissertation in the Department of Applied Linguistics,
Faculty of Foreign Languages Education, submitted to the
School of Graduate Studies, in partial fulfilment
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
