Abstract:
This study sought to investigate the causes of students’ poor performance in
comprehension at senior high school. Azeem Namoa Senior High School was used
as a case study. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The target
population was students and teachers of the school. A sample of 102 students and 4
teachers of English were purposely selected for the study. Questionnaires were
used in data collection. The findings of the study reveal that mother tongue
interference; communication in Pidgin English; social media influence; limited
teaching and learning materials; misconceptions about English Language
Comprehension; and teaching and learning based on traditional content and
knowledge were the major causes for students’ poor performance in English
Comprehension. Based on these findings, the researcher recommends that special
attention should be given to the teaching of vocabulary building as the study
revealed that teachers pay less attention to that; the headmaster in collaboration
with the head of the department and the English teachers should find ways of
motivating students to love reading; the government should provide the school
with instructional aids; the headmaster in collaboration with the PTA should build
a language laboratory for the school; the curriculum must be relevant and flexible
to the needs of the students in rural areas; and finally, teachers must always
discourage the use of the mother tongue on school campuses, especially in
secondary boarding schools.
Description:
A dissertation in the Department of Applied Linguistics, Faculty of Foreign
Languages Education and Communication 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