Examining teachers’ perspectives and strategies for teaching reading comprehension in Public Basic Schools

Abstract

This study explored teachers’ perspectives on the teaching of RC in public basic schools in the Abuakwa South Municipality. It examined teachers’ views on RC, the instructional strategies they employed, their continuous professional development (CPD) needs, and the challenges they encountered in teaching RC. It was a qualitative approach underpinned by a phenomenological design. Fifteen (15) teachers were selected through purposive, maximum variation, and criterion sampling techniques. Data were collected using semi-structured interview and an observational checklist and were analysed thematically, supported by verbatim excerpts from participants. The findings revealed that RC plays a vital role in students’ academic success and overall development; however, teachers’ perspectives on its complexity varied. Instructional strategies such as vocabulary instruction, the question–answer relationship technique, graphic organizers, scaffolding, and story retelling were employed but not applied systematically. CPD opportunities were limited, revealing a gap between teachers’ professional knowledge and classroom practices, which compelled them to rely largely on traditional methods. The main challenges included students’ limited vocabulary, students’ lack of reading fluency, and inadequate resources. The study concluded that although teachers were committed to fostering comprehension skills, their efforts were constrained by insufficient continuous professional support and resources. It therefore recommended the provision of targeted continuous professional development, adequate and alternative resources such as digital libraries, news articles, and online texts, as well as the implementation of early literacy interventions. It was further suggested that future research should incorporate learners’ perspectives and explore comparative contexts