ABSTRACT
This study investigated the effect of extensive reading approach on primary four pupils’ attitude and achievement in reading comprehension. The study was motivated by both observed and reported inability of pupils in public schools in Onitsha urban to decode and comprehend. This has been traced to the poor teaching of reading at the foundational level. The study adopted quasi experimental, non equivalent, pre-test post-test design. Involved in the study which lasted for eight weeks were 121 primary four pupils (58 males and 63 females) in four primary schools in Onitsha South Local Government Education Authority. Two instruments: the Reading Comprehension Achievement Test (RCAT) and Reading Attitude Scale (RAS) were validated by experts and used. Six research questions and six hypotheses were answered and tested. Mean, Standard Deviation and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) were used for analysis. Major findings of the study indicated that extensive reading could be employed as method of teaching reading comprehension. The pupils exposed to extensive reading approach performed significantly better than those taught with the conventional approach. Gender had no significant effect on the mean scores of pupils in the extensive reading and conventional groups. The use of extensive reading approach of teaching promoted more positive attitude to reading comprehension. A major conclusion was that extensive reading approach is needed as an integral part of a balanced reading programme in English Language teaching in the primary school. This has implication for teachers in second language classrooms and on teacher education programmes. Teachers are to encourage the provision of varieties of reading materials in their classrooms and encourage children to select and read them by teaching different reading strategies. A major recommendation was that in-service and pre-service teachers should be retrained and trained on the use of extensive reading approach in reading comprehension lessons.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Reading is one of the basic language skills in addition to listening, speaking and writing. At the basic school level, reading is the next skill that pupils learn after listening and speaking. Reading is the first step that a child takes in the match towards literacy. Unlike the other three language skills of listening, speaking and writing, reading is a way of life and the inability to read and understand or lack of fluency in reading leaves an individual sharply divided from society (UNICEF, 2005). Reading is not just a school affair but a lifelong activity. It is a skill not limited to language learning but an ,m read is to get ideas from print or written materials. It involves the recognition of symbols, followed by the decoding of graphic symbols and finally the interpretation of such symbols verbally and visually to make them meaningful (UNICEF, 2005). The more a child reads, the more background knowledge he acquires of other ways of life, behaviour and thought. Individuals read for many reasons: information acquisition, knowledge, self reflection, practical application as well as pleasure, enjoyment and relaxation. In the primary school, reading is the next skill that pupils learn after that of listening and speaking (Ezeokoli & Ezenandu, 2013). The goal of reading, as pinpointed by Omojuwa (2005), especially at the primary level, is that the child should be functionally literate and be able to communicate effectively. This goal cannot be achieved without the necessary fundamental reading skills. It is at the primary school level that the foundation for reading is laid.
A successful reading programme in the primary school is reflected by the degree to which the children have completed it and engaged spontaneously and voluntarily in reading various types of materials (Tollefson, 2008). According to National Policy on Education (FRN, 2004), from primary one to three, pupils are involved in learning to read. At this level, the teachers read aloud for the pupils. Reading aloud involves audible vocalization of what is read and is good for young learners because it exposes error for timely corrective measure. By primary four, the pupils cross over to use reading to learn with English as the language of instruction. The pupils are expected to start reading independently and silently. In addition to achieving independence in reading, the children need to read widely both for enjoyment and for the desire to pass examination. This is necessary for developing the reading habit, effective reading and for a profound understanding of literate and technical texts. The growth of reading interest and taste is gradual and the stage a child reaches by the end of primary school can provide a fairly firm foundation for future expansion. This is the reason for Kolawole’s (2005) posit that the success of any further education depends entirely on the amount of reading a child is able to do.
Reading is not a single skill but a combination of many skills and processes in which a reader interacts with print to derive both meaning and pleasure from the written words (International Reading Association and National Association for Educators of Young Children, 2000). In reading, children must be able to see the symbols and interprete them, follow the logical and grammatical patterns of the written words and relate words back to direct experiences to give the words meaning. They are also expected to make inference from and evaluate the material, remember what is learned in the past, include new ideas and facts, recognize the connection between symbols and sounds and deal with personal interest and attitudes that affect the reading tasks. The key element in reading is the ability of the reader to integrate all the processes involved. These skills have to be taught and learned formally in school because they are not inborn. So, for pupils to learn how to read and understand there should be provision for constant practice of interacting with texts in and out of the classroom. This explains why Krashen (2004) asserts that the child learns to read by reading and not by doing exercises in reading. Obanya (2002) is also of the opinion that the child must be helped to acquire the skill of reading.
Reading is an intellectual and mental activity. According to Reeves (2004), it is more than just being able to recognize letters on print and translate them into words. Reading is an interactive process in which the reader brings purposes and life experiences to converse with the text. It is this meeting of the reader and the text that results in meaning, that is, comprehension (Wilhem, 2002). Reading is about understanding the thoughts and ideas of another person, about entering the different imaginary and real worlds created by the author. The resulting meanings are then organized into thought processes according to the purposes adopted by the reader. Reading and comprehension are inseparable. Meaningful reading cannot be said to have taken place without comprehension of the material read.
