EFFECT OF META-COGNITIVE STRATEGY ON SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS ACHIEVEMENT AND INTEREST ON READING COMPREHENSION IN ENUGU WEST EDUCATION ZONE, ENUGU STATE

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the effect of Meta- cognitive strategy on senior secondary school student’s achievement and interest on reading comprehension in Enugu West Education Zone, Enugu State. Six research questions and six null hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The study engaged quasi-experimental research design. The sample for the study consisted of 201 SSS2 students from four co-educational schools in Enugu West. The experimental group comprised 100 male and female students from schools located in rural and urban areas. The control group comprised 101 male and female students from schools located in rural and urban areas.  A multi-stage random sampling technique was used to draw the four co-educational schools and two intact classes from each of the schools, and to assign schools to experimental and control groups. Both the experimental group and control group were given the same reading comprehension passage but the difference is that while those in the experimental group were taught reading comprehension with MCS, those in the control group were taught reading comprehension using the lecture method. The instruments used for data collection were Reading Comprehension Achievement Test (ERCAT) which was marked over fifty and Comprehension Interest Inventory (CII) all were validated by three experts. The instruments were trial tested on twenty students from Queens College, Enugu. The data obtained from the trial tests were used to calculate the reliability of the instrument using Kendall’s formula and Cronbach Alpha. They yielded indexes of 0.740 and 0.743 respectively. Mean was used to answer the research questions while ANCOVA was used to test the hypotheses at P< 0.05. From the results obtained, it was found out that students in the experimental group had significant higher achievement score in reading comprehension than their counterparts who are in the control group. Also, gender had a significant effect on the achievement of students in reading comprehension but school location did not. In addition, the interaction effect between treatment and gender was not significant as well as the treatment and school location was not significant. Based on the findings, it was recommended that English language teachers should adopt Meta-cognitive strategy in teaching reading comprehension. Different tasks which can aid extensive reading activities should be employed from junior secondary schools to senior secondary school being the foundational classes. The curriculum planners should also include the use of Meta-cognitive strategy in the next review of curriculum.