Teacher approaches in remediating reading difficulties among struggling readers at Unipra south cluster of schools in Winneba

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the approaches teachers use to remediate reading difficulties among struggling readers at Unipra South Cluster of Schools at Winneba. Five research questions were raised on the five essential components of reading, namely; phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. The bottom-up theory was used to guide the study. A case study design was used for four basic four English teachers who were purposively sampled. A semi-structured interview with an interview guide was used to collect data through focus group. Data were analysed using thematic approach. Results of the study showed that identification of letter names before letter sounds yields greater results in learning to read. Results of the study found onset and rime and consonant-vowel consonant (CVC) methods as effective approaches in improving skills in phonemic awareness for struggling readers. The study further revealed model and unison reading as effective strategies in fluency instruction. Writing keywords and picture description were found to improve vocabulary among struggling readers. Also, the use of mnemonics, and graphic organizers were instructional methods used to improve comprehension skills among struggling readers. Lastly, the study recommended that teachers should embark on professional development programmes to be equipped with current strategies on the five basic components of reading.