Reading comprehension difficulties among form one students of Zamsa Junior High School

Abstract

Reading comprehension plays an important role in learning a foreign language but it is also a very difficult subject. The current study examined reading comprehension difficulties among Form “1” students of Zamsa Junior High School. Also, the study specifically aimed at assessing various methods used by the teachers in teaching reading comprehension to the students and identified the main problems encountered by students in reading comprehension. The study was theoretically grounded in the traditional theory, cognitive theory, and Schema theory. The case study design with qualitative research approach were adopted for the study. Purposive and random sampling were used to select twenty-five (5) students and 2 teachers for the study. Data collection for the study was done using documentary review, interviews, and classroom observation. The collected data were analysed using thematic analysis. The study revealed that phonics method was the commonest method used by most teachers. Furthermore, it was revealed that most students encountered problems such as poor vocabulary mastery, poor fluency and issues with background knowledge when reading in reading comprehension. The study recommended that teachers should make frantic efforts to ensure that students gain interest in reading, both at school and outside the school environment. More so, strategies such as dictation and pronunciation drills must be infused in language teaching to ensure that students improve their language competency through reading.