The Teaching of Reading in Government high Schools in Addis Ababa: a Descriptive Study
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Date
1996-06
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Addis Ababa Universiy
Abstract
The study aimed at providing information on how reading lessons
are actually conducted in selected government high schools in
Addis Ababa. The research procedure followed in the course of
the study included observation o f sample reading lessons as
well as adminstration of a questionnaire to teachers teaching
English in Grade 11 in the sample schools. The study focused
on the description of the selected teachers' perceived
objectives of a reading lesson and the procedures they actually
followed to realize their objectives. In an attempt to find
out the relationship that exists between teachers' perceptions
of how reading is best taught, on the one hand, and the
c l assroom realization on the other, a questionnaire was
administered to 30 teachers to elicit their views concerning
reading instruction.
Data obtained both from the obs e rvations of lessons and the
q uestionnaire were analyzed. The results of the analysis may
be summarized as follows: Reading lessons were mainly used to
increase students' knowledge of the topics dealt within the
respective passages via extensive vocabulary teaching. Reading
aloud with the aim o f helping students learn how to sound out
words correctly was another outstanding feature of the lessons.
Silent reading was practised in only 30% of the lessons
observed, and that was not properly done. There was no attempt
made to give a purpose for reading the passages. In general,
the reading lessons seemed to be informed by the principle of
the bottom-up data driven approach to reading, if there was any
principled approach to the teaching or theory behind it at all.
On the basis of the findings, recommendations concerning
familiarizing teachers with more appropriate methodologies for
teaching reading are stated
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Keywords
The Teaching of Reading in Government high Schools in Addis Ababa.