Investigating factors affecting students' reading comprehension
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Date
2024-07
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The aim of this study is to examine factors that negatively affect grade 9-12 students’ reading comprehension in Abbichu and Gnea Woreda’s secondary schools. To attain this objective, descriptive case study research design in which mixed methods-qualitative and qualitative were employed to collect and interpret the findings and draw inferences. The data were collected from 200 students who were randomly chosen from the total population of 2217 and11 English language teaching teachers using purposive sampling techniques for the sake of collecting additional data for the study. The researcher used questionnaire and standardized reading comprehension test as major data collection tools, while classroom observation group discussion and interview were used as supportive data gathering tools and a means of data triangulation and/or validation for study. Consequently, the data obtained through the these tools were analyzed and discussed by integrating quantitative and qualitative methods in order to compensate the limitations in either method to obtain more reliable insights into the problems being investigated. Accordingly, The data obtained through the questionnaire and classroom observation checklist were analyzed and interpreted quantitatively by employing descriptive statistical techniques, such as frequency counting, percentage, while data obtained from teachers’ and students interview and focused group discussion were analyzed, described, and interpreted qualitatively. From the analysis and interpretations of the standardized reading comprehension test result, it was found that students’ reading comprehension performance was low. The majority of the student problem of extracting meanings from the reading comprehension test. The findings obtained from student’s questionnaire and standardized reading comprehension test result found that most students have difficulty of how to skim and scan a text for the gist of the text and the specific information respectively. Generally speaking, the majority of the students lack cognitive strategies, and meta-cognitive awareness on how to skim and scan the text, how to guess meanings of new words contextually, Besides, from the analyses and interpretations of the qualitative data through classroom observation revealed that the concerned teachers used traditional way of teaching process.