CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
The Teaching of reading is at the centre
of the academic objectives. At a wider level language by nature is an
intricacy of learnings and relearnings which extends the communicative
sphere. It wanders off the borders of linguistics even to involve almost
every cognitive capability of man who is the only wielder of it. In
it’s learning, it involves four skills namely listening and speaking on
the one hand and reading and writing on the other. The reading skill is
acquired, quite ironically, through it’s practice. However, in the face
of a poor reading habit, teachers tend to focus on the material and make
the child reread the passages severally so that what is achieved is a
memorization of a particular passage.
The above shows a lack of the factors
that go into the learning of reading especially the reading of a
language that isn’t spoken at the public level and in a very good
extent. But to properly understand the teaching of reading especially at
the level of mass education which already poses the problem of a mass
illiteracy, one needs to come to terms with all the factors that bear
upon the learning of reading; factors that determine dexterity in it or
the lack of it and at to what speed one is able to acquire this skill.
These factors can be sociological, religious, politically motivated and
so on but one can always tailor them down into two namely the home and
school factors. A deep understanding of these two sources of the factors
is what will determine the methodology of teaching reading in schools
especially at secondary school level where the peculiar inadequacies
begin to be seen.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Often teachers feel frustrated at the
learning speed of students especially at secondary school level where
the entire curriculum is designed with the assumption that the students
can read already. And even in the courses that are designed to augment
the effort that has gone into teaching reading at junior secondary
school level, attention are only paid to the reading materials yet they
skill isn’t acquired by the students. This points to a conglomeration of
factors out the given exercise. It is the investigation into these
factors that has called upon the present research work which divides
these factors into the home and school originated factors.
1.3 Research Questions
1.3.1 What are the home factors that bear upon the teaching of reading in junior secondary schools
1.3.2 What are the school factors that come into the teaching of reading in junior secondary school.
1.3.3 How can these factors be influenced to aid teaching and learning.
1.4 Objectives of the Study
The purpose of this study is to
establish the various home and school factors that contribute to the
teaching of reading in the junior secondary school of the department of
mass education Gwagwalada college of education federal capital territory
Abuja. It also aims at describing the processes and manifestations of
these factors and to what extent they are relevant in the teaching of
learning.
1.5 Significance of the Study
This research throws great light on the
guidance and counselling problem of child learning which often makes
them turn recalcitrant whenever they seen unable to learn and the
pressure from the teacher who is often feeling frustrated at the
students inability to properly acquire this language skill. Which the
manner in which this investigation is conducted, parents and teachers
will be able to comfortably come together to eliminate the various
factors on either environments in order to ease learning of reading.
The study significantly throws light on
curriculum formulation so that post primary school education board can
study the research and review the present curriculum on reading and the
nature of materials to be prescribed for their level.
1.6 Research Hypothesis
The investigation was build on the
informed assumption that home and school factors actively bear upon the
teaching of reading in junior secondary school of the department of mass
education Gwagwalada FCT Abuja.
1.7 Scope of the Study
The study focuses on the factors as they
are manifested in the department of mass education Gwagwalada FCT in
the junior secondary section. The study is limited to only home and
school factors that influence the teaching of reading and it establishes
first the extent to which one can decide on a reading inadequacy. So
that a mere mouthing of words in the course of reading is not considered
fluency in reading at the level which this research is carried out.
1.8 Limitations of the Study
The major limiting factor of this
research is resources to invest deeply in the study of the home factors
that influence the teaching of reading in the said school. However, it
was really the time factor that contributed immensely in that regard