INVESTIGATING FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION SKILL AT MILLENNIUM SECONDARY SCHOOL: GRADE 9 IN FOCUS

Abstract

This research aimed at Investigating Factors Affecting Grade 9 Students Reading Comprehension Skills at Millennium Secondary and Preparatory School. To achieve this objective descriptive case study research design in which both qualitative and quantitative approach was employed to collect and analyze the data. The qualitative approach was used to clarify, justify and interpret the data collected from interview and classroom observation whereas the quantitative approach was used to indicate the frequency and percentage results collected from questionnaire. The required data for the study were collected through questionnaire, interview, and classroom observation. For this purpose, 10% of students were selected by using simple random sampling techniques from the total population of 849 grade nine students. On the other hand, by using purposive sampling technique all available English teachers in the target school were selected as respondents since there were a total of five English teachers that teach in grade 9. The major findings of this thesis were grade nine students conceptualized reading in an inappropriate way, they had low reading habit, low background skill and EFL teachers did not apply efficient method of teaching to teach reading. As a result students are in serious problem to comprehend reading texts. Finally Based on the major findings and major conclusions, the following recommendations have been forwarded With regard to teachers teaching practice, teachers have to apply student center teaching method and show different reading strategies while teaching reading in order to encourage students to be effective readers .concerning on students, it is necessary to aware students what reading means. They need to improve their reading habit and their background skill. The EFL teachers, the school principals, librarians have to work cooperatively to enable and motivate students familiarize themselves to different books.