Abstract:
The aim of this study was to assess factors that affect grade 10 students Reading Comprehension skills in Menagesha Subba and Kolobo Secondary Schools. To attain this objective, a descriptive survey research design of quantitative and qualitative data analysis methods was employed to carry out this study. The data were collected from 64 students who were randomly systematically selected from the total population of 320. In addition, 9 students were purposively chosen for an interview and reading comprehension test. The data gathered through questionnaire and reading comprehension test were quantitatively analyzed by using frequency and percentage while the data obtained from the students interview were analyzed, described and interpreted qualitatively. The finding of the study revealed that lack of prior knowledge of vocabulary, student’s inability to use reading comprehension strategies and lack of student’s interest are some of the factors that affect students reading comprehension skill. The findings obtained from students standardized reading comprehension test showed that most of the students have difficulty how to skim and scan for the gist of the text and specific information respectively. The researcher recommended that cultivating vocabulary by using different reading comprehension strategies related to ascertaining the meaning of new words. Besides, great attention should be given in material selection especially younger readers for better understanding of the text
