ASESSING GRADE 9 STUDENTS’ ENGLISH READING HABITS IN DIDEA ROBE SECONDARY SCHOOL

Abstract

The problem of poor reading habits of students particularly materials written in English is prevalent in Ethiopia, especially, in the study area. Lack of proper reading habits contributes towards most students’ has poor performance in tests and examinations at school. The main purpose of this study is to assess the English reading habits of grade nine students’ in Didea Robe Secondary School and the factors affecting the reading habits. The study employed mixed research designs among 310 students, 4 English teachers and 62 students’ parents that were selected using multistage stratified, consensus and judgmental sampling techniques. Data were collected using self adminster structured questionnaire, semi- structured interview and focus group discussion (FGD). Gathered data were analyzed using descriptive statistical methods and content method of data analyses to analyze quantitative and qualitative data respectively.The findings of the study would enrich existing empirical literature on the major issues of the study and they would contribute towards improving academic performance, The collected data were analyzed within the framework of the specific objectives and basic research questions using methods of data analyses for both quantitative and qualitative. The data gathered through self administered structured questionnaire for students described and analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively.Analyzed data presented by using tables figures, or graphs. The data gathered through semi-structured interview administered for English teachers’and focus group discussions (FGD) administered for students’ parents. The questionnaire wrote in the form of notes analyzed qualitatively.Therefore, through self administered structured questionnaire, students would be analyzed quantitatively. And through semi-structured interview for teachers and focus group discussions (FGD) for students’ parents would be analyzedqualitatively. Finally, the data could be interpreted, presented, and discused in the form of reports on the effects of each factor on the English reading habits of students as much as possible. To improve the English reading habits of the students, teachers, students, and parents could be work together to achieve the epected goal