IMPROVING UPON READING AND COMPREENSION SKILLS AMONG JHS TWO STUDENTS: A CASE STUDY OF NEW-LONGORO METHODIST JHS TWO

ABSTRACT

This research investigates reading difficulties associated with pupils at the JHS level taking New-Longoro Methodist JHS in the Kintampo North municipality as a case study. Some of the reading difficulties featured in pupils reading were poor pronunciations, extremely slow reading pace leading to no fluency in their reading performance. The study also explores possible ways of improving reading skills of students especially those at the JHS level. The researcher tried the USSR+DE reading model with the sampled pupils and found it to be an effective and recommendable model for improving reading skills of learners. The model also has the added advantage of cultivating a lifelong habit for reading in pupils. It was realised from the study that encouraging pupils to read extensively from many different literary materials will provide a guaranteed means of improving pupils literary skills development. It was also revealed from the study that there are a number of teachers who teach English at the basic level but do not have professional training in teaching English Language. Consequently, they are not able to adopt the necessary teaching strategies to help improve pupils reading and comprehension skills. The researcher therefore recommends that English Language teaching should be done by professionals who have studied English as a course. In conducting the research, the researcher drew a sample size of fifteen pupils from the JHS two class using the purposive sampling instrument. Data collection instruments included questionnaire, semi-structured interviews, and observations.