Teaching Approaches and the Reading Skills of Pupils of Mituntu Primary School in Tigania District, Kenya

ABSTRACT The study was conducted to establish the effects of teaching approaches on the reading skills of pupils of Mituntu primary school. This was after the researcher realized that many pupils had reading difficulties and therefore, the researcher suspected that the approaches used to teach reading could be ineffective. Therefore, the researcher tried to find out the effects of the teaching approaches on the reading skills basing on four areas namely: teaching strategies, educational resources, reading readiness and classroom management. This was according to the main areas discussed in the reviewed literature. The researcher used the survey method to conduct the study. A total of eighty (80) respondents who were sampled from standard five, six, seven and eight participated. They filled questionnaires whose responses were later analyzed. The results indicated that the approaches used to teach reading are ineffective and so leading poor reading skills among the learners. This is so because the teaching strategies/methods are not effective, as teachers do not combine various methods. The educational resources are inadequate and not effectively used. The reading evaluation procedures are also ineffective all leading to poor reading skills among the learners. The researcher therefore recommends that teachers and other stakeholders in the education sector makes intervention under the four areas of study in order to alleviate the problem of reading.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION ................................................................................................ i

APPROVAL ..................................................................................................... ii

DEDICATION .................................................................................................. iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT .................................................................................... iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS ..................................................................................... v

LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................ vii

DEFINmON OF TERMS ................................................................................ viii

ABSTRACT .................................................................................................... ix

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ................................................................ 1

1.1 Rationale of the study ............................................................................... 1

1.1 Theory ..................................................................................................... 2

1.2 Statement of the Problem ......................................................................... 4

1.3 Objectives of the Study ............................................................................. 4

1.3.1 General Objective .................................................................................. 4

1.3.2 Specific Objectives: ................................................................................ 4

1.4 Statement of the Null Hypothesis ............................................................... 4

1.5 Significance of the Study ........................................................................... 4

CHAPTER TWO ............................................................................................ 6

LITERATURE REVIEW ..................................................................................... 6

2.0 Introduction ............................................................................................. 6

2.1 The Review .............................................................................................. 8

2.2 Behavioral characteristics of pupils with reading difficulties .......................... 8

2.3 Reading Readiness .................................................................................... 9

2.4 Teaching strategies ................................................................................. 10

2.5 Developing a skilled Reader ..................................................................... 13

2.6 Educational Resources ............................................................................ 14

2.7 Classroom management .......................................................................... 14

V

CHAPTER THREE ....................................................................................... 15

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY .......................................................................... 15

3.1 Design ................................................................................................... 15

3.2 Environment ........................................................................................... 15

3.3 Respondents .......................................................................................... 15

3.4 Instruments ............................................................................................ 15

3.5 Data Collection Procedures ...................................................................... 16

3.6 Statistical Treatment of Data ................................................................... 16

3.7 Limitations/Delimitation of the Study ........................................................ 17

CHAPTER FOUR ......................................................................................... 18

DATA PRESENTATION, INTERPRETATION AND ANALYSIS .............................. 18

4.1 Introduction •....•....................................................•....•.....•...••................ 18

4.2 Educational Resources ............................................................................ 18

4.3 Reading readiness ................................................................................... 19

4.4 Class room management ......................................................................... 19

CHAPTER FIVE .......................................................................................... 22

CONCLUSION, RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................. 23

5.0 Introduction ........................................................................................... 23

5.1 Conclusion .............................................................................................. 23

5.2 Recommendations .................................................................................. 23

BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................ 25

APPENDICES .........•.................................................................•.................... 26

APPENDIX A: Transmittal Letter for the Head Teacher .................................... 26

Appendix B: Questionnaire ........................................................................... 27

Appendix C: A map of research environment ................................................. 29

Appendix D: A picture showing the Environment of Mutuntu Primary school .... 30