Types And Cause Of Reading Difficulties Affecting The Reading Of English Language: A Case Of Grade 4 Learners In Selected Schools In ongoing Circuit Of Namibia

ABSTRACT

This study sought to identify the causes of reading difficulties affecting reading English among Grade four (4) learners in the Ogongo circuit in Namibia. It followed a mixed research design approach. To obtain a representative sample of the population of primary schools, purposeful sampling was used, selecting three teachers and 92 learners from three schools of the 14 schools in the circuit. Both qualitative and quantitative data was obtained from lesson observations and from reading tests, and findings revealed that, inadequate English reading materials, improper teaching methodology and insufficient English language development were causes of reading difficulties in the circuit. Lack of English language development was a result of insufficient teacher-learner interactions during the English lessons. The results from the tests indicated that decoding, phonemic awareness, word recognition skill and comprehension might hamper reading proficiency in Grade 4 and although a section of learners proved the abilities to read fluently they could not satisfactorily answer the questions based on the text read. The results revealed that 69.6% were unable to read the texts beyond the frustration level, and only 30.4% at the instruction level. The research recommends that schools should make resources available to buy supplementary reading materials for use by learners, and that teachers encourage learners to borrow books from libraries to practice reading independently. Teachers should study English through the English Language Proficiency Programme run jointly by the Ministry of Education and the University of Namibia.