ABSTRACT
The
study examined the extent of
the use of extensive reading in promoting communication competence in secondary
school with reference to some secondary schools in Shomolu Local Government
Area of Lagos State. It also ascertained the teachers awareness of the benefits
of extensive reading, the types of reading materials available for extensive
reading for schools, the extent teacher engages student in extensive reading
and the techniques/strategies teachers employ in developing extensive reading
for communication competence. The study employed the use of descriptive and
inferential methods. Under the descriptive method, data collected was analyzed
descriptively by the use of tables which involved the use of simple
percentages. While the inferential statistics of Pearson product moment
correlation was adopted as the statistical tools to test and validate the
stated hypothesis. The findings of the study revealed
that the relationship between extensive reading and communication is
positive, strong and significant. Based on the findings
of the study, it was recommended that there is the need to enact a policy that
encourages construction of libraries in secondary schools, provision of
relevant information resources and, qualified librarians to run such libraries
and parents should encourage their children and wards to read at home, and
watch children educational television programmes.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Pages
Title page
Certification
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Abstract
Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE:
INTRODUCTION
1.1
Background to the Study
1.2
Statement of the Problem
1.3 Purpose
of the Study
1.4 Research
Questions
1.5 Hypothesis
1.6 Significance
of the Study
1.7 Scope of the Study
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction
This chapter present reviews of literatures under
the following sub-headings;
2.2 Concept
of Reading
2.3 Concept
of Extensive Reading
2.4 Concept
of Communication
2.5 Concept
of Communicative Competence
2.6 Skills
of Extensive Reading
2.7 Techniques/Strategies
for using Extensive Reading to improve
Communication Competence
2.8 Characteristics
of Extensive Reading
2.9 Benefit
of Extensive Reading
2.10
The Place/Extent of use
of Extensive Reading in Schools
2.11
Reading and the Reading
Process
2.12
Important Factors in
Reading Process
2.13
Reading Strategies and
Reading Comprehension
2.14
Reading Strategies of Successful and
Unsuccessful Learners
2.15
Components of Communicative Competence
2.16
Empirical Reviews
2.17
Extensive Reading Models
2.18
Communicative Competence Model
CHAPTER
THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Research design
3.3 Population of the study
3.4 Sample and sampling techniques
3.5 Research instruments
3.6 Validity of instruments
3.7 Reliability of instruments
3.8 Procedure for data collection
3.9 Method
of data analysis
CHAPTER
FOUR: DATA ANALYSIS, RESULTS AND
DISCUSSIONS OF FINDINGS
4.0 Preamble
4.1 Presentation of Demographic Data (Section
A)
4.2 Analysis of Research Questions
4.3 Testing of Hypothesis
4.4 Discussion of Findings
CHAPTER
FIVE: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.0 Introduction
5.1 Conclusion
5.2 Recommendations
REFERENCES
APPENDIX
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the
Study
Language acquisition without reading is difficult.
Reading is a good way of comprehension. A good reader is able to understand
sentences and structures of a written text. One important way to develop
communication competence is through extensive reading. Students by reading
extensively will be exposed to different new scope of vocabulary which is
necessary in reading comprehension (Pazhakh and Soltani, 2010).
People learn to read by reading, and the ability to
read proficiently is best achieved through extensive reading. Likewise, there
is widespread consensus that there is a correlation between communication
competency and extensive reading, for which communication competency and
reading comprehension can be regarded as a mutually beneficial process. This
mutual benefit means that vocabulary facilitates learners’ ability to decode
meaning from the context (Teng, 2015).
Light (1997) has described communicative competence
as “being able to meet the changing demands and to fulfill one's communication
goals across the lifespan” .Communicative Competence should accomplish four
main purposes including: expressing wants and needs, developing social
closeness, exchanging information, and fulfilling social etiquette routines
(Light, 1997). Communicative competence is comprised of grammatical competence,
discourse competence, sociolinguistic competence, and strategic competence
(Canale & Swain, 1980; Canale, 1983 & Savignon, 1997). Communicative
competence is manifested within the national standard through the interpretive
mode, interpersonal mode, and presentational mode of communication (Mart,
2012). The interpretive mode of communication is characterized by the ability
to interpret and understand spoken and written language whereas the
interpersonal mode of communication describes the ability to maintain
conversation between two or more individuals. The presentational mode of
communication is highlighted by information presented through spoken or written
language. When combined, these three modes of communication represent authentic
real world communicative settings (Mart, 2012).
Reading is an indispensable tool in learning that
forms an integral part of any learning situation, and the bedrock of education.
Therefore, access to information is crucial to individual advancement as well
as corporate educational development. Adetunji (2007) described reading as the
act of translating symbols or letters into word or sentences that have meaning
to an individual. It is also the understanding of what is seen in a text, which
is the ability of the reader to take incoming visual information, process that
information and obtain meaning from it. Information is indispensable. According
to Yusuf (2007), bridges the gap between knowledge and ignorance. One of the
major avenues for acquiring information is reading. Reading is the foundation
upon which other academic skills are built. It offers a productive approach to
improving vocabulary, word power, and language skills.
Communicative competence has always been the goal of
every language classroom wherein instructions are geared toward the components
on organizational, pragmatic, systematic and psychomotor (Brown, 1994). From
the communication competence perspective, it is important to address academic
reading as a meaning-based activity that is purpose and comprehension-driven.
Reading is motivated by the reader’s particular purpose and propelled by
increasing comprehension of the texts. Further, given that language is embedded
in contexts and tasks, academic reading assessment should focus on contexts and
purposes and address narrow language abilities as they emerge from the local
context. Whether it involves primary school children or university students, it
seems clear that most comprehension is linked to a purpose, and it is thus
important to examine reading within the context of that purpose. It is on this
note that the study investigated the perception and extent of the use of
extensive reading in promoting communication competence in secondary school.
1.2 Statement of
the Problem
By and large, the importance of reading cannot be overemphasized,
because no learning activity or situation can take place without reading. But
one of the major problems facing Nigerian students is their inability to
communicate effectively (Ajayi, 2012).
This problem can be conceived to be linked with the
absence of reading habit among students or non-challant attitude to reading to
the use of the internet. Although there are many reasons why people read, but
observations and researches have shown that there is a low reading habit among
students in recent times, especially in developing countries, because reading
is not considered as a relevant leisure activity as it does not form part of
children’s social interaction and watching of television. Another major problem
that leads to the absence of reading habits among students is on the advents of
ICTs like the internet, cell phone, video games and other viewing gadgets.
Umar (2009:10) is of the view that students now have
viewing culture instead of reading culture because of the advents of these ICTs
gadgets. Also the lack of available information resources like texts books both
in the school library and at homes also could lead to lack of students forming
the habits of reading. One series problem in reading comprehension is that
among students are used to comprehending a passage on sentence level rather
than on discourse level. This frailer causes some students to be dependent on
understanding every single sentence in a text, even when this is not necessary
to fulfill their reading purpose, with the result they tend to rend all texts
at the same speed. In addition, the student heavily relies on dictionaries to
get the meanings of some new words. It is against this background that the
study examines the role of extensive reading in promoting communication competence
among secondary school students in Lagos State.
1.3 Purpose of the Study
The aim of this
research work is to investigate the extent of the use
of extensive reading in promoting communication competence in secondary school
with reference to some secondary schools in Shomolu Local Government Area of
Lagos State.The specific objectives are;
1.
To ascertain the teachers
awareness of the benefits of extensive reading.
2.
To identify the types of
reading materials available for extensive reading in schools.
3.
To determine the extent
teacher engages student in extensive reading.
4.
To determine the
techniques/strategies teachers employ in developing extensive reading for
communication competence.
1.4 Research Questions
1. To what extent are teachers aware of the
benefits of extensive reading?
2. What are the types of reading
materials available in schools for extensive reading?
3. To what extent do teachers engage students
in extensive reading activities?
4. What techniques and strategies do teachers employ to
develop extensive reading skills for communication competence?
1.5 Hypothesis
H0: There is no significant
relationship between extensive reading and student communication competence
1.6 Significance of the
Study
Extensive reading is a useful strategy for students
to improve their communication competence. The study provides other researchers
with some reliable instruments, action procedures, and experimental findings
for use in future research. To the researcher’s knowledge, there are no studies
about the effect of extensive reading on communication competence in the
context of Nigerian secondary schools. Most of the studies were conducted on
the effect of extensive reading on reading proficiency or the effect of extensive
reading on other skills separately. However, most of the related studies
approve that using extensive reading is an effective tool for achieving
communication competence
Finally, the
research will also help school owners to come up with better reading strategy
to improve the communication competence of their students through the active
role of teacher. It will also help sensitize the government in improving the
syllabus as well as raising the standard of learning so as to student
communication competence by making available all the necessary materials within
the school setting so as to encourage extensive reading among secondary school
students.
1.7 Scope of the Study
The scope of this study is to investigate the
extent of the use of extensive reading in promoting communication competence in
secondary school with reference to some secondary schools in Shomolu Local
Government Area of Lagos State
1.8 Definition
of Terms
Reading: Reading
is a process of constructing meaning through dynamic interaction among the
reader’s existing knowledge, the information suggested by the text being read,
and the context of the reading situation.
Extensive Reading: Extensive
reading is the teaching of reading in terms of language skills by studying
reading texts intensively in order to practise reading skills such as
distinguishing the main idea of a text from the detail, finding pronoun
referents, or guessing the meaning of unknown words.
Communication: Communication
is the act of conveying intended meanings from one entity or group to another
through the use of mutually understood signs and semiotic rules.
Communication
Competence: Communication competence is seen a
as “being able to meet the changing demands and to fulfill one's communication
goals across the lifespan.
Grammatical Competence:
Grammatical competence is the knowledge of the structure and form of a
language; some of which include its morphologic, syntactic, phonemic and
graphemic features.
Discourse Competence:
Is the knowledge of the interrelationship between and logic across sentences
and phrases is characteristic of discourse competence. An individual with
strong discourse competence can aptly judge the relationship between different
ideas within a text.
Sociolinguistic
Competence: Sociolinguistic competence focuses
on the recognition and accordance of the rules of interaction; taking turns,
appropriate greetings, proper use of formal/informal register, naturalness or
overall native-like language
Strategic Competence:
Strategic competence is characterized by the ability to make the most of the
language, particularly when compensating for language deficiencies.
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