TABLE OF CONTENTS.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
Statement
of the Problem
Purpose
of the Study
Research Questions
Research Hypotheses
Scope
of the Study
Operational
Definition of Terms
Significance
of the Study
CHAPTER
TWO
REVIEW
OF RELATED LITERATURE
Concept
of Reading
Reading
Habits and Academic performance
Factors
Affecting Reading Habits
Effects
of Environment Reading Habits
Appraisal
of Literature Reviewed
CHAPTER
THREE
RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
Research
Type
Population Sample and
Sampling Techniques
Instrumentation
Procedures
for Data Collection
Data Analysis Techniques
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULTS
Data Analysis and Findings
Summary of Findings
CHAPTER FIVE
DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
Discussion of Findings
Conclusion
Recommendations
Suggestions for Further Studies
REFERENCES
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
It is axiomatic that few years back a family that
produced a school certificate graduate had course to rejoice. This was because
the school certificate holder was not easy to come by in those days. The
products of the missionary and government schools were better compared to the
secondary school learners today. The skills of reading and writing demonstrated
then, by secondary school leavers made them essential commodities in the
various fields of work under government and private establishment. Their
fluency in English language and their reading and writing dexterity were
evident to the stuff of education received then. Patronage of school libraries
incorporated to secondary school system becomes highly affected because
students of to day have poor reading culture.
However, this has turned out to have a multiply effect as
most university graduates are ill-equipped and half-baked. Secondary school
learners cannot take minutes at meetings while primary school leaving certificate
is no more accorded recognition. The performance of students nowadays is
attributed to their poor background in the reading culture which is a carryover
from their primary school through the secondary level. To read is, to get ideas
from print or written materials. Reading is a way of acquiring knowledge.
Oyeyemi (2005) observed that reading is a means of tapping knowledge from
superior minds.
Reading is a term used to refer to an interaction by
which meaning encoded in visual stimuli by an author makes meaning in the mind
of the reader. It involves the recognition of printed or written symbols which
serve as stimuli for the recall or meaning through the intellectual
manipulation of concepts already possessed by the reader. The resulting
meanings are thereafter organized into thought process according to the purpose
adopted by the reader, such an organization leads to modified thought and/or
behaviour, or else leads to a new behaviour which takes its place either in
personal or in social development. From another perspective, reading is defined
as the vocalization of words in a given passage and the process of giving
meaning to materials. This definition refers to reading aloud which
spontaneously.
Although, reading can be done aloud but vocalization in
the course of silent reading slows down reading pace. For reading to be
effective, it should bed one with a good speed. Reading speed is expressed in
the number of character or words read per minute. Reading habits are
well-planned and deliberate pattern of study which has attained a form of consistency
on the part of students toward understanding academic subjects and passing at examinations.
Reading habits determine the academic achievements of students to a great
extent. Both reading and academic achievements are interrelated and dependent
on each other. Students often come from different environments and localities
with different levels of academic achievement. Therefore, they differ in the
pattern of reading habits. While some students have good reading habits, others
tend to exhibit poor reading habits. Academic achievement means how much
knowledge the individual has acquired from the school (Bashir &Mattoo,
2012).
A creative and pragmatic education involves the habit of
personal investigation. The act of personal investigation requires self-study
to be followed by self-thinking and analysis. Self-study, otherwise referred to
as reading at one’s own accord, requires a habit, which is known as reading
habit. Reading makes way for a better understanding of one’s own experiences
and it can be an exciting voyage to self-discovery. “Reading habit is best
formed at a young impressionable age in school, but once formed it can last
one’s life time (Green, 2001).
Reading and academic achievement are essential for
research workers and educationists to know that every child whether he or she
is gifted, average, normal or backward etc, should be educated in his or her
own way but if he or she possesses good study habits, he or she can perform
well in academics and in every situation. It is the reading habits which help
the learner in obtaining meaningful and desirable knowledge. Good reading
habits act as a strong weapon for the students to excel in life (Bashir
&Mattoo, 2012).
According to Palani (2012), reading habit is
an essential and important aspect for creating a literate society in this
world. It shapes the personality of individuals and it helps them to develop
proper thinking methods, and creates new ideas. However, the developments in
the mass media had continued to influence interest in reading hard copy of
literatures such as books, magazines and journals, among others. Palani (2012)
is of the opinion that, effective reading is important avenue of effective
learning and reading is interrelated with the total educational process and
hence, educational success requires successful reading habit. He believes
reading is the identification of the symbols and the association of appropriate
meaning with them. It requires identification and comprehension. Comprehension
skills help the learner to understand the meaning of words in isolation and in
context. Before the advent of the television, both the young and the old found
enough time to read. Apart from teachers, other professionals used to spend
their leisure time in reading both English and literature. English medium
schools almost always demanded extra reading from their students. But all these
have become a thing of the past. Palani (2012) further added that, nowadays,
reading habit has lost its importance as both the young and the old are glued
to the television. As far as educational institutions are concerned, coaching
students for the examinations seems to be the be-all and end-all of our
educational system.
A lot of researchers like Ogbodo (2002),
Bhan& Gupta (2010), and Singh (2011) have done work on reading, especially
how it affects the academic performance of students. However, most of these
works pertain to the international community. Few ones such as Ward, (1997),
Agbezree, (2001) conducted in researches and they were limited to primary and
secondary levels of education. It is against this backdrop that it has become
necessary to conduct the effects of reading habits on secondary school
students’ academic performance in English Language in Boluwaduro Local
Government area of Osun State.
Statement
of the Problem
The problem most students have that contributes to their
poor performance in tests and examinations is lack of proper reading habits.
For an excellent performance, there is the need for the student to form good
reading and study habits. At present, due to the influence of the mass media,
people do not show much interest in reading books; magazines and journals,
among others (Palani, 2012). Even the cankerworm of examination malpractices
may be traceable to the prevalent poor reading interests and habits among the
wide spectrum of students. In addition, the by-products of scientific and
technological inventions and innovations have also contributed greatly to the
dwindling fortunes of the good practice of reading among majority of the
students. Today, many students prefer to watch movies and other shows on the
television, listening to audio-CDs, watching video-CDs, among others (Issa, 2012).
Many
parents and teachers complain about students of our generation who have not
developed reading habits among themselves. Officials of the West African
Examinations Council and teachers of English complain of the kind of English
written by today’s generation of students (WAEC, 2008). The net result is the
poor performance of many students in final examinations. One of the many issues
confronting students nowadays is perhaps, not their inability to read but their
lack of interest. From the assertion above, the work was conducted to examine
the effects on reading habits on secondary school students’ academic
performance in English Language in Boluwaduro Local Government area of Osun
State.
Purpose
of the Study
The general purpose of the
study is to find out the effects of reading habits on secondary school
students’ academic performance in English Language in Boluwaduro Local
Government area of Osun State. The
specific purposes are to;
i determine
the relationship between reading habits and students’ academic performance in
English Language.
ii ascertain
the relationship between reading habits and family background.
iii examine the relationship
between methods of reading and academic performance of students in English
Language.
iv investigate
relationship between reading habit and students’ environment.
Research Questions
The following research
questions are raised on reading habits and secondary school students’ academic
performance in English Language in Boluwaduro Local Government area of Osun
State. The following questions are relevant:
i.
Is there any significant relationship between
reading habits and students’ academic performance in English Language?
ii.
What is significant relationship between
reading habits and family background?
iii.
How important is the method of reading on
academic performance of students in English Language?
iv.
Does student’s environment affects reading
habit of student?
Research Hypotheses
The following hypotheses were drawn
specifically for this study.
H0I There
is no significant relationship between reading habits and students’ academic
performance in English Language.
H02 There
is no significant relationship between reading habits and family background.
H03 There
is no significant relationship between methods of reading and academic
performance of students in English Language.
H04 There
is no significant relationship between reading habit and students’ environment.
Scope
of the Study
This research work focuses on the effects of reading
habits on secondary school students’ academic performance in English Language
in Boluwaduro Local Government area of Osun State. All teachers of English
would be used because of limited or less available qualified English Studies
teachers in the Local Government Area. English teachers would be selected from
5 randomly selected secondary schools in Boluwaduro Local Government Area of
Osun State.
A questionnaire on the
effects of reading habits on secondary school students’ academic performance in
English Language in Boluwaduro Local Government, Osun State would be used to
elicit data from the respondents. Demographic characteristics would be
described using percentage to answer question 1, while the rest research
questions that have corresponding hypotheses would be tested using inferential
statistics i.e. Pearson product moment correlation statistics at 0.05 level of
significance.
Operational
Definition of Terms
i.
Reading:
is the act of looking at and
comprehending the meaning of (written or printed matter, by interpreting the
characters or symbol of which it is composed).
ii.
Habit
is a settled or regular tendency or practice of reading
by student in Boluwaduro Local Government area, especially one that is hard to
give up.
iii.
Performance: is
the accomplishment of a given task measured against preset known standards of
accuracy, completeness, cost, and speed in Boluwaduro Local Government Area.
iv.
Student: a
student or pupil is a learner or someone who attends an educational institution
in Boluwaduro Local Government Area.
v.
Environment: is
the sum total of all surroundings of a student, including natural forces and
other living things, which provide conditions for development and growth as
well as of danger and damage in Boluwaduro Local Government Area.
vi.
Secondary School: is a high school or a school of corresponding grade, ranking
between a primary school and a college or university in Boluwaduro Local
Government area.
vii.
Academic Achievement:
includes both curricular and co-curricular performance of the students. It
indicates the learning outcomes of the students in Boluwaduro Local Government
area.
viii.
Student: A
student of pupil is a learner or someone who attends an educational institution
in Boluwaduro Local Government Area.
Significance
of the Study
The
findings of the study would be of great importance to the following
stakeholders in education. These include students, teachers, school
administrators, government, educational agencies, textbook writers and future
researchers. For instance, the findings of this study would help enhance the
knowledge of English language teacher in secondary schools in order to improve
students’ reading habits.
School
administrators and government educational agencies would also benefit from the
findings especially in the need to organize seminars or workshops for English
language teachers in secondary schools. It is hoped that the findings of this
study would give English language textbook writers ample opportunity to review
some aspects of their books towards improving the content so as to improve
their reading habits and thereby enhance students’ performance.
In
addition, curriculum planners would benefit from the findings which may call
for a review of English language curriculum. Also, the findings of the study
would be useful to future researchers who may be interested in carrying out
related studies on English language.
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