DEVELOPING READING INTEREST IN STUDENTS OF TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS: A CASE STUDY OF AKWA IBOM STATE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AFAHA NSIT

DEVELOPING READING INTEREST IN STUDENTS OF TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS: A CASE STUDY OF AKWA IBOM STATE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AFAHA NSIT

Abstract

This research work examines “Developing reading interest among students of the College of Education, Afaha Nsit” when studying especially at higher levels, a great deal of time is needed for reading. Academic reading in the college should not be seen as a passive activity, but an activity process that leads to the development of learning. Reading for learning requires a conscious effort to make a link, understand opinions, research and 0apply what you learned to your life. Learning to read as students of a higher institution usually results in the ability to read simple material relatively easily. As we develop our skills in reading, certain ideas and opinions will be easier for us and will be made to interact with an unknown person through written material or printed material.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1    Background to the study

When studying especially at higher levels, a great deal of time is spent on reading. Academic reading in College of Education Afaha Nsit should not be seen as a passive activity, but an active process that leads to the development of learning. Reading for learning requires or demands conscious effort to make links, understand opinions, research, and add what you learned to your studies.

Learning which starts or begins right from birth entails acquiring knowledge about various phenomena and understanding them. The more a person reads, the more he/she learns. Reading, which Orsanu (1986: p 17) defined as the art of interpreting printed and written words, is one of the most effective processes of conscious learning and sometimes, it influences the extent and accuracy of information as well as the attitude, morals, beliefs, judgment, and action of the readers. A creative and pragmatic education involves the habit of personal investigation. The art of personal investigation requires or demands self-study to be followed by self-thinking and analysis. Self-study, otherwise referred to as reading at one’s own accord demands or requires a habit, which according to Smith (1982: p. 137) is known as a reading habit.

Greene (2001: p. 2) “The reading habit is best formed at a young impressionable age in school but once formed it can last/one’s life. Reading makes way a better understanding of one’s own experiences and it can be an exciting voyage to self-discovery. Deavers (2000: p. 23, 267-267) states that to know about the world and its environment, a child helps himself through reading books. Once the child has been taught to read and he develops a love for books, he can explore for himself the wealth of human experiences and knowledge. Children missing the opportunity of getting in touch with books at this stage, find it hard to acquire reading habit in their later years. According to Fisher (2001: p. 48), reading is an intellectual activity which is possible only if a man has formed or developed a habit of reading and practicing it since childhood. “The reading habit, therefore, plays a very crucial role in enabling a person to achieve practical efficiency. “Law dies but books never”. Indeed, books are the most suitable medium through which knowledge is gained and transmitted from generation to generation. Gallo (2007: p. 2) enthused, that books yield best to you if you read them at the age at which each particular masterpiece can ideally be chewed and digested”.

There is little knowledge about the everyday reading practices of students of tertiary institutions and how these practices affect their academic achievements. Everyday reading consists of individuals reading or information. Previous researches have documented that, from middle childhood through adulthood, reading becomes a major component of studying, and through reading. The everyday reading activities, in which students engage in may, therefore, considerably influence their studying skills and subsequent academic performance. There is a general sense in which one appreciates the link between good habits of reading and the academic performance of students generally. Nigeria, like other African countries, adopts the English language as its official language of communication.

It has a great implication for the formation of good culture or habits among Nigerians, especially, the youths who have studied and learn in a second language and outside of their mother tongue.  Grellet (1996: p. 13.21-24) states that the term “Habit” has been defined as “something that you do often or regularly”. To developing the reading interest and habits among students, therefore require constant and continued practice on the part of the learner.

Guthrie, Benneth, and MC Gough, (2007: p. 125-135) state that, on its own part “Reading” is the act of getting meaning from printed or written words or materials, which is the basis for learning and one of the most important skills in everyday life. This explains why reading is usually associated with books as only the written words provide a complete picture of the act of reading. There is no doubt that through, the individual is able to build or fix things, enjoy stories, discover what others believe and develop ideas/beliefs of their own. Thus, reading provides the key to all forms of information necessary for our day to day survival and growth. Broadly, reading is linked closely with other uses of language and with thinking.

1.2    Statement of the problem

The importance of the reading skills of English has reached new heights in the present context of the globalized world. But the question is how far are the learners in Nigeria prepared for it? Students’ proficiency in reading English is very poor here. A large majority of students at the undergraduate level in our country would not want to buy English language textbooks prescribed in their syllabus because of their lack of acquired proficiency in reading skills in English.

They depend only on Bangle books while vast resources in the libraries being in the English language remain unutilized. As a result, in most cases, higher education in this country suffers miserably. It falls far below the international standard. This student does not do reading in school, they prefer memorizing things words from dictionaries sentences from various books, and rules of grammar from different grammar books. Reading component of English course in the country focuses on understanding word meaning and answering specific questions which students mostly get done by private tutors or at coaching centers. At no stage of the whole education system are students encouraged to process the information from the text by themselves through intellectual engagement, analysis, and interpretation of the text. Reading is not taught properly in specific methods. Teachers also do not have the necessary training for that.

Greenwood (1998: P.S) rightly points out that teachers fail to recognize the potentiality of reading and they neglect and/or ignore it in the classroom. According to him, the responsibility of this failure goes to the attitude first of the teacher and then of the students. The most acknowledged cause of failure of the students in effective reading is lack of vocabulary. Many students are inspired by friends or guided by teachers sometimes trying to read a book but soon they lose the eagerness and interest with which they started reading the text. In every paragraph, or even in every sentence or every phrase, they came across some new words, which create a constant barrier for them to understand the meaning.

Sometimes, they do not understand long sentences, and they miss the links between parts of the text. As a result, they lose their patience and interest in reading. Sometimes they may feel inspired to look up the words in the dictionaries, but checking the dictionary too many times prove boring, and at last, their enthusiasm for reading a text dies down. There are some other problems that discourage the students to continue reading a text. Most students fail to understand the syntax, especially when the sentence structures are long.

They also have problems with understanding text organization. Tamm (2001: 52-53) found out that students proficiency in almost all the sub-skills of reading is below average. It is against their back-drop of poor performance in activities that this research is undertaken.

1.3    Objectives of the study

The study would examine the recent development in the methodology for the teaching of reading skills and its implementation in the academic setting of Nigerians. It seeks to outline the problem that students face in developing reading interest. It would equally recommend measures to overcome the problem of the teaching of reading skills prevailing at the intermediates levels. The specific objectives of the study are to:

1.     Examine the problems students face during reading.

2.     Examine the recent development in reading pedagogy.

3.     Evaluate the reading component.

4.     Evaluate the pedagogy, materials, and tests recently in the      country

5.     Recommend measures to improve the present condition or situation in the country (Nigeria).

1.4    Significance of the study

There have been significant developments in the theories and practices of reading, in the world in the last three/four decades. It is important to examine those developments for insights that can help us bring about significant changes in reading pedagogy among Nigerians. Research in this field is very significant for Nigerians because the standard of education of the country depends on students’ reading proficiency in English. For meaningful education, it is very important to improve reading proficiency in English. It is equally important to reading skills or interest in Nigeria, to identify the problems and address those to improve overall situation in the interest of College of Education Afaha Nsit suffers set back because of students poor level of reading proficiency. To improve the situation in the college some measures must be taken to identify the problem address them and improve the condition. This study is an attempt to do so. Therefore, the study will be of great significance and interest for the country as a whole and students of the College of Education, Afaha Nsit in particular.

1.5    Scope of the study

                The scope of this study was limited to developing the reading interest in students of the College of Education, Afaha Nsit.

1.6    Research Questions

A.     To what extent specialized training in reading skills energize reading interest in students? This research question was formulated on the assumption that training in the skills of reading interest. Greenwood (1981: P. 5) claims that neglect of the potentials of reading skills creates room for a poor attitude to reading. The implication of this is that learners will not have interest in reading because of the teacher’s non-charlatans attitude towards reading.

B.     To what extent does the structure of words and sentences lengths influence student’s reading interest. This research question was formulated in the assumption that long words and sentences create a hindrance or barrier to understanding reading material. It makes students lose interest in reading.