Challenges Of Teaching And Learning Reading Skill In Efl Classes: The Case Of Grade 12 At Sokoru Preparatory School.

Abstract

The objective of the study was to investigate the challenges of teaching and learning of the reading skills in EFL class with particular reference to Grade 12 students at Sokoru Preparatory School. To achieve this purpose four objectives were developed. These objectives were, then reformulated in the form of research questions to guide the study. In order to answer the research questions, a descriptive research design having mixed research approach was employed by using both quantitative and qualitative methods. The populations of the study were grade 12 English teachers and students at Sokoru Preparatory School. In order to collect the necessary data for the study, both closed and open questionnaires, interviews, classroom observations, and textbook analysis had been employed as data gathering instruments. The data obtained from various sources were analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively so as to generate some findings. The findings of the study concerning teacher problems revealed that teachers were not encouraging the students to become active and efficient readers and participants in the classroom reading lesson. Teachers’ presentation of the reading lesson was not following the basic procedures needed for it. The findings also showed that the reading lesson was largely missing the uses of active teaching method for reading. The findings of the study concerning students’ problems showed that because of students’ poor language background, they were not interested in learning the reading skill properly. Besides because the reading lesson was poorly organized, students were not motivated to read both in classrooms, at the library and outside the school. In addition the findings of the study concerning the reading materials indicated that the languages and the activities included in the textbooks were beyond students’ capacity and these caused problems in students’ attitude to read effectively. Based on these findings, some conclusions were drawn and recommendations were also forwarded for concerned stakeholders.