The effects of an intervention strategy on the reading comprehension of primary 4 learners in rural Nigeria

Abstract

The performance of learners in rural schools in Nigeria revealed that reading achievement in rural schools is very low. Previous research revealed that problems of mass failure in various school subjects are indications of rural learners’ low reading comprehension difficulties encountered when they read. The ways and manners language skills were taught, especially reading and reading comprehension skills, did not create opportunity for learners to have the desired competence in reading. The traditional methods of teaching reading did not support the learners to achieve the instructional objectives because the learners failed to demonstrate a reasonable understanding of the content they read. This study focused on improving the reading and reading comprehension abilities of Primary 4 learners in rural Nigeria. The study aimed to test the effect of the read-aloud intervention strategy on the reading comprehension of Primary 4 learners in rural Nigeria. In addition, this study examined the differences in Primary 4 learners’ reading and comprehension abilities when either the read-aloud intervention strategy or the explicit direct instruction (EDI) programme were used during reading lessons. A reading pre-test and a reading post-test were conducted using non-randomised groups of Primary 4 learners. Qualitative data were collected to strengthen the quantitative data and triangulation was used to verify information. Sixty-four learners from two selected schools in the Ovia North East Local Government, Edo State were identified. They formed four groups consisting of two control groups and two experimental groups in each school. Six Primary 4 teachers were selected for the study. Two were used for pilot study while the other four were used for the main research in the two schools. The control group received Explicit Direct Instruction (EDI) and the experimental group received Read-aloud intervention for six weeks. In order to provide answers to the research questions of this study, reading performance tests were administered at the pre-test and post-test levels of the research. These instruments were complemented with data from the classroom observation, teachers’ interviews and questionnaires. At the end of the intervention period, a post test using the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) reading text was conducted with all the learners in both the experimental and control groups. Text scores were interpreted and analyzed using the t-test Wilcoxon and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Findings revealed that the read-aloud strategy greatly improved Primary 4 learners’ reading abilities. The following recommendation were made: All stake holders in education should be given opportunities to contribute their opinions on how school time tables and reading plans should be structured to ensure that all areas of reading and reading comprehension are provided for. The ministries of education at all levels should collaborate on how to provide adequate funding to the education sector. There is a need for regular in service training programmes for teachers at all levels of primary school education. The training should incorporate different strategies of teaching reading to address the reading needs of learners.

Die prestasie van leerders in landelike skole in Nigerië het getoon dat die leesprestasie in landelike skole baie laag is. Vorige navorsing het gewys dat die probleem van die massadruipsyfer in verskeie skoolvakke ʼn aanduiding is van landelike leerders se beperkte leesbegrip en die leesprobleme wat hulle ervaar. Die manier waarop taalvaardighede , veral lees en leesbegrip, onderrig is, het nie vir leerders die geleentheid geskep om die verlangde leesvaardighede te ontwikkel nie. Die tradisionele leesonderrigmetodes het nie die leerders ondersteun om die onderrigdoelwitte te bereik nie, aangesien die leerders nie ʼn redelike begrip van die inhoud wat hulle lees kon demonstreer nie. Hierdie studie was daarop gerig om die lees- en leesbegripvermoëns van Primêr 4-leerders in landelike Nigerië te verbeter, en om die uitwerking van ʼn hardoplees/luidlees-ingrypingstrategie op die leesbegrip van hierdie leerders te toets. Daarbenewens het hierdie studie die verskille ondersoek in Primêr 4-leerders se lees- en begripvermoë wanneer óf die luidleesstrategie, óf die eksplisiete direkte onderrigprogram (EDO-program, of Engels: explicit direct instruction/EDI programme) tydens leeslesse aangewend word. ʼn Voor- en ná-leestoets is uitgevoer op nie-verewekansigde groepe Primêr 4-leerders. Kwalitatiewe data is versamel om die kwantitatiewe data te ondersteun, en triangulasie is gebruik om die inligting te verifieer. Vier-en-sestig leerders uit twee geselekteerde skole onder die Ovia Noordoos Plaaslike Regering, in die staat Edo, is geïdentifiseer. Hulle het vier groepe gevorm, bestaande uit twee kontrolegroepe en twee eksperimentele groepe in elke skool. Ses Primêr 4-onderwysers is vir die studie geselekteer. Twee is vir die proefstudie gebruik, terwyl die ander vier vir die hoofnavorsing in die twee skole gebruik is. Oor ʼn tydperk van ses weke het die kontrolegroep EDO ontvang en die eksperimentele groep is aan ʼn luidleesingryping onderwerp. Om antwoorde op die studie se navorsingsvrae te kry, is leesprestasietoetse op die vóórtoets- en nátoetsvlakke van die navorsing gedoen. Hierdie instrumente is aangevul met data voortspruitend uit klaskamerwaarneming, onderhoude met die onderwysers en vraelyste. Aan die einde van die ingrypingsperiode is ‘n nátoets met behulp van die Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) se leesteks aan al die leerders in sowel die eksperimentele en kontrolegroepe gegee. Die toetsuitslae is geïnterpreteer en aan die hand van die Wilcoxon t-toets en Variansieonleding (ANOVA) ontleed. Die bevindinge het getoon dat die hardopleesstrategie die Primêr 4-leerders se leesvermoëns aansienlik verbeter het. Die volgende aanbevelings is gemaak: Geleenthede moet aan alle belanghebbendes in die onderwys gebied word om hul opinies te lug oor hoe skoolroosters en leesplanne gestruktureer moet wees om vir al die areas van lees en leesbegrip voorsiening te maak. Die ministeries van onderwys op alle vlakke moet saamwerk oor hoe om voldoende befondsing vir die onderwyssektor te verskaf. Daar is ‘n sbehoefte aan gereelde indiensopleidingsprogramme vir onderwysers op alle vlakke van laerskoolonderrig. Die opleiding moet verskillende strategieë om lees te onderrig insluit, om in die leesbehoeftes van leerders te voorsien. Sleutelwoorde: Lees en leesbegrip, leesprobleme, leesstrategie, ingryping/intervensie, luidlees/hardopleesingryping, Eksplisiete Direkte Onderrig/EDO (Explicit Direct Instruction/EDI), Primêr 4-leerders, laerskole, landelike gebiede.

Go soma ga baithuti ka dikolong tsa dinagamagaeng ka Nigeria go utollotse gore phihlelelo ya bona ya mabapi le go bala ka dikolong tsa dinagamagaeng e fase kudu. Dinyakisiso tse di fetilego di utollotse gore mathata a go palelwa ka bontsi ga baithuti ka dithutong tsa sekolo tsa mehutahuta ke taetso ya gore baithuti ba ka dinagamagaeng ba na le kelo ya fase ya go bala ka kwesiso le mathata ao ba kopanago le ona ge ba bala. Ka fao mabokgoni a polelo a rutwago ka gona, kudukudu go bala le mabokgoni a go bala ka kwesiso, ga se gwa fa baithuti dibaka tsa gore ba be le bokgoni bjo bo nyakegago bja go bala. Mekgwa ya kgale ya go ruta baithuti go bala ga se ya thusa baithuti go fihlelela maikemisetso a thuto ka gobane baithuti ba paletswe ke go laetsa kwesiso ye e kwagalago ya sengwalwa seo ba balago ka sona. Dinyakisiso tse di nepisitse kudu go kaonafatsa bokgoni bja go bala le bja go bala ka kwesiso go baithuti ba Mphato wa 4 ba ka sekolong sa Phoraemari ka dinagamagaeng tsa ka Nigeria le go leaka seabe sa leano la tsenogare la go balela godimo mabapi le go bala ka kwesiso ga baithuti ba. Godimo ga fao, dinyakisiso tse di lekotse diphapano tsa mabapi le go bala le go bala ka kwesiso ka go baithuti ba Mphato wa 4 ba ka sekolong sa Phoraemari ge go somiswa leano la tsenogare ya go balela godimo goba lenaneo la go ruta thwii (EDI) ka nakong ya dithuto tsa go bala. Teko ya peleng le ya ka morago ya mabapi le go bala di dirilwe ka go somisa dihlopha tseo di sego tsa sewelo tsa baithuti ba mphato wa 4 ba dikolo tsa Phoraemari. Tshedimoso ya boleng e kgobokeditswe ka nepo ya go maatlafatsa tshedimoso ya boleng gomme tlhakano ya mekgwa ya dinyakisiso e somisitswe ka nepo ya go tiisetsa tshedimoso. Baithuti ba masometshelanne go tswa dikolong tse pedi tse di kgethilwego ka Mmusong wa Selegae wa Leboa Bohlabela bja Ovia, le ka Mmusong wa Edo ba hlathilwe. Ba ile ba hlama dihlopha tse nne tseo di bopilwego ke dihlopha tsa taolo tse pedi le dihlopha tse pedi tsa tekolo ka sekolong se sengwe le se sengwe. Barutisi ba dikolo tsa Phoraemari ba Mphato wa 4 ba ile ba kgethwa go kgatha tema ka dinyakisisong. Ba babedi ba ile ba somiswa ka dinyakisisong tsa teko ya kgonagalo mola ba bangwe ba bane ba ile ba somiswa ka go dinyakisiso tse kgolo ka dikolong tse pedi. Sehlopha sa taolo se amogetse thuto ya EDI mola sehlopha sa tekodisiso sona se amogetse tsenogare ya go balela godimo mo dibekeng tse tshela. Go fana ka dikarabo go dipotsiso tsa dinyakisiso, go ile gwa dirwa diteko tsa mabapi le go bala ka kwesiso ka maemong a dinyakisiso a teko ya peleng le teko ya ka morago ga go bala. Ditlabelo tse di ile tsa thuswa ke tshedimoso go tswa ka tekodisisong ya ka phaposing ya thuto, ka dipoledisanong le barutisi le ka go dipotsiso tsa dinyakisiso. Mafelelong a nako ya tsenogare, teko ya ka morago ga go bala e dirilwe go somiswa sengwalwa sa go bala sa Khomisene ya Thuto ya Motheo ya Mang le Mang (UBEC) fao e lego gore baithuti ka moka ka go bobedi dihlopha tsa tekodisiso le tsa taolo ba a somiswa. Dintlha ka ga go bala sengwalwa se di ile tsa hlathollwa ka go somisa mokgwa wa t-test Wilcoxon le wa Tshekatsheko ya Phapano (ANOVA). Dikutollo di utollotse gore leano la go balela godimo le kaonafaditse bokgoni bja go bala bja baithuti ba Mphato wa 4 ba dikolo tsa Phoraemari. Ditshisinyo tse di latelago di dirilwe: Bakgathatema ka moka ba ka thutong ba swanetse go fiwa dibaka tsa go fana ka maikutlo a bona mabapi le ka fao dinako tsa dikolong le maano a go bala a swanetsego go beakanywa ka gona ka nepo ya go thusa makala ka moka a go bala le a go bala la kwesiso. Dikgoro tsa thuto ka magatong ka moka di swanetse go dirisana mabapi le ka fao di ka fanago ka thekgo ya ditshelete ye e lekanego go lefapha la thuto. Go na le tlhokego ya mananeo a kgafetsakgafetsa a go ruta baithuti ka magatong ka moka a thuto ya dikolo tsa phoraemari. Tlhahlo ye e swanetse go akaretsa maano ao a fapafapanego a go ruta go bala ka nepo ya go rarolla dinyakwa tsa baithuti tsa go bala.