Using_Story_Telling_to_Ehance_Pupils_Reading_in_Class

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION This chapter consists of the background of the study, statement of the problem purpose of the study, research questions and the significance of the study, delimitation, limitation and organization of the project. Background of the Study Reading forms an integral part of formal education. Therefore, the skills and knowledge of reading are very essential for pupils success in virtually all cores of school curriculum. It is clear that the ability to read English is highly crucial in educational achievement in all subjects. While it is important that children learn to read, it is equally important that they read voluntarily and appreciatively. The problem was particularly identified in Asafo Akim Methodist Primary three where the pupils could not pronounce or identify words during English reading lessons. Consequently, the researcher had series of discussion with the headteacher and came to the conclusion that there were some factors such as lack of teaching and learning material (TLM’s) in teaching reading, lack of motivation for the pupils during reading lessons and others which have contributed to their poor performance in reading. In view of the above factors, the researcher decided to help improve upon reading habit of pupils in Asafo Methodist Primary three. During the researcher’s class lesson undertaken at Asafo Akim Methodist Primary three. It was discovered that most of the pupils had serious difficulty with the use of phonic method of reading which deals with sound of the alphabets. Statement of the Problem The study focused on the method to help pupils of the school particularly Asafo Methodist Primary there class to overcome their inherent difficulties of reading that contribute to their poor academic performance. Purpose of the Study The purpose of this study is to go into the strategies which are connected with the use of stories in reading in order to help pupils of Asafo Methodist Primary three to: i. Improve upon the phonic aspect of reading so as to read fluently. ii. Acquire more vocabularies. iii. Use spoken language effectively. iv. Increase the interest of the pupils in reading. Research Questions The following research questions were formulated to shape the focus of the research. 1. What are the factors leading to poor reading habit among the pupils of Asafo Methodist Primary three' 2. What effect has poor reading had on the academic performances of the pupils in Asafo Methodist Primary three' 3. What techniques could be used to improve upon the present poor reading standard of the pupils' Significance of the Study The story will go a long way to help education authorities, teachers, parents, the researcher and other researchers to be equipped with information on the use of story-telling to improve upon reading habit of pupils in basic schools. To the education authorities, they will see the need to adopt strategies to curb the laziness of reading in schools to make their academic goals to be achieved. Teachers will also benefit from the result of the study. This is due to the fact that in as much as they read stories constantly, it will help improve their expression and fluency. The method of teaching reading highlighted by the researcher would help improve the techniques of teaching reading by classroom teachers, most especially teachers in basic school. Additionally, based on the outcome of the study, the researcher and other researchers would know and understand in details the causes and the effect of pupils inability to read and how best they can be managed. Moreover, other researchers can also use this particular study as a source of literature on reading in the country, Last but not least, parents would also benefit from the outcome of the study. This is because they would see the need to use stories to shape their children’s life. It could also inform them to buy story books for their wards as a means of encouragement for them to learn assiduously. Delimitations During the study, the researcher observed that there was peculiar problem of reading fluently in virtually all the classes. In view of this, the researcher would have wished to involve the whole class. However, the researcher restricted herself to primary three where it was very severe. The researcher chose the one class particularly because of the fact that she was assigned that particular class. Limitations The research would have been more satisfactory than this had it not been some factors that hindered the researcher. Such factors include inadequate time for the study, financial problems, the reluctance of the pupils identified for the research to avail themselves during the appointed day. Organization of the study This action research is divided into five chapters. The first chapter is the introduction which comprises the background of the study, statement of the problem , purpose of the study, research questions, significance of the study, delimitation, limitation as well as the organization of the study. In chapter two (2) the researcher reviewed relevant literature on the study. Chapter three (3) is the methodology which describes the various methods used by the researcher to collect data. Chapter four (4) also talks about the analysis of data. The last chapter, which is chapter five (5) focuses on the summary, conclusion and recommendation based on the outcome of the research. CHAPTER TWO REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE In this chapter the researcher discusses literature on the definition of reading, importance of the story-telling in reading and how effective it can be used in the classroom to stimulate and maintain pupils interest. The Concept of Reading According to the Advance Learners’ Dictionary, “reading is the act of looking and understanding the meaning of written and printed words or symbols”. Therefore, it is the written and printed books that are meaningful and understandable which pupils will love to read always. According to Herber (1970), “reading is a thinking process which includes decoding of symbols, interpreting the meanings of the symbols and applying the ideas derived from the symbols.” He says further that from the point of decoding, reading is simply a matter of associating symbols with sounds. To Durkin (1974), successful reading requires the recognition of written words and understanding of their meaning. Reading vocabulary therefore, refers to all the words a child recognizes and understands in their written forms. As such, to be able to read effectively, a child should be able to recognize and identify words, give meaning to these words and then pronounce them correctly, Ansubel (1986) restated that reading is learning to perceive the potential meaning of printed words in order to comprehend it. This is true because one cannot read any how and understand the potential meaning of what the writer is about. According to John Savage (1973) reading is the ability to interpret meaning of words so that the reader is not only connected with the mechanical details but with grasping ideas from groups of words that convey meaning. According to Wallace (1982), reading is the process of texting or sending a piece of message as a means of communication. Therefore, if one reads and understands what is being read, he or she can react to it or use it as a medium of communication. Teeny D. Johnson (1973) contend that reading is interpretation of printed or written words or symbols. To him, reading interprets the idea. That is, the reader must not read the words aloud but should react to it the same way as if the words have been spoken to him or her. The enthusiastic teacher knows that one of the ways to create interest in book is to read to children everyday. Children should hear many stories before they are expected to read. As they discover that books can produce enjoyment, they gradually develop a purpose for learning to read (Karlim, 1986: 326) .The lesson in the above is that children love stories, therefore, if awareness is created in them, it will go a long way to develop their desire in reading. Huss (1994) stressed that after reading or telling stories, the teacher through questions creates the opportunity for the children to relate what they have read to their own experience. Furthermore, Huss (1994) discussed the possibility of using stories to assist children to develop the scene that is described in the story. The message here is that, children can be encouraged through stories to do a type of reading which is essential for effective study is. This is because the above -mentioned follow-up activities can be accomplished only when pupils have attention to the details in the lesson and have remembered. Rid and Stuart (1998: xvii) require us to think well and use our imagination in reading. They are saying that a good short story is like a good poetry. It can be read quickly for immediate impression. What Rid and Stuart are saying is that a good story is so well constructed that one cannot read it once and stop there. There is the need to read it over to find out great values that are hidden in it. For the purpose of this study, the implication here is that the desire to read items more than one can be developed in children when they are made to discuss the story further through questions. For example “why does the writer say Mr. Y is clever'” All these help children to be attentive when reading stories. Story also has positive impact on reading. The rate at which story influence and improve reading on the part of the children is very enormous to the extent that it cannot be over emphasized. According to Oxford Learners’ Dictionary, story is an account of imaginary or real events. It is against this background that children are very serious to read story to find out the real event about the situation. According to Naomi Alderman (2008), story is an event which stimulates children interest. He further emphasized that story enables the children to be studious. This is due to the fact that, constant reading improves one’s level of understanding. According to Slice (1985), successful story requires the recognition of understanding of every statement. As such to be able to read story effectively, a child should be able to understand it well and interpret it correctly. Charles Cumming (1995), retreated that story is as a result of learning to perceive the essential meaning of an event. This is because one cannot recite story haphazardly and understand the essential meaning of printed symbols. So one needs to take time to recite story to be able to comprehend. This however, goes a long way to improve reading and understanding of the essential meaning of what the writer is about. Factors to Consider When Teaching English Reading When teaching reading there are a number of important factors to consider. First, teachers should find out if the pupils are fluent in their own language. Research shows that people with L1 literacy, regardless of the specific language are able to adapt more quickly to reading in L2, that is an official language. This implies that pupils with no literacy in their own language are at a disadvantage; they may delay their acquisition of an official language. Another important factor to consider when teaching is the age of the pupils. Most particularly, adults learning English need different learning materials and different teaching strategies as compared to children. Considering the age group will therefore help the teacher to select the right teaching and learning materials. Lastly, the environment one find’s him or herself is also an important factor. This is because the people that the child lives with may be ignorant about reading. The child will also therefore not be motivated to read and hence teaching such a child will be very difficult as compared with a child with literate parents. Causes of Reading Difficulties A lot of factors can cause reading difficulties. Firstly, prominent factor of reading difficulties is living in a family with poverty. This is as a result of the fact that it is very difficult for the concerned parents to buy reading books and learning aids for their wards to learn (Homreh, 1984). Secondly, attending a chronically low attaining schools also cause reading difficulties. This is so because schools with low standard do not teach pupils to read. It the believe that the use of poor instructional techniques result in this particular problem (Bell Vicars, 1993). According to False and Brains (1993), children who are unable to concentrate are likely to have troubles in learning to read and write. These pupils, as stated by Searcher and Gear (1989) are always seen to be impulsive, fidgeting and squirming. They can’t focus on a task neither do they maintain their attention. This accounts for their poor performance. These pupils are said to have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Bullock (D.E.S 1995:11-12) in his report stated that, some parents cannot read and this prevents them from reading to their wards at home after school. The pupils also do not have supplementary books to read after school. This can bring about difficulty in reading. Also if for instance printing is not legible or the picture does not match with the text in book it is likely to prevent pupils from reading. Importance of Reading Benedict (1996), points out that before anybody could become a man in any discipline of study the individual must have reading at the centre of his or her academic pursuits. Everything is printed in all disciplines, therefore one has to understand what is there in print. The student who is able to cultivate the art of reading with understanding is sure to succeed in his or her academic pursuit. Therefore, the object of reading is to get the meaning from the printed matter. According to Dungan (1997), reading broadens the students’ knowledge. That the student will be able to develop a high sense of cognitive thinking. By cultivating reading habits and deriving some pleasure from it there is nothing that can stop the children from reading constantly. According to May (1987) the goals of reading are wide-ranging. They include teaching children how to read” and “what to read”. Children should be taught to develop interest in reading so as to cultivate the love for reading. To him, reading is an important, useful and socially desirable activity. Therefore when children develop hatred towards reading, they are affected in their emotional maturity, social awareness, intellectual vigor, and their economic self-sufficiency. Ways of Improving Reading This part also reviews the literature on how to improve poor reading Agyei (1996) contends that there is the need to improve children reading habits early in life. This idea is always looked down by other writers. According to him, when one considers the virtue of reading, it would be of great importance for reading to be inculcated in children as a habit to enable them live up to the growing standard of the immediate community and the world at large. Gray (1998) also points out that the ability to read serve as: a. a tool for vocation b. an aid in meeting everyday needs. c. a pursuit for leisure time. d. a tool for citizenship. e. a source of spiritual refreshment f. an aid to enrichment of experience including personal development and experience. Tiffin agrees with Fly (1965) on the improvement of reading abilities in children. Notwithstanding, he focuses on the need for reading skills to be systematically taught in school in carefully built programmes. Langan (1988) and Udall- (1984) reiterate that there are nine steps of improving reading s which are essential. The steps are: 1. Understanding vocabulary in context. 2. Reorganizing main ideas 3. Understanding relationship (i) pattern organization 4. Understanding relationship (ii) transition 5. Distinguishing fact from opinion 6. Identifying key words and supporting details 7. Drawing inferences 8. Detecting basic propaganda 9. Evaluating arguments According to Langan, these nine steps develop effective reading and clear thinking in pupils. The nine steps he presents are widely recognized to be essential for literal and critical comprehension. Summary of Literature Review From the above submission by the various eminent authorities, it must be admitted that using story to improve the habit of reading is an essential aspect of learning. It is characterized by thinking process which includes symbols, interpreting the meaning of the symbols to communicate information that mean something to the reader. For the efficient reading, the reader needs to possess a very good identification and recognition skills which is very relevant to the study. These include context clues, phonic and structural analysis. The pupils’ ability to identify and pronounce unfamiliar words in the course of reading and writing story motivates and enriches competency in speaking. Story telling and reading rigorously can also be efficient if frequent practice is adhered to. CHAPTER THREE METHODOLOGY This chapter deals with description of the research design, the population and sampling technique, pre-intervention activities and post-intervention as well as data collection. Research Design The design used for the study was action research design. Action research is a kind of research which involves the identification of specifies problem and finding solutions to them. It can be explained as a plan which specifics the procedural outline for conduct of only investigation. Again, the researcher used this type of research because of the fact that it helps the teacher understands what exactly goes on in teaching and learning process. Moreover, it helps to provide the teacher with the opportunity of seeking better understanding of the practice he or she is embarking on. It also helps the researcher to be adequately equipped with virtually every information associated with the problem he or she evaluates. One disadvantage of the action research is that it is time consuming and hence demanding. This is due to the fact that the researcher findings will obtain single remedy to a particular problem. Sometimes, however, the application or remedy creates another problem. Population and Sampling Techniques Out of thirty-five (35) pupils in the class, fifteen (15) pupils were sampled for the research. In order to avoid being bias and unfair in the selection process for the study, the researcher wrote numbers on pieces of paper from one to the total population of the class. The researcher then mixed the paper and asked the pupils to pick them. All those who picked numbers from one to fifteen were selected for the study. Research Instruments During the researchers’ out segment programme at SDA Demonstration Junior High School, he carefully collected information from various sources of data. They were collected from the following: 1. Pupils’ reports and cumulative record. 2. Pupils exercise books. 3. Pupils reading books which contained a lot of short stories or passages. The instruments used to collect these information were, observation, interviews and questionnaire. Observation One of the instruments the researcher used to obtain his data was personal observation. The researcher observed the pupils of Demonstration J.H.S. The researcher observed class-room English reading lesson. The main concern of the researcher was the class teaching methodology. Teaching aids were used and the pupils’ participation in the reading was encouraging. After the researcher had obtained the above information, he selected the question in appendices A, B and C for the teacher, pupils and the parents respectively. This was done to obtain relevant information pertaining to the problem. Interviews Interview was also used to collect data for this study. Here, face- to-face interviews were conducted with pupils to find the main causes. It was realized that the English books were not given to pupils to be sent home to read. In view of this, the pupils found it difficulty to consolidate what they learn in school when they go home. Most of the pupils also attributed this to the fact that, their teachers had not made them enjoy the lesson since the teacher always relied on those who are seen to be the best among them. Additionally, their parents did not motivate them in buying story or reading books for them to read at home or any supplementary materials that could ginger them to read during their leisure time. Finally, only few parents especially mothers happened to stay with them and when they were interviewed almost all of them confirmed the situation. Questionnaire A set of information was obtained by the teacher. The questionnaire which consisted of set of ten items was designed to elicit information that pertained to the teachers. Broadly speaking, the following were the information to be obtained from the respondents. (a) The first two questions were aimed at finding out how researcher chooses stories for presentation and prepares the pupils for the actual lesson. (b) Questions three to five (3-5) would facilitate the researcher efforts to find out how the pupils were involved in lessons. (c) Questions 6 to 8 sought to find out information on the availability or unavailability of reading materials in the schools as far as stories are concerned. (d) Question 9-10 demanded answers on problems associated with story lessons. These included assessment problem and time allocation. Pre-Intervention The researcher made use of simple reading test at the pre-interventional stage. He derived a simple scoring criteria where any reading error committed in the reading would attract a half (1/2) mark deduction. The total marks to be earned were ten (10). At the end of the oral test, it was evident that the pupils had very serious problem in reading. Below is the reading test the researcher used to test the pupils reading ability. Once upon a time, Ananse and his family lived in a village. There was a long drought in the area and all the farms crops had died because there was no rain. Food was basically scarce and Ananse and his children had nothing to eat. One day, Ananse decided to go to the farm in search of food. When he got there, he found nothing to take home for his family Ananse had not eaten all the day and felt tired and hungry. He sat to rest and soon felt asleep. While he was sleeping, he had a dream. In the dream an old woman shouted at him ‘’hey, Ananse, what are you doing here'” I am looking for food for my family”, said Ananse. “My children are so hungry because they have not eaten for a couple of days. I cannot go home with nothing for them”. The pupils were asked to use three (3) minutes to read the passage. After the researcher had conducted the pre- interventional activity to confirm his observations, series of interventional activities were undertaken. The researcher eventually found out that the children can read fluently. Interventional Activities The researcher carried out an exercise on vocabulary. It was ten words used for dictation and it was relevant to the study. Here, the researcher asked the pupils to read as many stories as possible. Any pupil who was able to read more from different books was then considered the champion of the week. This was achieved when pupils were asked to describe the number of books they had read, their titles, number of pages, the author and others to indicate that they have really read a lot of story books. As we are aware, knowledge and wisdom can never be found in one head. So, the researcher selected a resource person to arouse the interest of pupils in reading. He was from District Education Office and he was told to narrate the story in both dialects, using cut pictures. As the guest was narrating the story, the series of picture were pasted on chalkboard to give the real meaning of the lesson. After the resource person had finished the story, there was re-reading of the story by pupils using pictures. This was done to test the pupils understanding and how they could re-collect the vocabulary in the story. The researcher then asked the pupils to write it into their exercise books. It was marked over ten. In order to curb the pupils lack of interest in reading, the researcher used “ read and win” techniques. The pupils were asked to read story books to the hearing of the whole class. Any one who was able to narrate the story won a ‘calendar pen’ and story book. The researcher treated the key words in the passage with the pupils by using syllabic way of pronouncing words phonetically. For example: Hungry ….. hun ……gry (hvngri) Decide …. De….. ci ….de (di’said) Family …. Fa ….mi …ly (f’mili) Because …..be … ca ….use (bi ‘ koz) Woman …..…. man (wumen) Post-Interventional Activities The researcher used two weeks to observe the pupils reading attitudes. The researcher then found some means to help improve reading by asking the pupils to read one after the other. By asking them to read line by line. It was observed that the performance had improved tremendously. It was also observed that the weaker pupils among them were able to read well. The researcher’s headteacher as well as the class-teacher noticed improvement in the pupils’ performances in reading. The headteacher in particular was so happy to see improvement in pupils reading especially the weakest ones among them. Finally, the pupils were made to read the passage again with an observation by both headteacher and class- teacher. They read the passage to the hearing of the whole class and they all agreed that there had been improvement in pupils’ reading skills. CHAPTER FOUR RESULTS, FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION This chapter gives a brief description of the data collected from the various instruments used for the research work. The table below shows the scores obtained by pupils in the pre-test together with percentage values in relation to the total marks of twenty (20) Table 1 The Scores Obtained by the Pupils in the Pre-Test Scores (x) Frequency (f) Percentage (%) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 total 4 3 6 4 6 4 6 2 35 11.4 9 I7 11.4 17 11.4 17 6 100 These figures indicate that the pupils’ performances are below average. From the above table, it is clearly seen that 35 pupils’ took the test on vocabulary which was administered through dictation. According to the table, nobody scored zero (o). The number of pupils, who scored 8 marks representing 6%, was two (2) and it was the least number according to the table. Also, 6 pupils representing 17% scored 3 marks, 4 pupils representing 11.4% scored 6 marks and lastly, 4 pupils representing 11.4% scored 6 marks. Table 2 The Scores Obtained After the Post-Test 1 Scores (x) Frequency (f) Percentage (%) 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 total 1 2 2 2 4 4 5 9 6 35 3 6 6 6 11 11 14 26 17 100 From the above table, it is realized that after the post- test had been conducted, the data collected showed that only one (1) pupil representing 3% scored below the pass mark of ten (10). Four pupils also representing 11% got 10 marks. Also five pupils representing 14% obtained 4 marks, six (6) of the pupils representing 17% scored 18 marks. The table above indicates that some of the students performance had been improved whilst others are below average. Table three (3) and four (4) show the scores obtained by the pupils about the use of stories to help them in reading fluently in the pre-test before and after the interventional activities. The table showing pupils score, frequency and percentages in the pre-test of reading is presented below. Table 3 The scores obtained by the pupils after post test 2 Scores (x) Frequency (f) Percentage (%) 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 total 4 3 4 6 6 5 2 3 2 35 11 9 11 17 17 14 6 9 6 100 It is seen from table 3 above that seventeen (17) pupils had marks below the pass mark of (10) during the pre-test. Three pupils representing 9% obtained 4 marks, 6 pupils representing 17% scored 8 marks. Then also, four (4) pupils representing 11% had 8 marks. Six (6) pupils representing 17% got 10 marks. In addition, 5 pupils according to the table above representing 14% scored 12 marks. Lastly, 3 pupils representing 9% scored 16 marks. The table indicates that some of the student are consistent in their performance whilst others are not consistent in their performance. Table 4 The scores obtained by the pupils’ after post-test 3 Scores (x) Frequency (f) Percentage (%) 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 total O 1 4 6 6 8 5 5 35 0 3 11 17 17 23 14 14 100 The above table shows the marks scored by the pupils after the post-test. It could be seen that, nobody scored 2 marks or below. One pupil scored 4 marks which represents 3%. Six pupils got pass marks of 10 out of the total mark of 17%. Also, eight (8) pupils, making 23% obtained 12 marks and 5 pupils representing 14% scored 16 mark. Comparing the two tables above, it is clearly seen that, there has been a tremendous and positive change in the pupils reading competency. CHAPTER FIVE SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION This chapter discusses briefly, the summary, conclusions and recommendations of the study which set out to know the benefits of using story telling to improve reading activities as an intervention in helping pupils to become interested in reading. Summary The researcher’s knowledge of the implication and consequences of pupils inability to read on their own academic performance as against the strutted nature of teaching and learning processes in schools under the regulation of the Ghana Education Service (G.E.S.) urged him to explore to find out the causes of pupils behaviour towards reading, so that the necessary measure could be adopted to minimize the situation. Some few causes are clearly stated in chapter two of this work, In spite of the few causes stated in chapter two, the researcher decided to find out from the pupils themselves, the main reasons why they find it very difficult to read simple words and sentences correctly. The following emerged as the major factors leading to poor pupil’s performance in reading. 1. The English books were not given to the pupils to be sent home to read in leisure time. 2. Teachers also do not involve the pupils in reading lesson since the best ones among them were often given the chance to read. 3. Parents also do not motivate pupils as they refuse to buy them story books and other reading materials to read at home. Conclusion With reference to table one (1) which gives a clear reflection as to the extent to which the pupils reading habit had improved after the interventional activity. It is clear that the strategies adopted by the researcher were very successful. The researcher wishes to conclude that, this particular research work will encourage and improve the teaching and learning of reading using story-telling since it is one of the best approach so far. The researcher concludes that, teachers should therefore adopt this method when teaching in order to guide pupils maintain their interest when teaching reading. This will help pupils to love and enjoy reading themselves without any help in order to improve their fluency and also acquire enough vocabulary. Recommendations On the basis of the findings, the following recommendations have been made. 1) Story-telling should be fixed on the school time table. 2) There should be enough story books in the school library. 3) Class teachers should base the teaching of reading on stories. 4) In case teaching materials in the school are not enough, the head- teacher should team up with the School Management Committee (S.M.C) and the Parent Teacher Association to mobilize funds to purchase sufficient relevant materials for teachers and pupils to use for reading stories or passages. 5) Teachers should guide pupils to compete in reading in class to enhance their skills. 6) Teachers should at times invite resource persons in the school locality to narrate stories to the pupils.