The Potential of Non-Textbook Reading Materials in the Improvement of Reading Skills in Secondary Schools in Jigawa State, Nigeria

ABSTRACT 

This academic research was carried out to assess the potential of non- textbook reading materials in the improvement of reading skills among learners in secondary schools in Jigawa state of Nigeria. Specifically, the study investigated the extent of teachers’ using non-textbook reading materials (i.e. Newspapers and Magazines) for improving reading skills in Jigawa State, Nigeria; the role of non-text book reading materials in the improvement of the learners’ reading skills in secondary schools in Jigawa State, Nigeria, as well as the challenges of using and not using the non-text book reading materials by teachers during instruction. The data were collected using researcher made questionnaires and oral interviews which were administered to 19 teachers and 80 students from ten secondary schools. The findings were that the majority of the teachers, 53% were not using them. Only 21% of the teachers were using them more than once in a month. The reasons advanced for not using them included among others, the teachers’ desire to finish the syllabus since it is wide, as well as the contents in the newspapers not being examinable in the national examinations. For the role of non-text book materials, it was reported that indeed they play a positive role in improving reading skills and because of that, the learners are urged to read them on their own outside class. As for the challenges of teachers’ using and not using non textbook reading materials, the respondents said that by using them some students loose truck of what they are taught, some schools find it hard to access and to afford them. On the other hand, not using them makes education bc perceived as merely a means of passing examinations to join another level, which is not true. It was recommended that teachers should integrate non teaching materials in the teaching-learning process.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION A j

DECLARATION B ii

DEDICATION iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS v

ABSTRACT ix

CHAPTER ONE 1

INTRODUCTION 1

1.0 Introduction 1

1.1 Background of the study 1

1. 1. 1 Historical perspective 3

1.1.2 Theoretical perspective 5

1.1.2.1 Schema theory 5

1.1.2.2 Metacognition 5

1.1.3 Conceptual perspective 5

1. 1.4 Contextual perspective 7

1.2 Statement of the problem 8

1.3 Purpose of the study 8

1.4 Research objectives 8

1.5 Research questions 9

1.6 Research hypothesis 9

1.7 Scope .9

1.7.1 Geographical scope .9

1.7.2 Content scope 9

1.8 Significance of the study 10

CHAPTER TWO 11

LITERATURE REVIEW 11

2.0 Introduction 11

2. 1 Theoretical review 11

2.1.1 Schema theory 11

2.1.2 Content and formal schemata 14

2.1.3 Metacognition 14

2.2 conceptual frame work 17

2.3 Related literature 19

2.3.1 Non-textbook reading materials 19

2.3.2 READING SKILLS 22

Adequate material in the functional school library 25

2.4 Summary of the Gap 26

CHAPTER THREE 27

METHODOLOGY OF RESEARCH 27

3.0 Introductions 27

3.1 Research Design 27

3.2 Sampling Procedure 27

3.2.1 Research population 27

3.2.2. Sample size .27

3.3 Data collection 29

3.4 validity and reliability of the instrument 29

3.5 data gathering procedure 29

3.6 Data analysis 30

3.7 Ethical considerations 30

3.8 Limitation of the study 30

CHAPTER FOUR 31

PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA 31

4.1 Introduction 31

4.2 Presentation And Discussion Of Profile Of The Respondents 31

4.12 Objective one: to investigate the role of non-text book reading materials in the improvement of reading skills 33

4. 13 Objective two: to determine the extent of Teachers’ use of non-textbook reading materials in the schools under investigation 36

4.14 Objective three: to assess the Challenges of using and not using non-textbook reading materials in the secondary schools 38

CHAPTER FIVE 40

DISCUSSION OF FINDING, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ..40

5.0 INTRODUCTION 40

5.1 DISCUSSION OF THE FINDINGS 40

5.2 CONCLUSION 41

5.3 RECOMMENDATIONS 41

References.43

APPENDICES 47

APPENDIX B: QUESTIONNAIRE 47