An Evaluation of Students’ Practice of Using Reading Strategies in EFL Classes: The Case of Chagni General Secondary School Grade Ten in Focus

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate learners’ practices of using reading comprehension strategies. A descriptive case study design which consisted of quantitative and qualitative data was used. The participants of the study were selected from200 grade 10 students and English language teachers in Chagni General Secondary School. To this end, 60 students were selected through simple random sampling technique followed by lottery method for questionnaire and 4 English language teachers were also selected through purposive sampling technique for interview purpose. Three data gathering tools: questionnaire for students, classroom observation and semi-structured interview for teachers were used. Therefore, both quantitative and qualitative data analysis techniques were employed. As a result, the qualitative data was qualitatively analyzed to triangulate the quantitative data obtained through questionnaire. Thus, the result of the questionnaire, interviews and classroom observation showed that most students have negative attitude towards the reading strategy and strategy use. Moreover, most students were not using reading comprehension strategies in an EFL class when reading their instructional materials. The study concluded that there was a weakness of students in using reading comprehension strategies. It is also possible to conclude that most of the students were reading the instructional materials with no care of the strategies which were believed to maximize their text understanding. Moreover, lack of interest and awareness and lack of reading habit were among the major challenges to execute reading strategies in EFL classes. Lastly, the researcher suggested that the practice of reading strategies in EFL classes at Chagni General School needs continuous follow up.

DOI: 10.7176/JCSD/66-02

Publication date:August 31^st 2021