Teachers’ Variables and Reading Ability Among Pre-Primary School Pupils
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
At the national level the ability to read is important. To a nation’s social and economic advancement. While at the individual level, reading in the 21st century is an important gateway to personal development, social and civic life in the school setting reading is a powerful tool for academic success because it provides pupils with access to information and in the 21st-century information is power and without reading it is meaningless. In essence, reading is crucial to the growth of a nation, the success of individuals and academic achievement. This implies that the ability to read in the modern world tends to drive development in all aspects of life.
However, reading is not always popular among all people in developed countries such as the United State of America and in the African countries reading is generally not a popular example in Nigeria (Adeleye, 2008). In December 2010 the president of Nigeria, President Jonathan, called for the book to be brought back into the classroom and society, and he emphasized that reading should be given an important position in school and society if development is to be achieved and sustained. Research findings have shown that the majority of pupils seemed to struggle with reading. They read slowly and forcefully. They did not engage in any pleasure reading outside of their formal study requirement. In approaching a reading text, pupils may use reading strategies to help them understand the text. The use of reading strategies differentiates proficient readers from novice readers because proficient readers are more aware of their reading process by monitoring the process and applying strategies when facing comprehension problems.
Teachers’ Variables and Reading Ability Among Pre-Primary School Pupils
The teacher is the major manpower saddled with the responsibility of impacting the concept considered fundamental to human existence through teaching. The teacher is the pivot upon which the educational process revolves Sampson (2010) this is because the teacher is expected to have what the learners do not have and should be able to cause the learners under him or her to always desire to increase their want to what the teacher has until they are almost like the teacher. Based on the definition of teaching by Ekanem (2006) as simply the art of helping others learn effectively and Emah (2010) as a deliberate effort to impart knowledge before meaningful learning can take place. To Ekanem (2006) learning involves a permanent change in the behaviors of a person exposed to a learning situation. This change is usually in the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains.
Teachers’ Variables and Reading Ability Among Pre-Primary School Pupils
Education is globally regarded as a basic human right, a key to enlightenment, and a source of wealth and power (Mugenda, 2009). Education is critical to industrial and technological development, with the history of developed nations bearing records of this developing nations aspiring to realize the same status have to put a premium. UNESCO (1986) indicates that knowledge holds key to the attainment of the millennium development goals, which include, food, security, eradication of child mortality, and reduction of the spread of HIV and AIDs among others. Ani (2009) observes that there was a statistically significant relationship between teachers’ variables and pupils’ academic performance. Adeyemo (2007) notes teacher variables influenced teaching and learning in the classroom. Olaleye (2012) establishes that there was a relationship between teachers’ variables and pupils’ performance in social studies. Gacestock and Gregor (2008) state that the explanations for food or poor pupils’ performance have been quite exhaustive yet controversy still exists among scholars as to what contributes singly or jointly to pupils’ performance.
The teachers’ variables found to be dominant in cross-country studies are related to; qualification, work value, experience, attitude, teaching method, and personality among others. Akinsolu (2010) asserts that the availability of qualified teachers determined the performance of pupils in schools. Coonen (2007) emphasizes that teachers involved in in-service training were more effective in classrooms as compared to teachers who had not undergone training. Wirth and Perkins (2013) indicate that teachers’ attitude contributes significantly to pupils’ attention in the classroom whereas Adeseji and Olatundun (2003) illustrate that pupils’ attitude was related to teachers’ variables. This, therefore, meant that the teacher’s attitude directly affects the pupil’s attitude.
Teachers’ Variables and Reading Ability Among Pre-Primary School Pupils
Scholars and researchers generally are in agreement that the school variables which include teacher administration performs a more critical role in educational achievement than another variable (Patrick, 2008). The important role of the teachers in the learning process is unquestionable. Teachers have a lot of influence on their classroom practices. For pupils to be able to connect what is taught in school and its application in problem-solving in real life, the teacher has to be effective in their teaching.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Poor and inability of pre-school children to reading in Nigeria has been linked to poor teachers’ performance in terms of accomplishing the teaching task, negative attitudes to work, and poor teaching habits which have been attributed to poor motivation Ofoegbu (2011). It has been observed that conditions that would make for effective teachers such as resources available to teachers, general condition of infrastructure, as well as instructional materials in public pre-primary school, are poor (Oredein, 2009) these prevailing conditions would definitely show a negative influence on the instructional quality in public schools which may translate to poor academic performance, attitude and values of public primary school teachers.
1.3 Purpose of the Study
The general purpose of the study was to investigate teachers’ variables and reading ability among pre-primary school pupils in Oruk Anam Local Government Area
Teachers’ Variables and Reading Ability Among Pre-Primary School Pupils