Effects of Reading Modes on Students' English Reading Comprehension Proficiency among Secondary School Students in Kenya

Abstract

There has been a consistent decline in students' performance in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) in the English Language, as reported in the KNEC report of 2019. The KCSE results from 2015-2019 fell short of the mean of 50% nationally, mainly attributed to poor comprehension skills among learners. The main aim of reading is comprehension; students need to internalize what is being read and analyze it. Reading involves silent and loud reading modes. The study strived to determine the effects of reading modes on students' English reading comprehension proficiency among secondary school students in Kakamega County. The research objectives were; to find out the procedures teachers use in class to teach silent and loud reading, to compare students' achievement when taught by silent and loud reading, to identify the challenges faced when teaching using silent and loud reading, and, to examine the strategies to use for effective teaching of reading comprehension. The study used the schema theory by Bartlette. It was conducted in public secondary schools in Kakamega County on form three students as they have already been exposed to form one and form two English content, hence expected to have gained comprehension proficiency, and teachers of English are the curriculum implementers. The study population was 40702 form three students and 1811 teachers of English in Kakamega County. The study sample size was 380 students and 7 teachers, calculated using the Krejcie and Morgan table for sample size calculation. Random sampling was used to select the schools and students who participated in the study. Teachers were purposively sampled; one teacher per sampled school. Qualitative and quantitative approaches were used to adopt a mixed approach paradigm, specifically the convergent mixed methods research design, to find points of divergence and convergence in the data collected qualitatively and quantitatively. Data was collected using a comprehension test for students and questionnaires for the students and teachers. The data from the questionnaires was modeled and analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, and narration. The study found that learners taught using silent reading (M=5.689) had higher scores than those taught with loud reading (M=4.721). Results from the t-test indicated that silent reading resulted in higher comprehension scores compared to loud reading (t (378) = 3.605, p= 0.000177). The procedures teachers use in teaching comprehension include guiding the students by demonstrating expectations, providing class readers, allocating time for silent and loud reading, and giving comprehension questions. Teachers faced challenges when teaching reading comprehension: inadequate exposure to reading materials, differences in reading abilities and vocabulary, distractions, and lack of confidence due to inadequate mastery of content. Loud reading was the most commonly used strategy for teaching reading. However, a combination of silent and loud reading, technology and audio-visual materials can help improve students' reading comprehension proficiency. The study concluded that silent reading is more effective in developing students' comprehension skills than loud reading based on the results from the reading scores. Also, teachers should actively engage in both approaches to maximize the effectiveness of their instruction. This study has recommended using a combination of silent and loud reading modes, incorporating technology and audio visual materials, and providing reading materials while teaching reading.