COMPLETE SCHOOL PROJECT TOPICS & MATERIALS :
CHAPTERS: Chapter 1-5
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READING HABITS OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEXTBOOKS AMONG JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN EDO STATE.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Reading is one of the foundations of academic performance particularly in the English Language, which is one of the core subjects as well as the medium of instruction in schools in Nigeria. It is crucial that reading of English textbooks can be highly developed in Nigeria on the basis of multilingualism and the correspondence of reading abilities with comprehension, vocabulary and literacy in general to facilitate learning in the curriculum. Nevertheless, there has been a continuous decrease in the reading culture of Nigerian students especially in the state secondary schools, a factor that has led to the deterioration of academic performance and low language competence.
Empirical research records continually record poor reading habits amongst junior secondary school (JSS) students. Babalola (2020) studied the Ekiti State and discovered that the majority of JSS students did not read very often. A substantial number of them (44.5) have seldom or never read out of the assignments and 86.5 are spending less than two hours a day reading. The students were mainly non-readers when they were about to take examinations or given assignments and had low intrinsic motivation and preferred non-academic activities. Failure by teachers to demonstrate good reading behaviour also made the situation worse.
In the Ondo State, Tunde-Awe and Ogunyemi (2020) evaluated the readability of an English textbook (Macmillan Brilliant English Student Book 3) required to be used by JSS 3 students and the connexion between readability and reading comprehension performance. Despite the textbook being at the level of readability among the students, most of them were at the frustration level in cloze tests. The urban students performed much better than the rural students and this situation points to the effects of the place of school and access to favourable learning environments in influencing reading participation.
The same problems are witnessed in Edo State. Research on the secondary school learners in Oredo Local Government Area reveals that the available library facilities in the state schools are mostly poor, outdated and underused. They spend most of their time watching TV, using social media, or surfing the internet instead of reading subject-related texts to be able to study them. The views of reading as exhausting or uninspiring also dishearten the participation. Although most of these studies involved senior secondary students, the associated problems of the lack of resources, exam-focused reading, and the inadequacy of infrastructure directly relate to the JSS levels in the state-based schools in Edo State.
The Edo State public schools which accommodates most of the students are faced with overpopulated classes, inadequate funding on textbooks and libraries and the use of old or inadequate materials in English language. Such conditions make it difficult to develop the practises of voluntary and extensive reading in the crucial JSS stage when the basic skills of English literacy are to be reinforced.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Although reading English language textbooks is recognised as an important process, JSS students at the public schools in Edo State have weak reading habits. Most of them read randomly, usually with examination preparation in mind and end up with a level of frustration understanding with level reading. The lack of library resources, competing digital distractions, and lack of access to materials of interest are identified as major contributors of the lack of interest in reading by the local evidence of Ikpoba-Okha and Oredo.
The habits result in poor performance in English and other subjects, poor language mastery, increased failure in exams, and the entrenchment of the wider poor reading culture in Nigeria. Although similar studies have been conducted in Ekiti, Ondo, and certain regions of Edo State, the reading patterns of the English language text books among the JSS students in the Edo State government schools have a gap in the focused research of the study area. This paper bridges that gap.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
The main objective of this study is to examine the reading habits of English language textbooks among Junior Secondary School students in public schools in Edo State, Nigeria.
The specific objectives are to:
- Determine the frequency and duration of reading English language textbooks among JSS students in public schools in Edo State.
- Identify the predominant purposes for which JSS students read English language textbooks (e.g., examination preparation, comprehension, or leisure).
- Assess the extent to which school-based factors (library resources, teacher attitudes, and textbook availability) influence students’ reading habits.
- Identify the major challenges and barriers to developing positive reading habits of English textbooks among these students.
- Examine how demographic variables (such as gender and school location—urban/rural) affect reading habits of English language textbooks.
1.4 Research Questions
The following research questions will guide the study:
- What is the frequency and duration of reading English language textbooks among JSS students in public schools in Edo State?
- What are the predominant purposes for which JSS students read English language textbooks?
- To what extent do school-based factors influence students’ reading habits of English textbooks?
- What are the major challenges and barriers to positive reading habits of English textbooks among JSS students in public schools in Edo State?
- How do gender and school location affect reading habits of English language textbooks among these students?
1.5 Significance of the Study
The study will provide useful information to the Edo State Ministry of Education, administration of schools, teachers, and parents. The results can be used to make changes like enhancing the school libraries, training teachers in reading promotion techniques, and reforming policies in order to promote extensive reading. It will help improve the level of literacy, English proficiency and academic achievement in the JSS that are public. The study will also be a contribution to the reading culture literature in South-South Nigeria.
1.6 Scope of the Study
The target student groups in the study are JSS 1-3 pupils in government secondary schools in the Edo State and study is restricted to the reading habits of these pupils in their use of English language textbooks that are recommended. It represents the three senatorial districts (Edo Central, Edo North and Edo South) of the schools that are selected. No mention is made of the case of senior secondary students and other private schools.
1.7 Definition of Terms
- Reading Habits: The frequency, duration, purposes, and attitudes with which students engage with English language textbooks for academic or other purposes.
- English Language Textbooks: Approved curriculum materials (e.g., Macmillan Brilliant English or equivalent) used for teaching English Language in JSS classes in Nigerian public schools.
- Junior Secondary School (JSS) Students: Learners in JSS 1–3 (typically aged 10–14) under Nigeria’s 6-3-3-4 system.
- Public Schools: Government-owned and funded secondary schools in Edo State.
- Edo State: A state in Nigeria’s South-South geopolitical zone, the geographical focus of the study.
References
Babalola, J. O. (2020). Evaluating reading habit among junior secondary school students in Ekiti State, Nigeria. International Journal of Education and Evaluation, 6(1), 1-8. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1249907.pdf
Otache, I. (n.d.). Poor reading culture in Nigeria: The way forward. African Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Research. https://abjournals.org/ajsshr/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/journal/published_paper/volume-3/issue-4/AJSSHR_Z4AAQWTN.pdf
Tunde-Awe, B. M., & Ogunyemi, K. O. (2020). English textbook’s readability and junior secondary school students’ performance in reading comprehension in Ondo State, Nigeria. African Journal of Advanced Research, 1(1).