CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background tothe Study
Reading comprehension is an important aspect of communication and language
development skills. It is a good means of acquiring knowledge information through
written English text materials. For any effective communication in English, there must be
mutual interaction between students and the reading texts by negotiating meaning and
understanding of the text/passage. This activity requires a good thinking process and
interaction between the reader and the text. By reading comprehension levels, this study
means comprehending reading at literal, inferential, interpretative and critical evaluation
sub-skills.
Readers find themselves able to communicate easily with other people and
greater minds that are not within the immediate environment. This exposure happens to
enrich students’ imagination and develops their intellectual growth rapidly. According
to Alderson (1984), reading comprehension is defined as the ability to know what is
being communicated through printed marks and to use the idea found therein. This has
to do with using ideas or information given by the author in the text which the reader
processes based on his experiential knowledge as well as the idea the author possessed
(schemata). Impliedly, comprehension of any given text depends on the standard of the
reader and the readability of the text.
Literature, on the other hand, is a form or an act of expression which concerns itself
with not just what is expressed, but also the manner of its expression. Therefore, literature
places emphasis on the aesthetic or elegance of expressions. Being one of the art subjects
studied at secondary school level, literature in English is divided into genres such as prose,
poetry and drama. Generally, these genres are imaginative; they are creative works
imitating true life events. National Teachers Institute (N.T.I. 2007) states that literature
provides the readerwith a reasonable stimulus for objective critical thinking (NTI 2007 98-
9). Ishola (1995) also views literature as a body of writing that shows excellence of
expressions. This study on the relationship between Literature in English and reading
comprehension is a response to the present reading deficiencies manifest among secondary
school students in Kano State. The basic problem is the students’ inability to read very well
so as to comprehend the text material. This study wants to see whether exposure to copious
8
literature in English studies significantly improves students reading-comprehension.
Students in Kano State also portray a negative attitude to reading habit (KERD
2006). Lack of specific and effective reading lessons might have contributed to the poor
reading culture among students. This study is motivated by this trend in reading. The
inspiration is borne out of the need to find out the relationship between literature in English
on the different components of reading comprehension. To see if the relationship could be
beneficial to the second language (L2) learner in relation to competency and capacity to
comprehend variable texts as reflected in literal, inferential, interpretative and critical levels.
Again, besides Federal Government colleges, private schools and colleges, only a
few public schools in Kano State teach literature as a subject.These Schools include:Army
Day Secondary School (A.D.S.S). Janguza (Boys), Army Day Secondary School
(A.D.S.S). Bukavu (Girls), Government Secondary School (G.G.S.S). Kura, and
Government Secondary School (G.S.S). Rano. At junior level, the schools include:
Government Secondary School Stadium, (G. S.S). Government Girls Secondary School
(G.S.S) Gwale and Government Commercial Secondary College (G.C.S.C) Airport Road
offer literature as a course of study (K.E.R.D, 2009). In effect, both teachers and students
tend to see literature as an advanced language learning that requires special talent.
The mass failure of senior secondary school leavers continues to soar. Public
concern continues to build up on the state of Nigeria academic fortunes against the
backdrop of the pursuit of excellence in human capital development. This means that a
study like this must inspire and enhance reading performance of secondary school students.
According to the NECO 2009 SSCE results, only 1.80 percent of candidates that
sat for the November, 2009, passed with five credits including English and mathematics.
While the May/June examination recorded a paltry 10 percent success level. Concerning
this trend, NECO heaps the blame on schools, parents and pupils (Weekly Trust 3/4/2010).
By implication,, students of secondary schools that are learning
English as a second language (L2) are faced with the burden of finding out
how expressions are used in communicative context, (Huddleston, 1984)
efficient readers’ knowledge can be characterized by reading fluency that
forms the basis of readers’ ability to produce and comprehend the literary
expressions used in the passage. Indeed, this ability in the education sector is a bad
9
predicament. That is why parents, teachers, and even governments show their
concern and dismay over the dismal performance of secondary school students
in various public examinations in English, especially the Senior Secondary
School Certificate Examination (S.S.C.E).
The present study investigated whether exposure to literature in
English by students will have direct relationship with their reading
comprehension performance. This is with a view to measuring derivable
benefit to the L 2 learners.
Reading comprehension is cutting across all areas of students learning
activities. One finds oneself reading even when writing; hence the WAEC
Chief Examiner’s Report (Nigeria) in SSCE (Nov/Dec 1992) concerning
English language, said students do not portray this reading talent, especially at
different levels of literal,inferential,interpretative and critical reading ability.
The WAEC’s comment of the areas of weakness in the essays of the
candidates indicates expression as a big problem. The report concerning
expression says: major reason is that candidates do not read (WAEC report
says) (WAEC 1992)
The above report confirms the need for a study in the relationship
between literature and reading.
Indeed, there are several authors that students can read and enjoy, and
that can foster familiarity with reading. WAEC reports continue to suggest
remedies for overcoming the above mentioned weaknesses as: Reading,
Reading and More Reading, Should Help Here as Well (WAEC 1992:3).
This means that students should read intensively and extensively; for
readers are made by reading. And reading is like an infectious disease it is
caught not taught (Nuttal, 1988).The present study is further inspired by
Adeyanju (1989) and Olaofe (2005) who feel that students are unable to read
text with understanding and cannot write clearly because of poor reading
comprehension habit.
Many studies such as Amaechi (2005), Rimintsiwa, (2001), Osundare
(1995) have shown clearly the impact of literature in English on enhancing
10
vocabulary gain which leads to reading and writing proficiency in the target
language. The result of such studies showed the impact of extensive reading
on the student’s ability to read complex English sentences correctly (Abdul,
2006).
In view of the above circumstances, the study was set to find out
whether or not there exist a mutual and positive relationship between literature
and reading comprehension. This is expected to provide basis for assessing the
derivable benefits or otherwise for the improvement of reading fluency and
comprehension among students. The non-challant attitude to teaching and
learning of literature in English in public schools of Kano State according to
Kano State Educational Resource Department (K.E.R.D, 2009) is another area
of concern for the present study. To the few schools that offer the subject,
teaching and learning activities were not rich enough to yield the desired
objective, as most students failed reading comprehension exams as reported in
the K.E.R.D annual report (2006).
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Mass failure of students in WAEC, NECO, JAMBE and IJMB
indicates a great problem of inability to read with comprehension. The
students have no reading habits which could have led them to success in their
examinations.
Many senior students in secondary schools, colleges and even
universities tend to be much slower readers than they ought to be (Widdowson
1998). Many students have no reading culture (WAEC, 1992). The inability of
readers springs, fundamentally, from lack of flexibility in their approach to the
range of reading materials which they encounter. This means the inability of
the students to condition their reading efficiency to areas such as literal,
inferencial, interpretative and critical levels. Yet some students tend to read
slowly all the time, no matter what the nature of the material or their purpose
in reading it. This is quite patently inefficient, not every piece of reading
material, nor every purpose in reading, require a slow, ponderous approach.
As far as reading comprehension and fluency is concerned, reading
among secondary school students is very poor. Many students cannot read text
11
books fluently not to talk of comprehending the content read (Williams, 1998).
This is because there are no diverse reading materials at the disposal of the
learner. This is a great obstacle to teaching and learning situations. The
situation makes students to feel reluctant to read which may result in mass
failure in the final examinations; a case that is currently being experienced in
Minjibir Education Zone.
Indeed, fluent reading would be impossible if the reader is unable to
read and interpret with clarity the used images, devices and figures of speech.
Learners also found some difficulties in differentiating the main ideas from
relevant and irrelevant ones. Inadequate vocabulary for adequate
comprehension is another problem this study investigated. WAEC Chief
Examiners’ Report (1995) stated that the reason for mass failure is the fact that
students do not read and could not read and understand even examination
instructions. Nowadays, no prominence is given to reading skills, and
literature in English has no place in the time-table of many of public schools
of Minjibir zone in particular and Kano State in general. This is shown in
K.E.R.D report (2009), which indicates that only five schools offer literature
as subject in Senior Secondary Schools
The study was set to find out the relationship between literature in English and
reading comprehension performance among senior Secondary School Students
in Minibir Education Zone. This was with a view to enhance students reading
comprehension.
1.3 Research Questions
In the light of the above broad-questions, the following questions are
raised in order to find the relationship between literature in English and reading
comprehension performance.
1. What is the relationship between literature in English and students’
performance in reading for literal meaning?
2. What is the relationship between literature in English and students’
performance in reading for inference?
3. What is the relationship between literature in English and students’
performance in reading for interpretation?
12
4. What is the relationship between literature in English and students’
performance in reading for critical evaluation?
5. What is the relationship between literature in English and students’
performance in the vocabulary component of reading comprehension?
6. Is there any difference between students with literature in English and
those without their performance in reading comprehension?
1.4 Research Hypotheses
The hypotheses of this study are in a null form. These are presented as:
1. There is no significant relationship between literature in English and
students’ performance in reading for literal meaning.
2. There is no significant relationship between literature in English and
students’ performance in students’ performance in reading for inference.
3. There is no significant relationship between literature in English and
students’ performance in reading for interpretation.
4. There is no significant relationship between literature in English and
students’ performance in reading for critical evaluation.
5. There is no significant relationship between literature and students’
performance in the vocabulary development of reading comprehension.
6. There is no significant difference between students’ with literature in
English and those without literature in their performance in reading
comprehension.