EFFECTS OF EXTENSIVE READING STRATEGY ON STUDENTS ACHIEVEMENT IN READING COMPREHENSION

Abstract

This study was designed to determine the effect of extensive reading strategy on achievement of students in reading comprehension. The study adopted a pre-test, post-test non-equivalent control group, quasi-experimental research design which involved group of students in their intact class assigned to experimental group and control group. The population of the study was all the Junior Secondary school two (JSSII) English Studies students in Kwali Area Council of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. The sample for the study was 210. Three research questions and three null hypotheses, tested at .05 level of significance, guided the study. The instrument used for data collection was Reading Comprehension Achievement Test (RCAT). The extensive reading lesson plan, RCAT and the training manual were subjected to face validation by three experts. The reliability coefficient for the RCAT was found to be 0.71 using Kuder-Richardson. Mean was used to answer the research questions; while ANCOVA was employed to test the hypotheses. The study found out that extensive reading strategy is more effective in improving students’ achievement in reading comprehension. There was an effect of gender on students’ achievement in reading comprehension favouring boys. The study found out that there was no interaction effect of extensive reading strategy and gender on achievement of Junior Secondary School students in reading comprehension. This simply means that the effectiveness of extensive reading strategy on students’ achievement in reading comprehension does not depend on gender. The study recommended that the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) should carry out a review of Junior Secondary Schools English Studies curriculum with a view to incorporating the extensive reading strategy into the teaching of reading comprehension.