Developing Beginning Reading Skills among Primary School Pupils in Cross River State, Nigeria: A Pilot Study Report

Charity Ashelo Andzayi¹, Emmanuel Uminya Ikwen² 
(1. Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Education, University of Jos, Nigeria;
2. Department of Special Education, Faculty of Education, University of Calabar, Nigeria)

Abstract: The paper determined the effects of Concentrated Language Encounter (CLE) method in developing primary one pupils reading level, oracy skills level, English sight words level, print awareness skills level, phono-phonemic awareness skills level, letter recognition skills, and comprehension skill. The purpose of the study was to find out the effects of Primary One pupils’ reading level, oracy skill level, English sight words level, print awareness skills level, phono-phonemic awareness skills level, letter recognition skills, and comprehension skill. It also examined the extent to which the CLE method of teaching reading will help to develop oracy skill, English sight words skill, print awareness skill, phono-phonemic awareness skill, letter recognition skill, and comprehension skill. One research question and six hypotheses were posed for examination. The study utilized pretest, posttest quasi experimental designs (expost factor). Seventy (70) primary one pupils participated in the study. The instruments used included the Oracy Test (OT), Sight Word Recognition Test (SWRT), Print Awareness Test (PAT), Letter Recognition Test (LRT), Phono-Phonemic Awareness Test (PPAT) and Comprehension test (CT). Four instruments were developed by the researcher and two were not. These instruments were used for assessment during pretest and posttest. The result indicated that the general reading ability of the pupils with reading problem needs was poor in all the skills during pretest. However, the experimental groups improved significantly in acquisition of all the six skills after intervention, using concentrated language encounter method. Based on this finding, the researchers made some recommendations for the improvement of all the skills in primary school pupils with reading problem in public school settings. The pilot study has provided insight that the main study will yield positive outcomes or results. It has shown that the instruments proposed for the main study will be reliable and valid. Again, the pilot study has confirmed its importance and usefulness as a guide for applying the research design in obtaining data for providing solutions to research problems in the main study. It provided guidance on how to effectively teach reading as well as improve their understanding of the nature of the reading process, since instructional activities are usually influenced by our understanding of the nature of what we teach.

Key words: beginning reading skills, concentrated language encounter, Oracy Test, sight word recognition test, Print Awareness Test, letter recognition test, phono-phonemic awareness and comprehension