IMPACT OF EXTENSIVE READING ON ENGLISH LANGUAGE COMPETENCE: A CASE STUDY OF JUKWAA SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

Abstract

The study sought to assess the impact of extensive reading on English language competence. The study focused on Jukwaa Senior High School. The primary objective of this study is to assess the impact of extensive reading on English language competence in Jukwaa Senior High. A descriptive design was employed for this study and a quantitative methodology was used. Data collection tools employed in this study was questionnaire. Data was sorted and analyzed using IBM SPSS version 23.0. Descriptive statistics like percentages and frequency were used to develop tables and graphs to explain the findings. Correlation and Regression Analysis were used to study the strength of a relationship between the extensive reading and then the English language competence. The study revealed a strong significant and positive relationship between extensive reading and English language competence. The study also shows that extensive reading predicts 79.3% variance in explaining English language competence. Finally, the study also revealed a linear relationship between age, extensive reading and English language competence. The study recommends that extensive reading should be a compulsory reading activity at all levels of Senior High schools in Ghana in order to improve their vocabulary knowledge. This should be done by providing students with texts on African and non-African fictions and making it compulsory for student to read at least one text in a week. Secondly, Students’ reading progress should be monitored by keeping reading diaries indicating varieties of registers or vocabularies encountered and summaries of books read. They should also be reinforced by awarding them stars for books read.