Abstract:
So as to find out whether there is difference in reading comprehension skill between the
governmental and non-governmental grade 12 preparatory school students of Jimma town,
necessary and relevant data were collected by using reading comprehension test, questionnaire
for students and for teachers. The data so collected were analyzed quantitatively using
statistical techniques of percentage and mean.
According to the findings of the study the students of Jueps (Jimma university community
preparatory school) have obtained a better result in the reading comprehension test than the
students of JPS. The fact that the reading comprehension strategies, which the students of
Jueps used, such as: being able to guess the meaning of new words in context and from word
formation rather than turning to dictionaries now and then and skipping new words, being able
to predict the main idea of the whole text from titles and keywords, grasping the gist of the
material by quickly reading the first and the last paragraph, background experience and
motivation that they got from parents and from their elementary and secondary school
teachers, full support and belief of their current teachers to let them use different strategies in
their reading comprehension activities every time, were the main factors or reasons that
contributed to the difference.
Finally recommendations believed to help develop the reading comprehension skill of the
students of JPS (who obtained less result in the test) were made. These include: 1. EFLteachers
should be made to change their belief about reading comprehension strategies and help their
students to use them in any reading comprehension tasks. 2. In order to overcome the problem
of shortage of time, EFLteachers should provide ample reading comprehension activities which
worth some points to their students to be done as homework so that the students will practice
and improve their reading comprehension skill. 3. Parents also should play their role in helping
and motivating their children to develop the interest of reading and comprehending a written
material. 4. EFLteachers and the English departments of both schools should arrange a program
to discuss and share knowledge and experience related to reading comprehension skill between
them. 5. Further research should be done to find out more insight into the issue of the difference
in the reading comprehension skill between the students of different schools and institutions.
