Exploring Grade Eight Elf Students’ Reading Skill Strategies Used and Problems Faced At Yachi Elementary School In Gumay Woreda, Jimma Zone

Abstract

This research was aimed at exploring the factors that affect English language reading strategies of Grade Eight students of Yachi Elementary Schoolin GumayWoreda. The researcher used simple random sampling technique to take 64 (35 %)of 180 students as the sample of the study. Comprehensive sampling was employed to obtain 4 of the English Language teachers of grade eight as informants of the study. Data from the students were gathered using questionnaires to investigate the strategies employed by the English teachers to teach the skills. Then the researcher analysed the numerical data collected using questionnaire quantitatively and the textual data gathered from the teachers‟ interview quantitatively. The results of the study indicated that the main causes of the students‟ reading problems were lack of exposure, minimal opportunities to use proper and appropriate strategies of reading in and out of school, learners‟ poor reading background, lack of opportunities to practice, lack of confidence and motivation, and fear of making mistakes during pronunciation while reading in front of their classmates. On the basis of the findings of the study, the researcher forwarded some recommendations such as creating conducive environments for reading strategy use and reducing students‟ ferar.