A study of the status of aspects of reading instruction in Jamaican new secondary school classrooms with a prototype for improvement

Reading continues to be a major source of the acquisition of knowledge for learners in the content classroom despite the advances in technology. However, many students in secondary schools continue to need help to enable them to apply reading competencies independently.

The purposes of this status study were to determine to what extent teachers in selected New Secondary Schools in Jamaica were teaching reading in the content area and utilizing aspects of instructional strategies related to text structure, schemata and metacognition. In addition, the researcher sought to determine whether teachers were utilizing evaluation strategies that would facilitate improvement and to ascertain the staff development needs of teachers. The results of this study would be helpful in developing a prototype for improving reading in the content areas of the New Secondary Schools in Jamaica.

The researcher did not find an appropriate survey instrument that could be used in its entirety which would serve the purposes of this study. The researcher developed her own instrument.

Subjects for the study were 210 teachers of English, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies in a random sample of 12 city, town, and, rural New Secondary Schools in Jamaica. A pilot study was conducted on a random sample of 20 teachers. A total of 202 questionnaires were returned. Data from the instruments were analyzed using frequency and percentage of total responses in the respective categories.

The analysis of the returned instruments provided the basis for these conclusions:

1. Teachers were teaching aspects of content reading. There was significant emphasis on the teaching of writing and discussion.

2. There were differences in the frequency of teaching the strategies among teachers of the four subjects.

3. Teachers were willing to participate in staff development training in teaching content reading.

4. Teachers have identified instructional strategies that were a part of staff development needs.

5. Facilities, materials and resource personnel were inadequate.

The following recommendations were made:

1. Staff development training should be organized on a continuing basis to facilitate implementation and evaluation of instructional strategies for needs identified.

2. Provision should be made for adequate facilities, materials and resource personnel.

3. Teachers should become involved in classroom research and document and disseminate effective strategies.