Page 77 - EDUCON 2022 Book of Abstracts

14. Somses, S.C.L., & Strauss, A.M., An assessment of English
Second Language reading comprehension competencies in Grade 3
learners at a selected school in !Karas Region
Background: Reading is multifaceted and requires the reader to be
able to create meaning from text in various ways. Reading to
comprehend a passage is an integral part of reading. It does not only
equip the reader with important information, but it also provides
knowledge. Effective teaching methods are vital in the classroom to
promote critical and independent thinking skills
Aim: The intent of the study is to find out what is learners’ text
comprehension based on two reading comprehension texts.
Methods used: The collection of data was a mixed method design.
Two reading comprehension tests were written by twenty-four third
grade learners and four ESL third grade teachers participated in an
online survey.
Results: The results showed the learners reading comprehension of
the two texts as: (1) learners struggled to comprehend the texts in both
tests as per result they could not answer the questions correctly, (2)
only few learners’ demonstrated understanding of the texts by
answering most of the questions correct.
Conclusion: It is evident that learners still struggle to read with
comprehension in Grade 3. It is recommended that Ministry of Basic
Education, Art, and Culture provide teachers with annual in-service
training to learn strategies that they can use in their classrooms to
foster better reading and planning of reading comprehension activities
and tests.
Keywords: reading comprehension, learner-centered, meta-cognitive,
skills, strategies

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