The Impact of English Printed Books on Improving Students’ English Reading Skills in Twelve Years of Basic Education in Remote Areas: A Case Study of Muhanga District, Rwanda

Abstract

Few studies have examined the effect of English-language printed books on students' English language competency, despite the fact that several studies on textbooks are available in many different languages across the globe. In fact, the objectives of this study are to investigate the role of printed books in the teaching and learning of reading skills in the English language, as well as to evaluate effective strategies to enhance reading skills among students enrolled in a 12-year basic education program from remote areas. Due to the nature of the research question set, this study employs a descriptive research design with a mixed approach. The survey was conducted among the students and teachers from the remote areas of Muhanga district in two schools from the sectors of Kibangu and Rongi. This study was undertaken with students from two schools. While collecting the data, the sampling technique used was stratified sampling under the probability sampling method, where every member of the 305 population had the chance to be taken from 1280. So as to collect data, questionnaires and interviews were used as the main tools of data collection. Interpretation was done within the lens of cognitive reading theory, assessing the impacts of printed books on students’ reading skills in the English language. The main findings have shown that a lack of English-printed books has an impact on the students’ reading skills and their performance in terms of English language proficiency. The results indicated that the availability of printed English books is problematic in schools located in rural areas, even if they play an integral part in academic success and positively impact students’ reading skills. Education stakeholders are postulated to reinforce textbooks in remote areas and control their maintenance. The current study also tends to recommend key educational planners and stakeholders take this issue of printed books into consideration. Finally, class teachers are recommended to apply the suggested reading strategies while teaching reading sessions in order to improve students’ reading skills and their performance as well.