Reading and Literacy Competence in the SSCE English Language of Students in Abeokuta South Local Government, Nigeria

Abstract

The centrality of reading to academic activities of students cannot be disputed and this is why scholars and reading experts are worried with the state of reading in the contemporary Nigerian society. The focus of this paper, therefore, is to examine how poor attitude to reading and literacy competence among students in Abeokuta South Local Government has been affecting their performance in the SSCE English language as reflected in their grades after examination. The school types adopted in the study are private and public secondary schools in Abeokuta South Local Government.  A set of questionnaires are used as research instruments and they are structured in a way that they capture the biographical information of the respondents and the subject matter of the research. The data are analysed using statistical tools such as frequency counts, percentages, mean and standard deviation, t-test and ANOVA. The findings reveal that there is no significant difference between the attitude of students in the private and public secondary schools to reading and literacy competence.