The problems of reading materials for teaching comprehension skills in primary schools: a study of primary English for Tanzania

This study is an examination of the adequacy of the PET Books 3, d, and 5 for teaching; learning reading comprehension skills in primary schools. It examines the reading content (i.e. reading activities) of the books and their actual use in the classroom. The study deals with an aspect which previous research in this area has overlooked. Previous studies have not evaluated the PET books in terms of the coverage of specific language skills such as listening, speaking, reading. and writing. The present study therefore, focuses on one of the skills, that is, reading, particularly the comprehension aspect of it. The study was done to find out if the reading activities in the books are adequate to develop all the basic comprehension skills. The study also intended to find out how teachers and pupils make use of the books in teaching/learning comprehension skills as well as the factors that affect the use of those books. To collect data three methods were used. These were content analysis, classroom observation, and questionnaire. The findings of the study show that the course-books are inadequate in terms of the coverage of the comprehension skills. There is great imbalance in the coverage of the different comprehension skills. In addition to that, some of the reading activities (i.e. comprehension questions) are badly formulated. It was also found that the books are not effectively used and that factors such as the internal defects of the books, the shortage of books, poor teaching, etc. affect the use of the books. The study then puts forward same recommendations far improving the content of the reading materials, their supply in schools, and their use in the classroom. The study concludes by calling relevant parties to take effective measures to rectify the situation immediately.