Teachers’ perception of the impact of instructional strategies on children with reading difficulty in some selected districts in Central Region

Abstract

The study investigated teachers’ perception of the impact of instructional strategies on pupils with reading difficulties in selected districts in the Central Region of Ghana. A concurrent embedded mixed method design was used for this study. Proportionate stratified sampling procedure was used to select ninety-five (95) upper primary teachers. The response rate was 100% representing 95 teachers. Data were collected using a questionnaire and interview schedules Statistical tools used in data analysis were mainly frequency distribution and percentages, means and standard deviations, independent samples t-test and One-Way Analysis of Variance. For all tests, the level of significance was calculated at 0.05. Thematic analysis was used in the analysis of the qualitative data. The study revealed that Teachers had negative perceptions about pupils with reading difficulties. Also, role play, read aloud, direct instruction and group activities were the frequently used strategies teachers used in teaching pupils with reading difficulties. Furthermore, inadequate teaching and learning materials and low parental involvement were the two major problems teachers faced when teaching pupils with reading difficulties. It is recommended that Ghana Education Service in collaboration with all the head teachers must organise a workshop on reading difficulty for teachers in the three districts and the Ghana Education Service find means of providing resources to support teaching of reading in the schools in all the districts.