AVAILABILITY AND UTILIZATION OF LIBRARY  RESOURCES IN THE  TEACHING AND LEARNING OF READING COMPREHENSION IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN OBOLLO-AFOR EDUCATION ZONE

Abstract

The purpose  ofthis work was to ascertain the availability and utilization oflibrary resources in the teaching and learning ofreading comprehension in schools in Obollo-Afor Education Zone. Five  research questions were formulated to guide  the study.  The design  of the study  was a descriptive survey while the population  comprised 46 schools,  139 English Language teachers,

11,321 senior secondary  students in the sampled schools in Obollo-Afor  Education Zone.  The sample size was 400 including students and teachers.   Multistage sampling technique was used to select the schools while simple random sampling technique was used to select the students and teachers as the respondents for the study.  A  structured  questionnaire  titled availability  and utilization oflibrary resources questionnaire was used. The data was analyzed using percentage, mean & standard deviation while three null hypotheses  raisedfor the study was analyzed using t-test  statistics. The  major findings  of the  study   is  that  many  library  resources  such  as dictionaries,  manuals,  maps,  textbooks,  magazines,  newspaper,  articles,  novels,  picture books,

graphs and internet are available in the library .    Out ofthe 11 (eleven) available resources,  only

6 (six)   are utilized in secondary schools in Obollo-Afor Education Zone.  Another finding was

also that both teachers and students possess the skills for using the resources while teaching,  but are not aware of the need to use the available resources when it comes to the teaching and learning  of reading  comprehension.  A  number  of recommendations  were  made  towards  the improvement of library use but the most prominent  suggestion was that Ministry  of Education and stake holders should organize workshops  and seminars for English Language teachers in order to increase their level ofawareness on the need to use the resources.

CHAPTER  ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background  of the Study

Reading  is a complex  process  which  involves  active  interaction  and negotiation  between the reader and the author. This is because the reader tries to grasp the author’s purpose of writing the text being read. Davis  (2014) defined  reading  as a process  of looking  at a series of written symbols  and getting meaning  from them.   This means that,  as the reader reads, the reader uses the eyes to receive  written  symbols  (letters,  spaces, punctuation  marks)  and the reader uses the brain  to  convert  the  written  symbols  into  words,  sentences,  and  paragraphs  in  order  to  make meaning  out  of it. According  to Alfassi  (2010)  reading  is a key  skill  that  enables  students  to function efficiently and successfully  apart from its use in examination.   This implies that reading is an important  skill that not  only helps  learners  in the mastery  of English  but  also,  enhances students’ abilities in other areas of life.   For this reason, reading requires adequate decoding  skill; hence, teaching reading should be done in meaningful contexts since reading involves the understanding  of written  symbols  and alphabets.  People  actually read for many reasons,  but the main purpose of reading is understanding.

The understanding  which results from reading is called comprehension. Without comprehension,  reading  is nothing more than tracking  symbols on a page of paper with the eyes and sounding them out. According  to Wright   and Cervetti  (2016), comprehension  is the process of getting information  in order to extract meaning  out of it. This implies that in order to arrive at a meaning;  a reader must take hold of the writer’s  message  through  combining  printed words to form  messages.  Reading   comprehension   is  very  important  because   without   comprehension, reading does not provide readers with any meaningful  information.

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Reading  comprehension   could  be  described  as  the  processing  of symbols  to  get  ideas, relating  ideas  to  experience,  organizing  ideas,  evaluating  the  ideas  and utilizing  the  ideas  for required  purpose   (Eze,  2013).  In  reading  comprehension,  some  intellectual  preparations   are needed by the reader in order to comprehend  what is being read.  This is because,  comprehension does not only mean glancing on letters and words,  but meaning resides in the mind of the person who wrote the symbols,  therefore,  comprehension  is not found on the printed symbols but in the mind  of the  reader  who  reads  the  written  letters  or  alphabets.  This  is  why  comprehension becomes  building  bridges  between  the  known  and  the  unknown.  Comprehension   therefore, involves  interpretation  of what is read in accordance with prior knowledge.  It also involves a lot

of influence making and this is why it is an active and constructive process which involves the

use of textual  cues and the reader’s  background  knowledge  to build  a model  of the author’s intended meaning.

Reading    comprehension  is important  for students especially at senior secondary  school levels because it has been observed by Opara (2012) that most of the students spend the majority of their days in content  -area instructions  such as English language,  Mathematics,  Commerce, Government, Biology, Agriculture  among others. To English  (2016), readers  requires  school• wide  instructional  practices  integrated  into  content-area  instruction  in  order  to  comprehend specific texts and grasp the concepts being communicated  in them.   Opara further suggests that as students  advance  in  school, reading  instruction  should  become  more  disciplinary  (tied to content areas) and reinforcing, in order to support students’ academic ability.   Comprehension, therefore, is necessary while reading, and when reading is badly taught, it leads to poor academic achievement not only in English language but in other subjects as well. For this reason, students should strive to comprehend specific texts in order to grasp the concepts and ideas or knowledge

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being communicated  in the text. The question now is with all the importance  attached to reading, why do secondary school students still find reading comprehension  difficult?

Despite the fact that adequate reading  skills facilitates  students’ achievement  in  reading comprehension,  most secondary  school students still find it difficult to read and understand.  This may be as a result of the teaching  and learning process  or methods employed by the teachers and students.  According  to Adler  & Van Doren  (2014),  a child’s  inadequate  reading  skill may lead the  child  to  having  slow  reading  rate,  slow  comprehension,  difficulty  in  distinguishing   main ideas from irrelevant  ideas, inadequate reading  interest and habits  among  others. None  of these problems  eludes most Nigerian  secondary  schools which  as choom  in the performance  not only in reading  comprehension  but  in  other  subjects  as well.  One  of the reasons  could  be the  way students  are being  taught  reading  comprehension.  Some teachers  in most  schools  do not teach students how to scan and skim through a passage  in order to have a general idea about a passage, how  to make  a guess  from  a passage, how  to identify topic  sentence  from  the passage  among others.  No wonder most of the students are lazy to read passages  which also affect the way they answer  questions  from  the  passage  and  later,  end  up  having  poor  academic  achievement   in reading  comprehension.  This  is  the  reason  why  Fabuyusi   (2015)  lamented  that  despite  the thousands  of hours used in teaching and learning of reading comprehension,  many students never develop satisfactory reading skills.

Apart from the reading  skill,  the teaching  and learning process  and situations which are the steps that the students take before they become proficient  readers  are not properly  looked at. According  to Bauer,  Manyak  and Cook (2010),  reading  comprehension  improves  when teachers and learners provide  explicit comprehension  strategies.  Most Nigerian  English  language teachers see the use of reading strategies as a waste of time.  The majority  of them do not make use of the

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reading resources in the library while teaching reading comprehension  despite the fact that these resources  has been included  in the curriculum,  rather,  the teachers  will only tell the students to open a passage  from their reading  text. The teacher may  appoint  one or two students to read  a passage  after which the teacher reads.  Then the students  will be asked to answer the questions that follow the passage.  Jitendra and Gajira  (2011) is of the view that reading comprehension  are not often taught correctly. This is the reason why Goldhaber (2016) posits that the teacher factor drastically   affects   reading   comprehension    such   as   inadequate   instruction,   deficient   word recognition  skills, insufficient exposure and practice among others.

The background  knowledge  of a text also helps the students to understand  what is being read.   According   to  Kintsch   and   Vipond   (2012),  Entwistle   (2013),   the  more   background knowledge  a learner has that helps to connect with the text being read,  the more likely the reader will be able to understand  what is being read at that point. The background  knowledge  will also help the teachers to know those things which the students are familiar with and what they are yet to know.  Unfortunately,  most of the teachers never cared to know if the students are familiar or understands   the  topic  or  not.  Rather,  their  major  concern  is  to  tell  the  students  to  answer questions from the comprehension  passage  after which they believe that they have satisfied their conscience  without  checking  if the students  can  summarize  the passage,  identify the idiomatic expressions  used in the passage,  look for the synonyms  or antonyms  of certain words  found in the  passage,  and  this  may  lead  to  students’  poor  academic  achievement  in  both  internal  and external examinations.

For students to be able to have high academic achievement  in reading comprehension, the teaching and learning process  as well as situations must be looked at in order to find out the reason why most learners perform  woefully during internal  and external examinations  in English

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language.  In  the  WAEC  Chief Examiner’s  Report  (2014),  it  was  stated  that  students’  poor performances  revealed poor understanding  of the main idea by giving the surface meaning of the passage,  lacking  the ability  to comprehend  well by not being  able to read between  the lines or draw inferences  and concluded  that all these pitfalls pointed  to the fact that the candidates  were not adequately  prepared  for the examination  by the schools.  The Chief Examiner  suggested that students  should  strive to  cultivate  the  habit  of reading  widely  with  a view  to improving  their understanding  and vocabulary, to read the rubrics  and ensure that they understand  the questions before  attempting  them.  This  problem  cannot  be  averted  without  looking  at the  teaching  and learning process  as well as situation which according  to Otagburuagu, Ogenyi, & Ezema  (2013) involves the physical  milieu  in which  the language  learning  activities  take place, which  are the classroom, the library, the teachers among others.

The library resources  and services  available  in school  libraries  are therefore  expected to  be  able  to  support  the  reading  and  comprehension   in  terms  of its  teaching  and  learning. Wright  and  Cervetti  (2016)  believe  that  the  exchanges  and  interplay of library  resources  help teachers and learners to perform  well in classroom  activities  especially when it comes to reading comprehension. To Wright and Cervetti, reading without comprehension  is a meaningless  part of reading  process,   since  comprehension   is  an  essential  part  of the  process   where  the  reader understands  not only the meaning  of isolated  words  but also their meanings  when  combined  in phrases,  sentences  and longer groups .. In view  of this, Adeoye  and Popoola  (2011) noted  that there  is  need  for  all  teachers  and  learners  to  use  the  resources  in  the  library  in  order  to  be efficient  and  also  to  improve  on  their  teaching  and  learning  of reading  comprehension .. For teachers  and learners  to achieve  the desired  level  in reading  comprehension,  utilization  of their school’s library resources  is of utmost necessity.

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Library  is defined  as an organized  collection  of books  and materials  printed  and non• printed  used  for  study,  research,  recreation  and  socialization.    However,  Goerge  (2010)  sees library  as  a  collection  of resources  in  a variety  of formats  that  is  organized  by  information professionals   or  other   experts   who  provide   convenient   physical,   digital,  bibliographic,   or intellectual  access  and  offer  targeted  services  and  programs  with  the  mission  of educating, informing,  or entertaining  a variety  of audiences  and the goal of stimulating  individual  learning and advancing  society as a whole. Library is divided  into special library, public  library, virtual library and school or academic  library.  School library which  is the focus of study according  to Ugwuanyi (2007),  is the nerve centre or the hub around which scholarship revolves because;  it is an indispensible  instrument  for intellectual  development.  School  library is also seen as a place where   academic   information  sources   are  acquired,  organized,  processed,  stored   and  made available  to meet  information needs  of the students, teachers  and the entire  school  community (Fari and Ocholla ,2015).  This is to say that all the necessary  information needed for research is found in the library through the use of the resources  available in the library.  According  to Aina (2014) library is set up to serve its parent institution and considered as an organ around which all academic activities revolve and as a result,  can be described as the heart of the school.   To Aina, the main purpose  of school library is to promote  active learning, thus, contributing  to students’ ability to think  critically  and work  independently.  Hence,  all the necessary  information  needed for research are found in the library through the use of the resources available in it. Thus,  library resources are fundamental to student’s  learning achievement.

The  role  of library  cannot  be  overemphasized   in  schools  where  it  is  situated  for  its academic  achievement.   According   to  Matthew   (2012)  libraries  play  very  important  role  in schools  by  providing  key  prospective  students  with  all  the  necessary  information  needed  for

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research.  Aina   (2014)   noted  that   “library  as a nerve  centre  for academic  activity  and as an important  factor  in  the  quality  of its  products  plays  a  central  role  in  the  academic  work  of students  which  are thus:  acquisition  of resources  to  support  teaching  and  learning  process  in schools,  provision  of resources necessary  for research,  to meet the requirement  of the school,  to bring  information  resource  to the door  step of students  and scholars  together  under  conditions which   encourage   reading   and   comprehension,   reading   for   pleasure,   self  discovery   and sharpening  the intellectual  curiosity of learners”.  Based on the role above,  library is considered as one of the most important places in the school that enhance reading and comprehension  more especially when it is well equipped with the necessary library resources.

Library  resources  are  materials  that  users  consult  in  making  decisions  and  also  for problem  solving.  Adeoye  and  Popoola  (2011)  define  library  resources  as  those  information bearing  materials  that are in both printed  and electronic  format  such as:  textbooks, magazines, journals,  indexes,  abstracts,  reports,  newspapers,  filmstrips,  computers,  articles,  dictionaries, charts, journals, encyclopedias  among others. To Adeoye  (2010) library resources  are materials which the users come to consult, read or borrow”. Library resources  are the stock in the trade of librarians  that  is,  they  are the materials  in the library  which  help  in making  services possible. Adeoye further explained that library resources are many and varied, but they can be divided into two broad categories namely printed and non- printed materials.

The  printed   materials   are  books,   pamphlets,   periodicals,   newspapers   and   reference resources.  Non-printed   materials  are  however  resources  which  are  the  product  of advanced technology  that  require  special  equipment  to  operate  and  are  grouped  into  three  (i.e., Audio, Visual,  and audio-visual).  All  these  resources  are very  essential  in the attainment  of academic

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institution’s  overall objectives  which usually revolve around the development  of national human resources.

However,  the  library  resources   found  in  secondary   schools  which  are  meant  for  the teaching  and learning of reading  comprehension  are as follows:  dictionaries,  textbooks,  articles, newspapers, magazines, computers, internet, graphs, filmstrips, overhead projector, talking typewriter, opaque projector, charts among others. All these resources help to improve students’ reading comprehension  and vocabulary  development  since with these resources, the students can make inference based on what they have read. While teaching using magazine  or newspaper, the teacher  can  lift  a  piece   of text  from  a  magazine   or  newspaper,  ask  the  students  to  read independently  and write  out any question  they have  in mind based  on what they read  on their notes, after which the questions will be answered by other students in the class. The teacher goes further to tell them to take note of what they already know and put it as a clue as they read the text to make inference  on their notes,  after which the passage  will be read together  in the class and  students  will  be  asked  to  summarize  what  they  have  read  and  written  on  their  notes. According  to   O’Reilly and Sabatini   (2013), these  are great source of high-interest  non-fiction because  students  are  exposed  to  up-to-date  information  on  a daily,  weekly  or monthly  basis. Snow further added that newspapers/magazines can be used to prepare students for external examination  since many of the passages are close in structure.

Furthermore, the  teacher  can  ask the  students  to read  up  some passages  in  an article, storybooks,  summarize and copy out those words which seem to be strange to the students.  With the use of dictionary, students  improve their vocabularies  and understanding  by looking up the meaning  of strange words together with their synonyms and antonyms while reading textbooks, articles  etc  .Also,  the English  language  teacher  can remind  the  students  to use  comprehension

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strategies  as they read  and to monitor  their understanding,  ask questions  that keep  students  on track  in order to  focus their  attention  on main  ideas and important  points  in the text  (Fayose,

2013).  With the use of charts,  graphs or flashcards, the teacher presents stories through the use of pictures alone, the students will be asked to read the stories and write down what they understand on their notes which should be marked by the teacher for corrections.

With the help of the resources in the library,  there will be easy transfer of knowledge  and the  teachers  will  be  well  informed  and  equipped  on the  concept  of what  they  want  to  teach. Based on Fayose’s view, students’ vocabulary  will be improved  and their understanding  of the concept will be very easy  since  it may not be new  again based  on their previous  experiences. Adeoye and Popoola believe that through the utilization  of these resources,  learners acquire new knowledge  as  well  as  expand  the  existing  ones.  According  to  Fayose  (2013),  school  library provides  opportunities  for learning wide of variety of learning resources,  whereas the classroom provides  the  teaching  therefore,  availability  of the  library  resources  becomes  a  necessity  in schools.

Availability  of library resources is defined as having in stock the necessary resources which the  users  can  lay  hands  on  at  any  point  in  time.  According   to  Paterson  and  Low  (2011) availability   of  relevant   library  resources   means   ensuring  their  presence   in  the  library   for immediate use. In other words, this implies not only open shelves but minimization  of all other barriers  between  readers  and  books.    Ugwuanyi   (2007)  revealed  that  availability   of library resources and its adequacy in quantity and quality promote effective  students’ learning activities, while  their  inadequacy  affects  students’  performances   negatively.  Hence,  Paterson  and  Low further  added that  establishments  that have  one thousand  items  of library  resources  which  are effectively  used can be a library,  while another that has a million document which are not placed

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for use  may  simply  be  a museum  or a store  house.  Schools  should  make  sure that  academic libraries  are  stocked  with  modem  resources  and  current  information,  which  should  be  made available   and   accessible   to   teachers   and   learners   in   teaching   and   learning   of  reading comprehension  and not obsolete resource. Accessibility  of library resources is a means to an end. It is assumed that if resources are available in the school, that it should also be accessible to both

the teachers and students when it comes to teaching and learning. According to Glushko (2013),

accessibility of library resources means the ease of locating and retrieving a piece of information from the storage medium. According to Fari and Ocholla (2015), resources may be available in Nigerian schools and even identified in the catalogue, but the user may not be able to lay hands on them which according to Emasealu (2016) may be as a result of economic,  financial,  social and environmental  factor. Therefore, the more available and accessible library resources are, the more likely they are to be used.

Library resource utilization  can be defined as making use of available library resources in order to solve an existing problem.  Library resource utilization is defined according to Emasealu (2016) as the practical and maximum use of library materials identified and acquired by users for the purpose of solving a problem.  Teachers and students in schools are expected to use library resources  for teaching and learning. Effective  teaching and learning can be achieved if library resources are correctly applied to teaching and learning functions by the teachers and learners. Hence library resources are of no value to the teachers and students until they have been utilized. That  is why  (Ikolo,  2015)  observes  that  expectations  of people  are high when  sourcing  and retrieving information and when information needs are not met,  frustration  normally sets in and this  may  drive  the  teachers  and  students  away  from  the  library.    Mai  (2016)  believes  that satisfying  the request  of users implies providing  actual information  or services that will meet

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their needs.  This implies that if their needs  are not met,  leads to non-utilization  of resources  in the library by the teachers  and students  in teaching  and learning. Based  on that, Nduka  (2012) emphasized  that neither  a good book nor a good library can make the individual  educated,  it is the successful use of the resources  in the library that makes the well informed, viable  and well adjusted learned individual. The teacher therefore, should make sure that students are given assignments that will involve using the resources in the library after which it will be discussed in the class for improved comprehension to take place.

Hence,  the  success  of the  integration  of library  resources  into  teaching  and  learning  of reading  comprehension  depends  mostly  on the availability  of the resources,  level of awareness by  the  teachers  and  the  actual  utilization  of the  resources  in  the  school.  The  use  of library resources in the teaching and learning of reading comprehension  is important. The awareness and use of the library resources  especially  the visuals  and audiovisuals, by teachers  and learners of English language right from secondary school become necessary, alongside training teachers and students on the use of the resources  in the library in order to acquire the skills and be competent on the use of those library resources.  (Fakeye 2010).  However, both the teachers and the students should  be  aware  on  the  need  to  make  use  of the  resources  in  the  library  when  it  comes  to teaching  and  learning.  Teachers  and learners  should  be trained  on how  to handle  some of the resources to avoid being damaged.

Some  studies  revealed  that  some  of the resources  are not  available  or being  utilized  by teachers  and students  in schools.  Studies  such as Fakeye  (2010)  and Fayose  (2013) by experts reveal   that   there   is   lack   of  library   resources   especially   information   and   communication technologies  for use in most schools.  According  to Fakeye  (2010),  the availability  of computer and its connectivity  to the  internet  tend  to non-existence  in virtually  all the  schools  in Enugu

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State. Based on this, Ibiam and Ugwu (2011) believe that teachers can downgrade  the quality of education  through  laziness, cruelty  or incompetence.  On the hand, unavailability  of the  library resources can dampen the spirit of teachers.  However, Nnadi (2014)  noted that for a long time in Enugu State especially in Obollo-Afor  Education  Zone, the school system was dominated by the students being passive  learners, where the students only dwelt on cramming their notes and few textbooks just  to pass  internal examinations  without  looking  at the task  ahead.  Some  students never  really  learnt  anything,  because  there  was  and  there  still  is  a  great  difference  between teaching  and  learning.  However,  teaching  focuses  on  the  needs  of the  teacher  and  the  pre• occupation  with  set  syllabuses  and  examinations.  It  is  external  and  makes  students  passive receivers  of the  teachers’  ideas  based  on  set  textbooks.  Teaching  did  not  give  students  the opportunity to think and react positively to situations.  Many students actually sit in the classroom not understanding  the teachers’ recitals.

Students who actually want to learn how to read and comprehend,  need to take charge of their own learning instead of just passively  listening to the teacher. The students must be able to carry out plans  for developing  their reading  comprehension  whether the teacher  is there or not. This can be done more effectively  through the use of library resources which assist learning with ease. Therefore, availability  and utilization  of the resources  in schools is an important  factor to consider if there must be any meaningful  benefit  in the use of library resources  in the teaching and learning of reading  comprehension. Hence, in order to ascertain  the extent to which library resources  is being used in teaching and learning reading comprehension,  it is imperative to look at the  availability  and utilization  of library  resources  in the  teaching  and  learning  of reading comprehension  in secondary schools in Obollo-Afor Education Zone.

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Statement of the Problem

Reading  is a complex  activity which  deals with the decoding  of ideas,  experiences  in order to make meaning out of it. Reading without understanding  of what is read is an effortless activity.  Therefore, comprehension is highly needed in the process of reading, and when reading is badly taught, it leads to poor academic achievement not only in English language but in other subjects as well.

Despite  the  importance  attached  to reading  comprehension,  it is observed  that  many students  still  find  it very  difficult  to read  and  comprehend  materials  written  in English.  In examination, students’ performance in reading comprehension is relatively low even though it is important. In WAEC Paper  1, one comprehension  passage  is always given compared to other aspects of English which shows its importance.  But in all, students’ performances  are nothing to write home  about. In the WAEC  Chief Examiner’s Report  (2014), it was noted that students lacked the ability to comprehend well by not being able to read between lines or draw inferences, students’ poor understanding  of the main idea by giving the surface meaning of the passage and concluded  that  all these  pitfalls  pointed  to the  fact that  the  candidates  were  not  adequately prepared for the examination by the schools. The Chief Examiner suggested that students should strive to cultivate the habit of reading widely with a view to improving their understanding  and vocabulary, to read the rubrics and ensure that they understand the questions before attempting them.

Many  factors  can be  the  cause  of students’  poor  achievement  such  as  the  methods, teaching  and  learning  process  as  well  as  situations  among  others.  Fortunately,  curriculum planners  have  included the use  of library  resources  in  the teaching  and  learning  of reading comprehension  just  because  of the importance  attached to the use of library resources  in the

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teaching  and  learning  of reading  comprehension.  However,  the  availability  and  utilization  of library resources  in secondary  schools  for the teaching  and learning  of reading  comprehension has not been comprehensively  investigated.  The problem  of this study,  therefore,  is to find out the  availability  and  utilization   of library  resources  in  the  teaching  and  learning  of reading comprehension of secondary schools in Obollo-Afor Education Zone.

Purpose of the Study

The general purpose of this study is to find out the extent of availability and utilization of library resources in the teaching and learning of reading comprehension in secondary schools in Obollo – Afor Education Zone.

Specifically, the study is aimed at finding out:

1.    available library resources in the school library.

2.   the extent teachers and learners are aware of the need to use the resources in the library.

3.   extent of use of the resources in the library.

4.   skills possessed by the teachers and students.

5.   Challenges posed to the availability and utilization  of library resources  in the teaching and learning of reading comprehension.

Significance of the Study

The theoretical significance of the work is hinged on Information Utility theory by Ross Todd (2012),  and Knowledge  Construction  Integration theory of comprehension  by Van Dijk and Kinstch (2012).   Ross Todd’s theory states that a user of information products will keep on demanding and using information resources provided that the user derives maximum satisfaction from the use as long as the resources continue to meet the information needs of the user.’ This theory  will  provide  a  framework  for understanding  users’   (teachers  and  learners)  attitudes

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towards  the utilization  of library resources. This is because both the teachers  and students  will continue  to use the  available  and  accessible  resources  in the teaching  and  learning  of reading comprehension  in as much as the resources meet their needs which is the fundamental reason for the utilization  of library resources by teachers and learners.

The findings of this study are expected to be beneficial to the students,  the teachers,  and Ministry  of Education.  The  study  is  of benefit  to  students  because  it  exposes  them  to  the available  opportunities   of library  resources   such  as  computer  to  improve  their  reading  and comprehension  and also, be able to perform  well both  in internal  and external  examinations  as well  as  in  other  subjects   areas  since  the  mastery   of English   language  helps  in  students’ performance  in other subjects.

It provides teachers with valuable information on the use of library resources in teaching

English reading passages for enhanced comprehension.  It will also help the teachers to demand for the improvement of the school libraries for effective utilization of the resources to take place by the users, therefore, enhances teachers’ better attitude towards the utilization of school library resources, hence, the teachers’ job will be made easier if they consult the materials in the library.

The study helps the Ministry of Education to get information on the prevailing  situation in schools with regards to the availability  and utilization  of library resources  in schools in the teaching of reading comprehension  to know if the resources had been implemented  in schools. This  will motivate  them to increase  awareness  in  schools  on the need  to incorporate library resources  in the teaching  and learning  of English  language  skills and reading  comprehension through seminars and workshops.

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Scope of the Study

The study was limited in terms of geographical scope to senior secondary school students (SS2) in Obollo-Afor  Education  Zone. On the content scope, the available library resources  in schools for the teaching and learning of reading comprehension, the extent teachers and learner are aware  of the need  to use  library resources,  extent  of use  of the  library resources,  skills possessed  by the teachers  and students, challenges posed to the availability  and utilization  of library resources in the teaching and learning of reading comprehension.

Research Questions

The following research questions guided this study:

1.    What are the available  library resources  used  for the teaching  and learning of reading comprehension?

2.   To  what  extent  are  the  teachers  and  students  aware  of the  need  to  use  the  library resources?

3.   Which of the available resources are utilized by teachers and students in the teaching and learning of reading comprehension?

4.   What are the skills possessed by teachers and students in using library resource to teach reading comprehension?

5.   What are the challenges posed to the availability and utilization of library resources in the teaching of reading comprehension?

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Research Hypotheses

The following null hypotheses were formulated and were tested at 0.05 level of significance.

HO.  There is no statistically  significant difference  in the mean ratings of teachers  and students as regards the awareness  of the potency  of library resources  among senior secondary students.

H0. There is no statistically significant difference in the mean ratings of teachers and students as regards the extent of utilization oflibrary resources among senior secondary students.

H0. There is no statistically significant difference in the mean ratings of teachers and students as regards the skills possessed  in the use of library resources among senior secondary students.

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