Exploration of teaching practices of reading comprehension skills at public schools of Gilgit-Baltistan
Date of Award
2018
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Master of Education (MEd)
Department
Institute for Educational Development, Karachi
Abstract
Teaching English language to the students, and engaging them in the learning tasks especially non-natives, is not an easy task for the teachers in public schools of Pakistan. Teachers of English generally use Grammar Translation Methods (GTM) to teach English which affects the language skills of the students like listening, reading, writing and speaking skills. Various other factors also come into play when English language is taught to non-natives like pedagogical skills of the teachers who are also non-native speakers of English. Keeping this in view, this study was planned to explore the current teaching practices of English language teachers and how they engage students in reading comprehension skills in the context of public schools in rural areas of Gilgit-Baltistan. Qualitative study approach of case study was used to explore and observe the teaching practices of the two English language teachers teaching at grade 6. Data was collected through interviews, classroom observations, document analysis, and field notes. Likewise, focus group discussions were also arranged with the students to look at teachers teaching practices from students’ perspectives. The cases of two English language teachers revealed that they were teaching reading comprehension using GTM. That practice was not helpful for the students to get engaged in the process of reading comprehension. The teachers were not engaging students with reading comprehension strategies such as skimming, scanning, questioning, guessing and meaning making. Participant teachers taught English as a subject, but not as a language. The findings of the interviews and observations imply that teachers of English require the teaching skills of language such as reading comprehension. English teachers need support to learn how to engage students in reading comprehension skills in order to make their teaching purposeful.
Recommended Citation
Tawoos, B. (2018). Exploration of teaching practices of reading comprehension skills at public schools of Gilgit-Baltistan (Unpublished master's dissertation). Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.