JIGSAW IV COOPERATIVE INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY AS DETERMINANT OF READING COMPREHENSION ACHIEVEMENT OF NIGERIAN COLLEGE OF EDUCATION STUDENTS

Abstract

 Abstract

Reading comprehension is the hub that allowed other language skills to be taught communicatively, it is a learning strategy in itself and a means of instruction to examine students in formal classroom settings. Reading is a literacy skill that its comprehension enhances the understanding of other subjects. Despite various researches on reading instruction, the trend of low performance of Nigerian students in national examinations in English language still continues. This is a threatening inhibition to the attainment of the country’s educational goals. Education planners and administrators have constantly and aptly expressed the view that no nation can rise above the quality of her educated citizens. This means that for any meaningful development, appropriate attention towards the growth of education is imperative, in view of this, the Nigeria government recognizes the pivotal roles of quality teachers in the provision of quality education at all levels. It therefore states that teachers’ education shall continue to be emphasized in educational planning and development (FRN, 2013). Since teachers are the real implementers of educational policy, aims and curriculum goals, the aim of this study was to access Jigsaw IV cooperative instructional strategy (J4CIS) as a determinant of reading comprehension achievement of Nigerian college of education students. College of education is one of the institutions charged with the responsibilities of producing intermediate teachers in Nigeria. The objectives of this study were to: (a) examine the entry achievement level of College students in reading comprehension, (b) ascertain the effect of the strategy on the reading comprehension of college students, (c) assess the effect of gender on the reading achievement of college students exposed to the strategy. The study adopted the quasi-experimental research design. Purposive and simple random sampling techniques were used to select 60 participants from the two public colleges of education in Kwara State, Nigeria. Reading comprehension achievement tests (RCAT) were used for the data collection: items of the tests were adopted from recommended texts and were validated by language experts. Data collected were analyzed using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) at 0.05 level of significance.

The findings of the study were:

1. Before the treatments, most college students could read orally but few comprehended effectively


2. A significant difference exists in the reading comprehension of students taught with Jigsaw IV cooperative instructional strategy (J4CIS)

• Gender does not have any significant effect on the reading achievement of students when exposed to Jigsaw IV cooperative instructional strategy (J4CIS)

The study concluded that reading comprehension can be better enhanced when learners are exposed to Jigsaw IV cooperative instructional strategy (J4CIS) because it embraced communicative teaching. The study recommended among others that teachers should employ the use of the strategy in reading instruction so as to integrate other language skills and improves students’ achievement levels.

Keywords: Jigsaw cooperative strategy, instructional strategy, Determinant, reading comprehension, college of education