Abstract
This study investigated academic reading problems among first-year extended degree students in the Department of English at the University of Johannesburg (UJ). The study adopted the interpretive paradigm in which qualitative research methods were utilised. A qualitative research design which utilised a case study approach was followed. Interviews, focus-group discussions and an open-ended questionnaire were used for data collection. Two lecturers and a representation of 48 first-year extended degree students were purposefully sampled to participate in the study. The findings revealed that the lecturers employ various reading techniques and interventions to teach reading strategies to enhance critical reading skills among the students. Despite such interventions, the findings of the study revealed that the students still experience challenges with reading academic texts. The students need more reading interventions to build the requisite academic reading skills to ensure success in their academic careers. Varying linguistic backgrounds as well as varying proficiency levels in English, which is the language used for academic learning at UJ seem to be other serious factors that impede the students’ effective development of academic reading skills. The findings also revealed that academic reading and writing are inter-dependent skills that should be practiced together for students to achieve academic success. There is a need to balance the focus on teaching academic reading and academic writing because these skills are equally important in promoting the students’ academic success. The findings further revealed that the unexpected emergence of online learning has compounded the reading challenges reported by the students who participated in the study. In this view, the online learning system is reported as problematic due to connectivity issues, digital incompetence, and lack of suitable devices. The limitations of the study were that a small sample of participants was used, and the observations of reading sessions could not be done because of the restrictions caused by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Another limitation is that the study only involved extended degree students and not all first-year students. The major conclusions arrived at were that the interventions made to assist students overcome their reading challenges were not sufficient and that there is a need for more academic reading support throughout the undergraduate studies. The study recommends replicating of the research with other groups of students with different levels of English proficiency. The study further recommends ongoing research to determine the impact of the different linguistic backgrounds on academic reading abilities and how these different linguistic backgrounds can be accommodated in teaching academic reading strategies. The study also recommends that the university should consider establishing a reading centre to provide additional reading platforms for students to have
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more interactive sessions which would promote the students’ cognitive development and the development of critical reading skills.
Key words: academic reading, reading problems, reading strategies, reading proficiency, multilingual students, multilingualism, academic texts, first-year students.