Abstract
Reading comprehension is the ability to understand what we read, where words have context and texts have meaning. Students may fall behind if they lack reading comprehension skills. There are many reasons why children may have difficulty understanding what they read, including making inferences, predicting outcomes, sequencing events, and determining cause-and-effect relationships. In this context, the goal of this study was to assess the reading comprehension skills of key stage 2 learners in preparation for a proposed intervention plan. This study employed a descriptive research design using a self-made test instrument to assess the reading comprehension skills of 36 key stage 2 learners. The data were statistically analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, and t-test. The results revealed that the respondents were mostly male, belonged to the higher-income group, had many siblings, and resided far from school. Overall, the reading comprehension skills of key stage 2 learners fall into the frustration category. Further, a significant difference was found in the level of reading comprehension skills of key stage 2 learners in sequencing events, according to sex. The frustration stemmed from learners’ limited vocabulary, prior knowledge, critical thinking, and analytical skills, as well as their limited exposure to various reading materials. This calls for school heads and reading specialists to work together to implement targeted interventions to address the least mastered skills, particularly for students at the frustration level.
Keywords: Reading comprehension, key stage 2 learners, vocabulary, fluency, word recognition