THE INFLUENCE OF HOME AND SCHOOL BACKGROUNDS ON LEARNERS’ ENGLISH FIRST ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE LEARNERS’ READING COMPREHENSION SKILLS

Abstract

Reading comprehension is an important skill that all learners must acquire for their academic success as they will be required to use the skill to understand written assignments and tests throughout their academic lives. It is also an essential skill that is required to navigate through this ever-changing society. This review paper explores how the home and school environment influence how English First Additional Language learners learn and acquire reading comprehension skills. The study is guided by the Cognitive Process theory, and it synthesises secondary literature on the influence of the home environment, the school, poverty, language barriers and classroom setting as contributing factors towards learners’ poor reading comprehension. The findings revealed that learners' home environments play a crucial role in the development of reading comprehension skills because parents or guardians encouraged reading, monitored homework, and provided access to books. The findings also indicated that the school environment has a significant impact on learners' reading comprehension because it provides adequate reading materials, and structured reading programmes created better opportunities for learners to develop reading skills. The findings showed that many learners struggled because English is an additional language rather than their home language. This study contributes to the body of knowledge by synthesising literature looking at the influence of background factors on learners reading comprehension.