Motivation for the Nigerian Center for Reading Research and Development

• In Event: University partnerships for sustainable development: the case of the Nigeria Center for Reading Research

Proposal

The teaching of reading in Sub-Saharan Africa, especially in the early grades, has not always been successful, despite the significance of developing operational reading skills as the vital platform for all effective learning. As the ability to decipher written language and other symbols into meaningful patterns of communication, reading is, undoubtedly, the most significant skill in teaching and learning. It enables the reader to directly access the rich sources of information and ideas published in texts and non-text material, especially textbooks; as well those available through the modern media of communication, which have now become a rich source of instruction and knowledge. At the same time, it is an engaging activity that brings immeasurable pleasure and fosters speed in the learning process and learner independence; always inspiring the reader into deeper explorations and greater achievements, with confidence and understanding. Indeed, reading is an indispensable tool for effective learning, especially among children in the early grades, as they are launched into the schooling process.

In this regard, scholars and educationists have for long argued in support of developing an effective reading skill at the tertiary level, arguing that it is no less significant for success in the university, where, unfortunately, it is not always taught, because it is assumed that students would have normally acquired the skill as part of their pre-entry training. Thus, a recent review concludes that “success at the university level mainly depends on existing pre-entry college attributes, including the mastery of some fundamental academic skills [like] reading, writing, critical thinking, oral presentation and media literacy” (Herminda 2009, p. 20). So fundamental are the skills of reading for the learners at every stage that without them students will be unable to read academic texts deeply; and may miss out the ability to utilise their higher-order cognitive skills for the construction of meaning in the texts they will encounter later in life.

It is in this context that Baryero University—Kano decided to develop a reading center. The jointly developed concept for the NCRRD derives from the well-known network of reading research centers in the United States, which produce innovative research and influence the field in applied means, through pre-service and in-service teacher education. Many also conduct outreach activities with parents, ensuring that the most current research-based recommendations are widely understood. The Florida Center for Reading Research, the Iowa Reading Research Center, and the Minnesota Center for Reading Research are a few examples of such centers.

Author

• Ismaila Tsiga, Bayero University Kano