Effect of Interactive Book Reading on Speaking Skills of Pre-primary School Children in Ibadan Metropolis in Nigeria

Abstract

Speaking skills are essential for play and learning in the classroom, as
passing and receiving information are achieved through these skills.
However, many children find it difficult to interact using the English
language. The study adopted the pre-test and post-test quasi-experimental
research design. Forty-one children from two schools were assigned to
experimental and control groups in the study. Seven hypotheses and six
validated instruments were used and descriptive and inferential statistics
were employed for data analysis. There was a significant main effect of
treatment on pre-primary school children’s speaking skills (F (1, 32) =34.95;
P<0.05; ɳ2=0.52).Conclusively, interactive book reading is an effective
reading strategy for pre-primary school children. Based on the findings of
the study, it was therefore recommended that, pre-school teachers should
adopt, inter alia, interactive book reading to improve the quality of preprimary
school children’s speaking skills.
Keywords: communication ability, conventional methods, literacy
development, self-esteem, home language