The relationship of critical thinking skills and reading comprehension performance for students of holy child college of education, takoradi

Abstract

The study was conducted in Holy Child College of Education in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly of the Western Region. The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between reading comprehension and critical thinking skills of first and second-year students of Holy Child College of Education. Descriptive research design and correlation design were used to conduct the study. First and second-year students of Holy Child College of Education constitute the population for the study. Stratified sampling methods were used to select the students. Questionnaire and test were the instruments used to collect data for the study. Further, percentages, means, frequency distribution, Pearson product-moment correlation and independent t-test were used to analyse the data that was collected. The study revealed a strong and positive correlation between Level 200 students’ critical thinking and their performance in reading comprehension. Similarly, there was a strong and positive correlation between Level 100 students’ critical thinking and reading comprehension performance. It was also found that the differences that were observed in the performance of Level 100 and Level 200 students in reading comprehension and critical thinking were not statistically significant, and both groups of students had poor reading comprehension skills that negatively affected their performance in reading comprehension. The implications of this study will hopefully encourage a conscious effort on the part of English Language tutors of colleges of education to teach critical thinking skills and reading comprehension strategies.