Causes of Reading Difficulties in Children
The main aim of reading is to comprehend and reconstruct the writer’s mental world (Nation, 47). It is important to note that reading is a complex task. As such, it involves various cognitive as well as linguistic processes. According to Akubuilo, Okorie, Onwuka & Uloh-Bethels (38), reading involves actively thinking to unlock and understand an author’s ideas. Mule (12) states that reading does not naturally develop for many children. According to McArthur & Castles (1), a substantial proportion of children often struggle to learn how to read. This could be explained by the fact that the complexity involved when reading results from two sets of skills: decoding and linguistic comprehension (Nation, 47). Since these are skills, children can be easily taught how to decode, recognize words as well as read comprehension directly and systematically (Mule, 12). Although the skill of reading does not occur naturally and one has to learn it, various factors cause children to develop or rather find it hard to acquire this skill.
One well-documented factor that causes difficulties in reading in children is the difference in socioeconomic status among children. According to Caceres & Alvarado (83), socioeconomic status plays a crucial role in children’s development of reading skills. This is regardless of their race or ethnicity. A study by Dolean, Melby-Lervag, Tincas, Damsa & Lervag (9) showed that socioeconomic status affected how children’s reading starts and develops over time. This is because a child’s socioeconomic status influences his or her school absence as well as the language factors they need for early reading skills. School absenteeism is a factor that affects the growth of children’s reading skills. Children whose socioeconomic status is medium or high are not affected by being absent in school hence the growth of their reading skills is not affected as compared to children whose socioeconomic is low.
Mental and psychological imbalances in children may also contribute to their reading difficulties (Akubuilo et al, 39). According to Alexander & Fox (1681), dyslexia is a widespread neurological factor that is associated with learning disability. Children who have severe difficulties when it comes to learning to decode print are said to suffer from developmental dyslexia. This differs from acquired dyslexia, which refers to the loss of one’s ability to read due to an accident that affects the brain (Casalis, 257). According to Hulme & Snowling (731), children who suffer from dyslexia usually find it hard to recognize printed words. Apart from that, these children often read slowly. In addition, this condition makes it hard for the children to have great difficulty in ‘sounding out’ words that are unfamiliar. Axelsson, Lundqvist & Sandberg (6) state that this condition is hereditary and that some degree of a child’s reading and writing success is related to the nature of genes (good or bad) from their parents.
A child’s interest and motivation in reading also play an important role in their ability to overcome reading difficulties. The level of interest and motivation is measured by a child’s persistence at reading as well as the amount of effort they give to it. According to Fridkin (31), there exists a relationship between frequent and effortful reading and one’s success at reading. These activities are essential to the development of a child’s reading competence. This is because they affect the amount and breadth of the child’s reading activity. Alhamdu (2) also argues that children who are highly motivated to read are likely to spend their time reading hence improve their reading skills. On the other hand, students who lack motivation try to avoid any reading activity hence they do not improve their reading skills. This causes them to have difficulties in reading as they grow up.
Finally, there is the issue of the teachers’ ability to help children with their reading difficulties. Teachers ought to help children become good readers in terms of being phonemically aware, understanding the alphabet, having strong vocabularies as well as good grammatical skills (Akubuilo, 41). The inability of teachers to help children learn these skills increases the children’s reading difficulties. It is important to note that learning to read begins even before a child enters into formal schooling. Children who start are taught how to read before entering formal education are better off in areas such as vocabulary development, developing an awareness of print and literacy concepts, and understanding the goals of reading (Akubuilo, 41). Children who do not start reading before entering the formal schooling system are thus more likely to experience these reading problems. As such, the teachers have to help such children navigate their way to reduce their reading difficulties.
In summary, numerous studies have documented various factors that cause reading difficulties in children. First, the socioeconomic status of the children’s families affects their reading. This is because the socioeconomic status of their families determines the frequency of school absenteeism among them. School absenteeism robs children of the ability to improve their reading skills. There are also conditions, such as dyslexia, that makes it hard for children to recognize printed words. A child’s level of interest and motivation in reading affects their ability to read as it determines the amount of time they spend improving their reading skills. Finally, teachers also play a big role in ensuring that children who have not exposed to reading before joining formal education improve their reading skills.
Works Cited
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