An Assessment of English Oral Reading Skills Among Seventh-Grade Basic Education Students in Misrata: (Shuhada Al-Ghiran School as a Case Study)

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the level of English oral reading skills among seventh-grade students in basic education schools in Misrata. To achieve the objectives of the study, the researchers employed the descriptive research method. An observation checklist was used to assess the students’ oral reading skills. After establishing its validity and reliability, the checklist was administered to a purposive sample of 36 seventh-grade students at Shohadaa Al-Ghiran School in Misrata. Following statistical analysis, the results revealed the following: The overall level of English oral reading among the seventh-grade students was low and below the expected level. Fluency ranked first in terms of weakness, with a mean score of (0.603), indicating that the students experienced slowness, hesitation, and frequent pauses while reading. Accuracy ranked second in terms of weakness, with a mean score of (0.639), with noticeable errors in word pronunciation, substitution, omission, and addition. Correct punctuation ranked third in terms of weakness, with a mean score of (0.808), indicating difficulty in appropriately using punctuation marks to regulate pauses and intonation during oral reading. Performance ranked fourth and last in terms of weakness, with a mean score of (1.083). Accordingly, the skills were ranked from the most to the least weak as follows: fluency, accuracy, correct punctuation, and performance.