The Impact of Reading on Second Language Acquisition: The Case of a Ghanaian Female University College of Education.

Over the years, students have been encouraged to read extensively. New techniques of teaching English reading skills in the classroom have also been devised (Iqbal, et al. 2015). Learners are taught to scan for the recognition of some visual forms such as numbers, words, or phrases, and also how to read closely for visual semantic process to finally acquire information (Carver, 1992). The present study therefore aims to identify, any form of impact that reading has on students' proficiency in English Language as a second language in Ghana. Questionnaires of both open and close ended questions were administered to fifty (50) first year College of Education female teacher trainees. First, the results of the analysis revealed that English language has now become the language spoken by students not only in school as expected, but also at home, and with friends when they are out of school. Secondly, an improvement in the reading culture and the attitude of students towards reading is also indicated. Finally, this study confirms that extensive reading in a target language enriches the readers' level of proficiency in the second language being acquired. It speeds up the process of acquisition from vocabulary to writing. Some implications have also been suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]