Abstract

Reading fluency is a critical component in English language learning. It is however neglected in recent years in view of the dearth of recent literature on reading. The present study seeks to investigate critical issues of reading fluency among ESL adult learners in Nigeria. 50 respondents were selected out of 110 ESL learners from General Studies Programme of Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic Bauchi. Data were collected through questionnaire and Read Aloud Test. The findings reveal that majority of the respondents are not exposed to English phoneme recognition that would guide them to pronounce words appropriatelyand further read fluently. They are also scared of poor judgment from colleagues, poor foundation and negative perception towards reading. The study suggest for exposure therapy to ameliorate the situation.