Effects of Consciousness Raising of Metacognitive Strategies on EFL Students’ Reading Comprehension

2009 ◽  
Vol 157 ◽  
pp. 75-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nasrin Shokrpour

Abstract The view that explicit instruction of metacognitive strategies is important for raising reader consciousness has become prominent recently. This study was an attempt to determine the impacts of instructing metacognitive strategies on readers’ comprehension. Two groups of students majoring in English language at Shiraz University/ Iran were compared using Schraw & Denisson’s (1994) “Metacognitive Awareness Inventory” to find out the participants’ degree of awareness towards metacognitive strategies. After a period of four months of pretest- treatment–posttest design, the results revealed a significant improvement in the experimental group who were trained to use metacognitive strategies consciously in their reading tasks as compared with the control group. The pedagogical implications of the study are also discussed.

Author(s):  
Abeer Al-Ghazo

The present study investigates the effect of push out hypothesis in language acquisition that is based on Swain’s push out hypothesis (1985) on promoting Jordanian language learners' reading performance. The sample of the study consists of two classes of English reading comprehension  Course , Level one with 60 EFL students, 30 in the control group and 30 in the experimental group. Those students were belonging to the Department of English Language and Literature. The researchers choose the reading texts from reading comprehension course which was published by Macmillan Education LTD, intermediate level (2001). The researchers construct a multiple-choice reading comprehension test to assess the students reading comprehension. The participants in the two groups took a vocabulary test and an achievement reading comprehension test as a pre-test  in order to be sure that the participants formed a homogenous sample. The experimental group underwent a treatment based on Swains’ push out task, while the control group did not receive any treatment. Then, Proper statistical analyses were used to analyze the results. The scores of control and experimental group were compared at the end of the treatment period. The results reveal that the scores of the experimental group on the post-test were significantly higher than those of the control group. These results prove that teaching on the basis of the Swains’ push out hypothesis was successful to develop the students’ reading comprehension as well as their performance.


Author(s):  
Majid Bani Madhi

Iraqi EFL learners face difficulties in comprehending English language reading texts. It is well-established that the teaching strategies focusing on the nature of reading comprehension process are more effective than traditional methods when seeking to achieve a better comprehension of foreign language texts. This study investigates the impact of the KWL strategy on the college EFL students' reading comprehension achievement. KWL (Ogle, 1986) is an instructional reading method utilized to guide students while reading a text. Students brainstorm the whole thing they Know about a topic. This information is written down in the K column of a K-W-L chart. A list of questions about what they Want to Know about the topic is then developed. These questions are set out in the W column of the chart. During or after reading, students answer the questions that are in the W column. This new information that they have Learned is recorded in the L column of the K-W-L chart. To achieve the aim of this study, a sample selected randomly from the first-grade students, the department of English, Al-Imam Al-Kadhum Private University College, Misan, Iraq. Ninety-two males and females participated in the study and were distributed equally to an experimental group and a control group. Both groups were pretested to determine their achievement level and make sure that they are homogenous. The students in the experimental group were taught reading comprehension by the K.W.L strategy, while the control group were taught by a conventional method. Pre- and post-reading comprehension tests were managed to collect data. The data were analyzed using a two-sample t-test. The findings reveal the superiority of the experimental group students in the reading comprehension post-test over their peers in the control group. Therefore, the strategy can be beneficial for students’ reading comprehension. This study is a call for teachers to utilize new strategies and techniques for teaching reading compr


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 77
Author(s):  
Mary Susan Anyiendah ◽  
Paul A. Odundo ◽  
Agnes Kibui

Learners in Vihiga County perform poorer in English language examinations than their peers in neighbouring counties; and their performance seems to be weaker in comprehension compared to grammar sections. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of summarisation skills on learners’ achievement in reading comprehension in Vihiga County. The Solomon Four-Group Design was applied to obtain primary data from 279 primary school learners and 8 teachers in 2017. Multiple linear regression was also applied to generate two models, one for the experimental group and one for the control group. In both models, summarisation skills influenced learners’ achievement in reading comprehension positively, and the effect was significant at 90% confidence level; thus, leading to rejection of the null hypothesis. However, the effect seemed to be stronger in the experimental than in the control group, which suggests that training English language teachers on how to correctly apply summarisation skills impacted on learners’ achievement in reading comprehension. Based on the findings, it’s concluded that: training teachers of English language on the correct procedures for activating learners’ summarisation skills is likely to add value by making them more effective in lesson delivery. Such training is likely to inspire teachers to go an extra mile in their efforts to activate learners’ summarisation skills.


2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 210-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ali Rahimi ◽  
Samira Mouri

This study aimed to explore the impact of computer-assisted language learning on Iranian EFL students’ vocabulary learning. Participants of the study were 76 students – 29 males and 47 females – learning English as a foreign language in Parto, Sadr, Poyesh and Andishe Institutes in Ahvaz who were selected after taking the Nelson English Language Test as a proficiency test. They were randomly divided into two groups. One group was taken as control and the other as experimental group. Both groups participated in the teacher-made test of vocabulary, Vocabulary Levels Test (VLT), and Word-Associates Test (WAT) as pre-test. During class sessions the control group was taught the vocabulary, in the conventional way, through the printed textbook while the experimental group taught by the software version of the same book. Three ANCOVAs were run to compare the performance of experimental and control groups after the treatment period. The results of the ANCOVAs revealed that using vocabulary learning software was more effective than using printed book on vocabulary learning, vocabulary breadth, and vocabulary depth of the participants. The results of the present study could help EFL course book designers, foreign language institutes, educational planners, material developers, teachers, and learners to provide a better context for EFL learning. Keywords: computer-assisted instruction, computer-assisted language learning, information communication technology, vocabulary breadth, vocabulary teaching software.  


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 45
Author(s):  
Mary Susan Anyiendah ◽  
Paul A. Odundo ◽  
Agnes Kibuyi

Word recognition is one of the comprehension processing skills encapsulated by the interactive approach instruction. Word recognition skills enable readers to understand the meaning of comprehension passages by decoding the sound of new words. Learners in Vihiga County perform poorer in English language examinations than their peers in neighbouring counties. The performance is weaker in comprehension than in grammar sections of the English paper. Despite this, there is paucity of empirical information about the nexus between activation of word recognition skills and learners’ achievement in reading comprehension in the County. This study applied the Solomon Four-Group Design to source data from 279 primary school learners and 8 teachers in 2017. Multiple linear regression was used to generate two models, one for the experimental group (Model 1) and one for the control group (Model 2). Key results show that the influence of word recognition skills on learners’ achievement in reading comprehension was statistically significant in both groups. However, the effect was stronger in the experimental than in the control group, suggests that training teachers in the experimental group enabled learners in that group to perform better than their colleagues in the control group. Thus, activation of learners’ word recognition skills is likely to improve achievement in reading comprehension.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 30
Author(s):  
Omaima Al-Kiyumi ◽  
Fawzia Al Seyabi ◽  
Abdul Hamid Hassan

The current quasi-experimental study investigated the effect of metacognitive reading strategies on the reading comprehension and attitudes of Omani EFL foundation-level students. The sample of the study included two intact classes (N=45) and was selected based on the students’ results in the midterm reading comprehension exam and their responses to the metacognitive strategies survey (MARSI). One class functioned as the experimental group, which received instruction relating to the metacognitive reading strategies. The other class was the control group which received conventional reading instruction. Two instruments were used to collect data: a pre-post reading comprehension test to measure the students’ performance in reading and an attitude questionnaire to investigate their attitudes towards metacognitive reading strategies use. The results of the study revealed that there was a statistically significant difference between the learners’ reading comprehension in the experimental group and the control group in favor of the experimental group as a result of metacognitive reading strategies instruction. Results also showed that students in the experimental group held positive attitudes towards using metacognitive reading strategies use. In the light of these findings, implications and recommendations for practice were put forward.


Author(s):  
Fereydoon Rasouli ◽  
Omid Ahmadi

Determining the motivational impact of enhancing reading comprehension, through pictorial fictions, on the EFL students to involve them more in writing activities, is the prime purpose of the present study. The study took place in the Iranian Language Institute (ILI), the branch of Mahabad. Key English Test (KET) administrated to a hundred students to select the subjects of the present study. Finally, 60 male students were selected and randomly divided into the experimental and control groups. The experimental group received pictorial fictions as treatment, utilizing input reading comprehension enhancement through typographic elements, and direct and indirect feedback provided to them, while the control group received pictorial fiction texts without such inputs, then to collect the intended data, the "Academic Writing Motivation Questionnaire" (AWMQ) was administered to both groups separately in two stages of pre-tests and post-tests. The results showed that enhancing reading comprehension has a significant motivational impact on the writing engagement of Iranian EFL learners.


Author(s):  
Fatimah Miteib Almutayri , Khitam Mohammed Alghazu

The current study aimed to find out the effect of using meta cognitive strategies on the development of reading comprehension in English language on the Second Grade of Secondary students in Jeddah city. The researcher used a quasi-experimental approach with two groups (control group and experimental groups). The sample, which included (58) female students from the second grade of secondary students on Jeddah city, was convenience sample. The researcher prepared three tools for studying as the following: • A list of reading comprehension skills in English language. • A test of a reading comprehension in English language. • A guide book for teacher and students to use the meta cognitive skills. The researcher used appropriate statistical methods as the Means, standard deviations, and one way ANOVA and MANCOVA, the following results have been reached: 1- There are statistical significant differences at the level of ≤ 0.05 between the average post-test scores of the experimental group and the average post-test scores of control group in all reading comprehension levels of English language for experimental group after controlling pretest for experimental group. 2-There are no statistical significant differences at the level of ≤ 0.05 between the average post-test scores of the experimental group and the average post-test scores of control group in literal comprehension level of English language after controlling pre-test for experimental group. 3- There are statistical significant differences at the level of ≤ 0.05 between the average post-test scores of the experimental group and the average post-test scores of control group in interpretative comprehension level of English language after controlling pre-test for experimental group. 4- There are statistical significant differences at the level of ≤ 0.05 between the average post-test scores of the experimental group and the average post-test scores of control group in critical comprehension level of English language after controlling pretest for experimental group. The study has recommended to develop the English curriculum in order to apply the implementation of meta cognitive strategies, as well as, to train the teachers of English language before and during the service on using the meta cognitive strategies. The study has suggested to study the effectiveness of other strategies for " meta cognition " in the development of reading comprehension. Also, it has suggested to study the effectiveness of the " meta cognition " strategies for the development of language skills in different stages of learning.  


2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 680-702 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chih-Ming Chen ◽  
Jung-Ying Wang ◽  
Yu-Chieh Lin

Purpose Developing attention-aware systems and interfaces based on eye tracking technology could revolutionize mainstream human–computer interaction to make the interaction between human beings and computers more intuitive, effective and immersive than can be achieved traditionally using a computer mouse. This paper aims to propose an eye-controlled interactive reading system (ECIRS) that uses human eyes instead of the traditional mouse to control digital text to support screen-based digital reading. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a quasi-experimental design to examine the effects of an experimental group and a control group of learners who, respectively, used the ECIRS and a mouse-controlled interactive reading system (MCIRS) to conduct their reading of two types of English-language text online – pure text and Q&A-type articles on reading comprehension, cognitive load, technology acceptance, and reading behavioural characteristics. Additionally, the effects of learners with field-independent (FI) and field-dependence (FD) cognitive styles who, respectively, used the ECIRS and MCIRS to conduct their reading of two types of English-language text online – pure text and Q&A-type articles on reading comprehension are also examined. Findings Analytical results reveal that the reading comprehension of learners in the experimental group significantly exceeded those in the control group for the Q&A article, but the difference was insignificant for the pure text article. Moreover, the ECIRS improved the reading comprehension of field-independent learners more than it did that of field-dependent learners. Moreover, neither the cognitive loads of the two groups nor their acceptance of the technology differed significantly, whereas the reading time of the experimental group significantly exceeded that of the control group. Interestingly, for all articles, the control group of learners read mostly from top to bottom without repetition, whereas most of the learners in the experimental group read most paragraphs more than once. Clearly, the proposed ECIRS supports deeper digital reading than does the MCIRS. Originality/value This study proposes an emerging ECIRS that can automatically provide supplementary information to a reader and control a reading text based on a reader’s eye movement to replace the widely used mouse-controlled reading system on a computer screen to effectively support digital reading for English language learning. The implications of this study are that the highly interactive reading patterns of digital text with ECIRS support increase motivation and willingness to learn while giving learners a more intuitive and natural reading experience as well as reading an article online with ECIRS support guides learners’ attention in deeper digital reading than does the MCIRS because of simultaneously integrating perceptual and cognitive processes of selection, awareness and control based on human eye movement.


2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramazan GOCTU

Reading is one of the most significant skills, particularly for EFL students. Many students today do not have the reading skills needed to do effective work in their courses. This paper explores reading for pleasure, its importance and impact on reading comprehension. Pleasure reading helps students to communicate, listen and, most importantly, to express themselves freely and it also allows them to acquire specific language skills. That is why reading for pleasure is definitely important. An experimental study using reading for pleasure was carried out at international Black Sea University for eight weeks with 42 English Philology freshman students. The experimental group was given texts for their selection: newspaper articles and graded readers on various topics which students were interested in, while the control group has just read the reading excerpts and texts which are given in their course book. The duration of the experiment was 8 weeks. Pre- and post-tests were implemented to determine the degree of improvement of students’ reading comprehension skills. The experimental group showed better improvement of comprehension skills.  The study demonstrated a measurable positive effect of reading for pleasure on students’ language acquisition.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document