Impact of inquiry-based English teaching through digital applications on primary schoolchildren's reading comprehension and autonomy in pandemic situation
Considering the urgency of integrating technologies in the contemporary classrooms, the aim of the presented study has been shaped to outline the impact of inquiry-based English language teaching through digital applications on primary learners’ reading comprehension and autonomy development during a pandemic outbreak of COVID-19. The research context has been designed in a quantitative manner to analyze experiment results and compare control and treatment group learners’ reading comprehension and academic achievement levels as well as to measure primary schoolchildren’s level of autonomy before and after the treatment. The subjects’ autonomy level, curiosity and interest in reading through digital applications before and after the experiment have been evaluated through pre and post-experimental questionnaires. Learning processes of two experimental and two control groups were compared to create four research contexts for the study. Discrepancy between inquiry-based teaching through a digital library and a traditional way of teaching reading has been emphasized in the study results. The obtained data has been analyzed using SPSS to compare the academic performance results. The study revealed that inquiry-based English language teaching through digital applications highly enhanced the primary learners’ academic performance in reading and increased their motivation level to study independently.