scholarly journals Brain Hemisphericity and Saudi Students’ EFL Reading Comprehension

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manar Almanea
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Main Idea ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Saudi Students ◽  
Visual Tool ◽  
Comprehension Test ◽  
Study Participants ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Significant Superiority

The present study is concerned with the relationship between brain hemisphericity and the reading comprehension of adult Saudi EFL learners. The tendency to rely on one side of the brain over the other can affect the degree of success in learning a foreign language as well as the appropriateness of learning and teaching strategies. A total of 122 Saudi university-level participated in the study. The first part of the study examines whether or not there are significant differences between the performance of right-brained learners, left-brained learners, whole-brained learners, whole-brained learners favoring right mode, and whole-brained learners favoring left mode in an EFL reading comprehension test. The EFL reading comprehension includes main idea questions, inferential questions, literal-meaning questions and text-bound questions. The Hemispheric Mode Indicator® is used to determine hemispheric preference of the participants. Findings revealed significant superiority of the performance of left-brained learners as compared to right-brained learners and whole-brained learners favoring right mode. This result suggests that even in a foreign language learned after childhood, the left-hemisphere seems to control brain activities dealing with language. In the second part of the study, participants were trained to use a visual tool (Mind Mapping ®) to summarize the information of the reading passage before answering a parallel reading comprehension test. Whole-brained learners favoring right mode, and right-brained learners were the two groups who benefited the most from the visual tool. This result was expected since the visual tool activates some right hemispheric functions. It is concluded that learners with different modes of hemisphericity learn in different ways.

scholarly journals Brain Hemisphericity and Saudi Students’ EFL Reading Comprehension

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 436-456
Author(s):  
Manar Almanea
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Main Idea ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Saudi Students ◽  
Visual Tool ◽  
Comprehension Test ◽  
Study Participants ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Significant Superiority

The present study is concerned with the relationship between brain hemisphericity and the reading comprehension of adult Saudi EFL learners. The tendency to rely on one side of the brain over the other can affect the degree of success in learning a foreign language as well as the appropriateness of learning and teaching strategies. A total of 122 Saudi university-level participated in the study. The first part of the study examines whether or not there are significant differences between the performance of right-brained learners, left-brained learners, whole-brained learners, whole-brained learners favoring right mode, and whole-brained learners favoring left mode in an EFL reading comprehension test. The EFL reading comprehension includes main idea questions, inferential questions, literal-meaning questions and text-bound questions. The Hemispheric Mode Indicator® is used to determine hemispheric preference of the participants. Findings revealed significant superiority of the performance of left-brained learners as compared to right-brained learners and whole-brained learners favoring right mode. This result suggests that even in a foreign language learned after childhood, the left-hemisphere seems to control brain activities dealing with language. In the second part of the study, participants were trained to use a visual tool (Mind Mapping ®) to summarize the information of the reading passage before answering a parallel reading comprehension test. Whole-brained learners favoring right mode, and right-brained learners were the two groups who benefited the most from the visual tool. This result was expected since the visual tool activates some right hemispheric functions. It is concluded that learners with different modes of hemisphericity learn in different ways.

scholarly journals HUBUNGAN PENGUASAAN MUFRADAT DAN TINGKAT PEMAHAMAN MEMBACA TEKS ASLI BAHASA ARAB MAHASISWA

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 50
Author(s):  
Yusring Sanusi Baso ◽  
Faridah Rahman ◽  
Haeruddin Haeruddin ◽  
Najmuddin Abd Safa
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Word Meaning ◽  
Word List ◽  
Arabic Literature ◽  
Unknown Word ◽  
Comprehension Test ◽  
Authentic Text ◽  
The Relationship

This research studied the relationship between vocabulary mastery and the level of comprehension in reading Arabic authentic text. This research investigated students’ lexical threshold to measure the level of comprehension on Arabic authentic text. The data were collected from 47 participants at Arabic literature department of Hasanuddin University. Three test instruments were given, they are Reading Comprehension Test (RCT) that students were asked to sign unknown word meaning in Arabic texts, answer the questions from texts given, and work on Lexical Coverage Test (LCT) to get accurate word list of unknown vocabularies. The result was obtained through applying regression and it showed that the level of reading comprehension was affected 68% by vocabulary mastery. Also, there were 32% of the students depend on the topic or variables out of the variable of vocabulary that was not measured in this research.

scholarly journals An Investigation into the Benefits of the Intercultural Approach to EFL Learning and Teaching: A Case Study of Taif University, KSA

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amir H. Abdalla
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Language Education ◽  
First Year ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
Preparatory Year ◽  
Study Participants

The purpose of this study is to investigate the potential benefits of using the intercultural approach to teaching English as a foreign language in the preparatory –year programme (male branch), Taif University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The intercultural approach is considered a viable means of foreign language education that seeks to address issues of culture in foreign language learning and teaching and how best to address them. Hence, this study intends to explore the attitudes of first year EFL Taif university students to the potential benefits of the intercultural approach to EFL. A sample of 200 EFL students participated in the study. Participants’ views on the topic of the study are collected via a questionnaire the researcher designed and administered to the participants. In addition, the views of 50 EFL instructors teaching in the preparatory programme were gathered by a questionnaire regarding the topic researched. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the collected data.

Comprehending Text and Comprehension Tests

1983 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 94-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Estelle A. Doctor
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Special Functions ◽  
Reading Test ◽  
Reading Tests ◽  
Comprehension Test ◽  
Different Types ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Lexical Phonology ◽  
Comprehension Tests

Four different categories of reading tests are discussed with special attention to their relevance for reading comprehension. Diagnostic and phonic tests serve special functions, but pronunciation, or word tests are often assumed to be measures of comprehension. A detailed critique of one of these, the Schonell Graded Reading Test (R1) is presented and some explanations are suggested for the type of error usually made on this type of test. Several different types of comprehension tests exist, and these are discussed. A different comprehension test which distinguishes between the ability to comprehend material presented aurally and the ability to comprehend the same material in its printed form is presented. The relationship between pre- and post-lexical phonology is also discussed in relation to reading tests.

scholarly journals Amount of Vocabulary Required to Grasp Comprehension in a Text

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (7) ◽  
pp. 33-42
Author(s):  
Jalal H. Albaqshi
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Intensive English ◽  
Sample Group ◽  
Correlation Test ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
The Relationship

This study addresses the relationship between vocabulary and reading comprehension and Showing some other factors which affect the comprehension beside vocabulary. A descriptive analysis and correlation test were applied to show why some L2 learners cannot understand a gist of a text though they are familiar to many vocabulary. The sample group in this study consisted of 64 male Saudi learners. They were between the ages of 18 to 22 years old and had been studying English in formal settings for six years in the form of moderate doses of input but not intensive English. This study highlights the percentage coverage of vocabulary in a text rather than the whole learners ‘reservoir of vocabulary in order to understand the general ideas of a text. Results show that L2 learners need to be familiar at least with 62% to 71% of vocabulary in a text to grasp the gist of whole passage. This result helps to write down several implications for researchers and teachers of English as a second and foreign language.       

scholarly journals Reading Ability and Strategies of Students in Coastal Area of Bengkulu

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 36
Author(s):  
Fernandita Gusweni Jayanti ◽  
Anggun Citra Sari Dewi
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Coastal Area ◽  
Reading Strategies ◽  
Reading Ability ◽  
Main Idea ◽  
Reading Strategy ◽  
Qualitative Approach ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Medium Frequency ◽  
Comprehension Test

The purpose of this study is to discuss students’ reading ability and the reading strategies they use when they read English texts. This study employs a descriptive-qualitative approach. The data were gained by using two instruments; a reading comprehension test and a questionnaire on reading strategy. The respondents of this research were 243 third year students from four senior high schools located in coastal area in Bengkulu city. The results of students’ reading comprehension test showed that the students’ reading ability is categorized as poor. This study also found that the students use reading strategies in medium frequency. It means that the students do not make use of reading strategies maximally. Furthermore, the analysis of the questionnaire also showed that the most frequently used strategies are finding the main idea of the text, guessing the meaning of difficult words and using background knowledge while reading, while the least frequently used strategies are looking at the text closely, finding specific information and interpreting graph, diagram and table. It is predicted that the students’ low reading ability was influenced by the way the students use reading strategy and the sociocultural factor of the students who live in coastal area.

scholarly journals Calibration in EFL Reading: Examining The Nature of Judgment of Confidence

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-110
Author(s):  
Madhu Neupane
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Test Performance ◽  
Rating Scales ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Comprehension Test ◽  
Average Accuracy ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Master Of Education

This article examines the nature of English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ appraisal confidence and appraisal calibration in EFL reading comprehension. Appraisal confidence refers to the degree to which test takers identify the probability that their test answer is corrector appropriate in percentage terms (e.g., 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, or 100%).Appraisal calibration refers to the accuracy of test takers’ appraisal confidence by comparing their appraisal confidence to their test performance in percentage terms. Two hundred and three students studying Master of Education (M. Ed) with specialization in English in the Tribhuvan University participated in the study. An EFL reading comprehension test specially designed for the study and appraisal confidence rating scales incorporated in the same reading comprehension test were used as the tools for data collection. The findings of the study show that the students were highly overconfident in their reading comprehension because the difference between their average appraisal confidence (86.84) and average accuracy in performance (52.35) was+34.49. The implications of the study and recommendations for further research are discussed.

scholarly journals The Relationship between Personality Types and the Cognitive - Metacognitive Strategies

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadia Soleimani ◽  
Morteza Nagahi ◽  
Mohammad Nagahisarchoghaei ◽  
Raed Jaradat
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Data Analysis ◽  
Personality Type ◽  
Personality Types ◽  
Metacognitive Strategies ◽  
General View ◽  
Comprehension Test ◽  
Type Indicator ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
The Relationship

This study investigates the relationship between the personality type and cognitive-metacognitive strategies utilized by test-takers in reading comprehension tests. One hundred undergraduate Iranian English Foreign Learning (EFL) students participated in a reading comprehension test followed by a questionnaire and the Myers & Briggs Type Inventory. The questionnaire consisted of 30 cognitive-metacognitive items (Phakiti, 2003). These questions inquired about the thought process that occurred while completing the test. The 93-item Myers-Brigs Type Indicator (MBTI) questionnaire is a tool that provides individuals with a personality type. The study employed a quantitative data analysis where the input data was analyzed in two ways. First, descriptive statistics were used to describe the sample characteristics, and then a two-way ANOVA was calculated to obtain a general view of the relationship between the variables. The data analysis resulted in the identification of 14 personality types along with three groups of readers distinguished by their reading comprehension test scores as highly successful, moderately successful, or unsuccessful. However, the results suggested that there were no significant relationships between personality types of test-takers and the cognitive-metacognitive strategies utilized during a reading comprehension test. Using a 90 percent Confidence Interval (CI), there was meaningful interaction between the personality traits (Extroversion/Introversion and Judging/Perceiving) of Iranian EFL test-takers and their use of cognitive-metacognitive strategies.

scholarly journals Rethinking the Insights from Good Language Learner Studies: Moroccan Learners of EFL as a Case Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 61-73
Author(s):  
Bendaoud Nadif ◽  
Driss Benattabou
Keyword(s):  
High School Students ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Achievement Test ◽  
Language Learner ◽  
School Students ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
The Relationship

Over the recent decades, there has been a growing research interest in placing learners at the heart of any enterprise pertaining to foreign language learning and teaching. Alongside the growth of new perspectives and theories in cognitive psychology and foreign language learning and teaching, research has shifted its focus from the teacher and learning outcomes to the learners and the learning processes. Correspondingly, researchers emphasize the significance of making the learning and teaching paradigms more supportive and responsive to learners’ needs and interests to fully play more active and participatory roles. Drawing on researchers’ contributions in the area of good language learner studies, this paper sets out to examine the relationship between the characteristics of GLLs and language achievement. For this purpose, a sample of (N = 98) senior Moroccan high school students took an EFL achievement test and responded to the GLL questionnaire as designed and developed by Constantinides (2013). Using a Spearman correlational coefficient test and regression analysis, results show that GLLs’ scores significantly correlate (r = .81) and reliably predict the respondents’ achievement test scores. The paper ends with a conclusion and some pedagogical implications to promote EFL learning and teaching.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document