scholarly journals Reading Comprehension Difficulties among EFL Learners: The Case of First and Second Year Students at Yarmouk University in Jordan

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arab World English Journal ◽  
Mohammed Qarqez ◽  
Radzuwan Rashid
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Reading Difficulties ◽  
Demographic Information ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Reading Experience ◽  
Ambiguous Words ◽  
Second Year ◽  
Yarmouk University

This paper discusses English as a foreign language (EFL) reading comprehension difficulties faced by students at a university in Jordan. Data were collected using questionnaires which were distributed to 200 students at Yarmouk University. The questionnaire consists of two parts: the first part contains demographic information about the participants and the second part includes two sections: the students’ preferences and the students’ reading difficulties. The findings reveal that the respondents are motivated to learn as they are in dire need for acquiring English. However, they face several problems in the reading process, such as ambiguous words, unfamiliar vocabulary, and limited available time to cognitively process the text. The findings of this study may be useful to policy makers in Jordan to improve the leaners’ reading experience.

scholarly journals Effect of Paper and E-Dictionaries on Iranian EFL Learners' Reading Comprehension

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 199
Author(s):  
Shiva Grami ◽  
Mahmood Hashemian
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Analysis Of Covariance ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
Paired Samples ◽  
Treatment Design

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of paper and e-dictionaries on Iranian intermediate learners' reading comprehension. To this end, 90 female English Foreign language learners were randomly selected and assigned into 2 experimental groups (e-dictionaries and paper dictionaries groups) and 1 control group. All the groups took a pretest using no dictionaries. After 2 weeks of treatment design for the experimental groups, all the 3 groups took part in the posttest. The experimental groups did their task with their relevant dictionaries, whereas the control group did their task without using any kind of dictionary. Data were analyzed through analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and paired samples t test. Results showed that the participants’ reading comprehension improved from the pretest to the posttest in both experimental groups. Results also indicated that the learners in the e-dictionaries group outperformed those in the paper dictionaries group. The outcome of study reveals that e-dictionaries could improve students’ reading comprehension by motivating them, shortening the time of searching words and reading a text, and increasing the number of look ups. 

The Efficacy of Novel Pre-activity Tasks on Macroskills: The Case of Group Discussion on Reading Comprehension

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 794
Author(s):  
Hooshang Khoshsima ◽  
Mahboobeh Khosravani
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Reading Ability ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Main Concern ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Spss Software ◽  
Experimental Group

The main concern of most researchers in the field of second and foreign language teaching is lessening the problems and eliminating the hinders on the way of learning a language. The importance of reading skill in the process of teaching and learning different languages is undeniable for everyone. The main aim of this study was to examine the effects of group discussion strategy as a pre- activity task on reading ability. To this aim, 27 Iranian EFL learners, who were at the same level –intermediate- studying at Shokuh and Safir Institutes, Birjand, Iran were chosen. Two groups- one control and one experimental group- were studied. In control group the conventional method was used in teaching reading, while in experimental group, group discussion pre-activity task was administered. Both groups met the same level -Intermediate. At the end, the obtained data of the tests was analyzed by SPSS software. According to the obtained data, it can be strongly concluded that group discussion has no significant effect on reading comprehension. This study can help teachers and syllabus designers in choosing and applying an effective pre-activity task which really help the learners in reading classes.

scholarly journals The Effect of Lexical Inference Strategy Instruction on Saudi EFL learners’ Reading Comprehension

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Arafat Hamouda ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Strategy Instruction ◽  
Placement Test ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
Lexical Inferencing ◽  
Unknown Words ◽  
Inference Strategy

Lexical inference strategy plays an important role in increasing the level of reading comprehension of second or foreign language learners. Lexical inferencing as an efficient strategy to deal with unfamiliar words has attracted much attention in the comprehension literature. However, few studies on lexical inferencing have been conducted in an English as a foreign language (EFL) setting. To fill in the existing gap, the current study aimed at investigating the effect of lexical inferencing strategy instruction on Saudi EFL students’ reading comprehension. Additionally, it sought to identify the lexical inferencing strategies used by Saudi EFL learners while they were inferring unknown words in a text. Last, the current study attempted to find the relationship between lexical inference strategies and reading comprehension among Saudi EFL learners. Sixty students from the English department were selected based on their scores on the Oxford Placement Test, indicating that they were at intermediate levels of English proficiency. The participants were randomly divided into two groups: control and experimental (each consisting of 30 students). The participants in the control group received regular instruction, while the participants in the experimental group were treated using lexical inference strategies. The instruments used for collecting data were Oxford Placement Test, reading comprehension test, and think-aloud protocol. A pre-test and post-test were administered for control and experimental groups. The results of the independent samples t-test revealed that teaching inference skills had a significant effect on reading comprehension performance among EFL learners. The results of the paired t-tests showed that lexical inferencing instruction had a statistically significant effect on EFL learners’ reading comprehension development. The results of the Spearman correlation coefficient indicated that there was a significant relationship between lexical inferencing strategies and reading comprehension. The findings revealed the profound impact of lexical inferencing strategy instruction on the experimental group's performance in understanding reading text. Hence, it was concluded that lexical inferencing strategies were recommended to teach to improve the students’ reading comprehension performance.

scholarly journals EFL Student Teachers’ Speaking Anxiety: the Case in One English Teacher Education Program

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-75
Author(s):  
Mukhlash Abrar ◽  
F Failasofah ◽  
Nunung Fajaryani ◽  
M Masbirorotni
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Education Program ◽  
English Education ◽  
Teacher Education Program ◽  
English Teacher ◽  
Speaking Anxiety ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Second Year

ABSTRACT This present study examined student teachers’ Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety (FLSA) associated with gender and proficiency differences. The participants of the study were 72 second-year EFL student teachers at the English teacher education program of one public university in Jambi, Indonesia. A close-ended questionnaire developed from Syakur (1987) and Horwitz et al, (1986) was administered to the participants to explore their FLSA. The results indicated that EFL student teachers are highly anxious when speaking English. Furthermore, the findings revealed that there is no statistical difference between male and female student teachers on FLSA. On the contrary, proficiency does affect EFL learners’ anxiety wherein more proficient students seem to be less nervous to speak. ABSTRAK Penelitian ini membahas kecemasan berbicara bahasa asing (FLSA) siswa yang dihubungkan dengan perbedaan jenis kelamin dan kecakapan berbahasa Inggris. Jumlah peserta dalam penelitian ini sebanyak 72 mahasiswa tahun kedua pada program studi pendidikan bahasa Inggris di salah satu universitas negeri di Jambi. Kuesioner tertutup diberikan kepada peserta penelitian untuk mengetahui FLSA mereka. Hasil penelitian mengindikasikan bahwa siswa pembelajar bahasa asing (EFL) sangat cemas ketika berbicara bahasa Inggris. Selain itu, hasil juga menunjukkan bahwa tidak ada perbedaan statistik yang signifikan pada FLSA antara siswa laki-laki dan perempuan. Sebaliknya, tingkat kecakapan sangat mempengaruhi kecemasan siswa EFL dimana siswa yang mempunyai kecakapan dalam bahasa Inggris terlihat tidak terlalu cemas untuk berbicara. How to Cite: Abrar, M. Failasofah. Fajaryani, N. Masbirorotni. (2016). EFL Student Teachers’ Speaking Anxiety: the Case in One English Teacher Education Program. IJEE (Indonesian Journal of English Education), 3(1), 60-75. doi:10.15408/ijee.v3i1.3619 Permalink/DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15408/ijee.v3i1.3619

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 Impact of ESA Elements on Motivation of EFL Learners to Speak: A Case of Iranian EFL Learners

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 144
Author(s):  
Hooshang Khoshsima ◽  
Hadi Shokri
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Pearson Product Moment Correlation ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Course Of Action ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Probable Impact ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
Pre Treatment ◽  
The Impact

Implementing a best course of action to boost English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners’ motivation to speak has been a controversial issue among EFL instructors. The present study aims to investigate the probable impact of Harmer’s ESA (Engagement, Study, and Activate) elements implementation on motivation of EFL learners to speak. To meet this objective, first, the pre-treatment questionnaire was delivered to 15 EFL learners at the beginning of the term to measure ‘input motivation’. After collecting information from the pre-treatment questionnaire, the students were taught for nearly two months by applying ESA elements, and then the post-treatment questionnaire was given to the same students to gather information of students’ motivation changes, students’ attitudes towards techniques and activities applied by teachers and their preferences. Additionally, to triangulate the results, a Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient was run to see if there is any relationship between the learners’ speaking performance and their motivation to speak. In sum, the results of the questionnaires and correlation analysis proved that the treatment of the learners via ESA approach was quite influential in boosting EFL learners’ motivation to speak. It is expected that the findings of the study may significantly contribute to work of EFL teachers, EFL learners, policy makers, supervisors and researchers. 

scholarly journals IMPLEMENTING DIRECT METHOD BY USING GAMES TO IMPROVE EFL STUDENTS' READING COMPREHENSION

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-20
Author(s):  
Putri Dini Meutia ◽  
A. Halim Majid ◽  
Sufiah Nafisah
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Reading Skills ◽  
Direct Method ◽  
Reading Skill ◽  
Critical Value ◽  
T Score ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Second Year

Reading skill is one of the aspects of the foreign language which need to be master by the students. Thus it needed an appropriate method to improve the students' reading skills, especially reading comprehension. Therefore, the researchers conducted the study by using the Direct Method to improve reading comprehension. The purpose of this study was to find out whether the Direct Method by using games can improve the students' reading comprehension. The sample was taken from the second-year students of MAN Sibreh consisted of 25 students. The experiment was conducted in four meetings. In collecting the data, this study used pre-test and post-test as the research instruments. The pre-test was given in the first meeting while the post-test was given in the last meeting. After analyzing the data, the obtained t-score is 3,92. It indicates that there are significant differences between pre-test and post-test. Moreover, the critical value of t for the degree of freedom was 2,06 at the level significance of 5% (0,05). Thus, the t-score (3,92) is higher than the t-table (2,06). Therefore, the hypothesis is accepted.

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