scholarly journals The Effect of Reading Comprehension Strategies Instruction on EFL Learners’ Reading Anxiety Level

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (S1-May) ◽  
pp. 53-58
Author(s):  
Mohammadreza Valizadeh
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Control Period ◽  
Main Idea ◽  
Comprehension Strategies ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Reading Comprehension Strategies ◽  
English Reading ◽  
Reading Anxiety

This experimental study, using pretest-intervention-posttest design, investigated whether or not teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) learners to use comprehension strategies when they read English passages, decreases their English reading anxiety. The participants were 55 EFL learners in Turkey who were at lower-intermediate level based on the results of the Oxford Quick Placement Test. Data were collected via Saito, Garza, and Horwitz’s (1999)Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale (FLRAS). The whole treatment/control period lasted for 11 weeks during a reading course. The experimental group (n = 28) received instruction in reading comprehension strategies (i.e., previewing, scanning for details, skimming, identifying the topic and main idea, finding supporting details, making inferences, understanding the author’s purpose, making predictions, dealing with unfamiliar words, using context clues, and summarizing). The control group (n = 27) received instruction by traditional teaching methods (i.e., reading, paraphrasing, translating, and answering the exercises).The results of the Mann-Whitney U Test indicated that instruction in English reading comprehension strategies had a positive effect on EFL learners in terms of reducing their English reading anxiety.

scholarly journals Instructing Reading Comprehension Strategies: Effects on EFL Learners’ Self-Efficacy in Reading

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (S1-May) ◽  
pp. 69-73
Author(s):  
Mohammadreza Valizadeh
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Control Period ◽  
Main Idea ◽  
Comprehension Strategies ◽  
Placement Test ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Traditional Teaching ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Reading Comprehension Strategies

This experimental study, using pretest-intervention-posttest design, investigated whether or not teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) learners to use comprehension strategies when they read English passages, increases their self-efficacy in reading. The participants were 55 EFL learners in Turkey who were at lower-intermediate level based on the results of the Oxford Quick Placement Test. Data were gathered via a Reading Self-Efficacy Questionnaire. The whole treatment/control period lasted for 11 weeks during a reading course. The experimental group (n = 28) received instruction in reading comprehension strategies (i.e., previewing, scanning for details, skimming, identifying the topic and main idea, finding supporting details, making inferences, understanding the author’s purpose, making predictions, dealing with unfamiliar words, using context clues, and summarizing). The control group (n = 27) received instruction by traditional teaching methods (i.e., reading, paraphrasing, translating, and answering the exercises).The results of the Mann-Whitney U Test indicated that instruction in English reading comprehension strategies had a positive effect on EFL learners in terms of increasing their self-efficacy in reading.

Using comprehension strategies for students' self-efficacy, anxiety, and proficiency in reading English as a foreign language

2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 447-458 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hung-Chang Liao ◽  
Ya-Huei Wang
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Comprehension Strategies ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Verbal Persuasion ◽  
Reading Comprehension Strategies ◽  
English Reading ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Experimental Group

We examined whether or not instructing Taiwanese students in the use of comprehension strategies when they are reading English as a foreign language, reduces their English reading anxiety and increases their English reading self-efficacy and proficiency. We used a quasiexperimental design and conducted a 15-week course. The experimental group (n = 31) received instruction in reading comprehension strategies and the control group (n = 31) received instruction by traditional teaching methods. The results show that the experimental group had less anxiety when reading English and higher proficiency than the control group. In regard to self-efficacy when reading English, the experimental group also performed better than the control group in terms of self-affirmation, perseverance, verbal persuasion, and performance overall. However, there was no statistically significant difference for learning attitude between the groups.

scholarly journals Reading Comprehension Strategies among EFL Learners in Higher Learning Institutions

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arab World English Journal ◽  
Hamza Al-Jarrah ◽  
Nur Salina binti Ismail
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Reading Strategies ◽  
Conceptual Knowledge ◽  
Cultural Knowledge ◽  
Higher Learning ◽  
Comprehension Strategies ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Reading Comprehension Strategies ◽  
Reading Materials ◽  
Learning Institutions

A variety of reading strategies are required to comprehend reading materials. Without effective reading strategies, students mostly face reading comprehension difficulties. This study aims to investigate reading comprehension strategies among English foreign language (EFL) learners in higher learning institutions. The study employed qualitative method and 10 Arab students of Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA) and Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) were interviewed. Inductive thematic approach was used to analyze data. The findings indicates that the most commonly used reading strategies among the EFL learners are logical knowledge (under linguistic schema), formal construction (under formal schema), cultural knowledge (under cultural schema), and prior knowledge and conceptual knowledge (under content schema). This study concludes that reading strategies help the EFL learners in understanding English reading materials. To improve reading strategies for EFL learners, there is a need for collective effort of English language teachers, curriculum designers, educationists, education policy makers, and the EFL learners themselves.

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 The Use Of Read, Cover, Remember and Retell Strategy On Students’ English Reading Comprehension

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 82
Author(s):  
Wieke Wido Wati
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Experimental Research ◽  
Research Finding ◽  
Main Idea ◽  
Reading Test ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
English Reading ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
English Reading Comprehension

This research was aimed to find out whether there was significant effect of using read, cover, remember and retell (RCRR) strategy on students’ English reading comprehension. The design was a quasi-experimental research. The sample consisted of 60 students; 30 students for experiment group and 30 students for control group. The instrument was reading test which comprised 30 multiple choice (4 options) question with r=0,86 .The research finding were as follows; 1). RCRR strategy affected students’ reading comprehension in whole reading comprehension RCRR strategy affected students’ reading comprehension in various aspect of reading comprehension, 2). RCRR strategy affected the students’ reading comprehension in the aspect of finding main idea, 3).RCRR strategy affected the students’ reading comprehension in the aspect of making inference, 4).RCRR strategy affected the students’ reading comprehension in the aspect of understanding vocabulary and determining reference. However, RCRR strategy did not affect the students’ reading comprehension in the aspect of identifying specific information. Further study is recommended for medical school.

scholarly journals An investigation of Chinese university EFL learner’s foreign language reading anxiety, reading strategy use and reading comprehension performance

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhongshe Lu ◽  
Meihua Liu
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Interactive Effect ◽  
Reading Proficiency ◽  
Reading Strategy ◽  
Strategy Use ◽  
General Anxiety ◽  
English Reading ◽  
Foreign Language Reading ◽  
Reading Anxiety

The present study explored the interrelations between foreign language (FL) reading anxiety, FL reading strategy use and their interactive effect on FL reading comprehension performance at the tertiary level in China. Analyses of the survey data collected from 1702 university students yielded the following results: (a) Both Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale (FLRAS) and Foreign Language Reading Strategy Use Scale (FLRSUS) had important subcomponents, (b) more than half of the students generally did not feel anxious when reading English, and were confident in and satisfied with their English reading proficiency. Meanwhile, (c) more than half of them moderately used different types of reading strategies such as planning, checking and confirming, predicting and assessing, when reading English, (d) compared with their female peers, male students felt significantly more anxious when facing reading activities, less satisfied with their English reading proficiency, and used specific analyzing and planning strategies significantly less often during a reading activity, (e) FLRAS was significantly inversely related to FLRSUS, and both were significantly correlated with the students’ FL reading comprehension performance, and (f) FLRAS (overall FL reading anxiety), FLRAS1 (general anxiety about FL reading), and FLRSUS2 (predicting strategies) were good predictors of FL reading comprehension performance. Based on the findings, some implications are discussed.

The Effect of Cooperative Strategies versus Concept Visualization on Reading Comprehension Ability of Intermediate EFL Learners

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 686
Author(s):  
Hamidreza Fatemipour ◽  
Maral Hashemi
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Important Place ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Cooperative Strategies ◽  
Comprehensive Picture ◽  
Quasi Experimental

Reading in foreign language learning has an important place. While the advances in L1 reading comprehension have led us to gain a more comprehensive picture of the nature of reading, the similar studies in L2 context have not had the same impact. Furthermore, the fact that the majority of Iranian second language (L2) learners have been taught by traditional methods has compounded the problem. To unravel the aforementioned dilemma, this study was conducted to find out the effect of cooperative strategies versus visualization on Iranian English as a foreign language (EFL) students' reading comprehension. In order to carry out the study, 45 female EFL learners, with the age range of 17 to 18 were chosen and after administering the pretest, they were assigned to two experimental groups (visualization and cooperative strategies) and one control group. A predominantly quantitative approach coupled with quasi-experimental design was used. After the treatment, a posttest was given to all groups. The meticulous analysis of data using paired t test and One-Way ANCOVA indicated that the participants in cooperative group outperformed the students in visualization group on reading comprehension test. It also revealed that conventional teaching approach did not have any significant effect on students’ performance in control group. This study offered some implications for teachers and course developers. 

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