Tahereh Movahhedi; Amir Sarkeshikian; Mohammad Golshan
Abstract
Although critical English for academic purposes (CEAP) has grown theoretically, more research is needed to explore it in more depth. This sequential mixed-methods study primarily aimed to examine whether the CEAP and traditional English for academic purposes (EAP) have different impacts on Iranian university ...
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Although critical English for academic purposes (CEAP) has grown theoretically, more research is needed to explore it in more depth. This sequential mixed-methods study primarily aimed to examine whether the CEAP and traditional English for academic purposes (EAP) have different impacts on Iranian university students' English reading comprehension, and (if yes) whether it is discipline-specific. This study also intended to explore how traditional EAP students’ preferences aligned with the CEAP principles. To this end, a sample of 100 Iranian university students of computer sciences and architecture with intermediate level of English proficiency was initially selected through convenience sampling. They were then randomly assigned to two control groups and two experimental groups, consisting of 25 participants each. Then, two piloted researcher-made reading tests were administered to all groups as a pre-test. The experimental computer sciences and architecture groups were taught using the CEAP pedagogy. Hence, the syllabus was negotiated based on the CEAP principles. The control computer sciences and architecture groups received the traditional EAP as their placebos. They were taught the curricular textbooks. After the treatment, all groups were asked to complete their posttests. Two-way ANOVA results indicated that the CEAP groups significantly outperformed the traditional EAP groups on the posttests. It was also found that the effect of the CEAP pedagogy was not discipline-specific. Additionally, the results of qualitative data analysis revealed a lack of preference for the traditional EAP programs among the interviewees in favor of the CEAP. Implications are offered for EAP teachers, students, and material developers.
Hamid Marashi; Atefeh Moradian
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the effect of teaching metacultural competence through two modes of teacher-generated and teacher/learner-generated materials on English-as-a-foreign-language learners’ reading comprehension. To this end, 60 male and female upper-intermediate EFL learners studying ...
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This study aimed to investigate the effect of teaching metacultural competence through two modes of teacher-generated and teacher/learner-generated materials on English-as-a-foreign-language learners’ reading comprehension. To this end, 60 male and female upper-intermediate EFL learners studying at a language school were selected through nonrandom convenience sampling and thence assigned randomly into two experimental groups, with 30 learners in each group. Prior to the treatment, each experimental group sat for a reading pretest. The treatment spanned 13 sessions of 90 minutes each where both experimental groups undergoing metacultural competence-raising activities, with the point of departure being one group receiving teacher-generated materials while the other group receiving teacher/earner-generated materials. At the end of the treatment, a reading posttest was administered to both groups and the analysis of covariance run on the participants’ scores on the pretest and posttest revealed that the experimental group receiving teacher-learner generated materials outperformed the other group. The pedagogical implications of the study and the suggestions made for various stakeholders in the community of English language teaching are discussed in this paper.
Parviz Ajideh; Mohammad - Zohrabi; Behnaz Khojand
Abstract
Reading skill entails the employment of specific skills and strategies. The use of post-reading and pre-reading activities, considering the importance of individual differences of the learners, have been reported to be successful techniques in improving reading comprehension. Thus, the objective of the ...
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Reading skill entails the employment of specific skills and strategies. The use of post-reading and pre-reading activities, considering the importance of individual differences of the learners, have been reported to be successful techniques in improving reading comprehension. Thus, the objective of the current study is to scrutinize the influence of pre- and post-reading activities in developing EFL learners’ reading motivation, self-regulation, and reading comprehension. The participants were 111 male and female B.A. students at the intermediate proficiency level selected through random sampling method. The instruments included Motivation for Reading Questionnaire by Mori (2002) and Self-Regulation Questionnaire by Brown et al., (1999). Reading comprehension is assessed founded on the learners’ scores in the reading section of PET. The collected data was analyzed by ANCOVA. The findings revealed that pre-reading and post-reading activities were effective in improving learners’ self-regulation, reading motivation, and reading comprehension. Additionally, it can be claimed that the effectiveness of pre-reading and post-reading activities on developing self-regulation and reading motivation can ultimately enhance learners’ reading comprehension. The outcomes of the study could be beneficial for EFL learners and teachers.
Masoome Azmoode Sis Abad; Gholam-Reza Kiyani; Gholam-Reza Abbasian
Abstract
The present research responds to the call for implementing diagnostic assessment through learner involvement. This study followed two aims: first, examining the distinctive effects of diagnostic self- and peer - assessments on EFL learners’ reading comprehension; second, exploring students’ ...
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The present research responds to the call for implementing diagnostic assessment through learner involvement. This study followed two aims: first, examining the distinctive effects of diagnostic self- and peer - assessments on EFL learners’ reading comprehension; second, exploring students’ diagnostic rating accuracy in various reading genres. To achieve this, a number of diagnostic reading comprehension tests and a checklist were developed, the construction of which were based on the learners’ challenging reading subskills. The participants include 60 English translation university students. During 12 weeks of instruction, the rating accuracy of the subjects’ diagnostic self- and peer- assessments were investigated while the instructor ratings were taken as the yardstick. Data analysis, using T-test and MANOVA confirmed that the two groups had improvement in reading comprehension but there was no significant difference between the two groups’ gain. In addition, no statistically significant difference was detected among the accuracy of diagnostic self-, peer- and instructor- ratings except for the assessment of main idea and supporting details subskill in descriptive genre and cause and effect subskill in narrative genre. This study can offer evidence for conducting diagnostic assessment through learner engagement to provide students with appropriate feedback and remedial instruction.
Afshin Mansouri Qadikolaei; Amir Marzban
Abstract
There seems to be a link between the type of corrective feedback students receive in the classroom and their personality styles. The current study investigated the effect of peer corrective feedback on the reading comprehension of extroverted and introverted Iranian elementary L2 learners. At first, ...
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There seems to be a link between the type of corrective feedback students receive in the classroom and their personality styles. The current study investigated the effect of peer corrective feedback on the reading comprehension of extroverted and introverted Iranian elementary L2 learners. At first, a Quick Oxford Placement Test (QOPT) was used to select thirty-three elementary EFL students as participants. Then, based on their responses to the Persian translation of the Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI) questionnaire, the participants were classified as extroverted and introverted learners. The participants were also divided into two groups; peer corrective feedback–extroverted learners and peer corrective feedback–introverted learners. In terms of the quantitative part of the study, a pre-test (a reading comprehension test), eight treatment sessions (peer corrective feedback sessions), and a post-test (the same as the pre-test) were administered in reading comprehension classes over the course of a semester. As the qualitative part of the study, there was an interview session to assess the participants’ attitudes towards the provision of peer corrective feedback. The quantitative data analysis results revealed that both groups benefited from the intervention. Although there was no statistically significant difference between the groups, introverted students outperformed extroverted ones. The findings of the qualitative data analysis revealed that the majority of the participants agreed with the provision of peer corrective feedback in reading comprehension classes. According to the study’s findings, using peer corrective feedback in reading comprehension courses improved both extroverted and introverted L2 learners’ reading comprehension.
Amir Rakhshan; Sajjad Fathi
Abstract
Competitive and individualistic approaches are the more predominant manners of classroom practice. The alternative approach for competition and individualism is the cooperative or collaborative teaching approach that has drawn significant attention in the TEFL field in recent years. This study intends ...
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Competitive and individualistic approaches are the more predominant manners of classroom practice. The alternative approach for competition and individualism is the cooperative or collaborative teaching approach that has drawn significant attention in the TEFL field in recent years. This study intends to evaluate the impact of collaborative assessment on Iranian EFL learners’ reading skill development and reliance reduction on teachers. Forty intermediate EFL learners from a language center were recruited through administering Oxford Placement Test (OPT). The required data were obtained through multiple instruments, including Oxford Placement Test (OPT), Reading Comprehension Test (RCT), and Students’ Reliance on the Teacher Questionnaire (SRTQ). The experimental group was subjected to collaborative assessment practice during the instructional phase; meanwhile, the control group was exposed to conventional teacher-based assessment practice. The educational phase consisted of eight sessions, each lasting thirty minutes and occurring twice per week for one month. The data analyzed based on the Shapiro-Wilk Test and the Independent Sample T-Test revealed that collaborative assessment had a statistically significant effect on enhancing reading skill ability and reducing students’ reliance. The results suggest that collaborative assessment has the potential to be a useful tool for improving learning outcomes and fostering learner autonomy. In addition, this study has some suggestions for researchers seeking further studies.
Zahra Ghorbani Shemshadsara; Touran Ahour; Nasrin Hadidi Tamjid
Abstract
Effective teaching of reading comprehension has been a great concern for language teachers, leading to the emergence of strategies in developing students’ reading skill. This study examined the effects of raising text structure awareness (TSA) through face-to-face and computer-based reading instruction ...
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Effective teaching of reading comprehension has been a great concern for language teachers, leading to the emergence of strategies in developing students’ reading skill. This study examined the effects of raising text structure awareness (TSA) through face-to-face and computer-based reading instruction (CBI) on students’ reading comprehension. The participants included 87 undergraduate students of Humanities from Guilan, Iran who were at the upper-intermediate level concerning their foreign language proficiency and took part in the pretest and the posttest of reading comprehension that were taken from sample IELTS. They were randomly assigned into one control and two experimental groups. The first experimental group received instruction on text structure within face-to-face classes (TSA) and the second experimental group worked through computer-based instruction (TSA+CBI) while the control group benefited from their routine conventional reading activities. The results of the one-way ANCOVA indicated that the second experimental group that received instruction on text structure awareness through CBI outperformed the first experimental group that simply practiced text structure awareness in face-to-face classes and the control group. In addition, the difference between the two treatment groups was statistically significant. The results verified the effectiveness of text structure awareness in improving the students’ reading comprehension in TSA+CBI groups. Language teachers can benefit from providing students with text structure awareness and facilitating their reading comprehension through applying technology.
Marzieh Mehri Ghahfarokhi; Mansoor Tavakoli
Abstract
Abstract The present study aimed at investigating the efficacy of the implementation of technology-mediated reading comprehension tasks to develop learner autonomy and metacognitive strategy use of Iranian intermediate EFL learners in a reading comprehension class. To this end, a quasi-experimental design ...
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Abstract The present study aimed at investigating the efficacy of the implementation of technology-mediated reading comprehension tasks to develop learner autonomy and metacognitive strategy use of Iranian intermediate EFL learners in a reading comprehension class. To this end, a quasi-experimental design was used in which 80 participants were selected based on their performance in a placement test (Oxford Quick Placement Test), and were assigned on a random basis to experimental and control groups. Learner autonomy questionnaire as well as metacognitive awareness of reading strategies inventory (MARSI) version1.0. were used as pretest. After 20 sessions of reading comprehension instruction in the form of technology-mediated task-based instruction in the experimental group and traditional explicit instruction for the control group, the aforementioned questionnaires were administered again as posttest. The obtained pretest and posttest scores were analyzed statistically using ANCOVA. The results indicated that technology-mediated task-based instruction was more effective in enhancing learner autonomy and metacognitive strategy use in comparison to the traditional explicit reading comprehension instruction. The results of this study bear implications for teachers, teacher trainers and material developers as they can use the tasks implemented in this study to change the role of learners from passive recipient of information to autonomous learners who resort to strategies facing a problem. Further, using these tasks in a class of reading comprehension, learners are not only input receivers but also output producers.
Fateme Nikmard; Kobra Tavassoli
Abstract
The main purpose of diagnostic assessment is to predict test-takers’ strengths and weaknesses and use the information to provide suitable feedback to them (Jang & Wagner, 2014). Accordingly, the present study focused on investigating the effect of diagnostic assessment on selective and productive ...
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The main purpose of diagnostic assessment is to predict test-takers’ strengths and weaknesses and use the information to provide suitable feedback to them (Jang & Wagner, 2014). Accordingly, the present study focused on investigating the effect of diagnostic assessment on selective and productive reading tasks to help English as a foreign language (EFL) learners improve their performance on these tasks. The quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design was used and 60 participants were chosen based on the results of a Nelson proficiency test. The learners were chosen from four intact classes who were then divided into two groups of control and diagnostic assessment, each group comprising of two classes. Then, a modified version of the reading section of Key English Test (KET) (2015) with 28 selective and 27 productive items was used in the two groups as the pretest. The diagnostic assessment group received a feedback-based treatment on four reading tests during sixteen sessions of instruction. However, in the control group, the learners focused on reading texts and the corresponding tasks during the course. At the end of the semester, another modified version of KET reading test (2014) with 28 selective and 27 productive items was administered as the posttest. The results showed the diagnostic assessment group showed a significant improvement on both selective and productive tasks. Teachers may be the most beneficiaries of the present study as they can find useful information about their students’ strengths and weaknesses through using diagnostic assessment to help them improve their reading comprehension ability.
Masoumeh Ahmadi Shirazi; Seyyed Mohammad Alavi; Hossein Salarian
Abstract
This study investigates some problems of PhD applicants in their entrance exams in the case of answering the reading comprehension questions. To this end, the researchers considered the item types and text types as main effects and their interaction effect using generalizability theory for examining ...
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This study investigates some problems of PhD applicants in their entrance exams in the case of answering the reading comprehension questions. To this end, the researchers considered the item types and text types as main effects and their interaction effect using generalizability theory for examining the variability; the answer sheets of a mock-test from 321 applicants, from all parts of Iran, enrolled in an institute were randomly selected. Using a partially nested design of G-theory in the GENOVA program, the researchers identified five variance components in the two different passages with distinct items and investigated various sources of error that are involved in the measurement process. The results of the study showed that the main effect for items cannot be separated from the interaction between items and texts, and clarified that the items facet had a noticeable amount of variance, and therefore, they impacted the applicants' performance. However, the results of D-studies showed that the main effect for text types was zero, and both texts were at the same level of difficulty. Also, the persons had effects on the texts in their interaction. This study can motivate the researchers, test developers, and test designers to consider their work more carefully.
Ali Roohani; Raheleh Sabzeali,; Azizullah Mirzaei
Abstract
Research has showed a positive relationship between metacognitive knowledge and success in reading comprehension. Thus, it is important to be aware of metacognitive strategy use in reading comprehension. This study was intended to explore metacognitive strategies in reading academic texts among more ...
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Research has showed a positive relationship between metacognitive knowledge and success in reading comprehension. Thus, it is important to be aware of metacognitive strategy use in reading comprehension. This study was intended to explore metacognitive strategies in reading academic texts among more and less proficient English university student readers. To this end, 75 English as a foreign language (EFL) students (including 45 more proficient and 30 less proficient students), who were selected nonrandomly from two universities, participated in this mixed-methods study. To collect data, the Survey of Reading Strategies and the Test of English as Foreign Language were administered to them. Also, to elicit how they utilize the metacognitive strategies, five more proficient and five less proficient EFL readers were asked to undertake think-aloud tasks. Results of quantitative (t-tests) and qualitative data analysis showed that there were significant differences between the metacognitive strategies used by more and less proficient readers. More proficient readers reported using the strategies at a high frequency level overall, but less proficient readers reported using them at a moderate frequency level. More proficient readers preferred to use problem-solving strategies followed by global strategies, whereas less proficient ones preferred to use problem solving strategies followed by support strategies. In addition, the results of think-aloud indicated that the more and less proficient readers’ methods of employing metacognitive strategies differed, to some extent, from each other in quality of use. The findings provide implications for low proficiency EFL readers who intend to improve their reading comprehension and learning autonomy.
Abbas Ali Zarei; Rajab Esfandiari; Azam Akbari
Volume 3, Issue 2 , May 2016, , Pages 34-21
Abstract
The present study was conducted to investigate the relationship between self-regulated learning strategies and reading comprehension of Iranian EFL learners. The participants of the study were 119 Iranian B.A. and M.A. students majoring in English at Imam Khomeini International University in Qazvin and ...
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The present study was conducted to investigate the relationship between self-regulated learning strategies and reading comprehension of Iranian EFL learners. The participants of the study were 119 Iranian B.A. and M.A. students majoring in English at Imam Khomeini International University in Qazvin and Islamshahr Azad University. The Michigan Test of English Language Proficiency was given to the participants to determine their language proficiency and reading comprehension. Then, the participants were asked to respond to the Self-Regulation Trait Questionnaire. The obtained data were analyzed using a stepwise multiple regression analysis. The results revealed that from among the six components of self-regulated learning strategies, only planning and effort components were significant predictors of reading comprehension. The results of the present study may be helpful for teachers, learners, and materials developers.
Farzad Jarideh; Ali Asghar Kargar
Volume 2, Issue 4 , November 2015, , Pages 33-11
Abstract
The present study was an attempt to examine the effect of the degree of contextualization on reading and listening comprehension tests. In other words, it was intended to check the performance of the learners providing with high contextualized input compared to those who received low contextualized ...
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The present study was an attempt to examine the effect of the degree of contextualization on reading and listening comprehension tests. In other words, it was intended to check the performance of the learners providing with high contextualized input compared to those who received low contextualized input. In doing so, 36 intermediate learners from an English Language Institute, participated in this study. Following that, two kinds of reading comprehension tests, more contextualized and less contextualized, and two kinds of listening comprehension tests, more contextualized and less contextualized, were designed. The data collected from the participants were analyzed by using t-test analysis. Findings revealed that there was a significant difference between the mean score of more contextualized input and less contextualized input in both reading and listening comprehension tests. However, the results of the present study showed that contextualization seemed not to have any significant effect on the reading and listening. It was concluded that both learners' proficiency level and degree of contextualization should be considered when designing listening and reading comprehension tests.
Ali Roohani
Volume 2, Issue 3 , August 2015, , Pages 65-39
Abstract
Reading comprehension and critical thinking are basic skills for second/foreign language learners that should be developed during higher education. A critical thinking-based instruction can engage the cognitive processes which may improve language learners’ reading comprehension and critical thinking. ...
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Reading comprehension and critical thinking are basic skills for second/foreign language learners that should be developed during higher education. A critical thinking-based instruction can engage the cognitive processes which may improve language learners’ reading comprehension and critical thinking. This study then seeks to compare the effectiveness of a critical thinking-based instruction with a traditional (noncritical thinking-based) one in improving Iranian L2 learners’ reading comprehension along with their critical thinking. To this end, 50 intermediate Iranian EFL learners majoring in English translation were selected (through accessibility sampling) and assigned to the experimental and control groups. TOEFL reading comprehension and Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal tests were employed to assess their reading comprehension and critical thinking skills using a pretest-posttest control group design. The results of t-tests and analysis of covariance revealed that the treatment in the experimental group (i.e., using questioning, discussion in groups, note-making, annotations, and reflective practice) had a positive and significant effect on increasing both reading comprehension and critical thinking of the EFL participants. Besides, the participants in the experimental (critical thinking-based) group outperformed those in the control (noncritical thinking-based) group in their reading comprehension and critical thinking skills. Findings have theoretical and pedagogical implications for L2 researchers and teachers about the reading construct and the way to teach it.
Fariba Taheri; zohre mohamadi
Volume 2, Issue 2 , March 2015, , Pages 63-75
Abstract
This study aims to determine the effectiveness of K.W.L (what I know, what I want to know, and what I have learned) chart on the performance of Iranian high school students in reading comprehension. To achieve this aim, a sample was selected from a private high school. The participants were 80 intermediate ...
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This study aims to determine the effectiveness of K.W.L (what I know, what I want to know, and what I have learned) chart on the performance of Iranian high school students in reading comprehension. To achieve this aim, a sample was selected from a private high school. The participants were 80 intermediate students as their proficiency was measured using PET (Preliminary English Test). The participants were divided into two groups: an experimental group and a control group. The students in the experimental group were taught reading comprehension with the K.W.L strategy, while the control group was taught with a conventional reading and comprehension check strategy. To collect the data, pre and post reading comprehension tests were administered. Data were analyzed using a series of t-test. The findings indicate that the experimental group scored higher on the reading comprehension post-test than their peers did in the control group. To investigate if the results were long-lasting and not due to the present research context, a delayed post-test was administered confirming the permanent effect of K.W.L strategy. The results of the study suggest that the strategy can be useful for students’ reading comprehension. Implications for language teachers, materials developers, and test designers were discussed.
Seyyed Bagher Mirshojaee; Rahman Sahragard
Volume 2, Issue 2 , March 2015, , Pages 77-98
Abstract
This is a corpus study aimed to compare six Iranian general English university textbook’s reading comprehension passages and the passages of reading comprehension section of MA exams from 2010 to 2014. The study used three reading related factors to make the comparison: vocabulary coverage, syntactic ...
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This is a corpus study aimed to compare six Iranian general English university textbook’s reading comprehension passages and the passages of reading comprehension section of MA exams from 2010 to 2014. The study used three reading related factors to make the comparison: vocabulary coverage, syntactic complexity and discourse features. To meet these needs, three test types were used: measures of vocabulary coverage by the vocabprofiler software, measures of readability by means of readability formulas and measures of text easibility of the Coh-Metrix software. The analyses showed a big gap between what textbooks offered with regard to vocabulary, structures and discourse and what the MA examinations asked from the readers regarding the reading comprehension processes. The findings and results were presented along with the pedagogical implications and some suggestions for future researches.