1. Applied Linguistics (Language Teaching and Learning)
Leila Dobakhti; Mahshid Panahi
Abstract
One of the necessities of learning foreign languages is reading comprehension, particularly for adult learners. Also, reading interest of learners would be developed considering the time spent to learn different literacy. The current research aimed at exploring it as a contributing factor when learners ...
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One of the necessities of learning foreign languages is reading comprehension, particularly for adult learners. Also, reading interest of learners would be developed considering the time spent to learn different literacy. The current research aimed at exploring it as a contributing factor when learners are engaged to comprehend and read. The present empirical work was conducted to describe the impact of reading interest and guided reading method on the learners’ reading comprehension. It was conducted in Bushehr province, Iran. In this study, there were 8 instructors and 140 EFL learners of oil and gas industry. The learners were placed into classes through Quick Placement Test. Research design was mixed method design. Quantitative and qualitative research methods were applied. To analyze the data, SPSS software was used and independent samples t-test was employed. The improvement of the experiment group’s post-test scores specified the effectiveness of guided reading method in comparison to explicit reading method. The unstructured interview characterized the instructors’ and learners’ experiences, discoveries, and feelings in using guided reading method. The findings could assist EFL instructors in selecting a method that can facilitate adult learners’ reading comprehension.
1. Applied Linguistics (Language Teaching and Learning)
Somayeh Sheikhpour Ahandani; Mohammad Reza Khodareza
Abstract
This study investigated the intervention of Zimmerman & Hutchins (2003) Information Synthesization vs. Visualization on Iranian Undergraduate ESP (Accounting) learners’ reading comprehension achievement across gender. 120 ESP University students majoring in Accounting in Iran participated in ...
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This study investigated the intervention of Zimmerman & Hutchins (2003) Information Synthesization vs. Visualization on Iranian Undergraduate ESP (Accounting) learners’ reading comprehension achievement across gender. 120 ESP University students majoring in Accounting in Iran participated in this study and were assigned to 4 homogeneous groups, 30 male and 30 female students in experimental groups, 30 male and 30 female students in comparison groups. An ESP reading comprehension administered to all participants as a pre-test showed that 4 groups were not significantly different in ESP reading comprehension ability. For treatment, Accounting reading comprehension passages were taught through focusing on Information Synthesization strategy in the experimental group and in the comparison groups it was taught through focusing on Visualization strategy. At the end of the treatment, the post-test was administered. The results revealed that Information Synthesization had more effect on improving the students’ ESP reading comprehension ability than Visualization, and also gender does not interact with ESP reading comprehension ability of the participants.
1. Applied Linguistics (Language Teaching and Learning)
Abdolvahed Zarifi; Elahe Asadpour
Abstract
Abstract The main objective of the current English for Academic Purposes (EAP) programs in Iran is to fill the gap between the students’ general English competence and their ability to read discipline-specific texts. This study aims to investigate the target and present reading comprehension needs ...
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Abstract The main objective of the current English for Academic Purposes (EAP) programs in Iran is to fill the gap between the students’ general English competence and their ability to read discipline-specific texts. This study aims to investigate the target and present reading comprehension needs of EAP undergraduate students of Persian literature in Yasouj state university through a mixed method approach. A total of 30 undergraduate students who have passed ESP courses and 10 postgraduate students along with two content and two EAP instructors participated in the study which was designed on a mixed method approach using interviews and questionnaires. The results indicated that ‘skimming texts’, ‘using bilingual general dictionaries’, ‘scanning texts’, ‘knowledge of Persian literature terminologies’, ‘guessing meanings of words’, and ‘understanding main ideas’ were perceived as either ‘important’ or ‘very important’ to students’ success by all the participants. Moreover, the results suggested that General English Proficiency (GEP) level of the students, was generally low. The undergraduates held that they need more general English than highly specific academic English. Implications of this study can be used for improving EAP reading courses for Persian literature students. Keywords: Persian literature, Reading comprehension, ESP, need analysis, mixed method approach
Dr. Ali Mohammad Fazilatfar; Hossein Kargar Behbahani
Abstract
One of the most important language skills affecting students' success in academic settings is reading comprehension and the ability to read fluently in a second language. Japanese EFL learners' less than satisfactory performance in standard English tests led Shinozuka, Mizusawa, and Shibata (2014) to ...
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One of the most important language skills affecting students' success in academic settings is reading comprehension and the ability to read fluently in a second language. Japanese EFL learners' less than satisfactory performance in standard English tests led Shinozuka, Mizusawa, and Shibata (2014) to design the read-aloud method. This study investigated the effectiveness of this newly designed method on Iranian EFL Learners' reading comprehension. The aforementioned method with its high priority on reading aloud enjoy four main activities: chunked reading practice, read-aloud practice, cloze test, and concurrent read-aloud and summarization. Participants of this study, selected through convenience sampling, were 140 undergraduate students whose English reading comprehension was considered poor based on the pretest. Then, the subjects were assigned in two groups of control (N=40) and experimental (N=100). The subjects in experimental group received 8 teaching sessions, while the control group received no specific training. Using a pretest-posttest design we attempted to see if read-aloud method turns of to affect our subjects' reading ability level. Therefore, some T-tests were run. The results of the statistical analyses demarcated that the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group in the posttest. The pedagogical implication of this study is that ESL/EFL instructors can implement the read-aloud method in their classes to promote their students' reading comprehension.
Dr. Esmaeel Nourmohammadi; Laya Tahami
Abstract
The study investigated differences in the use of multiple-choice test-taking strategies by Iranian EFL learners regarding reading comprehension ability. Reading is the most important academic language skill that receives the particular focus in second or foreign language teaching; tests are also regularly ...
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The study investigated differences in the use of multiple-choice test-taking strategies by Iranian EFL learners regarding reading comprehension ability. Reading is the most important academic language skill that receives the particular focus in second or foreign language teaching; tests are also regularly applied to assess academic performance. This paper sought to investigate differences in the use of multiple-choice test-taking strategies by Iranian EFL learners regarding reading comprehension ability. The participants comprised 122 EFL learners, 61 females and 61 males, who answered a reading comprehension test while they were answering a test-taking strategy questionnaire. A number of one-way chi-square analyses were used to analyze the data. The findings manifested that there was a statistically significant difference between participants in the use of different types of test-taking strategies in answering multiple-choice reading comprehension test. The results of this study have pedagogical implications for teaching test-taking strategies to low-proficiency EFL learners.
Parviz Ajhideh; Solmaz Saeeidi Manesh
Abstract
This study investigates whether the practice of answer changing on multiple-choice questions (MCQs) is beneficial for Iranian students’ overall test performance in EFL context. Several studies have shown that answer changing in multiple choice examinations is generally beneficial for improving ...
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This study investigates whether the practice of answer changing on multiple-choice questions (MCQs) is beneficial for Iranian students’ overall test performance in EFL context. Several studies have shown that answer changing in multiple choice examinations is generally beneficial for improving scores. On the other hand, some studies have indicated that answer changing in multiple choice examinations results in an increased number of wrong answers rather than improved scores. In this study, two types of listening and reading comprehension multiple-choice tests were used in two different proficiency levels. The test was administered to 269 EFL students, both males and females, in Kish Language Institution, Tabriz branch. Results show that in both proficiency levels among males and females, answer-changing leads to increased number of wrong answers. Findings suggest that we should encourage students not to change their initial answers unless they have scrutinized their initial answers precisely and there are more plausible alternatives. The findings were compatible with the traditional perception ‘go with your first response’.
Zohreh Seifoori
Abstract
A fundamental necessity at postgraduate level is a developed strategic reading skill that permits digesting tremendous amounts of technical academic content. The need is more paramount for EFL contexts and postgraduate students majoring in English Language Teaching (ELT) and English Literature (EL) most ...
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A fundamental necessity at postgraduate level is a developed strategic reading skill that permits digesting tremendous amounts of technical academic content. The need is more paramount for EFL contexts and postgraduate students majoring in English Language Teaching (ELT) and English Literature (EL) most of whom will ultimately search a career in teaching. The aim of the present ex-post facto study was to compare reading comprehension, overall metacognitive awareness of reading strategies (RSs) and awareness of Global, Problem-solving, and Support reading strategies of these prospective English teachers. To this end, a convenient sample of 60 ELT and 40 EL postgraduates were recruited from a pool of 130 students. The research data were collected using a reading comprehension test and the Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategy Inventory (MARSI) (Mokhtari & Reichard, 2002). The Independent Samples t-test analyses of the research data revealed that both groups were average in their reading comprehension and metacognitive awareness of reading strategies. MANOVA analysis of the MARSI components also indicated that although ELT postgraduates were significantly more aware of Global, Problem-solving, and Support RSs, both groups were at medium level. The findings highlight the need for strategic-based instruction in reading courses and offer a number of implications.