The impacts of reading strategy instruction on improving the reading comprehension of students with different learning styles

The current study explores the short- and long-term impacts of explicit reading strategy instruction for improving reading comprehension of students with different learning styles. Sixty Iranian EFL learners took part in this study. They took the Cambridge ECCE reading test as the pre-test and were divided into five groups according to learner type based on Flemings’s VARK questionnaire. The participants underwent 12 weeks of explicit reading strategy instruction and took a post-test to determine the immediate effects of reading strategy training. Three months later, they took a delayed post-test to check the long-term effects of the training. The results of paired samples T-Test and ANOVA using SPSS indicated that there were significant differences in the pre-and post-test scores for all groups in all tests. The results of the post hoc analysis indicated that the auditory type showed the most and the visual type showed the least amount of improvement. The study thus suggests equipping students with appropriate reading strategies that are tailored to their perceived learning style in order to lead to better comprehension and subsequently more enjoyment when reading.

Improving second language reading comprehension through reading strategies

Effective readers consciously or unconsciously use reading strategies to help them process information on what they read. All readers can benefit from reading strategy instruction but empirical research on which strategies are effective is lacking. Less is known about reading strategy effectiveness in a second language (L2). This meta-analysis of 46 L2 reading strategy studies analysed ten reading strategies, also in combination with a range of pedagogical approaches and found an overall mean effect size of 0.91, underscoring the benefits of multi strategy teaching. Effect sizes were calculated for each strategy, as well as the combination of strategy with approach, instructor type, intervention duration and type of test used. Some strategies were more effective than others. Also, differences in effect sizes are dependent on the approach used. Some pedagogical approaches are effective for some strategies but not with all. We recommend further research in L2 reading strategy interventions and instruction.

The Effects of Collaborative and Non- Collaborative Approaches to Teaching Reading Strategies on Iranian efl Learners’ Reading Comprehension and Attitude toward Reading

In an EFL context reading is a very important skill in language learning. This study aims at finding if instruction of reading strategies in two different collaborative and non-collaborative approaches affects reading comprehension and attitude toward reading differently. Forty-five Iranian adult female EFL learners at pre-intermediate general English proficiency level in Iran Language Institute (ili) were selected and divided into three groups of 15 students. One group functioning as the control group did not receive any strategy instruction; the second group, as the first experimental group, received reading strategy instruction in collaborative groups (Collaborative Strategic Reading or csr), and the third group considered as the second experimental group received reading strategy instruction in a non-collaborative way. A reading comprehension test and a reading attitude questionnaire were given to all three groups at the beginning of the term as pretests and after the experiment as posttests. The results obtained through one-way anova indicated that though both experimental groups outperformed the control group, there was no significant difference between the two experimental groups in reading comprehension and attitude toward reading. Therefore, it is up to teachers to weigh the advantages of using the collaborative approach to teaching reading against its disadvantages.

The Efficacy of Academic Reading Strategy Instruction among Adult English as an Additional Language Students: A Professional Development Opportunity Through Action Research

This action research project empirically evaluated the efficacy of reading strategy instruction to help advance adult English as an additional language (EAL) students’ development of academic reading skills and strategy use. The study involved 16 adult participants attending English for Academic Purposes (EAP) programs in British Columbia. These participants received reading strategy instruction over nine sessions during a 6-week period. To capture participants’ reading strategy use, Mokhtari and Sheorey’s Survey of Reading Strategies instrument was used in the pre- and post-intervention stages. Similarly, to measure participants’ reading comprehension abilities, an identical, standardized reading comprehension test was administered in the pre- and post- intervention stages. Participants’ weekly post-task verbal reflections and post-intervention interviews provided qualitative data for the study. Findings showed that reported reading strategy use obtained from the instrument and reading performance increased significantly after the intervention. The results from the analysis of participants’ reflections and interviews revealed a positive association between participants’ strategy use and reading performance. Conducted as a part of professional development, this study aims to resolve EAP professionals’ practical concerns about the use of reading strategies in academic reading as well as provide action researchers with suggestions for future implementation. Ce projet de recherche-action a permis d’effectuer une évaluation empirique de l’efficacité de l’enseignement de stratégies de lecture afin de faire avancer le développement des compétences académiques de lecture et du recours aux stratégies de lecture chez les étudiants adultes inscrits à un cours d’anglais comme langue additionnelle. Ont participé à l’étude 16 adultes inscrits à des programmes d’anglais académique en Colombie-Britannique. Ces participants ont pris part à neuf séances d’enseignement de stratégies de lecture sur une période de 6 semaines. L’instrument de mesure Reading Strategies de Mokhtari et Sheorey a été utilisé pour évaluer le recours des participants aux stratégies de lecture avant et après la période d’intervention. Un test identique et standardisé de compréhension de la lecture a également été administré avant et après la période d’intervention afin d’évaluer les capacités de compréhension des participants. Les réflexions verbales offertes par les participants après les exercices et les entrevues réalisées après l’intervention ont produit des données qualitatives pour l’étude. Celle-ci a permis de constater un accroissement significatif du recours aux stratégies de lecture fournies par l’instrument et de la performance de lecture suite à l’intervention. Les résultats de l’analyse des réflexions et des entrevues des participants ont permis de constater une association positive entre l’utilisation de stratégies de lecture et la performance de lecture des participants. Menée dans le cadre du perfectionnement professionnel, cette étude vise à répondre aux inquiétudes pratiques des professionnels de l’enseignement de l’anglais académique relativement au recours aux stratégies de lecture tout en fournissant aux praticiens et praticiennes de la recherche-action des suggestions à mettre en œuvre dans le futur.