Reading Comprehension

Sociocultural Theory (SCT) of second language learning puts the emphasis on social interaction and regards it as a pre-requisite for cognitive development (Vygotsky, 1978). Drawing on the SCT, the present study aimed to delve into the possible effect of ZPD-based teacher and peer feedback on reading comprehension and reading strategy use of EFL learners. In so doing, 75 Iranian EFL learners, who were randomly assigned into two experimental and one comparison groups, participated in a quasi-experimental study. The data were collected through Oxford Placement Test (OPT), reading comprehension test and reading strategy questionnaire. One of the experimental groups received teacher feedback based on Aljaafreh and Lantolf's (1994) regulatory scale while the other experimental group accomplished the reading task using the feedback provided by the peers. Results obtained from the one–way ANOVA and Tukey test demonstrated that both experimental groups, teacher and peer, gained significantly more and performed better than the comparison group in reading comprehension while there was no significant difference between teacher and peer feedback groups in reading comprehension. The findings of the strategy questionnaire indicated no statistically significant difference between experimental and control groups, leading to the conclusion that students’ grouping did not influence their use of reading strategy. Therefore, it is concluded that peer feedback can be as effective as teacher feedback, aiding teachers to have a learner–centered classroom by implementing peer feedback rather than teacher feedback.

Online classes, among other things, may require confidence, persistence, use of effective strategies, managing distractions, and maintaining focus on the part of the learners. Due to the prevalence and unique nature of this mode of instruction, it seems necessary to examine the factors that contribute to successful learning outcomes. This study examined the function of internet self-efficacy and online self-regulated learning in an online reading course. 264 university students completed the Persian versions of the Online Self-regulation Questionnaire (Cho & Cho, 2017) and the Online Learning Self-Efficacy Scale (Zimmerman & Kulikovich, 2016). Their reading performance was evaluated by the reading section of the TOEFL. The results, analyzed by a bivariate correlation, showed a significant correlation between internet self-efficacy and reading comprehension. Also, a significant positive connection was found between reading comprehension and self-regulated learning. Learners confident in using online environments and active in regulating their cognitive processes during reading tasks showed better comprehension outcomes. The regression analysis findings, however, show that self-efficacy (β = 0.47, t = 8.15, p < 0.00) is a stronger predictor of reading performance than self-regulation (β = 0.16, t = 2.89, p < 0.00). The findings highlight the importance of promoting self-regulation and internet self-efficacy to improve reading comprehension. Further research should explore other factors, such as cultural perspectives, teaching methods, cognitive abilities, and technological advancements.

The aim of present study was to explore the comparative effect of direct corrective feedback and recast on EFL learners’ reading comprehension in a critical thinking (CT) context. Sixty female EFL learners were selected from a larger group of 85 learners through convenience sampling and were given a Preliminary English Test (PET) to assess their proficiency levels. As the next step, the participants formed two random experimental groups. The reading comprehension abilities of both groups were measured before and after the treatment through administration of reading section of two separate versions of PET. Both groups received 12 sessions of the treatment. Two paired samples t-tests were utilized, both of which proved significant improvement for both groups from pretest to posttest. Then, the posttest scores of the two groups using an independent samples t-test were compared. Based on the results, the difference between the two groups turned out to be significant indicating superiority of the effect of the recast. This study can have important implications for the stakeholders in foreign language (FL) education.

Although teaching English for Specific and Academic Purposes (ESAP) is equivalent to teaching reading comprehension, it seems that Iranian graduated students having studied ESAP at BSc and MSc levels are not efficient readers and they also have a lot of problems in obtaining information from English materials related to their field of study via translation. Because mental translation is inevitable while reading English texts, the question is how to make the best use of this spontaneous strategy to promote reading comprehension. Sixty-six students majoring in midwifery, nursing and surgical technology at MSc level were selected based on convenience sampling. They were classified as lower-intermediate students by a standard placement test. Their translation practices and reading activities were investigated in an attempt to discover the strategies most frequently used by such learners. Through content analysis of these documented activities and interviews with the learners and observation of ESP classes, the common problems in reading comprehension as well as translation processes were identified. These problems originated from mental translation. These problems were addressed by using strategy-based instruction. The findings implies how to expliot mental translation as an efficient strategy through equipping learners with the prerequisite reading comprehension and translation skills and strategies.

This mixed methods nationwide research aimed to examine the relationships between three variables; namely, self-efficacy (S-E), emotional intelligence (EI), autonomy (A), their sub-constructs and reading comprehension ability of Persian second language (PSL) students. Participants were 141 PSL students from 28 different countries studying at 12 universities across Iran. Data were collected through S-E, EI, A scales, and a reading comprehension test and were analyzed using Pearson correlation. The results revealed that there were significant links between the variables and their sub-constructs and reading comprehension ability. Also, structured interviews were administrated with 45 participants, the results of which confirmed those obtained from quantitative instruments. Moreover, structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to access more in-depth perception of the variables and explore the strengths of the causal relationships. The three independent variables strongly predicted reading comprehension, with S-E being the strongest predictor. Also, three out of four sub-constructs of EI, and two out of three sub-constructs of A were powerful predictors of reading comprehension. In terms of the increasing number of PSL learners, the findings of the present study could be helpful for L2 (particularly PSL) teachers, learners, and academic policymakers.

The usefulness of using literature in language teaching has always been acknowledged by language teaching researchers who have studied the said issue from different aspects and in various contexts. The present investigation tries to discover if the use of authentic and simplified literary texts could improve learners’ reading achievement, and then check if the impacts of these two types of texts on the learners’ reading were significantly different. Employing a quasi-experimental design, the researchers included ninety high school students in the data collection process. These students were taught in three groups including two experimental and one control, comparing the two types of literary texts with the usual course materials. Using pre-tests and post-tests scores, the learners' performance was compared, then t-test and ANOVA were employed to analyze the significance of the differences found between the means. It appeared that the use of literary texts could assist high school learners improve their performance in reading compared to the use of usual course materials. The findings further confirmed that the use of simplified literary texts could improve the learners’ reading better than the authentic literary texts. The findings are specifically important in teaching reading, which serve as the basic skill for building the required knowledge in EFL contexts. Literature-based language teaching seems to enjoy the power to change and improve language teaching programs through presenting on-demand and productive teaching materials and add to learners’ life awareness besides the language knowledge.