Boosting Preservice EFL Teachers' Reading Skills via Visual Media

Abstract

This study investigates the efficacy of metacognitive reading strategies, supplemented with visual media, in improving English reading comprehension abilities among pre-service English as a Foreign Language (EFL) educators. The study intends to enhance reading comprehension test performance by employing a quasi-experimental design that includes pre-test, intervention, and post-test phases. The study included a total of 102 preservice EFL teachers who were currently engaged in a course focused on communicative language learning in an English pedagogy undergraduate program. The intervention consisted of utilizing metacognitive methods in conjunction with visual media. The effectiveness of this approach was assessed through the administration of a widely recognized Reading Comprehension Test (RCT), a Metacognitive Strategy Questionnaire (MSQ), and supplementary visual media. The results demonstrate a substantial improvement in average reading comprehension scores, increasing from 0.5 to 0.72 after the intervention. The study utilized a mixed-methods approach, including questionnaires and interviews to collect qualitative data on students' assessments of the intervention's efficacy. The findings indicate that students consider the metacognitive strategies to be useful at all stages of reading, including pre, while, and post reading. The incorporation of visual media, such as videos and infographics, played a crucial role in promoting metacognitive knowledge, monitoring, and control strategies. This study emphasizes the potential of integrating metacognitive strategies with visual media to greatly improve reading comprehension skills in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) settings.