EFL Pre-service Teachers' Online Reading Strategy Use and their Insight into Teaching Reading

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the usage of online reading strategies among EFL pre-service teachers in the Education Program and their pedagogical practices in teaching online reading. A total of 107 participants from the English Education program in East Java were involved in this study. A mixed-method design was used as the research approach. For data collection, this present study used the Second Language Online Reading Strategy Inventory (SLORSI) closed-ended questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. Overall, 13 participants were involved in the interview session. Based on the statistical analysis of the questionnaire, it was found that EFL pre-service teachers showed a high level of usage of online reading strategies (M= 3,71 – 4.14). The most frequently used was the Saving strategy (M= 4,14). However, the interview results were inconsistent with the questionnaire; although the participants showed a high level of usage of online reading, they offered different perspectives on teaching online reading. The participants mentioned inadequate reading digital literacy and strategies for future reading classes. Therefore, this study suggests that EFL education programs must highlight the importance of providing explicit practice for pre-service teachers using online reading strategies and model the strategy for future students.