Abstract
Of all language skills (reading, writing listening and speaking), the reading skill needs to be put into consideration and given a special care. No doubt that the students’ future academic success in majors that adopt English as medium of instruction, mainly depends on a good reading and comprehension. Although reading is described by many as a receptive skill which requires knowledge of the language system of the target language as well as knowledge of the cultural schema of that language. This study aimed at discussing the relationship between the target language cultural background and the native language cultural background of the Saudi secondary school students. A total of thirty-two secondary school students studying at Imam Ja’afar Al-Sadiq Secondary School in Al-Ahas Educational Zone participated in that study. Participants were homogeneous in terms of age (16 - 19 years), gender (male), cultural background (the Saudi culture), and the native language (Arabic). Data were collected using a questionnaire. The results of the study show that the value of the (t) test is 2.909 with the value of freedom od (df) 31 and sig (2-tailed) of 0.007 less than 0.05. This indicates that there is statistically significant difference between the target language cultural background and the native language cultural background of the Saudi secondary school students which affect their target language reading and comprehension. The study findings confirm the previous studies. It recommends some strategies and activities for the Saudi EFL teachers.
Highlights
It is worth mentioning that reading comprehension in English is an indispensable language skill
This study aimed at discussing the relationship between the target language cultural background and the native language cultural background of the Saudi secondary school students
The primary objective of this study is to investigate the impact of cultural schema on the Saudi secondary school students in reading comprehension
Summary
It is worth mentioning that reading comprehension in English is an indispensable language skill. This claim is supported by Li and Zang (2016) who consider reading as a primary tool of developing language standard. The Saudi Ministry of Education adopts the learning of English as a foreign language form elementary to secondary levels. There is a need to enhance the level of reading and comprehension in English for the Saudi students because success in the English language in general and in exams in particular, primarily depends on good reading and comprehension. Reading in English and comprehension cause problems for native and non-native students. They face difficulty when they are asked to read or answer comprehension questions task. Cultural background or (schema) of a given language plays a significant role in reading and understanding that language (Alptekin, 2006; Johnson, 1981a; Steffensen, Joag-Dev, & Anderson, 1979)
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