Evaluating KWL Charts Strategy in relation to Iranian EFL Learners’ Comprehension of Culturally Unfamiliar Texts

Abstract

Abstract This study was designed to examine the effects of using KWL charts strategy on EFL learners’ comprehension of culturally unfamiliar texts. For this purpose, forty two intermediate EFL learners were participated in the present study; all participants were female and native speakers of Persian in Bahar Laguage School in Shiraz. The participants were divided into two groups: Group 1 as the experimental group and Group 2 as the control group. Group 1 learned reading sections through using KWL charts and group 2 learned reading in a traditional way (e.g., through questioning and summarizing, etc.). The participants were given a pretest in order to check their reading comprehension before the treatments. After the pretest, group one learned reading sections in their instructional book (Summit 1 A) through employing KWL charts as a prereading strategy. Moreover, group two did not receive any treatment. Then, the posttest was given to the participants to see whether the application of KWL charts had any effect(s) on EFL learners’ comprehension. The result of study showed that there was no significant improvement on EFL learners’ performances on reading quizzes while using KWL charts and KWL charts did not have any positive effect on Iranian EFL learners’ comprehension. The findings of this study can be useful for English teachers, researchers, and learners. The results of this study refer to the importance of reading strategies and their impacts on students’ performances in reading classes. Reading strategies can be considered as a means of helping instruction, enhancing students’ reading skill, and facilitating collaboration and interaction within class through making beneficial class discussion and sharing new information. Nowadays, reading skill is instructed through outdated tactics in Iran. So, the results of this study offer new and novel tactics for improving teaching method in educational settings such as schools and institutes.