Learners' Gender, Reading Comprehension, and Reading Strategies in Descriptive and Narrative Macro-genres

Abstract

This study investigated whether learners’ gender could make difference in their reading comprehension and use of reading strategies in descriptive and narrative macro-genres. To this end, six short macro-genre-based reading passages with the same readability and length were prepared from which appropriate reading tests were constructed and administered to a total of 50 EFL intermediate male (n = 21) and female (n = 29) students. This was followed by administrating reading strategies questionnaires to explore the learners’ use of reading strategies in the descriptive and narrative macro-genres. Results of the study indicated that there was no statistically significant difference between male and female students’ reading comprehension in these macro-genres. It was also shown that there was no significant difference observed between male and female learners in the overall use and employment of reading strategies in the descriptive and narrative macro-genres. The findings of the study hold implications for language teaching and testing, teacher training, and curriculum design.