Reading aloud technique as a resource to develop reading skills in EFL

Abstract

Introduction. Reading aloud is a technique that has been used in different settings in order to improve reading comprehension. Objective. This study aimed to understand the impact of reading aloud techniques with college students who took English class as a requirement to continue with their studies to get a college degree. Methodology. They were students who passed the English level A2 and aimed to reach a B1 at the end of the semester. There were 28 students who participated in this study and they had to read texts for a period of seven weeks. The instructor provided a text each week and they had to use an application, record their voice while reading the text within a period of time and send it to receive a feedback. The students` performance was collected and analyzed through the use of a rubric during the whole process. The Wilcoxon test was used to examine the results of the pretest and posttest since there was only one group who participated in the study. At the end, the rubric results were organized and statistically analyzed. Results. The findings showed that there was significant difference after using reading aloud technique in students reading skills development. Conclusions. Reading aloud technique should be used as an strategy to improve reading performance in the English language at a college level.