Reading Comprehension Difficulties Among EFL Learners in Higher Learning Institutions

Hamza Al-Jarrah,Nur Salina Binti Ismail

doi:10.5539/ijel.v8n7p32

Abstract

One of the most significant problems faced by instructors is reading deficiency in English texts among the university students, which reflects the students&rsquo; poor academic performance. It is assumed that learners who are unable to read and comprehend face many challenges during their studies and after graduation. This study aims to investigate reading comprehensions difficulties among EFL learners in higher learning institutions. The study employed quantitative method, 100 out of 281 Arab students of Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA) and Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) were selected to participate in responding to the questions. Cross tabulation was used to analyze data from the test. Findings from the test indicated that the major difficulty faced by the Arab EFL learners is inability to recognize the types of text. This study concludes that the reading comprehension difficulties faced by Arab EFL learners in the selected institutions could affect their English language proficiency and academic performance. To find solutions to these difficulties, there is a need for shared efforts of English language teachers, instruction policy makers, public and private bodies responsible for educational policy learning and implementation, and the EFL learners.

Highlights

1.1 Importance of ReadingEnglish language skills are essential in attaining proficiency
This study is set to investigate the difficulties faced by Arab EFL learners in reading comprehending to address this objective, several issues related to reading comprehension are tested in order to find out the reading comprehension difficulties faced by the EFL learners
26.3% of the respondents are able to identify the structure of the text given to them while 73.7% are unable to identify the type of text structure they read during the test. These findings indicate that the major difficulty faced by the Arab EFL learners examined in this study is lack of ability to recognize the types of text or text structure they read

Summary

Introduction

English language skills are essential in attaining proficiency. These skills are either receptive or productive skills. Learners acquire receptive skills by receiving the language from oral or written material. In this case, learners decode the meaning to comprehend the receptive material. The importance of reading as a language skill can never be underestimated It is one of the essential means through which information can be obtained especially for educational purposes. Lack of reading ability results in poor academic performance among students. They face various challenges outside the academic environment due to reading deficiency (Mundhe, 2015)

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Discussion

Conclusion