Students’ perceptions of deductive and inductive methods in teaching reading skills

Abstract

AbstractThis article explores students’ perceptions of inductive and deductive methods of teaching reading in Finnish and Hungarian in a higher education setting. A guided inductive discovery method of reading involves independent work and minimum vocabulary and grammar explanation before the reading assignment is given. A deductive pre-taught method involves grammar, vocabulary and content explanation before a text is read. Structured focus group interviews revealed that the advantages of the discovery method, i.e. guided inductive reading, are that it helps to maintain curiosity, enhances memorisation, encourages independent and active learning, and prepares for real-life reading situations. The deductive pre-taught method, on the other hand, feels safe and helpful, can keep one’s confidence up, saves time and effort for other language-learning tasks, and ensures a correct understanding of the text. The interviewees wanted to be given information about which grammar to expect in advance, some felt the same way about vocabulary. They were not always aware of the difference between the two approaches. By using both methods the teacher can help to maintain motivation and cater for different student preferences. Mixing methods also reflects how we treat information in real life. There appears to be no ideal method in teaching L2 reading: both methods have their advantages and disadvantages from the students’ point of view. Explicit instruction is crucial for reading development either before or after a text is read.