The Effect of a Reading Application on the Reading Comprehension and Reading Self-Efficacy of Language Learners

Abstract

Mobile technology is now being widely used to assist language learning and teaching. This study was designed and conducted to investigate the impact of a reading application on Iranian EFL learners' reading comprehension and reading self-efficacy. To this end, 56 EFL learners of a private institute in Iran were selected and assigned to one experimental and one control group. The learners in the experimental group read 10 passages independently using the reading application to help them find meanings and understand the text. The learners in the control group carried out the same process with the same reading passages with the teacher assisting them with the comprehension of vocabulary and the passage. The learners in both groups were given a reading test from Preliminary English Test (PET) and The Reading Self-efficacy Scale both before and after the treatment. The results of one-way between-groups MANOVA revealed that independent reading using the reading application positively and significantly affected the learners' reading comprehension and reading self-efficacy. The results of this study can be explained through the cognitive theory of multimedia learning and have implications for teachers and students in improving reading and self-efficacy.