The Effect of Authentic Texts on Motivation and Reading Comprehension of EFL Students at Intermediate Level of Proficiency

Abstract

This study attempts to explore the effect of studying authentic texts in classrooms on reading comprehension and motivation of intermediate language learners. To address this issue, a quantitative study was conducted on 24 language learners from language teaching institutes. Participants were divided randomly in two groups: authentic group and simplified group. Four online authentic texts with appropriate readability were selected for the authentic group. Simplified group received the simplified form of those texts. A Motivation for Reading Questionnaire (MRQ) containing 18 items on eight domains of motivation was also conducted to measure authentic groups' motivation before and after reading authentic texts. Using independent samples t-test and mean of gain scores of groups on pre-post tests revealed that reading authentic texts has positive effect on the reading comprehension of intermediate students. Conducting the motivation questionnaire on the authentic group showed positive changes on four domains of motivation.