Abstract
This quantitative and quasi-experimental study dealt with the effect of the teaching higher order thinking (HOT) on the reading comprehension ability of foreign language learners. Since reading ability plays a crucial role in learners’ education, it is language teachers’ mission to be aware of the useful and beneficial strategies to improve their students’ reading comprehension ability. Considering the fruitful results of applying HOT skills in education, the present study was conducted to investigate the effect of their instruction on students’ reading comprehension ability. To achieve the objectives of the study, a group of 236 male and female university students majoring in various fields but all taking General English course was selected by convenience sampling. They were randomly assigned into two groups of control and experimental. PET test was applied to homogenize the participants of the two study groups. The study followed pre-test, treatment, post-test design. While the experimental group followed a nine-session treatment on strategies of HOT, the control group was instructed through conventional method determined by the course book. The results of independent samples t-test revealed the positive effect of teaching HOT skills on improving reading comprehension ability of adult EFL learners. Pedagogical implications of these findings for language learners, language teachers, course book developers, and educational policy makers are discussed.
Highlights
Johnson (1998) believes that, in most educational systems, students only focus on listening lectures, finishing tasks, and responding tests that merely measure the ability to memorize facts, concepts, and theories
This quantitative and quasi-experimental study dealt with the effect of the teaching higher order thinking (HOT) on the reading comprehension ability of foreign language learners
The results of independent samples t-test revealed the positive effect of teaching HOT skills on improving reading comprehension ability of adult EFL learners
Summary
Johnson (1998) believes that, in most educational systems, students only focus on listening lectures, finishing tasks, and responding tests that merely measure the ability to memorize facts, concepts, and theories. This sort of learning has a negative effect on psychological development of students, isolate students, neglect them, and make them feel insecure and exile, eventually leave students without sufficient skills. HOT is the highest level in the hierarchy of cognitive processes It helps students dominate the challenges of too much information with a limited processing time (Phillips, 2004). It can be noted that HOT emphasizes on developing students’ abilities to help them analyze effectively, evaluate by interpreting from existing information and create (synthesize) something new
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