Abstract
The primary purpose of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of two pre- task activities of reading: pre- taught vocabulary and brainstorming in EFL learners’ reading comprehending. To this end, three intact classes in a private English Institute in Tehran, were selected from a population of 60 English learners. Based on their scores on Oxford Placement Test (OPT), the students were randomly assigned into two experimental groups and one control group and a pre-test was run at the beginning of the course. At outset of the course a pre- test was run among three groups. The researcher instructed the experimental groups in 16 weeks, one session a week and lasting 40 minutes in each session. The first experimental group benefited from pre- taught vocabulary, while the second experimental group benefited from brainstorming as a pre- task and the third group did not receive any pre- task activities in the reading class. At the end of the course, a post- test with the same items of the pre- test was run to determine the improvement of EFL intermediate students’ reading comprehension changes and an attitude questionnaire was planned to determine the learners’ attitudes toward the pre- task activities. The results of paired sample t- test indicated that the use of pre- taught vocabulary and also brainstorming enhanced the scores of the first experimental and second experimental groups’ post- tests ; moreover, ANOVA results revealed a significant increase in reading comprehension scores of the first and the second experimental groups’ post- tests compared to the control group’ post-test scores. The results of attitude questionnaire demonstrated the pupils’ positive attitudes toward the use of pre- task activities.
Highlights
EFL students usually have passive roles in reading classes and they are reluctant to read reading texts
Three intact classes in a private English Institute in Tehran, were selected from a population of 60 English learners. Based on their scores on Oxford Placement Test (OPT), the students were randomly assigned into two experimental groups and one control group and a pre-test was run at the beginning of the course
The first experimental group benefited from pre- taught vocabulary, while the second experimental group benefited from brainstorming as a pre- task and the third group did not receive any pre- task activities in the reading class
Summary
EFL students usually have passive roles in reading classes and they are reluctant to read reading texts. The task- based approach prepares a shift from teacher- centered toward student- centered learning (Mao, 2012). Pre- task phase as an introductory step in task- based instruction tries to prepare learners to comprehend a text better. “The aim of pre- task phase is to make students aware to carry out the task in ways that will enhance learning. This stage is regarded as an entry to the topic and task” Richards (2013) suggested that teachers should provide suitable input before teaching a text in order to encourage the learners to produce more output. This stage is regarded as an entry to the topic and task” (2014, p. 1275). Richards (2013) suggested that teachers should provide suitable input before teaching a text in order to encourage the learners to produce more output. Yusuf (2011) believed that through the use of pre- task activities, the learners are able to compensate their insufficient conceptual, linguistic, socio- cultural knowledge and become aware of what they intend to perform
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