The Effects of Internet Reciprocal Teaching on EFL Students'''' New Literacies of Online Comprehension and Self-Efficacy

Abstract

This study examined the effects of Internet Reciprocal Teaching (IRT) on improving EFL secondary students’ new literacies of online research and comprehension and self-efficacy on Internet. 133 students were assigned randomly to two experimental groups (n = 68) and two control groups (n = 65). The experimental groups’ students received Internet reciprocal teaching instruction for 12 weeks; meanwhile, the control groups received regular reading instruction. Two formats of Online Reading Comprehension Assessment (ORCA) were used to assess students’ reading comprehension before and after the experiment. A survey for Internet use was also administered to measure changes in students’ frequency of Internet use and self-efficacy on Internet before and after the treatment. Independent samples t-test results of the ORCA posttest showed a significant difference between the experimental and control groups on the overall online reading comprehension and its four sub-skills in favor of the experimental groups. Moreover, comparing the results of the experimental and control groups on the survey after the experiment revealed that students of the experimental groups outperformed students in the control groups in self-efficacy on Internet but not on the frequency of Internet use. Pearson product-moment formula indicated that there was a significant relation between self-efficacy and reading comprehension. In addition, readers’ self-efficacy was different with their proficiency levels. The study demonstrated that IRT has positive effects on improving students’ new literacies of online research and comprehension as well as their self-efficacy on Internet use.