Reading Comprehension Research Articles

Collaborative Learning Strategy for Better Reading Comprehension in EFL University Courses

This study investigates the impact of collaborative learning strategy on the reading comprehension of non-English department students at the university level. An effective reading comprehension not only talk about the ability to understanding the text, but also the capacity to interpret meaning and synthesize information from different text genre. Moreover, for the non-English department students who generally have different language competence with English department students, they often encounter a difficult situation in reading activity because of their limitation in language exposure. Using a mixed-method approach, this study combines quantitative data from reading tests with qualitative insights from student interviews and classroom observations. Over one semester, students from various non-English department participated in collaborative activities, such as collaborative strategic reading and group discussions, designed to improve critical thinking and collaborative problem-solving. The quantitative results demonstrate significant improvements in reading comprehension, particularly in identifying main ideas, making inferences, and understanding vocabulary in context. Qualitative findings reveal that students found the collaborative learning environment is enjoyable and motivating, with many reporting that collaborative learning reduced their anxiety and enhanced their willingness to participate actively. This study highlights the effectiveness of collaborative learning strategy in improving reading comprehension among non-English department students and offers practical recommendations for integrating these strategies into diverse academic disciplines.Keywords: Collaborative Learning, Reading Comprehension, EFL, Non-English Department Student

English reading comprehension, autonomous learning ability, and academic resilience among Chinese college students

English reading comprehension, autonomous learning ability, and academic resilience among Chinese college students

Teaching Adolescent Students to Strategically Utilize Read-Aloud Technology in Science Class

Adolescent learners are expected to read and comprehend complex texts, especially as they engage in content-area reading. However, content-area teachers often lack the necessary literacy training and self-efficacy to support students. The purpose of this design-based research study was to develop and evaluate the effects of read-aloud technology resources combined with explicit strategy instruction on secondary learners’ reading comprehension in science, content learning, and self-regulation as well as science teachers’ instructional self-efficacy for supporting student reading. The study reports on two cycles of implementation with qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Implementation was with the entire class, but findings report on students who consented. Thus, student participants were two eighth graders in the first cycle and five seventh graders in the second cycle while instruction was provided by their participating science teachers. Findings show improvements on students’ reading comprehension and content learning and increased instructional teacher self-efficacy for literacy in science classrooms. Implications for future research and practice are further discussed.

The Impact of Augmented Reality Storybooks on Children’s Reading Comprehension and Motivation

While existing literature extensively explores the application of augmented reality (AR) technology in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields and higher education, research on its use in children’s reading remains relatively limited. This research gap urgently needs to be addressed, particularly in understanding how AR can enhance children’s reading comprehension, story retelling, and reading motivation. To address this gap, this study examined the effects of AR Chinese picture storybooks on second-grade students’ reading comprehension, story retelling, and reading motivation. A quasi-experimental design was employed with 60 second-grade students from a primary school in central China, where 30 students used AR storybooks and 30 used traditional paper storybooks. The results indicated that students who used AR storybooks demonstrated better reading comprehension, particularly implicit comprehension, than those who used paper storybooks. However, there was no significant difference between the two groups in explicit comprehension. Additionally, the AR storybook group outperformed the paper storybook group in both story retelling and reading motivation. These findings suggest that AR technology can create more interactive and immersive reading experiences, positioning AR as a promising tool for enhancing literacy development in young learners.

Evaluating the impact of reciprocal teaching embedded within a Web 2.0 tool upon fifth-grade students’ reading during integrated readers’ workshop at a Professional Development School

PurposeFor this study, 12 fifth-grade students read expository text, employed reciprocal teaching strategies, collaborated face to face online using a Web 2.0 tool during the reading workshop. The purpose of this action research was to evaluate the impact of reciprocal teaching embedded in the Wakelet Curation Tool, a Web 2.0 tool, on fifth-grade students’ reading for comprehension, reading attitudes and perceptions of the innovation in an integrated reading class at an urban characteristic (Milner et al., 2018) Professional Development School (PDS) (National Association for Professional Development Schools, 2021) site.Design/methodology/approachThis action research followed a convergent parallel mixed-methods design. Two quantitative data collection instruments were used. Inferential and descriptive statistical tests were run to analyze quantitative data.FindingsFindings showed the posttest scores for the Comprehension Content Knowledge test were not significantly higher than the pretest scores, but there was an increase from pre- to posttest. ERAS scores showed there was not an increase from pre- to postsurvey. In addition to quantitative data, qualitative data were collected and analyzed using inductive analysis. Four individual semi-structured interviews yielded the qualitative data for this study. Four themes were identified over the course of two coding cycles: (1) contributions of fifth-grade students’ perceptions about the innovation, (2) affective contributions, (3) reading achievement and (4) suggestions for future use. The data suggested participants acquired content-specific knowledge and strategies for monitoring and assessing their comprehension.Originality/valueThe information in this article explains the steps that the Outstanding Dissertation Award winner completed in order to apply for the PDS award. The article describes the action research that was conducted with fifth grade students to see how reciprocal teaching embedded within Wakelet Curation Tool impacted their reading comprehension.

The Impact of Metaphors on Academic Text Comprehension: The Case of Students With Dyslexia.

Metaphor has long been used by scholars to make concepts more comprehensible. However, this use of figurative language has never been investigated in relation to the way students with dyslexia learn from academic texts. This study aims to assess the impact of metaphors on overall academic text comprehension in university students with and without dyslexia. Excerpts from scientific articles containing metaphors were adapted to be presented in two comparable conditions: metaphorical and literal. Legibility indexes were controlled for to guarantee the same difficulty between conditions. Twenty-eight students with dyslexia and thirty students without dyslexia underwent a multiple-choice comprehension task for two texts, one for each condition, and provided evaluations of text perception. A standardised assessment of general reading comprehension and cognitive abilities, such as reading speed, reading accuracy, and working memory was conducted. Data revealed that, when reading ability was controlled for, students with dyslexia presented significantly lower comprehension scores only in texts containing metaphors, despite comparable perceived complexity and increased interest in metaphorical texts. These findings suggest that metaphors used in educational discourse may not be entirely inclusive, as they seem to impose additional cognitive demands on students with dyslexia.

Supporting Narrative Design in Video Games: Proposal and Case Study with an Educational Video Game

Among the elements to consider when designing a video game, narrative stands out due to its importance in contextualizing and motivating. However, there are no standard processes for creating interactive digital narratives. In educational video games, a suitable narrative is even more essential to captivate players with a story, which serves as a vehicle for transmitting and evaluating knowledge. Consequently, this article proposes a narrative design process for video games, developed for general application but particularly useful for educational games. It defines a narrative structure, a set of design steps, and the documents generated during the process, each one representing a different perspective of the game’s narrative. To validate the proposal, a narrative-rich game called Time Invaders was designed to teach reading comprehension. It was tested with 237 school-age children, measuring their experience and satisfaction. The study revealed that the narrative was the most valued element of the game.

Judah and Tamar: A missiological study of Genesis 38 in its redemptive-historical context

In this article, Genesis 38 was researched with missiological interests in mind. Using the redemptive-historical reading strategy, the importance of the Bible, and especially of the Old Testament, for missions has been stressed, based on the analysis of Genesis 38. Attention was paid to the literary framework in which Genesis 38 appears, constructed around the 11 toledōth statements in Genesis. The results of this literary analysis were used for a thematic reading of Genesis 38, focusing on some central issues such as the theocentric character of redemptive history, the interconnectedness of the editorial and divine communicative intentions with the inclusion of Genesis 38 in the established literary tradition of Genesis 37–50, the significance of the three-fold promise of God to Abraham (Gn 12:1–3)1 for the interpretation of Genesis 38, and the impact of Judah and Tamar on Israel’s ancient history. Next, the redemptive-historical analysed text was missionally re-read to show the present Christian community of faith how important this narrative could be for its missiological reflections and missional praxis, with attention paid to three central missiological issues: the missio Dei, the missiones ecclesiae, and corporate worship for missions.Contribution: This article, based on the redemptive-historical reading of Genesis 38 as an example, shows that the Old Testament, in its own right, is missionally relevant for the present Christian community of faith.

Improving Students’ Reading Comprehension by Using Integrated Multimedia in MAN 1 Bandar Lampung

This study examined the impact of integrated multimedia instruction on students’ reading comprehension achievement compared with the traditional print-based instruction. This research applied a quasi-experimental design involving two groups: experimental and control. In this experiment, there were 38 students assigned to the experimental group and 37 in the control group from 12th graders at MAN 1 Bandar Lampung. The experimental group received instruction that integrated text, picture, audio, video, and an interactive quiz in a single web post, whereas the control group used print-based instruction. Pre-test results showed relatively equal initial abilities with mean scores of 62.7 and 60.0 respectively for the experimental and control group, t = 0.697, p = 0.488. In comparison, after treatment, the average post-test score in the experimental group is remarkably higher at 83.3, while that of the control group is a mere 70.3, with t = 6.784; p-value = 4.38 × 10⁻⁹. This confirms that integrated multimedia instruction significantly improves students’ reading comprehension as compared to the print-based one. Integrating multiple media into a single web post tends to be more effective in bringing improvement to students’ reading achievement. This finding gives educators valued information on how to better use multimedia tools in order to improve reading instruction outcomes.

The Influence of Metacognitive Strategy and Students’ Reading Interest Toward Reading Comprehension Achievement of The Tenth-Grade Students of SMA Negeri 1 Pagar Alam

This paper discusses the concept of Metacognitive Strategy and its impact on students' reading interest in teaching reading comprehension. The research aims to determine if there is a significant difference in reading comprehension achievement between students taught using the Metacognitive Strategy and those taught with the conventional approach, as well as to explore the interaction effect of these strategies and students' reading interest. An experimental method was employed, focusing on tenth-grade students at SMA Negeri 1 Pagar Alam during the 2012/2013 academic year, with a sample of 60 students selected through a two-stage process. Data were collected using a questionnaire to assess reading interest and tests to measure reading comprehension achievement. Analysis involved a factorial design, employing t-tests and two-way ANOVA, confirming normality and homogeneity of data. Results indicated significant findings: (1) A significant difference in reading achievement for high-interest students, with a p-output of 0.001, lower than 0.05, accepting H1; (2) For low-interest students, the p-output was 0.022, also lower than 0.05, accepting H2; (3) However, the two-way ANOVA showed a significant value of 0.676 for the techniques used, higher than 0.05, leading to the rejection of H3. This indicates that the Metacognitive Strategy is effective in teaching reading comprehension to students regardless of their interest levels.

EXPLORING THE IMPACT OF DIGITAL STORYTELLING ON READING AND CRITICAL THINKING: A PRELIMINARY STUDY

The Reading and Writing classroom introduces a digital storytelling project to engage students in meaningful learning experiences. Digital storytelling integrates multimedia elements such as images, audio, and video with narrative structures, offering an engaging and interactive approach to language learning. By immersing English as a Second Language (ESL) learners in rich, contextually relevant stories, digital storytelling can cater to diverse learning styles and promote a deeper understanding of textual content. This study investigated students' perceptions of digital storytelling projects and their potential impact on reading and critical thinking skills in Reading and Writing classrooms. This preliminary study involved 64 first-year ESL students from Universiti Malaysia Sabah Labuan International Campus. The data gathered from the study were taken through a mixed-method approach, combining questionnaires and qualitative feedback from the participants. The data analysis revealed that students generally had positive perceptions of the project, with most participants agreeing that the digital storytelling project enhanced their reading comprehension, critical thinking, and creativity. The study suggests that digital storytelling can be a valuable tool for developing reading skills and higher-order thinking in ESL learners. Future research is needed to explore digital storytelling projects' long-term effects on reading and critical skills.

Improving Student’s Reading Comprehension through Guide Reading and Summarizing Procedure (Grasp) Strategy

This research is aimed to find out whether or not the implementation of Guide Reading And Summarizing Procedure ( GRASP) improves students' reading comprehension. GRASP strategy stands for Guide, Reading, and Summarize, Procedure. GRASP strategy. Guide Reading and Summarizing Procedure is teaching strategy which enables a teacher and group of students to talk, read and explore text. A class of accounting class in Triatma Mulya University is participated as the participant of the study. The required data were collected through the use of questionnaire, observation checklist, and reading test. The data from the questionnaire indicated that students had positive attitude toward the implementation of GRASP. They feel that GRASP improves their motivation in learning English and GRASP brings more fun to the process of learning. Moreover, it was found from observation data that the students were actively participated during GRASP implementation and they were motivated when comprehending a text by means GRASP strategy. Finally, the study proved that GRASP improved students’ reading comprehension. Students’ mean score of reading test in the beginning of the study was 50.6 meanwhile, after applying GRASP as reading strategy, their mean scores improved to 67,80.2 and 89.7

Personalized Instruction for Reading Comprehension (PIRC) as an Effective Reading Intervention Tool among Grade 7 Learners

This quasi-experimental action research aimed to determine the effectiveness of a Personalized Instruction for Reading Comprehension (PIRC) reading intervention tool among a select group of Grade 7 learners enrolled at a public local high school in Sta. Cruz, Zambales for the Academic School Year 2022-2023. Through a quasi-experimental approach, 35 students from the STE class were explicitly selected as respondents. A one-group pretest and posttest design was utilized to determine the changes in the reading comprehension abilities of the respondents. Students' common reading comprehension difficulties included difficulty in identifying the meanings of unfamiliar words, focusing on long texts, answering follow-up questions, and understanding instructions; impatience, short attention span, negative thinking, and difficulty in following instructions. Based on the recorded results, the selected students improved their reading comprehension skills during the posttest session. The PIRC tool is highly recommended for future use by educators and teachers handling reading classes, with suggestions for prolonging the time allotted for the tool, designating certain days for breakout sessions, conducting a pretest to carefully identify the target weaknesses of the students, applying more ICT-based activities and tools, and conducting daily meetings for the group sessions.

Reading Speed and Reading Comprehension in Adolescents

Reading is a complex skill that is acquired through learning. Although most children with typical development master the skill of reading in due time, it is known that a smaller number of children show difficulties in reading. The aim of this thesis is to examine the reading speed and reading comprehension of primary school-aged adolescents. We also tried to determine the number of adolescents with reading difficulties, through analysis of reading speed and accuracy of comprehension of the read text. The research sample consisted of 200 pupils of sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth grade of the "Milorad Musa Burzan" elementary school in Podgorica. Assessment of reading speed and reading comprehension was performed using the Three-Dimensional Reading Test. The results showed that reading speed increases with age, so ninth grade pupils read the fastest, whereas seventh grade pupils read the slowest. In terms of comprehending what was read, the pupils of the eighth grade were the most successful, and the pupils of the seventh grade were the worst. Moreover, the results showed that there are no differences in reading speed and reading comprehension between boys and girls. It was concluded that in this sample there were a total of nine (4.5%) pupils with reading difficulties.

The study of reading comprehension in English as a Foreign Language in the current educational context

Teaching and learning English as a foreign language requires more attention within society each day. Consequently, the reflections surrounding said language and its related aspects are continuously increasing. This review paper seeks to study the research of strengthening reading comprehension in English. Therefore, several databases, open and closed, institutional repositories, and books are researched through documentary analysis, resulting in identifying several ways to conceptualize reading comprehension and its strengthening in the English area in different educational levels that have existed in the past years. However, reading stands out in studies as a cognitive process that transcends translation. Lastly, it is concluded that reading, as a multidimensional reality in which various elements intervene, implies changes in the didactic perspective reflected in the way of approaching it within the education system to enhance its acquisition and reach the benefits it offers.

To Teach Is to Learn? The Effects of Student-generated Questioning on Reading Comprehension

A large body of evidence demonstrates that cooperative learning promotes reading achievement. Cooperative learning is based on Social Interdependence Theory, which holds that learners benefit from leveraging cooperative effort to achieve individual and mutual goals. Student-generated questioning (SGQ) is a cooperative learning strategy that promotes learning through an iterative self and peer-assessment process. SGQ has yielded mixed results among lower-proficiency language users, where linguistic and cultural barriers can impede efficacy. Providing students with pre-training, procedural prompts, and language modeling has proven effective. A quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest design was employed to determine the impact of a highly scaffolded SGQ strategy on reading comprehension in two intact CEFR-A2 reading classes (n = 62) over a 16-week semester at a Japanese university. The Cambridge A2 Key Test was administered before and after the reading intervention. Parametric test results revealed SGQ had no significant effect on any of the five reading subskills. Further discussion of findings and recommendations may prove instructive for reading educators and researchers of low-proficiency English students in Japan and other East Asian contexts.

Backed Against a Wall: The Potential Utility of Self-Regulated Online Reading Instruction

During the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jordan enforced a nationwide lockdown. In an attempt to sustain education, the Ministry of Education immediately transitioned to online instruction through Darsak (Arabic for Your Lesson) platform to provide free of charge daily Arabic, English, physics, mathematics, computer science, history, and financial literacy lessons to public school first- through twelfth-grade students in the country. To determine the potential effect of self-regulated learning in online instruction on Jordanian EFL students’ reading comprehension, a quasi-experimental design was used with a sample of three ninth-grade sections from a purposefully selected all-girl school in Amman, Jordan. The three sections were randomly distributed into two experimental groups taught online, one through Darsak II (the official Ministry of Education platform) and the other through Facebook, and one control group taught per the guidelines of the prescribed teacher’s book. A 10-week, two-tiered instructional program was designed, validated, and then implemented to the experimental groups whereas the control group received conventional face-to-face instruction. The participants’ reading comprehension was tested before and after the treatment across the three groups. Not only was online instruction found to boost overall reading comprehension, but it was found to positively affect specific reading skills such as scanning and inferencing, more so than conventional face-to-face instruction. Furthermore, no statistically significant differences were found in reading comprehension between the participants of the two experimental groups. This research provides preliminary evidence for the utility of online instruction for self-regulated learning of reading comprehension, which goes beyond times of crisis into normal everyday schooling.

Bases teóricas para fortalecimiento de la comprensión lectora en inglés

The English and the reading comprehension in this language are necessary for the performance and process of the subject in several social, scientific, cultural spaces. Consequently, form the documentary analysis, in this article, on one hand, it is studied the results of external and internal tests to the educational establishment participating in this study; these of institutional, departmental, national and international character, as well as, the academic performance to the end of the scholar year of the students of that educational facility. This with the aim of characterizing the reading behavior in English of both Colombians and students belonging to the Educational Institution mentioned above. On the other hand, it is made a bibliography and conceptual analysis of several opened and closed databases, besides of institutional repositories, referring to the teaching of English and the development of reading comprehension in that language. All the above with the intention of relate both dimensions with Gadamer´s (1999) posture and identify a theoretical support that helps as a base for the enhancement of the reading comprehension in English in such a way that an epistemic proposal is established for the field of general and specific didactics of languages referring to said topic, in addition to being the basis for future research related to this topic. All previous allowed to identify difficulties in the use of English and the reading activity at the Colombian level, in particular, in the eighth grade students in the educational establishment participating in the research. At the same time, At the same time, this gave way to linking Gadamer's thinking with reading in English and its consolidation. And finally, it allowed to conclude the importance of the didactical study related to the reading in English, in which topics such as previous knowledge, the language, the motivation, the context and the interaction are decisive.

Graphene Quantum Dots‐Based Materials as an Emerging Nanoplatform in Disease Diagnosis and Therapy

AbstractGraphene quantum dots are a subclass of graphene‐based materials that exhibit unique properties due to their nanoscale size and quantum confinement effects. Discovered in the early 21st century, these zero‐dimensional carbon nanomaterials have rapidly become important in nanotechnology research due to their diverse applications. In recent years, the medical community has been greatly benefited from these materials, significantly enhancing human health and well‐being with theranostic approaches. The present review explores various applications of graphene quantum dots in diagnostic and therapeutic, unraveling their potential contributions to advancing healthcare. Furthermore, this review elucidates the synthesis methods utilized for graphene quantum dots, encompassing a range of top‐down and bottom‐up approaches. Next, the unique fundamental properties including structural, optical, and electrical that make them a potent nanomaterial for use in healthcare have been elucidated for enhanced reader comprehension. Additionally, the review explores the opportunities and challenges ahead, offering valuable insights to help the scientific community strategically expand the potential of graphene quantum dot‐based materials for advanced theranostic healthcare applications.

Decoding skills, rapid automatised naming and dyslexia screening methods in Malaysia

Dyslexia is a learning disability that is neurobiological in origin. Besides, it typically results from a phonological awareness deficit, leading to difficulties with word identification, spelling, and decoding. Dyslexia could lead to secondary consequences such as reading comprehension problems, reduced reading experience, anxiety, and low self-esteem. Recent research has provided strong evidence that congenital brain abnormalities, such as the impaired magnocellular system, play a crucial role in dyslexia. Nonetheless, since 2011, the Ministry of Education Malaysia (MOE), via its Special Education Division, has defined learning disability as pertaining to individuals with similar or higher intellectual functioning in relation to typical students of similar age yet experiencing profound difficulty in spelling, reading, and writing. This definition fails to capture the current findings on dyslexia, and the shortcoming is evident in the question design of the Instrumen Senarai Semak Disleksia (ISD), the dyslexia checklist instrument currently used by MOE for screening students at risk of dyslexia at the entry level of primary schools. The inaccuracy in the definition adopted by MOE may further hinder an accurate understanding of dyslexia among Malaysians. In light of this, this paper aims to explain dyslexia and discuss the associated theories. This paper will review dyslexia screening methods in Malaysia and other countries as well as explain the importance of decoding skills and Rapid Automatised Naming (RAN) using the model of Simple View of Reading (SVR), advocating for increased emphasis on decoding skills and Rapid Automatised Naming in the ISD as a conclusion.