Critical Reading Strategy Research Articles

Teaching critical reading in the classroom: A comparison of CLIL and EFL across contexts

Critical reading (Fairclough, 1989, 1995; Kress, 1985; Wallace, 2003) is considered to be one of the instruments that gives the necessary resources to construct meaning in discourse. This paper presents the results of a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test post-test design on students in the 6th year of primary education (10-11 years old) enrolled in two schools in Spain, one school located in the Basque Country (Content and Language Integrated, CLIL group) and the other in Cantabria (English as a Foreign Language, EFL group). Altogether four groups were selected: CLIL-experimental, CLIL-control, EFL-experimental and EFL-control. The experimental groups received critical reading strategy instruction for seven weeks while the control groups continued with regular classes. The one-way ANCOVA results showed that students in both the CLIL and EFL programmes developed greater mastery in critical reading after the teaching protocol. However, and contrary to our initial hypothesis, experimental students from the EFL context outperformed the CLIL learners. The novelty of the critical reading awareness protocol seemed to have a greater influence on the EFL students, who, unlike the CLIL students, were not so familiar with strategy learning. The new training procedure helped them to promote higher order critical reading skills, taking more advantage of the whole strategy learning protocol.
 

An empirical study of college students' reading engagement on academic achievement.

With the popularity of Internet technology, reading has developed in the direction of digitalization and mobileization. And entering the metaverse era, both the subject and object of reading may be redefined, presenting a new developmental pattern. This process brings a crisis to reading, such as the fragmentation of reading, the obstruction of reading needs, and the replacement of classical reading. However, reading is still an important way for college students to acquire new knowledge, broaden their horizons and improve their skills. The existence of reading crises inevitably affects the academic achievement of college students. Therefore, from the perspective of university management, this paper conducts regression analysis on 1,155 effective samples of colleges and universities in Anhui Province, extracts the factors that affect college students' reading engagement, and further explores the relationship between college students' reading engagement and academic achievement. The study concluded that: (1) in terms of family reading culture, students who grow up in families with good family reading culture perform better in reading engagement. The amount of family books, family reading education and family reading atmosphere all have significant positive effects on reading time and reflective reading strategies of college students. (2) In the cultivation of reading habits in colleges and universities, the course-driven mechanism and the atmosphere stimulating mechanism have a significant positive effect on students' reading time. The course-driven mechanism, resource supporting mechanism and atmosphere stimulating mechanism have a significant positive effect on the critical reading strategy of college students. (3) In terms of reading time, it is only found that the reading time spent on paper books has a significant positive effect on college students' academic achievement and professional quality. (4) In terms of reading strategies, the replicative reading strategy only has a significant positive effect on the improvement of college students' academic achievement and professional quality. The critical reading strategy has a significant positive effect on the professional quality, general ability and career planning ability of college students.

The Effect of Critical Reading Strategy on Students’ Reading Ability in Comprehending Expository Text

This research is aimed at finding out the effect of critical reading strategy on student's reading ability in comprehending expository text of the second grade students of MAN 1 (MODEL) Lubuklinggau in the academic year 2019/2020. This research used quantitative research with quasi experimental design. The total population of students at the second grade was 312 students of MAN 1 (MODEL) Lubuklinggau in the academic year 2019/2020. The research chose two classes as the samples of the research. The sample was selected by using purposive sampling technique. The second grade students of XI MIPA 2 was experimental class who were taught using Critical Reading Strategy and the second grade students of XI MIPA 1 was control class who were taught by the teacher. The data were collected by using test. The data were analyzed by using T-test formula. The mean score in experimental class was 79.90 while the mean score of control class was 72.31. The mean different between them was 7.59. The result of t-test showed that the value of t-count (3.970) was higher than t-table (2.024) in df 38 (0.05). Therefore, the alternative Hypothesis (Ha) was accepted while the null hypothesis (Ho) was rejected. Based on the result above, the research finding was Critical Reading Strategy was effective on students’ reading ability in comprehending expository text for the second grade students of MAN 1 (MODEL) Lubuklinggau in academic year of 2019/2020.

Critical thinking as learning and innovation skill in the 21st century

The essential element of encouraging national competitiveness in the revolutionary industry 4.0 is to prepare a more innovative learning system and to enhance the competence of graduates with 21st-century skills (Learning and Innovations Skills). There are 4Cs (Critical thinking, Creativity, Collaboration, and Communication) that can be implemented. Critical thinking is about problem-solving skills. The aim of this research is to determine the correlation of critical reading skills with critical thinking skills on 28 EFL students. The technique used to analyze the data is the correlation analysis using r Product Moment formula. The results showed a positive correlation between critical reading skills and critical thinking skills. Thus, it can be concluded that there is a correlation between critical reading strategy with critical thinking skills. To make this research better, the researcher suggests the next researcher to conduct such research by using experimental research which provides a strategy to improve students’ critical thinking.

Promoting Critical Reading Strategy in Literacy Based-Writing Instruction: Indonesian Context

Teaching writing English as a foreign language (EFL) in university setting aims to achieve both linguistic and literacy competencies. It means that the instruction not only focuses on facilitating students to build writing English proficiency, but also on leading students to become literate. Based on this context, it is important for lecturers to select appropriate and effective strategies in the writing instruction. Critical reading is regarded as meaningful and effective reading strategy which can be applied by academic writing instructors or lecturers in order to enable the students in writing an English-written paper. This article attempts to discuss why and how critical reading strategy should be utilized in literacy model of EFL writing instruction, especially in writing a research paper. By understanding the relationship between reading and writing, it is hoped that the activities in the EFL writing classroom can be more meaningful.

Employing Critical Reading Strategy to Promote Students’ High Order Thinking Skills

This paper aims to share idea about the use of critical reading to stimulate students’ critical thinking and reading comprehension whether it is for academic purpose or reading for enjoyment, particularly in the foreign language learning. The employment of critical reading will automatically involve students’ high-order thinking Skills. Thus, reading strategies is needed as a way to engage students’ active learning during teaching and learning in a reading class. Later on, the beneficial employment of critical reading can be seen from the students’ writing activity of an article critique or a literature review. Student-centered learning is chosen as the teaching method during the reading class. It is believed that students are willingly to get involve, to be active and to be communicative learners. This article will review some previous studies and theory on the employment of critical reading strategy in promoting students’ high order thinking Skills and its effect toward reading comprehension.

TEACHER BELIEFS ABOUT CRITICAL READING STRATEGIES IN ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE CLASSES IN MEKONG DELTA INSTITUTIONS, VIETNAM

This paper reports a descriptive study which explored how teacher beliefs influence their decision-making in teaching critical reading strategies at three different institutions in the Mekong Delta. Using a descriptive mixed method, questionnaires and interviews were undertaken with English as foreign language (EFL) teachers. The findings of this study indicate that these participating teachers believed critical reading strategy instruction plays an important role in enhancing their students’ comprehension of reading texts. Findings also reveal that of the four factors influencing teachers’ decision-making of utilizing these skills, student-related factors were found to be highest. This propensity for involving students in critical reading strategies gives rise to some pedagogical implications for teachers while designing appropriate tasks and lesson plans. Article visualizations:

AN OVERVIEW OF CRITICAL READING STRATEGIES TO EFL STUDENTS

This article describes about Critical Reading Strategy in teaching English, especially in reading comprehension. Critical Reading is a strategy that provides students with instructional support before, during, and after reading process. The students with critical reading skills have the ability to evaluate the credibility of a piece of writing. All writers have a purpose when they write, and usually a writer will choose or emphasize facts and details which support his or her purpose, and ignore facts which don't. As readers make sense of what they read, they use various relationships of ideas to aid recognition and fluency. Critical reading includes the ability to evaluate ideas and synthesize what one reads. They are the ability to see relationships of ideas and use them as an aid in reading.

Semiotic Reading and the RSI: In Search of The Lost Symbol in the Penal Colony

This article offers a semiotic trip in search of The Lost Symbol in Washington DC, designed with the esoteric codes of the secret teachings of all ages scattered around. During his twelve-hour night journey the protagonist, a professor of symbolic codes and a highly experienced academic in the field of the esoteric codes, emerges illuminated as he assumes to have found the secret codes that could change disastrous human destiny right round into a more benevolent, promising one. By studying the intersemiotic nature of The Lost Symbol in terms of the secret teachings of all ages given in contrast to the religious doctrines this article explores in depth how effectively readers can develop cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP). As the semiotic reading approach offers a critical reading strategy, readers will be able to follow the consecutive steps presented in line with the principles of the Reading Strategy Instruction (RSI). DOI: 10.5901/jesr.2013.v3n3p329

The Effect of Summary Writing as a Critical Reading Strategy on Reading Comprehension of Iranian EFL Learners

Critical pedagogical approach entails the application of higher order thinking skills; such an approach can also be justified in more specific terms for second or foreign language pedagogy. That is, critical reading, as a branch of critical approach, is not only of value in itself, but also facilitates language acquisition in a foreign language setting (Wallace, 2003). On the other hand, reading has been the skill most emphasized in traditional FL teaching, and even today it is the mainstay of EFL instruction in many countries. Nowadays, in the field of ESL/EFL, the ultimate goal of teaching reading is reading critically, to be able to evaluate an author's argument and to relate that argument to other texts, and to their own experience. Reading critically assumes having effective strategies which help reading comprehension. The present study investigated the impact of writing summary as a critical reading strategy on reading comprehension ability of Iranian EFL learners. In order to carry on the study, 60 participants at intermediate level of language proficiency were randomly assigned to two groups as the experimental and control group. The participants in the experimental group learned and practiced writing summary, whereas the members of the control group practiced reading texts in the traditional way and both groups answered comprehension questions. The results of the comparison between the means of the two groups through t-test proved that writing summary as a critical reading strategy has a significant effect on improvement of reading comprehension of the experimental group.

“There’s Suspicion, Nothing More” — Suspicious Readings of Michael Haneke’s Caché (Hidden, 2005)

“There’s Suspicion, Nothing More” — Suspicious Readings of Michael Haneke’s <i>Caché</i> (<i>Hidden</i>, 2005)

The Relationship between Test Takers‟ Critical Thinking Ability and their Performance on the Reading Section of TOEFL

The vitality of the ability to think critically is now widely recognized among educators and assessors. Critical thinking is defined as the ability to discipline thinking through efficient information processing (Paul, 1990; cited in Longman, Atkinson & Breeden, 1997). This study aimed at uncovering the extent to which the reading section of a ubiquitous standardized test of English language proficiency, namely TOEFL, engages the critical thinking ability of test takers. To this end, 83 advanced EFL learners completed the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (1980), and the results were correlated with their scores on the reading section of Paper-Based TOEFL (PBT). The findings indicated a statistically significant advantage for those with greater critical thinking skills. Implications relate to the need to incorporate critical reading strategy training in PBT reading preparatory courses and other EFL reading programs. This way, the quality of Measurement-driven Reading Instruction and other EFL reading courses can be improved with a broader goal in mind, that of enhancing critical thinking among learners. Moreover, some of the objections lodged against the idea of teaching to the test, as the prevailing practice today, would be, to some extent, met.

Re‐scripting the character of Birmingham's ethnic minority population: assets and others in the stories of a multicultural city

Birmingham has embarked on a brave attempt to broaden its planning ethos and incorporate elements of the city's diverse cultural population. A key feature of this new ethos is a re‐scripting of its ethnic minorities as an asset rather than a problem. In this paper, I track the characterization of Birmingham's ethnic minorities through the newspaper archive and mobilize a politics of difference as a critical reading strategy. In so doing, I suggest the narrative form on Birmingham's ethnic minorities has persistently made apparent forms of co‐existence which flag up a discontinuity between ‘diversity’ and the characterization of its ethnic minorities as an asset.

Changing Our Minds/Changing the World: The Power of a Question

This article examines the curricular possibilities within critical inquiry-based primary classrooms. The children in this first through third grade multi-age, multi-lingual classroom participated in a two-year critical and collaborative inquiry around issues of segregation and the Jim Crow laws. A touchstone text, Freedom Summer (Wiles, 2001) and a critical reading strategy (Christensen, 2004) offered students opportunities to interrogate the cultural models that underpin the picture book, their interpretations of the book, and their social worlds. Findings from this study indicate that pivotal moments are key to learning and that read-aloud events go beyond community building. The study also examines the use of touchstone texts and positions critical reading strategies as tools for thinking. The findings from this article contribute to the growing body of research demonstrating the engagement of very young children in critical literacy and inquiry.