Reading Instruction Research Articles

Students’ reading self-concepts at an institution of higher learning in South Africa

Background: South Africa’s reading problems are evident in tertiary education, particularly among students studying in a foreign language. Therefore, many reading researchers in South Africa have argued that poor reading skills among tertiary students are a direct result of poor reading skills at school. Some research has found that psychological factors such as test anxiety, self-concept, and attitude have a negative and significant impact on student academic performance.Objectives: Therefore, the current study focuses on self-concept as it specifically explores university students’ self-perceptions as readers.Method: The study followed a qualitative research approach, and a case study design was deemed relevant for the study. A targeted sample of 65 respondents was selected to answer the open-ended questionnaire. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the collected data.Results: The findings showed that university students defined themselves as readers in different ways and their reading self-concepts were based on their reading behaviour. The students specifically described themselves as readers who enjoy reading, analytic readers, or reluctant readers with poor and slow reading abilities displaying inconsistent reading habits; they admitted that they only read for academic purposes including tests and exams.Conclusion: Students’ reading self-concept has implications for reading instruction, student support, choice of reading material, reading motivation, and syllabus design.Contribution: The findings of the study provide data that could create English lecturers’ awareness of their students’ reading self-concepts so that they could change their students’ reading culture.

Exploring the applicability of gamification in reading instruction

Exploring the applicability of gamification in reading instruction

Exploring the Use of Authentic Materials for Reading Activity at A Vocational School

This research explores teacher strategies in adapting authentic materials for reading instruction at vocational schools, identifying challenges faced by teachers and students. The study aims to investigate these strategies and challenges among tenth-grade AKL students at SMK Sangatta Utara during the 2023/2024 academic year. This qualitative case study examines the use of authentic materials in reading instruction at a vocational school. Data were collected through observations, semi-structured interviews, and field notes with one English teacher and six tenth-grade students. Techniques included purposive sampling and Creswell’s (2014) data analysis method for organizing, coding, and interpreting findings. The study found that teachers employed strategies for selecting and adapting authentic materials for reading instruction, such as advertisements and articles, that were relevant to students' interests. Challenges included limited internet access, insufficient learning media, and students' difficulties with vocabulary and engagement. Teachers mitigated these challenges through personal hotspots, group activities, and additional support. This study reveals effective strategies for using authentic materials in teaching reading, highlighting the benefits of relevance and collaboration. However, challenges like limited internet access and multimedia resources persist. Recommendations include improving technological infrastructure, providing teacher training, and fostering local collaborations to enhance the use of authentic materials and support student engagement and learning outcome

Adapting Reading Instruction to Meet the Needs of Nursing Students: Insights from a Targeted Educational Study

Developing Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) and effective information transfer is crucial for nursing students, impacting their academic and professional competence. This study aims to identify the gaps in English reading materials used by nursing students at a Health Polytechnic, assessing their adequacy in supporting these critical cognitive skills. The research focused on 79 second-semester nursing students during the 2022/2023 academic year and employed a 25-item questionnaire to analyze target situations, deficiencies, current situations, and strategies. The results reveal that existing general English coursebooks need to meet the specialized needs of nursing education. Notably, these materials lack content that promotes HOTS and aids in information transfer, essential elements for nurturing the cognitive and professional skills required in nursing. The study underscores a significant need for more appropriate materials that support HOTS, highlighting the need for strategically revised material development. It is recommended that custom English reading materials integrating HOTS and effective information transfer techniques be developed to enhance comprehension and relevance in the nursing curriculum, thereby better preparing nursing students for their future roles.

Empowering Chinese high school students: Transformative reading lessons with the task-based learning approach

This essay investigates the implementation of the task-based language teaching (TBLT) approach in Chinese high school English as a Second Language (ESL) reading lessons. Despite China’s Ministry of Education’s endorsement of TBLT, its application in the Chinese language classroom remains challenging due to factors such as traditional examination systems and teachers’ limited knowledge of TBLT principles. Drawing on the author’s experience as an English teacher, the project aims to explore how TBLT can be effectively integrated into ESL reading instruction. The objectives include explaining the main characteristics of TBLT, identifying issues in the Chinese EFL context, providing rationales for TBLT use, and constructing three reading lesson plans that adopt the TBLT approach. The lesson plans, which incorporate authentic materials and a variety of tasks, are designed to promote fluency in reading for information and to develop students’ awareness of real-world issues. The essay concludes that TBLT, with its learner-centered and goal-oriented nature, can enhance motivation and engagement in language learning, and that it is particularly suitable for contexts where students are preparing for overseas studies and need to develop communicative skills and creativity. The project also emphasizes the critical role of teachers in facilitating TBLT lessons and the need for ongoing professional development to support the effective implementation of TBLT in Chinese EFL teaching.

Inference Instruction for Students With Reading Disabilities

National data indicate that approximately 90% of rural students with a reading disability read at or below basic levels of reading proficiency. A growing body of research demonstrates that the ability to make inferences is essential for reading comprehension but particularly difficult for students with reading disabilities. Compounding matters, rural special educators often have limited resources available to support students with reading disabilities, largely served in general education classrooms. In this Practice in Action article, we support rural special educators who must innovatively collaborate with general education teachers to ensure high quality and specialized reading instruction and support inclusive and equitable learning environments by (a) defining inferencing, (b) reviewing College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards that support inferencing, (c) discussing the inference skills of students with or at-risk for reading disabilities, (d) outlining components of effective inference instruction, and (e) offering recommendations for how to teach inferencing using a graphic organizer.

A Review of Content-Based Instruction on Critical Thinking in College English Reading Instruction

A Review of Content-Based Instruction on Critical Thinking in College English Reading Instruction

Predictive factors of reading in children with developmental language disorder

The current study aimed to fill the gap in research on factors predictive of word reading in French-speaking children with developmental language disorder (DLD) by finding out whether the same predictors of written word recognition evidenced in typically developing children would be retrieved in children with DLD or if some predictors could be specific to children with DLD, especially in the phonological domain. In total, 38 children with DLD and 44 control children were followed from 6 to 8 years in a longitudinal design including two time points: (1) just before explicit reading instruction, where potential predictors of reading were assessed (oral language skills and reading-related skills), and (2) after 2 years of learning to read, where isolated word reading and text reading were assessed in addition to the assessment of oral language skills and reading-related skills. The study mainly showed that the predictors of reading identified in typically developing children are retrieved in children with DLD except for phonemic awareness; the latter result was probably explained by a floor effect. Among the predictors in the phonological domain, phonological instability appeared as a promising predictor of reading irregular words. These results are consistent with the findings of many previous studies and tend to confirm the idea of a strong link between oral phonological skills and written word recognition skills; they also call for attention to specific features in the phonological development of children with DLD when learning to read, particularly phonological instability as a direction for future exploration.

Improving the Reading Skills of Grade 5 Struggling Readers Through the Use of Interactive Learning Resources

Notably, the use of technology in teaching and reading instruction was found to have various effects on learners' attitudes towards engagement with the text and meaning-making. As a result, online sources as authentic materials can be an ideal resource for reading instruction. Given the context in which instruction is carried out in the new normal and the kind of intervention needed for the different learner groups where their reading skills is concerned, learning resources in interactive formats are optimized for maximum results. Specifically, the use of interactive learning resources such as the digital learning objects has become a valuable for teachers with regards to reading instruction. Its use in the different phases of instruction proved to be a valuable tool in addressing the reading difficulties of the elementary learners. Using the content-validated test as research instruments, results of the study showed how the Grade 5 struggling readers of Baquioen Elementary School benefitted from the use of interactive learning resources in reading instruction during the school year 2021-2022. Moreover, the results of the study reveal that there was significant difference in the levels of reading skills of the Grade 5 struggling readers after they were taught in English using digital learning objects. Thus, teachers are recommended to scaffold the reading instruction with the use of tools that target the best ways in which the students learn best.

Patient education in the digital age: An analysis of quality and readability of online information on rhinoplasty.

This study aimed to investigate quality and readability of online rhinoplasty information provided on Turkish websites. We searched for the terms "rhinoplasty" (rinoplasti) and "nose job" (burun estetiği) in Turkish using the Google search engine in May 2023. The first 30 sites for each term were included in the evaluation. We used the DISCERN tool to evaluate quality and the Atesman and Cetinkaya-Uzun formulas to assess readability. According to the Atesman formula, the readability scores of all the websites were moderately difficult. According to the Cetinkaya-Uzun formula, the readability scores of websites were at the instructional reading level. The mean total DISCERN score was 2.33 ± 0.60, indicating poor quality. No statistically significant correlations were found between the Atesman or Cetinkaya-Uzun readability scores and the DISCERN scores across all websites (P > .05). Our analysis revealed key areas in which Turkish websites can improve the quality and readability of rhinoplasty information to support decision-making.

The interplay between teacher beliefs, instructional practices, and students’ reading achievement: national evidence from PIRLS 2021 using path analysis

BackgroundReading and reading comprehension are crucial skills, yet many students in grade 4 struggle with them. To address this, several instructional practices have gained popularity. For one, explicit reading strategy instruction (ERSI) is deemed useful, given the finding that successful readers tend to employ reading strategies. As a second example, differentiated reading instruction (DRI) is believed to improve all students’ reading comprehension. Indeed, a one-size-fits-all approach may not work for all students, considering their different reader profiles. Despite the importance of ERSI and DRI, much uncertainty remains about what happens in the classroom and why. One way to understand teacher instructional practices such as ERSI and DRI, is by applying psychological behavioural theories to the teaching context. They provide a framework to predict human behaviour based on human characteristics and beliefs. Educational research points to teachers’ self-efficacy (TSE) and attitudes (TA) as particularly important concepts, especially in the field of science. However, associations between TA, TSE, instructional practices and students’ reading achievement remain insufficiently studied. This study addresses this knowledge gap by exploring the interplay between TSE and TA regarding ERSI and DRI, the implementation of these practices, and students’ reading achievement.MethodsDigitalPIRLS 2021 data from Belgium (Flanders) were used. To gather information about ERSI, DRI, TA and TSE, national adaptations were made to the teacher questionnaires. Three nested path models with a two-level design (students nested into classes) were estimated.ResultsThis study indicates that teachers with higher TSE and more positive TA in ERSI and DRI implement these practices more frequently. Positive TA regarding ERSI and DRI also correspond to positive TSE regarding these instructional practices. Furthermore, ERSI and DRI implementation are positively related. Finally, no significant associations between teacher beliefs, instructional practices, and students’ reading comprehension were found.ConclusionWhereas TSE and TA are considered highly context-dependent, uncertainty remains about TSE and TA regarding ERSI and DRI. The results highlight the importance of subject-specific TSE and TA for teachers’ instructional practices. Ultimately, the findings emphasize the necessity of supporting teachers in developing their TSE and TA towards reading comprehension instruction.

Evaluation of Primary Reading Teaching in Multigrade Classes According to Teachers' Views

Multigrade classes which are at least two or more grade’s students are brought together in the same classroom and educational activities are carried out simultaneously by a single teacher. The main purpose of this study is how this practice, closely related to many teachers, students and parents, is evaluated by teachers. The aim of this study is to reveal how teachers explain this experience, its positive and negative aspects, and the difficulties experienced during sound-based sentence teaching. Semi-structured interviews were held with 7 teachers in order to evaluate primary reading instruction in multigrade classes according to teachers' opinions. The data regarding the participants selected by the criterion sampling method were transferred to the word environment on the computer and descriptive analysis was performed. The analyses were evaluated and interpreted. Teachers stated that teaching in multigrade classrooms is quite different from teaching in independent classrooms. They stated that this experience provides greater satisfaction at the teaching profession and increases the sense of belonging to the school. They also stated that it is important to step in the role of community leadership and to reside in the village. Among the positive aspects of teaching in multigrade classes; supporting students’ social and emotional development; supporting cognitive development by more effective usage of peer teaching, and the small class member number. Among the negative aspects, there are time constraints, emotional difficulties experienced by teachers, insufficient readiness of students, upper classes to make fun of lower classes, physical limitations and material deficiencies. It has been mentioned that some teachers changed the order of the letters during the teaching reading, that the region where the school is located is a place with intense dialect, making the process difficult, and the difficulties of performing some sound recognition activities. In order to allocate more resources to the relevant schools in order to overcome the difficulties experienced in the multigrade classrooms and to enable the teachers to start the process more ready, it is recommended that the education courses in the multi-grade classrooms conducted at the university should be more practice-based. The participants in this study are teachers. A study can be conducted that addresses the students' perspective.

Mapping Queer Berlin: The potential of virtual reality pedagogy for the language classroom

AbstractImmersive virtual reality (iVR) is a novel form of computer technology that promises to transform not only the delivery of language and cultural instruction but also how students produce language. The existing, yet limited, scholarship on the applications of iVR in the language classroom suggests affective and cultural benefits (e.g., increased student motivation and enthusiasm and bringing inaccessible locations and cultures to students) and a positive impact on vocabulary acquisition and speaking proficiencies, but evidence of iVR's effect on listening comprehension, reading, writing, and grammar instruction as well as higher‐level cognition remains scarce and inconclusive. The project presented in this article, “Mapping Queer Berlin,” targets this scholarly gap by investigating how iVR can improve students’ reading and listening proficiencies and promote advanced research and communication skills. The explanation of the project design and the learning process and outcomes aims to guide instructors on how to integrate iVR into their classrooms, including its technological constraints and pedagogical pitfalls. Drawing on the instructor's and students’ reflections, the article concludes that iVR is currently not mature enough to facilitate significant improvements in students’ language proficiencies beyond an elementary level but shows potential for transforming language curricula with future developments.

تعليم مهارة القراءة باستخدام الكتاب العربية للناشئين لطالبات الصف الثاني بالمدرسة الثانوية "المنورة" عوديرجو-ديوك-جومبانج

This research aims to discuss the teaching of reading skills using the book "Al-Arabiyyah li al-Nasyi’in" among eighth-grade female students at MTs Al-Munawaroh in Dsn. Ngemplak, Ds. Ngudirejo, Kec. Diwek, Jombang. A field approach is used in this study, employing observation and interviews as research tools. Through direct observation, the researcher observed the teaching patterns used, such as structured lectures, group discussions, and practical exercises. Interviews with the students provided data on their perceptions of reading skill instruction using the book. The results of this study indicate that teaching reading skills using the book "Al-Arabiyyah li al-Nasyi’in" at MTs Al-Munawaroh is effective in helping students develop Arabic reading skills. Through structured lectures, students gain an understanding of relevant theories and information. Through group discussions, they can interact with classmates to enhance their understanding and broaden their knowledge. Practical exercises provide opportunities for students to apply their reading skills in real-life contexts. However, the study also identifies several challenges in teaching reading skills, including resource limitations and the need for more effective teaching strategies. While the book "Al-Arabiyyah li al-Nasyi’in" has proven to be effective, there is a need for improvement in utilizing available resources and developing more innovative strategies to enhance reading skill instruction. This research provides a better understanding of teaching reading skills in the context of Islamic education using the book "Al-Arabiyyah li al-Nasyi’in". The findings of this study can contribute to curriculum development and Arabic language instruction in Islamic educational environments, as well as provide insights for educators to enhance student reading instruction.

Reading Teaching under the Core Literacy of the English Discipline College

This article aims to explore reading instruction under the framework of core literacy. Core literacy refers to language ability, cultural character, thinking quality, and learning ability. Reading instruction is one of the important ways to cultivate students’ core literacy. Students need to read in order to understand different cultural backgrounds and values, broaden their horizons and knowledge. Students need to read in order to understand different cultural backgrounds and values, broaden their horizons and knowledge. At the same time, reading can also improve students' language expression and communication abilities, cultivating excellent cultural inheritors and cross-cultural communicators. At the same time, reading can also improve students' language expression and communication abilities, cultivating excellent cultural inheritors and cross cultural communicators. Reading instruction also needs to focus on developing students’ thinking literacy. Students need to use reading to develop critical thinking, creative thinking, and problem solving abilities. Students need to use reading to develop critical thinking, creative thinking, and problem solving abilities. Reading instruction should be closely integrated with core literacy, improving students’ comprehensive quality through developing their language ability, cultural character, thinking quality, and learning ability.

Symposium 1: Interactive and action-oriented instruction for a digital era

This paper explores and reflects what the methodological considerations are for a study of classroom practice as networked learning. The area of interest is instruction in reading children´s literature in the primary school classroom, i.e., emergent literature didactics. Digitalization processes in society and school involve new conditions for literature didactics and challenges in the classroom. In today`s society we not only communicate in the form of speech and writing, but the digitalization has resulted in that communication takes place through both texts, images, and sound, i. e. multimodal communication (Jewitt, 2008; Godhe et al., 2020). Except for these changed conditions, it is possible to observe decreasing reading frequency, changing attitudes towards reading, and declining reading comprehension among children and youth in Sweden today (Statens Medieråd, 2017; Skolverket, 2017). The overall aim of the PhD thesis is to contribute knowledge about how literature didactics is designed in primary school classrooms, with regards to how this instruction enables encounters with and comprehension of children’s literature, through the support of digital technology. The project consists of three empirical sub-studies with a mixed method approach. In combination with quantitative surveys, qualitative focused observations and interviews with teachers will target instruction in literature didactic, and the role and function of digital technology. Participants are pre- and in-service teachers. The presentation of sub-study I describes how thirty-seven preservice teachers observed classroom teaching during one school day in different primary schools, with the aim to investigate activities related to fiction reading and the role of digital technology in these settings. The study was analyzed by using a thematic content analysis. The preliminary results show that dialogic reading, where the teacher reads fictions texts aloud and orchestrate a dialogue about it with the pupils, is dominating. The activity is supported by document cameras. In the context of this paper, the dialogic reading is understood as part of many pedagogical practices within networked learning, which includes interplays between teacher and pupils or between pupils. The results raise questions about teachers’ motives for literature choices, design, activities, and uses of technology. The analytical tools used in the first study need to be improved, in order to gain a better understanding of the role and function of technology in reading instruction in primary school settings. In addition, complementary empirical data with different foci need to be collected and contrasted with the empirical results from sub-study I.

Enhancing Critical Reading Through Metacognitive Scaffolding in Flipped-Classroom

Critical reading is paramount for students to comprehend texts efficiently during and beyond their academic studies. Searching for and filtering information is crucial in distinguishing between important and unimportant content. Despite its significance, students often lack proper instruction in critical reading, highlighting a need for effective learning models. The Metacognitive, Scaffolding in Flipped Classroom (Ms-Flics) model addresses this gap by combining metacognitive reading and scaffolding strategies in a flipped classroom. This study evaluates the model’s efficacy in enhancing students’ critical reading skills. The research employs quantitative methods, conducted with grade 9 students in Surakarta, Indonesia, comparing pre- and post-treatment test results. Using cluster random sampling, two classes of 65 students were administered tests before and after the intervention. Analysis using paired T-tests revealed a significant improvement post-treatment. The findings underscore the effectiveness of the Ms-Flics model in enhancing critical reading skills among grade 9 students. The study contributes theoretically by proposing a novel learning model that integrates metacognitive reading, scaffolding strategies, and flipped classroom approaches to improve critical reading skills.

Exploring EFL Learners’ Perspectives on Using AI Tools and Their Impacts in Reading Instruction: An Exploratory Study

Exploring EFL Learners’ Perspectives on Using AI Tools and Their Impacts in Reading Instruction: An Exploratory Study

The effects of chatbot use on foreign language reading anxiety and reading performance among Chinese secondary school students

The present study investigates the effectiveness of a GenAI-based chatbot, “Reading Bot,” in reducing foreign language reading anxiety (FLRA) and improving foreign language reading performance (FLRP) among Chinese secondary school students learning English as a foreign language (EFL). To do so, a mixed-methods quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test design with qualitative interviews was employed. After ensuring homogeneity between the two groups, one class was designated as the experimental group (n = 42), utilizing a chatbot as a treatment, while the other class served as the comparison group (n = 42), receiving traditional teacher support. Both groups participated in five 45-min reading practice sessions. The results indicated that the chatbot intervention significantly reduced the participants' FLRA within the experimental group when comparing pre- and post-test scores. However, no significant differences were found between the two groups after the treatment, either in FLRA or FLRP. The qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews suggested that the chatbot provided technological, pedagogical, linguistic, and affective affordances to assist reading. Nevertheless, the analysis also revealed some potential drawbacks and challenges to a GenAI-enhanced approach to reading instruction that may have influenced FLRA and FLRP. The theoretical and pedagogical implications of these findings are discussed, along with potential directions for future research.

Using Artificial Intelligence Chatbots to Support English-as-a-Foreign Language Students’ Self-Regulated Reading

Self-regulated learning (SRL) has been integrated into English-as-a-Foreign Language (EFL) reading instruction to enhance students’ reading achievement. Evidence indicates that providing personalized support is critical to SRL. However, providing personalized support is time-consuming and challenging to implement in language classrooms. Although personalized support has been built into many online reading systems, the support is often delivered in a one-way manner, with little chance for follow-up discussions. This innovation in practice introduces an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot developed to provide personalized SRL support for EFL students in reading. The AI chatbot was designed as a reading companion to facilitate active, out-of-class reading that expands in-class instruction. By giving autonomy to students to engage with appropriate reading materials and receive personalized self-regulated reading (SRR) guidance, the innovation empowered learners to overcome challenges in the reading process and facilitated their use of SRR strategies. The pedagogical values of the innovation were explored from students’ perspectives. Future pedagogical directions for AI-supported SRR instruction is also discussed.