Reading Comprehension Processes Research Articles

Does meaningful background speech modulate predictability effects during Chinese reading?

ABSTRACT Previous research indicates that background speech disrupts reading comprehension processes, but it remains unclear whether the disruption derives from semantic or phonological speech properties, and whether it affects early lexical processing or later sentence integration. Native Chinese speaking participants read sentences containing high- or low-predictability words under meaningful Chinese speech, meaningless Uyghur speech or silence conditions. Results showed that Chinese but not Uyghur speech produced increased total fixations compared to reading in silence, suggesting disruption was semantic in nature. While a standard predictability effect was comparable across background speech conditions in target word analyses, this effect disappeared in the Chinese speech condition in later measures and regions. The findings suggest that Chinese background speech may delay higher order (post-lexical) processing associated with sentence integration during reading, with implications for the Interference-by-Process hypothesis.

Blended learning intervention on the students’ reading comprehension achievement with different personality traits

Reading is one of fundamental receptive skills that students should master in language acquisition. In fact, many students struggle in reading even they have mastered language acquisition. Non linguistics factor, for instance personality traits affects the student’s reading comprehension process. The research objectives are (1) to identify the effectiveness of blended learning and conventional learning instruction in improving EFL students’ reading comprehension with different personality traits and (2) to explore the differences in students’ impressions regarding integrating blended learning instruction in the EFL class. This research employs a mixed-methods approach. Sixty-six participants of SMA N 1 Pulau Morotai participated in this study as a sample. Research instruments utilize the Eysenck Personality Test (EPI) to determine students' personality types. The TOEFL prediction test is used in the reading comprehension test, and a semi-structural interview is used for the qualitative instrument. In addition, analyzing the data uses Independent T-test and N-Gain Interpretation Test. The descriptive method is utilized to analyze the qualitative data. The finding shows that the average learning outcomes of mix introverted-extroverted students who use blended learning were higher compared to those of mix introverted-extroverted students who use traditional learning models. Unfortunately, even though both had different learning outcomes, these learning models were generally regarded as ineffective due to the N-gain score being less than 40%. As seen from the interview result, blended learning models were regarded as multi-way instructional models that accommodated students' needs despite an inadequate internet connection, enhanced reading comprehension, fostered students' technological proficiency, and provided efficiency and adaptability.

L2 Arabic learners' processing of Arabic garden-path sentences: a consistent reading pattern.

The main purpose of this study was to investigate to what extent the L2 Arabic learners' reading process is affected by the incomplete representation of speech (the absence of short vowels and diacritics) while reading ambiguous sentences (garden path sentences). With a self-paced reading software program, 41 non-native male students, aged from 22 to 26, enrolled in King Saud University, participated in reading 44 sentences (followed by reading comprehension questions) representing three reading conditions, plain, vowelized-discretized, and wrongly-vowelized. For the reading times data, the analysis revealed that the GP structure had a significant effect on the reading processes of L2 Arabic learners; it took them longer to read the GP sentences than their non-GP counterparts. For the reading comprehension, the analysis did not reveal any significant differences between the means for the percentages of correct responses. For the comparison between the three reading conditions, a significant difference was found: it took the participants on average less time to read the GP sentences when presented plain, and more time with the incorrect representation. However, their reading comprehension was not affected. In addition to the good-enough model and the nature of Arabic morphology, the reading experience, is a good candidate to start with as an important factor in the interpretation of the ineffectiveness of the GP structure on the reading comprehension process of Arabic readers, in which the segregability of Arabic writing system prepare the readers to emphasize some sensory inputs and ignore others based on their past reading experience.

Using Summarization Technique through Voki as the Teaching Media to Improve Students’ Reading Comprehension

Teaching reading comprehension is a challenge for most teachers in middle schools. It is due to students who are not used to read even in their first language, let alone the second language. Finding suitable techniques and strategies is seen as crucial to increase students' understanding of reading. As one of the web tools, VOKI has been proven to be effective in helping students to be more engaged in the reading comprehension process. Therefore, this study aims to use the summarization technique to improve students' reading narrative texts by using VOKI as the media. The finding from this study suggests that VOKI, as the teaching media, successfully improved students' reading comprehension in a narrative text and participation in the teaching-learning activity. The students enjoyed the process of reading narrative text with VOKI. It successfully made students more creative, improved the students' comprehension of the moral value in the narrative text of year-9 Students of SMPN 1 Sukadana in Academic Year 2020/2021.Keywords: Narrative text, Reading comprehension, Moral value, Teaching media, VOKI

Interplay of Learning Theories in the Development of Reading Skills

The development of reading skills is a complex process influenced by various learning theories. This interplay of learning theories encompasses several prominent perspectives, including behaviourism, cognitivism, constructivism, and social learning theories, among others. In this regard, this paper aims to explore the interplay of different learning theories—such as behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism, and social learning—and their collective roles on the acquisition and enhancement of reading skills. Based on the related literature review, this paper focused on the relationship between learning theories and reading skill development in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context. It argues that the convergence of these theories enriches our understanding of the intricate process of reading comprehension. The key findings claim that in the dynamic interplay of these learning theories, behaviourism provides foundational skills, cognitivism explores mental processes, constructivism emphasizes the meaning-making process, and social learning theories highlight interactive experiences. The study suggests avenues for future research, encouraging scholars to delve deeper into the dynamic relationship between learning theories and the intricate process of developing reading skills.

The Effects of Age and Reading Experience on the Lifespan Neurodevelopment for Reading Comprehension.

Reading comprehension is a vital cognitive skill that individuals use throughout their lives. The neurodevelopment of reading comprehension across the lifespan, however, remains underresearched. Furthermore, factors such as maturation and experience significantly influence functional brain development. Given the complexity of reading comprehension, which incorporates lower-level word reading process and higher-level semantic integration process, our study aims to investigate how age and reading experience influence the neurobiology underpinning these two processes across the lifespan. fMRI data of 158 participants aged from 7 to 77 years were collected during a passive word viewing task and a sentence comprehension task to engage the lower- and higher-level processes, respectively. We found that the neurodevelopment of the lower-level process was primarily influenced by age, showing increased activation and connectivity with age in parieto-occipital and middle/inferior frontal lobes related to morphological-semantic mapping while decreased activation in the temporoparietal regions linked to phonological processing. However, the brain function of the higher-level process was primarily influenced by reading experience, exhibiting a greater reliance on the frontotemporal semantic network with enhanced sentence-level reading performance. Furthermore, reading experience did not significantly affect the brain function of children, but had a positive effect on young adults in the lower-level process and on middle-aged and older adults in the higher-level process. These findings indicate that the brain function for lower- and higher-level processes of reading comprehension is differently affected by maturation and reading experience, and the experience effect is contingent on age regarding the two processes.

Students’ Perceptions on The Use of Numbered Head Together Technique in Teaching Reading Comprehension

The aim of this study was to find out students’ perceptions on the use of Numbered Head Together technique in teaching reading comprehension. The participants of the study were 30 students of Grade VIII SMP N 35 Medan. The data were analyzed by using descriptive qualitative. The data were collected by conducting observation, questionnaire, and interview. The questionnaire was designed based on Likert scale. The result of this study showed that most students gave positive response on the use of Numbered Head Together technique in teaching and learning reading comprehension process. There were only 9 students who gave negative response to the used of Numbered Head Together technique in teaching reading comprehension which could not help them in learning many reasons namely; they felt uncomfortable to learn in group discussion and they felt boring during the teaching and learning process. In short, the used of Numbered Head Together technique in teaching reading comprehension can motivate and attract them to be more enthusiastic in learning reading comprehension.

AL-QURAN LEARNING MODEL FOR SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING

The focus of the SALaM (Self-directed al-Quran Learning Model) is to provide a conducive platform for al-Quran readers to perform tadabbur or self-study of al-Quran involving mainly reading comprehension process of al-Quran. The development of the model is divided into two main stages involving the development of a coherent structure of al-Quran contents as a whole. The second stage is the development of the model itself. The first stage is developed based on the formalization of the Nazm al-Quran principle proposed by Farahi and Islahi. The model itself is based on the implementation of reading comprehension strategies based on two main reading comprehension theories namely the Construction-Integration theory of Kintsch and Constructionist model of Graesser. A learner evaluation on the application of the model was done to assess the perception of learners using the SALaM. This stage was implemented by utilizing a Likert scale-based questionnaire to 39 learners who follows several sessions of the al-Quran walkthrough sessions which implemented the SALaM model. The study further focuses on the learning aspect of al-Quran rather than the tafsir methodology of al-Quran, therefore we described it as the ulum ta’alim al-Quran (Science of learning al-Quran) aspect, not the traditional ‘ulum al-Quran (science of exegesis of al-Quran). The assessment of SALaM model application yielded a favorable acceptance of al-Quran learners. Most 39 respondents (about 96.9%) found that the use of the main theme (‘amud) is very helpful in the comprehension of al-Quran. In conclusion, the model has provided significant help in the reading comprehension process of al-Quran and is very potential to provide the platform or basis for self-learning al-Quran in general.

Development of reading fluency and metacognitive knowledge of reading strategies during reciprocal teaching: do these changes actually contribute to reading comprehension?

The study examined the effect of reciprocal teaching on students' reading comprehension, reading fluency, and metacognitive knowledge of reading strategies, especially among students with learning difficulties. The special focus was to assess how the increase in reading fluency and metacognitive knowledge during the intervention contributes to the reading comprehension outcome. The sample consisted of 301 Grade 3 students, of whom 77 had learning difficulties. Analyzes of (co)variances were used for estimating the effects of reciprocal teaching on the development of reading comprehension, reading fluency, and metacognitive knowledge. Multigroup path analysis was used for testing the effect of increase in reading fluency and metacognitive knowledge on reading comprehension. We found reciprocal teaching had a positive effect on reading comprehension, especially for students with learning difficulties. Reading fluency and metacognitive knowledge improved significantly, but similarly in both the intervention and control groups. However, the increase in metacognitive knowledge only contributed to reading comprehension in the intervention group, not in the control group. The study sheds light on the cognitive and metacognitive mechanisms underlying students' reading comprehension process, emphasizing metacognitive knowledge and especially the systematic practice of reading strategies as key factors in improving reading comprehension.

Reading comprehension processes

Reading comprehension is a complex, multifaceted process in which a number of components are appropriately and often simultaneously activated. The importance of different background subprocesses, its complex nature, as well as the interconnection of various components has been demonstrated by various ‘models of reading and reading comprehension’. Based on these models, assessment methods and materials for reading comprehension are developed. However, the models and assessment materials developed so far are mostly derived from research on languages with non-transparent orthography (e.g., English). Therefore, the question arises regarding the extent to which they can or should be applied in languages with shallow, transparent orthography (e.g., Croatian) that have clear and consistent relationships between letters and sounds, as opposed to languages with deep orthography. The main aim of this study was to present a brief review of prominent reading comprehension models and their interconnections through specific levels of language processing (single word, sentence, discourse), as well as to discuss the methodological aspects of assessing reading comprehension processes arising from the presented theoretical models. Motivated by the fact that there is a lack of studies on models and assessment materials in languages with transparent orthography, the application of existing models and assessment methods will be discussed in the context of transparent orthography languages. This study provides comprehensive insights, based on theory, on the key elements to consider when developing an assessment method/tool for reading comprehension, both for research or diagnostic purposes

STORY MAPPING TO TEACH READING NARRATIVE TEXT AND IT’S PROBLEM

The purpose of this research is to reveal the process of teaching reading comprehension of narrative texts, and to find out the teacher's problems in applying story mapping techniques in teaching reading comprehension of narrative texts. This study uses qualitative research with a case study method. Data was collected from observation, interviews, and documentation. The participant in this study was an English teacher for class X IPA who taught narrative texts by applying the story mapping technique. The process of teaching and learning reading comprehension is going well, although not optimal. Meanwhile, there are five problems faced by the teacher in teaching reading comprehension, namely the teacher has difficulty if students cannot achieve basic mastery in reading, the teacher has difficulty if students read very slowly the reading text being taught, the teacher has difficulty if students cannot understand and find. conclusions, implications, and main ideas of the reading text, the teacher has difficulties in choosing teaching materials in teaching reading comprehension of narrative texts, and the teacher has problems in designing or modifying questions and exercises to attract students' interest in learning reading comprehension of narrative texts.

The Influence of Executive Processing on Reading Comprehension During Adolescence

AbstractThis paper reviews three studies investigating the relationship between brain regions involved in executive control and those involved in reading comprehension in typically‐developing teens. In the first study, three regions of posterior left lateral prefrontal cortex (i.e., precentral gyrus, inferior frontal junction, inferior frontal gyrus) were consistently activated across three task domains: reading comprehension, numerical estimation, and executive processes in working memory, suggesting these regions exert domain‐general executive control. In a second study, brain activity in the precentral gyrus during reading comprehension was found to be associated with individual differences in reading achievement. A subsequent investigation indicated that while all three prefrontal regions exhibit greater connectivity to the angular gyrus during reading comprehension compared to symbol identification, each also exhibits unique connectivity to distinct posterior regions implicated in reading processes. Hence, reading difficulties during adolescence may arise, in part, from difficulties in executive control over processing in language‐related brain regions.

Empowering Educators to Sustain Reflective Teaching Practices: The Validation of Instruments

This study aimed to investigate the sustainability of an instructional design utilizing the novel approach of the Reflective Teaching Model for Reading Comprehension (RTMRC), and to continuously develop and validate instruments for reflective measures to ensure the sustainable teaching of reading comprehension. The RTMRC design was featured based on two main parts: the reflective teaching process (planning, acting, reflecting and evaluating) and the reading comprehension process (reader, strategy, text and task). Then, a quasi-experiment (the pre- and post-test control group design) was conducted with 168 grade-9 students to assess the performance of the RTMRC in practice. The reflective questionnaire was also applied as an instrument to gather feedback from students about the instructional context, with the aim of supporting the sustainable reflective practices of the teacher. The reading achievement in the experimental group was evaluated and fostered using this model. Through the analyses of t-tests and Cohen’s d effect size, it was found that the experimental group teaching with RTMRC outperformed the control group without RTMRC teaching. Using exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, Rasch analysis and testing measurement invariance across groups, we report that the instruments were found to be valid for measuring the effect of the RTMRC in teaching reading comprehension in English Language Teaching (ELT) in a sustainable manner.

Efectos de una instrucción estratégica-autorregulada en el proceso de comprensión y autoeficacia lectora del alumnado de educación primaria

Self-regulation is an important factor in achieving successful reading comprehension. This study analyses the effects of a self-regu¬lated strategy instruction programme versus a control group on reading comprehension performance, time spent applying strategies during the reading comprehension process and reading self-efficacy. The programme com¬prised two conditions (condition 1 and condi¬tion 2) in which the teachers provided direct and explicit teaching of self-regulation strategies before, during and after the reading process. In condition 2, explicit instruction in reading self-efficacy was added. In the control condi¬tion, teachers provided traditional instruction based on reading aloud, sequential reading, text questions and the use of dictionaries. A total of 180 Spanish primary school students from eight different Year 5 and 6 classes (aged 10-12 under the Spanish education system) were either assigned to one of the two experi¬mental conditions (Condition 1: N = 47. Con¬dition 2: N = 47) or to the control condition (N = 86). Pre-test/post-test/follow-up measures were taken (six weeks after the intervention) of reading performance, reading self-effica¬cy and time spent applying self-regulation strategies before, during and after reading through an online assessment. The results showed that the instructional programme had a positive and significant effect in the two ex¬perimental conditions compared to the control group in terms of reading performance and time spent applying self-regulation strategies before and after the reading process. Howev¬er, no statistically significant differences were observed in the time spent applying strategies during reading and in reading self-efficacy, neither between the two experimental condi¬tions nor between the experimental conditions and the control condition. The implications of these results and their contribution to educa¬tional practices are discussed.

A Systematic Review of LRD (Listen-Read-Discuss) Strategy to Teaching Reading

This research aimed to determine the LRD strategy’s contribution to teaching reading comprehension. This study applied a systematic review method using google scholar to observe the data. The subject of studies was selected by Zotero software with inclusion and exclusion criteria. The results of five journals related to the strategy included inclusion criteria. They focused on finding the contribution of the LRD strategy on students’ reading comprehension using the same level of education to get results that are more significant than the contribution of using the LRD strategy for students’ reading comprehension. The LRD strategy improves reading comprehension, activating students’ background knowledge, building prior knowledge, establishing a purpose for reading, and making students more active and enthusiastic in learning. LRD positively influences students’ reading comprehension skills, and it can also use this strategy to help teachers facilitate the process of teaching reading comprehension. It can conclude that the LRD strategy contributes to teaching reading comprehension.

An Application of Eye Movement Parameters Collected from Mass Market Devices for the Estimation of a Text Comprehension.

The growing interest in evaluating the reader's comprehension leads to the search for new methods that allow such estimation in real-time (or pseudo-real-time). This can be used for more effective educational processes and to adopt textual content for various purposes. The present study used the Oken Reader eye-tracking application (60 Hz) for mass-market devices to assess reading comprehension processes. Twenty-three (23) respondents aged between 19 and 31 (mean = 24. 5, SE = 1. 4, 65% female) participated in the study. The mean, mu, and sigma parameters differed significantly depending on the level of text comprehension. This result indicates the possibility of using mass-market devices with eye-tracking technology to assess comprehension in reading. Furthermore, the study's results confirm the possibility of searching the correlations between physiological indicators such as eye movements and comprehension.

Gamification: ¿pedagogical resource to raise reading comprehension levels in university students?

The objective of this study was to determine the possibility of using the gamification technique as a potential contributor to the development of reading comprehension levels in students of the first and second semesters of the Faculty of Philosophy, Letters and Educational Sciences of the University of Guayaquil, during the cycle II year 2021-2022. Its approach was qualitative, and the applied methodology was descriptive. The main tools used for data collection were the questionnaire and the survey. The chosen population was made up of 164 students, 66 men and 98 women between 19 and 35 years of age, from the first and second semesters, in online classes, Psychology subject. Localized theoretical references advise the use of gamification for multiple purposes in university classrooms. The results referring to the process of reading comprehension by the students showed serious difficulties in their reading skills. On the other hand, a favorable predisposition to the use of the gamification technique was detected in them.

Examining the 2019 Turkish Language Curriculum and PISA 2018 Reading Skills Test in Terms of Main Idea Teaching

This study aimed to examine the achievements of 2019 Turkish Language Curriculum regarding main idea teaching in terms of PISA 2018 Reading Skills Test. In this regard, the overlap of the achievements in 2019 Turkish Language Curriculum in Turkey and the proficiency levels in PISA 2018 Reading Test were examined in the context of main idea teaching. The study used the qualitative research approach. Descriptive analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data gathered from the documents. Considering the aims of this study, first, the reading skills proficiency levels presented in detail in PISA 2018 were discussed considering main idea skills. It was concluded that the skill of “identifying the main idea” was used directly at all levels of reading skills consisting of levels 1c, 1b, 1a, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 in PISA 2018, and main idea skills were employed in understanding the text. In addition, Turkey’s performance in the PISA 2018 Reading Skills Test was discussed considering the study’s other sub-goals. Accordingly, it was concluded that students who participated in the PISA 2018 test were mostly successful at lower levels (levels 1, 2 and 3). The number of students at low levels was high, while the number of students with these skills decreased significantly at higher levels. The inclusion of main idea teaching in 2019 Turkish Language Curriculum was examined considering the final purpose of the study. In this context, several achievements were observed for the development of learning skills such as guessing the subject, determining the subject, determining the auxiliary ideas, determining the main idea, summarizing the subject and determining the title. However, the achievements of main idea in the 2019 Turkish Language Curriculum did not follow the order required in the reading comprehension process. In addition, the achievements of auxiliary ideas, which form the basis for determining the main idea of a text, were only available at the 7th and 8th grade levels, and any skills related to auxiliary ideas were not included at other grade levels. In this context, the main idea teaching should be handled in a detailed and systematic way in the context of theoretical structure and application processes, and the relevant curricula should be arranged accordingly.

Investigating Literal and Inferential Comprehension Achievement of Grade Six Students

Literal and inferential comprehension questions characterize the types of tasks students typically complete in reading assignments in elementary schools in Indonesia. This study, a preliminary survey of more extensive research, aimed at describing Grade Six students’ literal and inferential comprehension achievements. The research respondents were 198 Grade Six students from three elementary schools in Makassar, Indonesia. The research instrument used was a reading comprehension test which consisted of 35 multiple-choice questions. The data obtained were tabulated and analyzed descriptively using percentage analysis. The results of the study showed that most of the students in this study had low achievement in reading comprehension, both in literal and inferential comprehension. The research findings had an implication for the teaching and learning process of reading comprehension in Grade Six in elementary schools in Indonesia and other similar contexts.

READING COMPREHENSION PROBLEMS OF TOEIC FACED BY ACCOUNTING MANAGERIAL STUDENTS

100 students of eight-semester students of Accounting Managerial Program Politeknik Negeri Samarinda were the participants of this research. The aim of this research was to find out the reading comprehension problems in reading section of TOEIC Prediction test. TOEIC Prediction Test is one of English Proficiency Tests that has to be participated by 800 last semester students. Adapted questionnaire from Wutthisingchai (2011) was used as an instrument in this research since this research was a descriptive qualitative. The questioner was consisted of five aspects; reading comprehension process, motivation, background knowledge, lack reading strategies, and language knowledge. Thus, to measure the students’ perception of reading, the 4-point Likert was used in this research.The results of the research showed that most of the students of eight-semester students of Managerial Accounting Program still had reading comprehension problems.Keywords: Reading Comprehension Problems, descriptive qualitative, TOEIC