Reading Comprehension Test Performance Research Articles

A Probe into Cognitive and Metacognitive Reading Strategy Use and Reading Comprehension Test Performance in Light of Emotioncy

ABSTRACT This study aims to find the potential relationship between emotioncy (sense-induced emotions), reading strategy use, and reading comprehension test performance among English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. To this end, 514 intermediate and upper-intermediate EFL learners were asked to complete a 30-item multiple-choice reading comprehension test along with the emotioncy scale and a standardized reading strategies questionnaire. Fitted regression models, a t-test, and a Mann-Whitney U test were utilized to analyze the data. The findings showed that higher levels of emotioncy may lead to higher scores in a reading comprehension test. Moreover, the learners who had higher levels of emotioncy employed more cognitive and metacognitive reading comprehension strategies and all their related sub-scales. Finally, the results revealed that the emotioncy level is a stronger predictor of reading comprehension success compared to the reading strategies employed by EFL learners. In the end, the findings were discussed in the context of language education and implications were provided.

The Relationship between Test-Taking Strategies and Thai Students’ Reading Comprehension Test Performance

Tests are often applied to evaluate students’ academic performance in all educational contexts. In order to be successful in the tests, students are required not only to possess the knowledge of the subject, but also test-taking strategies which enable them to gain higher test score. The present study was aimed at investigating the relationship between the students’ test-taking strategies use and their reading comprehension test performance and the types and frequency of the test-taking strategies used among high and low proficiency students. This research employed the mixed-methods approach. A total of sixty eight university students at an international university in Thailand took part in this study. They were asked to take a reading comprehension proficiency test and a questionnaire to find out about their use of the test taking strategies during the test. The results revealed that the test-taking strategies had a significantly positive influence on students’ reading comprehension test performances. Although high proficiency students used the test-taking strategies more frequently than those in low proficiency group, both groups of students were found to similarly employ a variety of techniques to cope with the challenges in the reading test. The findings of this present study not only empirically verified the benefits of the test-taking strategies, but also emphasizes the necessity of the formal instruction of the strategies used in the English tests, especially the ones considered most effective for tertiary students, to ensure their greater academia success.

The Relationship between Test-Taking Strategies and Thai Students’ Reading Comprehension Test Performance

The Relationship between Test-Taking Strategies and Thai Students’ Reading Comprehension Test Performance

PENGARUH MUSIK KLASIK DAN PREFERENSI PRIBADI TERHADAP TEST ANXIETY DAN HASIL TES MEMBACA KOMPREHENSIF SISWA [THE EFFECT OF CLASSICAL MUSIC AND PERSONAL MUSIC PREFERENCE ON TEST ANXIETY AND READING COMPREHENSION TEST RESULTS

<p class="1eAbstract-text">Music is part of human life. Studies show that music influences psychological, cognitive, behavior, and emotion sides of human being. Research shows that music also influences students’ performance on reading comprehension test and test anxiety level. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of classical and personal preference music on students’ reading comprehension test performance and test anxiety level at grade XII SMAK 4 PENABUR Jakarta. The experiment design of this study is Pretest Posttest Non-Randomly Assigned Design. The students in experiment group get a treatment that is listening to classical music fifteen minutes before and while doing reading comprehension test. Students in another experiment group get a treatment that is listening personal preference music fifteen minutes before and while doing reading comprehension test in English class. Mean obtained from pretest and posttest of experiment class will be compared with mean from pretest and posttest of control class to explain whether or not they are statistically different. The study shows that classical and personal preference music influence students’ reading comprehension performance and test anxiety. Study also shows that there is negative correlation between students’ test anxiety and reading comprehension performance.</p>

Improving Reading Comprehension in Spanish Using iSTART-E

iSTART-E is a web-based intelligent tutor developed for Spanish-speaking students to improve their reading comprehension through self-explanation strategy training. This study examined the effects of a blended comprehension strategy intervention on students' reading comprehension skill. Chilean high school students (N = 22) completed nine iSTART-E sessions and a face-to-face classroom lesson that included integrative video and additional examples of self-explanation. Survey data indicated that students thought that iSTART-E was useful and that they had improved their reading skills. Critically, this was supported by objective assessment—students' standardized reading comprehension test (Lectum) performance improved from pre-training to post-training. These findings demonstrate promise for the use of iSTART-E as a computer-supported learning environment for Spanish readers.

The Differential Importance of Component Skills on Reading Comprehension Test Performance Among Struggling Adolescent Readers

Reading comprehension tests vary in format and characteristics, which may influence the extent to which component skills are involved in test performance. With students in Grades 6 to 8 with reading difficulties, dominance analyses examined the differential importance of component reading and language skills (word- and text-reading fluency, vocabulary, listening comprehension, and working memory) on several standardized tests of reading comprehension: The Gates-MacGinitie Reading Test, 4th edition (GMRT), Group Reading Assessment and Diagnostic Evaluation, Gray Oral Reading Test, 5th edition (GORT-5), and the Test of Silent Reading Efficiency and Comprehension (TOSREC). Students’ word- and text-reading fluency skills were generally the most dominant predictors of performance on most reading comprehension tests, especially those with a time limit (GMRT and TOSREC). Listening comprehension was most important on the GORT-5, a test in which students read passages orally and listen to questions read by an examiner. Working memory was the least important component skill across the reading comprehension tests. Overall, results were consistent with previous work indicating that reading comprehension measures vary with regard to the skills or knowledge sources that are most important for test performance and extend these findings to struggling adolescent readers. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Effects of Text Length and Question Type on Test-takers’ Performance on Fill-in-the-blank Items in Korean CSAT

This study examines the effects of text length and question type on Korean EFL readers’ reading comprehension of the fill-in-the-blank items in Korean CSAT. A total of 100 Korean EFL college students participated in the study. After divided into three different proficiency groups, the participants took a reading comprehension test which consisted of 4 reading passages (2 short and 2 long) from the Korean CSAT, followed by multiple-choice fill-in-the-blank questions and open-ended inference questions. The longer version of the passages was made from its originally restored version in which one or two paragraphs were added. The results showed that the college students performed better on the long passages than the short ones. In addition, the college students’ reading comprehension test performance was affected differently depending on the type of questions. The findings of the study provided implications on how to select and construct reading passages for high-stake nationwide examinations, such as the Korean CSAT.

THE EFFECT OF WRITTEN RETELLING TECHNIQUE ON STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION ACROSS PERSONALITY LEARNING STYLES

This quasi experimental study aims to investigate how written retelling technique affects the reading comprehension of university students having different personality learning styles (introverted vs. extroverted). A reading comprehension test and a questionnaire were utilized to collect the data. Two groups of students were involved in the study, with the experimental group receiving the treatment of being taught using a written retelling technique and the control group being taught using the oral retelling technique. The results of the study revealed that the first group of students showed better performance in reading comprehension test than the latter group. Even though there was a significant difference between the extroverted and the introverted students in reading comprehension achievement, the findings suggest that written retelling technique was more effective regardless of the personality learning styles. Permalink/DOI: dx.doi.org/10.17977/um015v45i12017p027

Test anxiety and a high-stakes standardized reading comprehension test: A behavioral genetics perspective.

Past research suggests that reading comprehension test performance does not rely solely on targeted cognitive processes such as word reading, but also on other non-target aspects such as test anxiety. Using a genetically sensitive design, we sought to understand the genetic and environmental etiology of the association between test anxiety and reading comprehension as measured by a high-stakes test. Mirroring the behavioral literature of test anxiety, three different dimensions of test anxiety were examined in relation to reading comprehension, namely intrusive thoughts, autonomic reactions, and off-task behaviors. Participants included 426 sets of twins from the Florida Twin Project on Reading. The results indicated test anxiety was negatively associated with reading comprehension test performance, specifically through common shared environmental influences. The significant contribution of test anxiety to reading comprehension on a high-stakes test supports the notion that non-targeted factors may be interfering with accurately assessing students' reading abilities.

The Impact of Test Anxiety on Reading Comprehension Test Performance in Relation to Gender among Iranian EFL Learners

Most students experience some levels of anxiety during an exam. When anxiety affects test performance, it becomes a problem. Test anxiety can interfere with the students' ability to perform adequately and prevent students from demonstrating their knowledge on examinations. Some students have the skills and knowledge to do very well in testing situations, but their excessive anxiety impairs their performance. Among many factors, anxiety can explain the differences in reading comprehension performance among learners and has a tremendous effect on foreign language reading. The study presented in this paper aimed to explore the effects of test anxiety on Iranian EFL learners' reading test performance. Furthermore, it scrutinized the role of gender on reading comprehension and test anxiety. A total of 39 EFL learners 20 male and 19 female learners at Shokouh Language Institute of Kerman Iran attended the study. Participants took one TOFEL reading comprehension tests and also completed one questionnaires of Test Anxiety Scale (38). The results of pearson correlation and t-test indicated that the relationship between test anxiety and (RC) was negative and significant. That is, the higher the level of test anxiety these students experienced, the lower the score they obtained on (RC) test and vice versa. This result indicates that test anxiety interferes with foreign language (RC). In addition, in this study females were found to be more anxious than males in reading settings and males were found to be better in (RC).

The Impact of Multimodal Texts on Reading Achievement: A Study of Iranian Secondary School Learners

This study was designed to investigate the impact of multimodal text on reading comprehension test performance of Iranian intermediate learners. A total of 80 students participated in this study. All of them were Iranian female EFL learners with the age ranging from 16 to 18. They were selected from a boarding high school in Nasr Abad, Torbat Jam in Khorasan e Razavi, Iran. The students were randomly settled in four groups, who received different instructional approaches through using linear texts, multimodal printed texts, non-printed multimodal texts, and both multimodal printed and non-printed texts. A pre-test and post-test were used to find out the differences before and after the experimental treatment. The results reflected that the printed and non-printed multimodal texts had significant impact on reading comprehension test performance. In contrast, applying linear texts or traditional texts did not exert significant influence on reading comprehension ability of the participants. The findings provide useful hints for language instructors to improve effectiveness of instructional reading curriculums and reading ability of language learners. The participants who learned reading comprehension through using multimodal printed and non-printed texts enjoy reading programs and develop their intrinsic and extrinsic motivation for improving reading ability.

Explore the Relationship between Strategy Use and ESP Reading Test Performance of Two University Majors (Humanities vs. Science)

This paper focuses on exploring the relationship between strategy use and ESP reading test performance of two university majors (humanities VS. science). To fulfill the purpose of the study, 240 intermediate students were selected out of a population pool of 360 ESP students studying in three universities in Iran, Esfahan based on their performance on Oxford Placement Test. After 5 sessions of teaching and practicing 8 reading comprehension strategies for instance, summarizing, linking with prior knowledge or experience, a multiple choice reading comprehension test plus a cognitive and metacognitive questionnaire were given to experimental groups. Pearson product moment correlations and t -test was used. The results showed the positive effect of using strategy on ESP reading comprehension test performance. Regarding major, science groups outperformed humanities. The findings have significant implications for ESP learners, teachers and material developers.

Gender differences and EFL reading comprehension: Revisiting topic interest and test performance

Abstract This study investigated the relationship between topic interest and foreign language reading comprehension across gender groups. Participants were 106 intermediate EFL learners (54 males, 52 females) at a major language institute and 41 students at an Open University (20 males, 21 females). The participants in the former setting took two cloze tests and those in the latter sat two multiple choice tests. Each pair of tests included passages with a male-oriented and a female-oriented theme selected on the basis of the criteria developed by earlier item and text bias research ( Bugel, 1993 ). In the former setting, no significant effect was found for topic interest with either test across gender groups. The same was the case for each group across the two tests. In the university setting, similar results were found with performance across groups, though gender groups had significantly different performance across tests. In contrast to previous findings with the same proficiency level in both ESL and EFL contexts, the findings suggest that topic interest might not be related to reading comprehension test performance vis-a-vis the targeted EFL settings providing support for recognizing variation in EFL contexts and accordingly encouraging caution with regard to generalizing research findings across such contexts.

Relationship between Reading Proficiency, Strategic Competence, and Reading Comprehension Test Performance: A Study of Iranian EFL Learners

The study scrutinized the interaction between reading proficiency and strategic competence via reading comprehension test performance of Iranian EFL learners. The further concern was to scrutinize the extent to which strategic competence affected the participants’ test performance. The participants were 506 postgraduate students who took a reading comprehension test and answered a metacognitive strategy questionnaire successively in one session. The findings manifested that the participants at the high level of reading proficiency used metacognitive strategies more frequently than did the participants at the low and intermediate levels of reading proficiency in the test-taking setting. The findings also revealed a positive linear relationship between metacognitive awareness and the participants’ test performance. The findings provide empirical evidences for the close interaction between linguistic and strategic competences, as the two major components of communicative language ability, discussed in different frameworks for language use such as Bachman’s (1990) and Bachman and Palmer’s (1996) frameworks. The findings revealed the necessity for designing the instructional programs focusing on both linguistic and strategic aspects of language learning in a balanced way to improve reading ability of L2 learners. The findings indicate that the true score of language learners is dependent on linguistic and strategic aspects of test-taking. Thus, the findings recommend language teachers to interpret test scores with great care to make fair decisions about the actual ability of test takers. In addition, the findings encourage curriculum planners and language teachers to design appropriate instructional materials and adapt effective teaching approaches to improve reading comprehension.

The Interaction between Cognitive Test-Taking Strategies, Reading Ability, and Reading Comprehension Test Performance of Iranian EFL Learners

The study scrutinized the probable interaction between using cognitive test-taking strategies, reading proficiency, and reading comprehension test performance of Iranian postgraduate students, who studied English as a foreign language. The study also probed the extent to which the participants’ test performance was related to the use of certain cognitive test-taking strategies. The participants were 343 MA students, who took an English reading comprehension test and answered a test-taking strategy questionnaire. The gathered data were subjected to a set of parametric statistical analysis, including descriptive statistics, factorial, and regression analyses. The results showed that the participants at the high level of reading proficiency used comprehending and retrieval strategies more frequently than did the participants at the intermediate and low levels. The findings reflected that %33 of the variance in the test performance was due to the use of cognitive test-taking strategies. Thus, the observed scores cannot account for the actual language ability of test takers. The findings can help language teachers gain a better understanding of the strategic process of test taking and improve the validity of language tests. In addition, the findings can assist language teachers in interpreting test scores from a different angle to make a sound judgment about the actual ability of language learners and decrease error of measurement. The findings also recommend language teachers to pay systematic attention to the linguistic and strategic aspects of language learning and adopt their teaching approaches to the needs of language learners to improve their reading ability.

Effects of Gender and Passage Content on Multiple-Choice Reading Comprehension Test

This study examined the effects of the readers’ gender and passage content on multiple-choice (M-C) reading comprehension test performance among Iranian EFL university students at the upper-intermediate level. Sixty participants passed three M-C reading comprehension tests (male-oriented, female-oriented, and neutral). Findings revealed significant effects of the readers’ gender and passage content on the test performance of the EFL readers (p<.05). The results of this study provided evidence that pri or knowledge and interest to the passage content concerned with readers’ gender have facilitating effects on the performance of the foreign language learners taking M-C reading comprehension test at the upper-intermediate level.

The Effect of Passage Content on Multiple-choice Reading Comprehension Test

This study examined the effects of the readers’ passage content on multiple-choice (M-C) reading comprehension test performance among Iranian EFL university students at the upper-intermediate level. Sixty participants passed three M-C reading comprehension tests (male-oriented, female-oriented, and neutral). Findings revealed significant effects of the readers’ passage content on the test performance of the EFL readers (p<. 05). The results of this study provided evidence that prior knowledge and interest to the passage content concerned with facilitating effects on the performance of the foreign language learners t aking M-C reading comprehension test at the upper-intermediate level.

Exploring relationships between reading attitudes, reading ability and academic performance amongst primary teacher trainees in Swaziland

In this research study, relationships between attitudes to reading, reading ability, vocabulary and academic performance were investigated. The data were gathered and triangulated from an attitude questionnaire, an author and magazine recognition test, as well as from reading comprehension and academic test performance of 84 first- and third-year students studying for a Primary Teacher’s Diploma at a College in Manzini, Swaziland. The results suggest that whilst there is no relationship between reading attitudes and reading ability, there is some relationship between reading ability and academic performance. The statistical analyses further indicate a relationship between reading and vocabulary ability of the participants. The findings have grave implications regarding attitudes to reading, reading ability and academic performance for a professional cadre that is expected to be influential in the academic lives of impressionable primary school children in an English as Second Language (ESL) context.

The Interaction between Reading Comprehension Cognitive Test-Taking Strategies, Test Performance, and Cognitive Language Learning Strategies

The study investigated the significant interaction between reading comprehension cognitive test-taking strategies and the level of reading proficiency of Iranian MA students. A further concern of the study was to explore the significant interaction between cognitive test-taking strategies and reading strategies. To this end, 947 Iranian MA students participated in the study. They took a reading comprehension test and answered a cognitive strategy questionnaire. The findings showed that the participants at the high level of reading proficiency used cognitive test-taking strategies more significantly than the participants at the intermediate level did. Significant interaction was found between cognitive test- taking and reading strategies.

Does Instructing Test-taking Strategies Significantly Enhance Reading Comprehension Test Performance? The Case of Iranian EFL Learners

Reading comprehension is greatly highlighted for either taking exam or academic purpose in most English learning settings. In addition, tests are regularly applied to evaluate academic performance. This study investigated whether teaching test-taking strategies to Iranian EFL undergraduates enhances their reading comprehension test performances or not. A total of 66 EFL sophomores studying at Islamic Azad University of Rasht, Iran took part in the study. They were in two detached classes as experimental and control groups. The former received extra teaching in test-taking strategies for multiple-choice reading comprehension test as the treatment within the regular reading classes while the latter did not. Results of the posttest indicated that the treatment was effective and the experimental group outperformed the control group. Besides, their attitudes towards the treatment were studied. The results are discussed and some pedagogical implications are provided.