Reading Course Research Articles

Developing English Majors’ Comprehension of Literary Texts and Online Self-Regulated Language Learning Skills via Literature Circles 2.0

To cope with the virtual learning mode that the COVID-19 pandemic has posed and driven by the desire to enhance students’ ability to plan, monitor, and evaluate their online learning, the current study sought to digitalize the Literature Circles model and investigate its effect on developing English majors’ comprehension skills of literary texts and online self-regulated language learning skills in an EFL context. Literature Circles 2.0 was adopted to teach the Literary Reading course that includes five short stories and a one-act play. To achieve the purpose of the study, two tools were implemented: Test of Literary Reading Comprehension Skills and Online Self-Regulated Language Learning Skills Questionnaire (Barnard et al., 2009). Sixty English majors, divided into two equivalent groups, participated in the study. The control group studied the course using the traditional teaching method, teacher-centered, which relies on lecturing, whereas the experimental group studied the same course using the Literature Circles 2.0, whereby students worked autonomously in an online virtual environment. The study results revealed the significant effect of Literature Circles 2.0 on developing the students’ comprehension of literary texts as they were demonstrated to be involved personally and emotionally in the active learning process of the course. Meanwhile, the students of the experimental group displayed a significant mastery of the online self-regulated language learning skills. Based on the students’ significant improvement in processing, comprehending, and extracting the meaning of literary texts, the study concluded that the Literature Circles 2.0 proved to be an effective approach to promoting students’ comprehension of literary texts. Therefore, the study conclusively recommends the use of Literature Circles 2.0 in teaching such texts.

The EFL Students’ Critical Reading Skills Across Cognitive Styles

This study aims to explore the difference between the field independent (FI) and field dependent (FD) learners in the area of EFL critical reading skills. To this end, 60 undergraduate EFL students who had taken and passed the Critical Reading course involved as the subjects. The Group Embedded Figure Test (GEFT) was administered to classify the students’ cognitive styles into FI and FD groups. Furthermore, to measure the students’ critical reading skills, the critical reading comprehension test (CRCT) in the form of multiple choice questions was developed and administered. The test items were focused on assessing students’ analytical and inferential skills of reading texts, specifically on determining the main idea, the purpose, the tone, making an inference and taking conclusion. The findings indicate that there is a statistically significant difference in the critical reading skills between FI and FD students. More specifically, the differences are in determining the main idea, determining the purpose, making an inference, and taking the conclusion of the texts in the CRCT. Pedagogically, selecting appropriate reading texts to be used in Critical Reading course practice for developing the students’ critical reading skills will be beneficial for both of FI and FD students.

The EFL Students’ Critical Reading Skills Across Cognitive Styles

This study aims to explore the difference between the field independent (FI) and field dependent (FD) learners in the area of EFL critical reading skills. To this end, 60 undergraduate EFL students who had taken and passed the Critical Reading course involved as the subjects. The Group Embedded Figure Test (GEFT) was administered to classify the students’ cognitive styles into FI and FD groups. Furthermore, to measure the students’ critical reading skills, the critical reading comprehension test (CRCT) in the form of multiple choice questions was developed and administered. The test items were focused on assessing students’ analytical and inferential skills of reading texts, specifically on determining the main idea, the purpose, the tone, making an inference and taking conclusion. The findings indicate that there is a statistically significant difference in the critical reading skills between FI and FD students. More specifically, the differences are in determining the main idea, determining the purpose, making an inference, and taking the conclusion of the texts in the CRCT. Pedagogically, selecting appropriate reading texts to be used in Critical Reading course practice for developing the students’ critical reading skills will be beneficial for both of FI and FD students.

Sources of Turkish EFL Learners’ Foreign Language Reading Anxiety

The purpose of this study was to investigate possible sources of reading anxiety experienced by Turkish EFL learners. The participants of the study were 50 first year university students studying at the English Language Teaching program of a public university in Turkey. The study employed the explanatory sequential mixed methods design. First, the quantitative data were collected through Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale (FLRAS), and then the qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews for the purpose of better understanding quantitative data findings. For analyzing the quantitative data, each participant's mean score from FLRAS was computed. As for the qualitative data, the transcribed interviews were analyzed using the constant comparison method, for which the researcher identified the recurring themes through coding, prioritizing and connecting the pieces of data. Results indicated that the participants of the study, in general, experience a moderate level of FL reading anxiety. The following three main categories of FL reading anxiety sources were identified with their ten sub-categories: (1) personal factors (inappropriate reading strategy use, lack of self-confidence, high expectations), (2) features of the reading text (topic familiarity, unknown vocabulary, complex reading structure, text length, figurative language), and (3) reading course (compulsory reading, exam).

Sources of Turkish EFL Learners’ Foreign Language Reading Anxiety

The purpose of this study was to investigate possible sources of reading anxiety experienced by Turkish EFL learners. The participants of the study were 50 first year university students studying at the English Language Teaching program of a public university in Turkey. The study employed the explanatory sequential mixed methods design. First, the quantitative data were collected through Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale (FLRAS), and then the qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews for the purpose of better understanding quantitative data findings. For analyzing the quantitative data, each participant's mean score from FLRAS was computed. As for the qualitative data, the transcribed interviews were analyzed using the constant comparison method, for which the researcher identified the recurring themes through coding, prioritizing and connecting the pieces of data. Results indicated that the participants of the study, in general, experience a moderate level of FL reading anxiety. The following three main categories of FL reading anxiety sources were identified with their ten sub-categories: (1) personal factors (inappropriate reading strategy use, lack of self-confidence, high expectations), (2) features of the reading text (topic familiarity, unknown vocabulary, complex reading structure, text length, figurative language), and (3) reading course (compulsory reading, exam).

A Study on the Examples of Reading Courses Using Flipped Learning and Student Awareness

학습자 중심 학습과 맞춤형 교육이 대학교육의 현안문제로 등장하면서 플립러닝은 디지털 네이티브 세대에 적합한 교육방법으로 각광받고 있다. 특히 능동적 학습문화와 고차원적 인지활동을 독려하는 플립러닝은 코로나 시대 가장 현실적인 교육적 대안으로 평가받고 있다. 본 연구의 목적은 플립러닝을 활용한 교양 독서 교과목 운영사례와 학생들의 인식을 분석하는 것이다. 특별히본 연구는 대학 교양 수업에 플립러닝을 적용하는 데 필요한 구체적인 수업 설계 전략을 제시한다. 나아가 대학의플립러닝 독서 교과목에 대한 학생들의 의견을 정교하게 검토하여 수업현장에 적용할 수 있는 적실한 운영전략을수립하는 데 있다. 연구결과 플립러닝 방식을 활용한 독서 교과목 수업이 적극적인 문제 탐색, 활동 중심형 학습 증진, 지식의 공유와 협력 등의 교과 목표를 달성하는 데 효과적이라는 점을 확인하였다. 결론적으로 플립러닝은 정교한 수업설계, 온라인 동영상의 적절한 분량과 내용, 학습자의 흥미와 관심을 불러일으킬 수 있는 주제 선정, 교수자와 학습자, 학습자와 학습자 간의 상호작용 활성화, 학습활동 전반에 대한 적절한 평가, 전문성을 갖춘 교수자의 역할, 온라인강의와 오프라인 수업뿐만 아니라 주차간 수업 간의 연계성이 확보될 때 효과적인 수업으로 발전해갈 수 있다.

The use of Google Jamboard for synchronous collaborative reading strategies: The students’ acceptance

This study employed a mixed-method approach through administrating the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) questionnaire and conducting in-depth interviews. TAM was used in this study to gain insight into the students' reactions to the technology used for online language learning, especially the acceptance of using Google Jamboard integrated with video conferencing for synchronous collaborative reading comprehension activities. Sixty-three undergraduate students were selected purposefully from the English Language Education Department who enrolled in Literal Reading course in a full-online learning instruction. From the findings, with the regard to the students' acceptance, they confirmed a positive attitude toward using this application, despite the fact that some of them thought it was a new application. As a result, perceived usefulness and the perceived ease of use were rated as moderately high. Many students agreed that the online platform used was immensely useful and simple to use. Meanwhile, some of them experienced technical issues when using this platform, impeding their learning process. Additionally, some pedagogical suggestions also further explored.

Increasing English Reading Comprehension Through Literary Text Extensive Reading Program

The research objective is to improve reading comprehension skills through an extensive program of reading literary texts. It used a mixed method. Research participants are 5th-semester students who receive extensive reading (2) courses in the 2020-2021 academic year at Universitas Bina Sarana Informatika Jakarta as many as 70 students. There are two data used in this study, namely 1) qualitative data taken using a questionnaire. Qualitative data were analyzed using transcribed and encoded, organized, categorized, and taking concluding. 2) Quantitative data were taken from the pre-test and post-test. The test data were analyzed using a t-test. The results of the study show that overall an extensive reading program with literary texts has an impact on improving English reading comprehension. Students also have a positive perception of the extensive reading program because they can build interest in reading and reading habits

AN ANALYSIS ON “DEVELOPMENTAL READING AND NURSING PROGRAM PARTNERSHIPS: HELPING STUDENTS SUCCEED IN READING-INTENSIVE COURSEWORK”

Reading skill is one of the foundations to build critical thinking ability. The improvement of reading ability will help to cultivate students critical thinking and understanding ability. This paper focuses on the relationship between reading skills and critical thinking skills, and further analyzes and discusses the effectiveness of seventeen targeted strategies that are helpful to improve students learning ability and reading skills. Through the test on students from Mount Aloysius College, the researchers found out that there is a positive relationship between improving reading skills and critical thinking ability. Because of the importance of reading ability to critical thinking, the author suggests introducing effective developmental reading courses to help nursing students improve their learning ability. At the end of the article, the author gives some suggestions on the future research direction, such as expanding the experimental samples and changing the teaching methods. KEY WORDS: Critical thinking skills; Reading skills; Nursing students; Study strategies.

An Investigation of Flipping an English Reading Course: Focus on Reading Gains and Anxiety

The aim of this research was to explore the effect of flipped classroom on English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners’ reading skill and reading anxiety. For this purpose, a sample of 44 Iranian EFL learners was recruited and randomly assigned to a flipped group (N =23) and a non-flipped group (N =21). Using a quasi-experimental design, the researchers employed an experimental group that received flipped instruction and a control group that were instructed based on the regular method for a period of four months. The reading component of the Cambridge Preliminary English Test (CPET) and a scale of reading anxiety were given to assess the reading comprehension and reading anxiety of the participants as pre-test and post-test of the study. The outcomes of the research indicated that the learners in the flipped class substantially performed better than those of the non-flipped class regarding EFL reading gains. Also, flipping the course significantly reduced reading anxiety of the participants. According to these results, it may be concluded that EFL teachers can utilize flipped instruction for their reading courses.

Revisiting Intermediate-high Cold Reading Curriculum on Design and Practice

The phrase “cold reading” originates from marketing psychology, but for teaching Chinese as a second language, it refers to one of many strategies in the reading curriculum. Schema theory tells us those good readers are adept at comprehending interactions between bottom-up and top-down processes (Rumelhart, 1980). According to Liu Songhao et al. (2015), there is a close correlation between reading level and teaching strategy. Research on reading education for Chinese as a second language has largely focused on how educators should teach, but little discussion can be found with regards to how a student engages with reading material. Although the breadth of Chinese vocabulary likely differs from English, it remains clear that non-native readers are limited by their language level and must strive harder to develop the skill and psychological ability to adapt to challenges. In cold reading courses, the student becomes the lead actor, while the teacher adopts a supportive role.BR ICLP(NTU) started up the cold reading curriculum in 2016 for a new trial. However, as opposed to “hot reading”, unlike courses designed for common reading, classes dedicated to cold reading lack translations or vocabulary lists. Students are only provided texts in class, most of which come from authentic first-hand sources. The goal is to help students escape their psychological reliance on the classroom and to develop the ability to approach material they might encounter in daily life. Since students cannot prepare for cold reading courses in advance and lack supplemental material while in class, it better reflects real-life circumstances and forces students to draw upon their foundation of linguistic and background knowledge to guess or infer meaning.BR Through this method, students are expected to build a preliminary cognitive model of the text, which is then analyzed level-by-level in tandem with the teacher’s instruction to either confirm or adjust the student’s mental connotations, eventually resulting in comprehension. The support of the teacher’s knowledge and the initiation of the student’s metacognitive processes also play important roles. A few appropriate tests after an independent skimming reading can evaluate a learner’s level of comprehension and can help clarify problem areas. At the same time, students can also improve their listening, speaking and writing abilities through class discussion and homework assignments. After-class review and making their own vocabulary list can further solidify learning gains and become the knowledge foundation for the next cold reading assignment (Chen Hsiangyu, 2017).BR Base on the discussion of cold reading theory, curriculum design, and practice, this article aims at examining 1) Reading and cognitive theory, 2) Theories on teaching and learning Chinese reading for non-native students, 3) Approaches to the cold reading curriculum, 4) Limitations of and reflections on cold reading courses, and 5) Aspects of further research.

Oral and Written Summarizing Strategy Training and Reading Comprehension: Peer-Mediated vs. Individualistic Task Performance

Background: Drawing upon Socio-Cultural Theory (SCT), this study inspected the impact of spoken and written summary training on intermediate EFL students’ long-term reading comprehension in individual and peer-mediated conditions. Method: 120 Iranian EFL intermediate male and female learners aged 16 to 18 years were randomly assigned into two main conditions (i.e., individual and peer-mediated). Moreover, each condition was divided into spoken, written, and no summary groups. The treatment lasted for six sessions, and then a delayed post-test, summarization scale, and a researcher-developed collaboration scale were administered at the end of the study. Results: The outcomes of one-way ANOVA revealed that summary training was efficacious in improving EFL students’ reading skills. However, the verbal summary group exceeded the written and control groups. In addition, the findings of the independent-samples t-test demonstrated that the learners’ reading skills in peer-mediated groups significantly improved in the delayed post-test compared to their counterparts. Similarly, the findings emerging from the analysis of the questionnaires highlighted both instructors’ and the students’ positive perceptions on summarizing strategies and collaboration in the classrooms. Implication: The implications are presented concerning the effectiveness of summary training and peer-mediation in EFL reading courses.

The Role of Online Resources in Developing Autonomous Learning Metacognitive Skills Among First-Year University Students of English: A Mixed Methods Study

This mixed methods study examines the way online resources can be effective in developing the learning autonomy metacognitive skills of planning, monitoring, and self-evaluation among undergraduate students at the Facultyof Letters and Humanities Fes-Agdal, which is representative of the socio-cultural and higher education system of Morocco. The sample consisted of an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group consisted of 120 students who were exposed to three main online tools (Newsela.com, mrnussbaum.com, and rewordify.com), with virtual meetings and instruction provided through Facebook. The Facebook groups were kept secret, with only participants joining. The control group consisted of 120 students that benefited only from the university’s regular reading courses. The experimental intervention period was followed by interviews with a sample of 25 students from both groups, providing a qualitative perspective. The overall results suggest that online resources have a positive effect on the development of metacognitive skills. Students tend to appreciate the inclusion of online resources in the classroom without devaluing the role of their EFL teacher – the students did not expect online resources to fully replace the role of their teachers.Keywords: EFL online learning autonomy; learning autonomy; online resources; teaching and learning in higher education

Rethinking the Infusion Approach to Teaching Critical Thinking in Reading in Chinese Tertiary English Classes

The teaching of critical thinking (CT) has become an important requirement in many English language classrooms at different educational levels, yet little is known about how teachers promote the learning of CT. This article reports on a qualitative study examining the ways in which two university English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers in China attempted to blend CT into their reading classrooms, and the factors that influenced their attempts at CT innovation. In-depth, semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, artefacts, and observation of eight joint discussion sessions between the two participants and the first author were analyzed to explain the participants’ implementation of CT innovation in their intensive reading courses and the influential factors. The findings indicate that the teachers implemented CT innovation in reading instruction through the infusion approach, which means explicitly highlighting CT during the course orientation of their reading courses, while also improving the students’ CT abilities and language competence through reflective and collaborative writing using reading journals. The study also revealed several factors that influenced their attempts at CT innovation. The study sheds light on how teachers can be supported to innovate conventional CT instruction in the reading classroom.

Application of Hybrid Teaching Mode in College Students’ English Reading Using Intelligent Wireless Communication Multimedia

The development of multimedia technology and the rise of mixed teaching modes have introduced new forms of teaching organization to the field of education, the traditional teaching methods have been improved, and the advantages of the traditional teaching methods have been brought into play. At the same time, the development of online courses has also provided a new basis for teaching and improved the current teaching environment. The current rapid development of intelligent technology and wireless communication networks provides opportunities for the innovation of multimedia technology and also provides technical support for offline and online teaching in a hybrid teaching mode. What this article needs to discuss is the application of hybrid teaching mode in the English reading teaching of college students under the background of intelligent wireless communication network multimedia technology and explore whether the combination of hybrid teaching mode and intelligent technology can improve the teaching level of college students’ English reading, etc. This paper shows through experimental research that under the teaching organization form of the mixed teaching mode under the background of intelligent wireless communication multimedia, college students’ interest in the course of English reading has increased significantly, and their English reading scores will increase by at least 93%, which can improve students’ autonomous learning ability for college English reading courses.

ENGAGING STUDENTS IN COOPERATIVE LEARNING MODEL OF READING COURSE THROUGH NUMBERED HEAD TOGETHER

The importance of a reading course in increasing students' ability to comprehend English text is critical. However, many students dislike and are uninterested in class reading activities. As a result, this study used the Numbered Head Together cooperative learning strategy to engage students in a reading course. Since this study focuses on teaching and learning activities in the classroom, it was designed as Classroom Action Research. The research was carried out in four steps. They were planning, performing, observing, and reflecting on their actions. This research was conducted in class B of the eighth grade of MTsN 1 Kediri, consisting of 39 students. The result showed that using the Numbered Head Together (NHT) strategy could help students enhance their reading comprehension skills. Furthermore, group discussions may impact students' attention and encourage them to participate in learning activities. Students were able to participate in the teaching-learning process using the Numbered Head Together (NHT) technique. They became more receptive to the teacher's explanations and collaborated with their peers in groups. They were also more engaged, enthusiastic, and confident in class activities, resulting in a livelier and more interesting classroom environment.

Lesson Plan and Analysis of One Cambridge English Course: “Trends”

The aim of this essay is to analyze and design a teaching plan based on a reading course (level B1) in a textbook. The lesson lasts 60 minutes and involves teenagers with Chinese as their mother tongue who are learning English. The number of participants in this course is 8. Through the analysis of the characteristics of the participants, and the comparison of PPP model (Presentation, Practice, Production) and TBLT model (Task-based language teaching), the latter is chosen for this teaching plan. In addition, this essay provides a rationale for the teaching plan.

NicholasMcDowellPoet of Revolution: The Making of John MiltonPrinceton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2020. xvi + 485pp. ISBN 13: 9780691154695. $35.00 (cloth).

NicholasMcDowellPoet of Revolution: The Making of John MiltonPrinceton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2020. xvi + 485pp. ISBN 13: 9780691154695. $35.00 (cloth).

Enhancing Student’s Reading Experience Using Task-Based Flipped Classroom in Reading Course

<p>Flipped classroom is a new teaching model supported learning to design an integrated of traditional (in-class) and out-of-class components (preparation and follow up) the knowledge and internalizing the knowledge. The present study aims to describe task-based of reading course of Indonesian college through flipped classroom model. The study is contextualized in teaching English as a foreign language through the Flipped Classroom model. The design of the study involves descriptive analysis through questionnaires. The findings indicated that this method had positive impact on students’ understanding of reading comprehension materials. Besides, this study provided some pedagogical insights and future research.</p>

Designing e-Local Content of Teaching Materials for Extensive Reading Course: Lecturer’s Voice

This research focus on designing e-local content of teaching materials for extensive reading course: Lecturer’s voice. It applied R&D based on ADDIE MODEL. ADDIE means Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation and Evaluation. Furthermore, Interview and questionnaire as the instrument of collecting data. The result of this research revealed that the lecturers interested to use this reading material for teaching extensive reading course. It is proved by the positive response given by the lecturer. From 19 distributed questions, 18 questions has Yes response (1). The percentage of the score 1 is 100%, and it categorized as excellent. Moreover, 1 question has No (0)response, and the category of score 0 is poor. Refers to the gathered score, the E-Local Content of teaching materials is feasible to use as the appropriate reading materials for teaching extensive reading course based on lecturer’s voice.