Metacognitive instruction does improve listening comprehension

This paper reports on a small-scale study, which looked into the impact of metacognitive instruction on listeners’ comprehension. Twenty-eight adult, Iranian, high-intermediate level EFL listeners participated in a “strategy-based” approach of advance organisation, directed attention, selective attention, and self-management in each of four listening lessons focused on improving listeners’ comprehension of IELTS listening texts. A comparison of pretest and posttest scores showed that the “less-skilled” listeners improved more than “more-skilled” listeners in the IELTS listening tests. Findings also supported the view that metacognitive instruction assisted listeners in considering the process of listening input and promoting listening comprehension ability

The Relationship between Reading Strategy Use and EFL Test Performance

There has been a steady interest in investigating the relationship between strategy use and English as a foreign language (EFL) test performance. Despite numerous studies on strategy use, the relationship between the two is still not clear. This paper reports on a study that investigated the use of reading strategies in the Secondary Education Examination English reading test and the relationship between reading strategy use and the test performance. A sample of 312 EFL learners studying at Grade 10 in Nepal participated in this study. They were asked to take the test and then respond to a reading strategy questionnaire. The quantitative software SPSS (version 20) was used to analyze the data. The results indicated that participants were active strategy users, and they used cognitive strategies more frequently than metacognitive strategies. A significant relationship was identified between reading strategy use and EFL proficiency; high-proficiency learners reported significantly higher use of reading strategies than moderate-proficiency learners, who in turn reported higher use of those strategies than their low-proficiency peers. Implications of these findings for EFL teaching and recommendations for further research are discussed

Teachers’ Use of Multiple Instructional Strategies: A Comparison of Reading Performance of Third Grade English Language Learners in ESL/Bilingual Programs

The purposes of this dissertation are three-fold. The first purpose is to identify the effects of four different English as a Second Language/English as a Foreign Language (ESL/EFL) instructional strategies (graphic organizers, scaffolding, interactive read aloud, and leveled questions) on reading performance of English language learners (ELLs) across grade level, intervention duration, ESL/EFL environment, and sample size. The second purpose is to ascertain how frequently teachers should use these four strategies to enhance third-grade ELLs’ reading performance. The third purpose is to discuss how Project English Language and Literacy Acquisition (Project ELLA) curriculum can be modified to fit Taiwan’s English-language planning and education policy. To respond to the first purpose, a meta-analysis for quantitative synthesis was adopted to review and examine the effectiveness of the four instructional strategies on ELLs’ reading performance. For the second purpose, a multilevel path analysis using structural equation modeling was adopted to examine if teachers’ frequency of using these four instructional strategies moderates the relationship between ELLs’ reading performance on pretest and on posttest. For the third purpose, a case study was conducted to discuss incorporating Project ELLA into Taiwan’s English-language planning and education policy. The overall findings supported an educational belief that explicit instruction coupled with multiple instructional strategies is essential for enhancing ELLs’ reading performance. The findings further indicated that higher frequency of using multiple instructional strategies had a significant interaction effect on the relationship between ELLs’ reading performance on the pretest and the posttest. To conclude, the use of multiple instructional strategies is a key factor in predicting successful reading performance. To enhance ELLs’ performance in reading, teachers are strongly suggested to adopt multiple instructional strategies. When using these strategies, teachers should pay special attention to the frequency of use. A more frequent use of multiple instructional strategies should help improve ELLs’ reading performance. The four strategies combined with the curriculum of Project ELLA should strengthen Taiwan’s English-language planning and education policy

Improving reading comprehension test results through direct instruction of metacognitive strategies for reading comprehension of eighth graders in a blended learning environment

124 Páginas.Este documento reporta los efectos de instrucción directa de estrategias metacognitivas para el desarrollo de habilidades de comprensión de lectura utilizando una metodología mixta la cual involucra actividades mediadas por la tecnología y actividades presenciales. Este estudio fue realizado con 35 estudiantes de grado octavo en el colegio Carlo Federici I.E.D, localizado en Bogotá, Colombia. La intervención involucró 16 sesiones implementadas durante un periodo de dos meses. Previo a la intervención, el problema fue identificado e indagación acerca del nivel de conciencia de los estudiantes en el uso sistemático de estrategias de comprensión de lectura fue llevado a cabo a través de la aplicación del cuestionario MARSI (inventario sobre estrategias metacognitivas de lectura). Con los datos recolectados, fueron identificadas las necesidades de los estudiantes respecto al uso de estrategias de comprensión de lectura, y posteriormente, las sesiones para la intervención fueron programadas considerando estrategias metacognitivas sugeridas por Flavell (1978), Brown (1980), Baker & Brown (1984), y Koda (2005), enfocándose principalmente en planear, monitorear y evaluar. Mediante la aplicación de un Pre-test y un Post-test, junto con descripciones detalladas de la intervención tomadas del diario del Profesor y el diario de los Estudiantes, fue posible establecer que, después de la intervención, la mayoría de los estudiantes mejoró sus resultados en pruebas de comprensión de lectura, evidenciando efectividad y relación entre el uso sistemático de estrategias y sus habilidades para la comprensión de lectura.

Teachers’ Use of Multiple Instructional Strategies: A Comparison of Reading Performance of Third Grade English Language Learners in ESL/Bilingual Programs

The purposes of this dissertation are three-fold. The first purpose is to identify the effects of four different English as a Second Language/English as a Foreign Language (ESL/EFL) instructional strategies (graphic organizers, scaffolding, interactive read aloud, and leveled questions) on reading performance of English language learners (ELLs) across grade level, intervention duration, ESL/EFL environment, and sample size. The second purpose is to ascertain how frequently teachers should use these four strategies to enhance third-grade ELLs’ reading performance. The third purpose is to discuss how Project English Language and Literacy Acquisition (Project ELLA) curriculum can be modified to fit Taiwan’s English-language planning and education policy. To respond to the first purpose, a meta-analysis for quantitative synthesis was adopted to review and examine the effectiveness of the four instructional strategies on ELLs’ reading performance. For the second purpose, a multilevel path analysis using structural equation modeling was adopted to examine if teachers’ frequency of using these four instructional strategies moderates the relationship between ELLs’ reading performance on pretest and on posttest. For the third purpose, a case study was conducted to discuss incorporating Project ELLA into Taiwan’s English-language planning and education policy. The overall findings supported an educational belief that explicit instruction coupled with multiple instructional strategies is essential for enhancing ELLs’ reading performance. The findings further indicated that higher frequency of using multiple instructional strategies had a significant interaction effect on the relationship between ELLs’ reading performance on the pretest and the posttest. To conclude, the use of multiple instructional strategies is a key factor in predicting successful reading performance. To enhance ELLs’ performance in reading, teachers are strongly suggested to adopt multiple instructional strategies. When using these strategies, teachers should pay special attention to the frequency of use. A more frequent use of multiple instructional strategies should help improve ELLs’ reading performance. The four strategies combined with the curriculum of Project ELLA should strengthen Taiwan’s English-language planning and education policy

Comparing The Effectiveness of Content-Based Language Instruction and Communicative Language Teaching in Improving the Reading Comprehension Skills of Iranian Intermediate English Learners

This study compares the effectiveness of content-based language instruction (CBLI) and communicative language teaching (CLT) in improving the reading comprehension skills of 60 primary and secondary school EFL students in Iran. Furthermore, it assesses Iranian EFL learners’ attitudes toward CLT and CBLI to examine which approach is more preferred and perceived as more effective by the L2 learners. The measures were two Cambridge Advanced English (CAE) reading comprehension tests administered as the pretest and posttest of an intervention study to measure the reading comprehension ability of the students in both groups who were instructed using CLT or CBLI approaches. During the intervention, the students in the CLT group were instructed by using CLT practices and the students in the CBLI group were instructed using CBLI principles for 15 weeks (30 sessions in total). : After having conducted the intervention study, the students in the two groups were surveyed about CLT and CBLI. The data shows that both CLT and CBLI were effective in improving the reading comprehension skills of the Iranian EFL learners as the learners who were instructed using each of these approaches did not show any significant differences in terms of reading comprehension skills compared to the other group. Moreover, the Iranian EFL students who received instructions through CLT perceived that the use of CLT was effective in improving their reading comprehension skills. Likewise, the students who were instructed using the CBLI principles favored the use of CBLI for teaching reading comprehension skills. While there are no significant differences of the two groups’ reading comprehension skills, the students in the CBLI group were overall more positive about CBLI compared to the students in the CLT group toward the use of CLT

The effects of explicit teaching of context clues at undergraduate level in EFL and ESL context

The effects of a 6-session intervention targeting contextual analysis on reading comprehension were investigated in undergraduate university classes, assigned randomly to treatment and control conditions. According to the quantitative analysis of the study, in comparison to control group, using context clues strategy caused an effect on reading comprehension of the EFL and ESL students in experimental group who were taught in how to use different context clues while reading, without considering the role of proficiency level and gender as a variable because there was no interaction between them and strategy use in this study. Thus, implementing context clue strategy as a learning tool deserves more attention by college English instructors in both EFL and ESL context. On the basis of the major findings in this research, college English teachers should keep the students better informed of the significance and specific functions of context clues in contextual guessing and should encourage the students to guess word meanings from context instead of inhibiting it when there are adequate context clues offered

The effects of explicit teaching of context clues at undergraduate level in EFL and ESL context

The effects of a 6-session intervention targeting contextual analysis on reading comprehension were investigated in undergraduate university classes, assigned randomly to treatment and control conditions. According to the quantitative analysis of the study, in comparison to control group, using context clues strategy caused an effect on reading comprehension of the EFL and ESL students in experimental group who were taught in how to use different context clues while reading, without considering the role of proficiency level and gender as a variable because there was no interaction between them and strategy use in this study. Thus, implementing context clue strategy as a learning tool deserves more attention by college English instructors in both EFL and ESL context. On the basis of the major findings in this research, college English teachers should keep the students better informed of the significance and specific functions of context clues in contextual guessing and should encourage the students to guess word meanings from context instead of inhibiting it when there are adequate context clues offered

The Integration of the English Language Skills to Teach Physical Education to 6th Graders from a public school

En este proyecto de aula se busca integrar las cuatro habilidades del inglés para enseñar Educación Física a estudiantes de sexto grado de un colegio público. Con el proyecto, promovemos el uso de las habilidades orales en inglés a través de la práctica en Educación Física, teniendo como enfoque la instrucción basada en contenido. Implementamos estrategias a través de las cuales los estudiantes reciben, entienden y realizan comandos orales relacionados con Educación Física. Este proyecto tiene como escenario una clase de sexto grado en un colegio público local en un periodo de tiempo de ocho horas a razón de una hora semanal durante dos meses. Se recogieron datos haciendo uso del método cualitativo a través de diarios de campo, observaciones y artefactos producidos por los estudiantes. Una vez contrastados los objetivos del proyecto con los resultados obtenidos, se puede decir que estos fueron alcanzados