Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 11. Number2 June 2020 Pp.411- 419
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol11no2.28
Interpretive Reading as a Strategy to Construct Meaning in EFL Reading Comprehension:
A Case Study at King Khalid University
Ahmad I. Assiri
Faculty of Languages and Translation,
King Khalid University, Abha, KSA
Ahlullah Siddiqui
Faculty of Languages and Translation
King Khalid University, Abha, KSA
Abstract:
This study aims to investigate interpretive reading; as a strategy to construct meaning among English as a foreign language (EFL) beginner level students at the Faculty of Languages and Translation, King Khalid University(KKU). It will also suggest ways in which instructors can incorporate this strategy into their teaching. Reading appears to be one of the challenging skills for EFL Saudi students for various reasons; among them, the primary one can be that students are usually less motivated towards self-reading. The Interpretive reading strategy could go a long way to bridge the gaps in understanding comprehension passages, as it is a performance/rhetoric-related strategy and lies at a more intuitive level. Engaging and motivating students in learning requires a few essential factors, such as exciting tasks, the sociocultural background of the learners, and people who manage the delivery of the course (Marshall,1992). An experimental and control group of students will be selected, enrolled in the reading course, at level 1. The test group will get training in the interpretive reading techniques through their EFL instructors, having excellent in-depth knowledge of the skill of interpretive reading techniques. After teaching for more than eight weeks, a proficiency test will gauge student’s performance. The obtained results are compared using SPSS software to see the significant achievements and suggestions, and necessary recommendations are made.
Key Words: EFL Reading comprehension, ESL interpretive reading, self-reading, Saudi beginner level
Cite as: Assiri, A. I. , & Siddiqui, A. (2020). Interpretive Reading as a Strategy to Construct Meaning in EFL Reading Comprehension: A Case Study at King Khalid University..Arab World English Journal, 11 (2) 395-410. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol11no2.28
References
Ames, C. (1992). Classrooms: Goals, structures, and student motivation, Journal of Educational Psychology, 84(3)
Al-Jarf, R. (2002). Studies in Reading Instruction in Saudi Arabia. Tihama Distributing &
Publishing Company.
Al-Jarf, R. (2011). Developing and Testing Reading Skills through Art Texts, in S.V.; Lobanov, S.V.Bulaeva, S.V. Somova, N.P. Chepel(Editors),”Language and Communication through Culture.”pp.168-176. Ryazan State University. Russia.
Blumenfeld, P. C. (1992). Classroom learning and motivation: Clarifying and expanding goal theory. Journal of Educational Psychology, 84(3), 272-281.
Culler, J. (1980). Literary competence. In J.P. Tompkins (Ed.), Reader-response criticism: From formalism to post-structuralism (pp.101-117). Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Covington, M. (1992). Making the grade: A self-worth perspective on motivation and school reform. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press
Dilthey, W. (1900/1976). The development of hermeneutics. In H. Rickman (Ed. & Trans.), Selected writings (pp. 246-263). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Grabe, William. (1991). Current developments in second language reading research. TESOL Quarterly. 25 (3): 375-406.
Harris, P.J.,(1989). First-grade children’s constructs of teacher-assigned reading tasks in a whole language classroom. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of California, Berkeley. Horowitz, R. (Ed.) (1994). Guest-edited issue: Classroom talk about text. ]ournal of Reading, 37
Johnson, E. P. Perry, J. & Shamir, H. (2010) Variability in reading ability gains as a function of the computer-assisted instruction method of presentation Computers & Education, 55(1), 209-217
Knaack, L. (2003). Elements of Effective Instructional Design for Elementary Mathematical Problem Solving Computer Software In C. Crawford et al. (eds.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2003 (pp. 2921-2924). Chesapeake (VA); AACE.
Laborda, J. G. (2007). Teaching Reading Skills in a foreign language Reading in a Foreign
Language, 19(2), 162-166
MacGregor, S. K. (1988). Instructional design for computer-mediated text systems: effects of motivation, learner control, and collaboration on reading performance. Journal of Experimental Education, 56(3), 142-147.
Maehr, M.L. (1984). Meaning and motivation: Toward a theory of personal investment. In
R.Ames &C. Ames (Eds.), Research on motivation in education (Vol. 1, pp. 39-73). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
Marshall, H. (1992). Associate editor’s introduction to centennial articles on classroom learning and motivation. ]ournal of Educational Psychology, 84(3), 2592
Newell, G.E., & Durst, R.K. (1993). Exploring texts: The role of discussion and writing in the teaching and learning of literature. Norwood, MA: Christopher-Gordon.
Richards, J., & Rodgers, T. (1986). Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching. New
York: Cambridge University Press.
Sanders, W. L., & Rivers, J. C. (1996) Cumulative and Residual Effects of Teachers on Future Student Academic Achievement Knoxville: University of Tennessee Value-Added Research and Assessment Center.
Rowe, K. (2003). The Importance of Teacher Quality as a Key Determinant of students’ experiences and outcomes of Schooling. Building Teacher Quality: What Does The Research Tell Us? Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) Conference 2003Retrievedfrom:http://research.acer.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=research_confer ence_2003.
Siddiqui,A.,Kana’an,B.,& Rab,S.,(2014). The effect of expansion of vision span on reading speed: A case study of EFL major students at King Khalid University. Canadian Center of Science and Education, 7(10)57-58.
Sessa, S. A. (2005). Strategies designed to promote active learning and student satisfaction. Journal of College Teaching and Learning, 2(4), 17-26.
Turner, H. (2005). You can do it! A Guide for the Adult Learner and Anyone going back to
School Mid-Career Aberdeen (WA). Silver Lake Publishing.
Williams, R. (1986). “Top Ten” Principles for Teaching Reading ELT Journal,
40(1), 42- 45
Zhao, X. (2009) Investigate and evaluate online resources of reading comprehension tests. English Language Teaching, 2(2), 167-169