Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 11. Number2 June 2020 Pp. 383-394
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol11no2.26
The Effect of Cultural Schemata on EFL Learners’ Reading Comprehension
Ability
Hiba Bensalah
Department of English, Faculty of Foreign Languages
Abdelhamid Ibn Badis University
Mostaganem, Algeria
Noureddine Gueroudj
Department of English, Faculty of Letters, Languages, and Arts
Djilali Liabès University
Sidi-Bel Abbès, Algeria
Abstract:
This research study aims to investigate the impact of cultural schemata on the process of reading culturally- loaded texts, and whether the use of pre-reading activities recompenses for the absence of cultural familiarity. In this regard, EFL readers bring to the text a wide range of experiences. Consequently, such diversity of prior knowledge influences their perception and interpretation of foreign language texts. Here comes the role of cultural schemata, which is indeed a very critical role. How do cultural differences in background knowledge influence student’s reading comprehension ability? To recognize the effect of cultural schemata on comprehension, it is essential first to understand the significant role that background knowledge plays in the reading process. Therefore, to carry out this research, a selection of reading comprehension tests was assigned for an experimental and a control group in a quasi-classroom experiment of first-year EFL students at Ibn Khaldoun University (Tiaret). While the experimental group was provided with pre-reading tasks to activate their background knowledge, the control group received no treatment. We collected data from 40 participants, and the results show that many EFL learners belonging to the control group display a lack of cultural schemata since their prior-knowledge is not activated, which may well impact negatively on their reading practices. By contrast, participants of the experimental group performed better in the comprehension test than those in the control group. In brief, there is a correlation between activating students’ background knowledge and the increase of reading comprehension ability.
Keywords: cultural schemata, conceptual knowledge, interactive process, reading comprehension, schema theory
Cite as: Bensalah, H. , & Gueroudj, N. (2020). The Effect of Cultural Schemata on EFL Learners’ Reading Comprehension Ability.Arab World English Journal, 11 (2) 383-394.
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol11no2.26
References
Anderson, R. C., & Pearson, P. D. (1984). A Schema-Theoretic View of Basic Processes in Reading Comprehension. Handbook of reading research, (1), 255-291.
Adams, M. J., & Collins, A. (1977). A Schema-Theoretic View of Reading. Technical Report No. 32.
Alptekin, C. (2006). Cultural Familiarity in Inferential and Literal Comprehension in L2 Reading. The System, 34 (4), 494-508
An, S. (2013). Schema Theory in Reading. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 3(1), 130- 134.
Brown, H. D. (2001). Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy Second Edition. New York: Pearson Education Company.
Carrell, P.L. & J.C.Eisterhold. (1983). Schema Theory and ESL Reading Pedagogy. TESOL Quarterly, 17, (4), 553- 573.
Carrell, P. L. (1987). Content and Formal Schemata in ESL Reading. TESOL Quarterly, 21 (3), 461-481.
Gay, G. (2000). Culturally Responsive Teaching: Theory, Research, and Practice. New York: Teachers College Press.
Grabe, W., &Stoller, F. L.(2002). Teaching and Researching Reading. Harlow, UK: Pearson Education.
Kim, M. (2010).Adult ESL Korean reader‟s responses about their reading in L1 Korean and L2
University.
Kim, M. (2010). Adult ESL Korean Reader’s Responses about their Reading in L1 Korean and L2 English (Doctoral dissertation). Available from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. (UMI No. 3402930)
] Koh, M. Y. (1986). The Role of Prior Knowledge in Reading Comprehension. Reading in a Foreign Language, 3, (4), 375-380.
Kramsch, C. (2001). Language and Culture. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Nassaji, H. (2002). Schema Theory and knowledge-Based Processes in Second Language Reading Comprehension: a Need for Alternative Perspectives, Language Learning, 52 (2): 439-481.
Pritchard, R. (1990). The Effect of Cultural Schema on Reading Processing Strategies. Reading Research Quarterly, 25 (4), 273-295.
Pulido, D. (2004). The Effect of Cultural Familiarity on Incidental Vocabulary Acquisition through Reading. The Reading Matrix, 4 (2), 20-53.
OZYAKA, Sidika Gaye (2001) The significance of cultural content in EFL reading