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Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Traditional versus Technology-based Instruction on Reading Comprehension of EFL Students

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Reading is an essential skill for language acquisition, especially for learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Reading comprehension is essential for academic success, thus teachers and researchers are consistently testing new strategies and resources to assist EFL students. Given the growing technological infrastructure many schools are forgoing traditional strategies for digital reading resources. Thus, the purpose of this meta-analysis investigates the effects of using strategy instruction versus technology-based instruction on the reading comprehension of EFL learners. A Meta-analysis of 17 studies (20 effect sizes) published between the years 2007 and 2016 was conducted. A three level inclusion and exclusion process was used to select studies based on the a priori criteria. The overall combined effect size for traditional strategies and technology-based strategies was (d=1.176), which is considered a large effect size. The findings of the moderator analysis suggest that the use of traditional reading strategy instruction or technology-based reading instruction is equally effective for supporting the reading comprehension of EFL students. Recommendations for enhanced teaching and learning are provided to support EFL student reading comprehension.
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Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Traditional versus Technology-based Instruction
EFL JOURNAL
, Volume 1 (3), 2016 189
Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Traditional versus
Technology-based Instruction on Reading
Comprehension of EFL Students
Sami Alsuwat
University of North Texas, United States
e-mail: SamiAlsuwat@my.unt.edu
Jamaal Rashad Young
University of North Texas, United States
e-mail: Jamaal.young@unt.ed
Abstract
Reading is an essential skill for language acquisition, especially for learners of English
as a Foreign Language (EFL). Reading comprehension is essential for academic
success, thus teachers and researchers are consistently testing new strategies and
resources to assist EFL students. Given the growing technological infrastructure many
schools are forgoing traditional strategies for digital reading resources. Thus, the
purpose of this meta-analysis investigates the effects of using strategy instruction versus
technology-based instruction on the reading comprehension of EFL learners. A Meta-
analysis of 17 studies (20 effect sizes) published between the years 2007 and 2016 was
conducted. A three level inclusion and exclusion process was used to select studies
based on the a priori criteria. The overall combined effect size for traditional strategies
and technology-based strategies was (d=1.176), which is considered a large effect size.
The findings of the moderator analysis suggest that the use of traditional reading
strategy instruction or technology-based reading instruction is equally effective for
supporting the reading comprehension of EFL students. Recommendations for
enhanced teaching and learning are provided to support EFL student reading
comprehension.
Key-words: reading comprehension, EFL, strategy instruction, technology-based
instruction
EFL JOURNAL
Vol. 1 No. 3, 2016
www.efljournal.org
e-ISSN: 2502-6054, p-ISSN: 2527-5089
Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Traditional versus Technology-based Instruction
EFL JOURNAL
, Volume 1 (3), 2016 190
1. INTRODUCTION
Comprehensive summaries of the effects of instructional strategies and resources on
language learning are essential for research and praxis. Language conveys meaning and
contributes to the sharing of ideas and information, thus when written language is
successfully understood, reading can be a powerful skill and an inspiring tool.
Appropriately, reading is an important skill in acquiring a language for learners of
English as a foreign language (EFL). Reading helps EFL learners to build their
vocabulary and improve their L2 skills (Taguchi, Melhem, & Kawaguchi, 2016).
Research in EFL reading has focused on several factors that affect reading
comprehension. King (2008) believes that four factors are included in reading
comprehension. They are the reader, the text, the strategy, and the goal. Reading
strategies are actions of how readers conceive a task, how they make sense of what they
read, what they do when they do not understand, and what cues they attend to (Cohen,
2014). For the purpose of this study we focus on the EFL reader, technology and
traditional strategies, and the effects of these variables on reading achievement. The use
of technology has become essential around the world. The influence of technology can
also be seen in modern reading instruction. Technology-based learning may provide an
active learning environment for many students. Both traditional and technology-based
approaches are used in ways that complement each other and promote student
achievement (Cheung & Slavin, 2013). Yet, the influence of technology and traditional
instructional strategies on the reading achievement of EFL learners has yet to be
systematically reviewed and synthesized.
2. TRADITIONAL VERSUS TECHNOLOGY BASED READING
INSTRUCTION
The affordances and constraints of traditional reading instruction and technology-based
reading instruction are numerous. Yet, many teachers are drawn to the allure of new
technological resources or steeped in their familiarity with traditional reading
instructional strategies. In the following discussion we examine the benefits and
constraints of traditional reading instruction and technology-based instruction to support
the reading comprehension needs of EFL students.
2.1 Traditional Reading Instruction
Academic reading can present a challenge for students in their first language (L1), and
can be substantially more difficult in their second language (L2). Reading strategies are
an essential part of language learning and reading comprehension for EFL students.
Reading strategies assist learners in the development of long-term metacognitive
reading systems. A strategy is “a multiplicity of actions, careful integrating available
means in order to achieve desired ends” (Marcella, 2010, p.13). Garber (1991) defines
reading strategy as “a deliberate action that readers take voluntarily to develop an
understanding of what they read" (p. 379). A strategy is neither art nor a science, but
rather both. As an art, it is the ability to think strategically, and this is a skill, which can
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be developed by studying, observing, and experiencing. As a science, thinking
strategically requires the pursuit of knowledge, collection of information, and analysis
of different hypotheses to solve a problem (Marcella, 2010). Given the complex nature
of reading strategies, it is important to consider the quality rather than the quantity of
strategies to improve the reading comprehension of EFL students.
Alsamadani (2009) indicates that the kind of reading strategy that one employs is
essential, whereas the quantity of reading strategies practiced while reading does not
ensure greater reading comprehension. The quality of strategies can improve reading
comprehension and increase awareness of readers’ performance as they read. Therefore,
researchers must recognize the significant role of metacognitive awareness in reading
comprehension. Researchers who investigate reading strategies of L1 and L2 readers
have suggested that comprehension activities of proficient readers take place at the
metacognitive level (Pressley, 2002; Wen, 2003). There are two type of metacognition:
(1) metacognitive knowledge and (2) metacognitive regulation (Thillmann, Gößling,
Marschner, Wirth, & Leutner, 2013). Researchers also posit that there is a relationship
between metacognitive awareness-raising and reading comprehension improvement.
This indicates that metacognitive strategy is efficient and is statistically significant in
increasing reading comprehension (Dabarera, Renandya, & Zhang, 2014).
According to Alsamadani (2011) using different comprehension strategies improves the
reading comprehension of EFL learners. Associated skills such as writing also support
the reading comprehension of EFL learners. For example, Balenghizadeh and Babapour
(2001) found that reading comprehension can be significantly enhanced through
writing. The authors suggest that written works or summary writing strategies not only
develops student reading comprehension, but also enables them to recall the content
longer.
2.2 Technology-based Instruction
Technology is a useful educational tool to support the reading comprehension of EFL
students. However compared to traditional reading instructional strategies, technology-
based reading strategies are still in their infancy. Brantmeier (2003) examined how
instructors perceive the integration of technology-based materials in the second
language (L2) reading process. The participants were ten Ph.D. students who were
enrolled in a seminar on second language acquisition (SLA) and Computer Assisted
Language Learning (CALL) for a semester. The findings suggest that the use of
technology improved the use of class time in more collaborative ways and that students’
reading comprehension was statistically significantly improved. The researcher
hypothesized that technology enhanced student motivation, which influence its
effectiveness. Motivation is one of the key affordances of technology-based reading
instruction. As Lee (2000) states, students feel more independent with computers, and
motivation rises. More explicit affordances of technology also abound.
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Technology can facilitate reading comprehension when utilized in an informed and
responsible manner. Huang (2014) investigated the impact of computer-based reading
instruction versus paper-based instruction in the college EFL teaching context. The
results of the study show that the online reading group had higher reading
comprehension than the paper-based group. According to Mathews one explanation for
this finding is that “reading and interaction with a book on a computer screen has the
potential to be a powerful motivation force for even the most reluctant readers” (p. 380).
Finally, Chen et al. (2013) examined the effects of an e-book extensive reading program
on EFL students' English reading attitude. The findings suggest that the experimental
group has statistically significantly better reading attitudes and reading comprehension
compared to the control group. Given the consistent positive support for technology-
based reading instruction for EFL students, many teachers and researchers may begin to
forgo traditional instructional methods in favor of the digital tools. However, previous
meta-analytic studies have yet to examine the differential effects of technology-based
instruction compared to traditional instruction for EFL student reading comprehension.
A meta-analysis conducted by Davis (2010) investigated the uses of multiple
comprehension strategy instruction (MCSI) over 30 years. The findings revealed that
the use of MCSI promotes literacy achievement among students in grades 4-8, and
provide directions for future research in reading comprehension pedagogy. However,
the study did not examine the technology-based instruction as a moderator variable.
Because both technology-based and traditional strategies instruction have a consistent
positive effect on reading comprehension of EFL learners, the objective of this meta-
analysis study is to investigate the cumulative and differential effects of on EFL student
reading comprehension.
3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Literature Search
A literature search was conducted the following databased: Academic Search Complete,
ERIC, Education Source, and Google scholar. The initial keyword search produced 95
studies. Out of these, 17 studies (with 20 effect sizes) were retained for use in this meta-
analysis. Others were rejected as they did not match the criteria as described below:
The following criteria for inclusion were set:
The studies were published between 2007 and 2017.
The study was quasi-experiment or a true experiment.
Included both experimental (traditional strategy or technology-based method)
and control groups.
The study included EFL learners as the population of interest.
Studies were peer-reviewed articles (Grey literature were excluded).
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Seventeen studies satisfied the above-mentioned criteria were included in the
meta-analysis. A flowchart of the inclusion and exclusion process is presented
in figure 1.
Figure 1. PRISMA flow diagram of inclusion and exclusion of studies.
Records identified through database
searching
(n = 92)
Additional records identified
through other sources
(n = 3)
Records after duplicates removed
(n = 83)
Records screened
(n = 83)
Records excluded
(n = 27)
Full-text articles assessed
for eligibility
(n = 56)
Full-text articles excluded
(n = 39)
Studies included in
meta-analysis
(n = 17)
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3.2 Study Characteristics
A descriptive analysis of characteristics of the studies in the meta-analysis was
tabulated and presented in the data here. Most of the studies about 29.41% in this meta-
analysis were published in the year 2012, while 23.53% were published in 2011 as
shown in table 1. The data presented in table 2 suggest that the majority of studies,
47.05% had treatment duration of between 5 to 9 weeks. Most of the included studies
were conducted in Iran. The Persian language was the L1 in 35.29% of the studies, and
Taiwanese language wad slightly less represented at 23.53% as seen in Table 3. The
sample sizes for each study are summarizes in table 4, 41.18% of studies had between
61 and 100 subjects, which was the most representative range of participants. The
number of studies that used traditional strategy-based instruction with L2 studies,
represented 70.59% percent, while 29.41% used technology-based instruction, complete
study details are presented in table 5.
Table 1
Distribution of year of publication across studies
Year
Percentage
2007
6.88
2010
11.76
2011
23.53
2012
29.41
2013
6.88
2014
17.66
2016
6.88
Total
100
Table 2
Distribution of duration of treatment across studies
Weeks
Number
Percentage
1-4
4
23.52
5-9
8
47.05
10-16
5
29.41
Total
17
100
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Table 3
Distribution of first language across studies
L1
Number
Percentage
Arabic
2
11.76
Persian
6
35.29
Taiwanese
4
23.53
Chinese
2
11.76
Indonesian
1
6.88
Singaporean
1
6.88
Malaysian
1
6.88
Total
17
100
Table 4
Distribution of sample size across studies
Sample Size
Number
Percentage
30-50
3
17.66
51-60
4
23.53
61-100
7
41.18
1001-340
3
17.66
Total
17
100
Table 5
Distribution of method of instruction across studies
Method
Number
Percentage
Traditional
12
70.59
Technology
5
29.41
Total
17
100
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Table 6 presents the effect sizes and characteristics of the included studies. The data in
table 6 where analyzed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis 3.0. Given the substantial
variation in study characteristics we predicted that significant heterogeneity existed and
thus planed implement a random effects model to calculate the overall effect size. The
random effects model also supports the subsequent moderator analysis necessary to
analyze the difference between traditional and technology-based reading strategies. To
assess this assumption we observed the Q statistic. If the Q statistic is statistically
significant then the assumption of significant heterogeneity is supported and random
effects model is most appropriate.
Table 6
Effect Sizes and Characteristics of studies
Study reference
Language
N
Instruction
Moderator
Age
ES
Alsamadani (2011)
Arabic
/English
85
3-2-1
Traditional
18-23
1.889
Khatib & Fat’hi (2011)
Persian/
English
60
Phonological
Component
Traditional
18-25
1.0631
Safadi & Rababah
(2012)
Arabic/
English
107
Scaffolding
Traditional
grade
11
1.6554
Soleimani & Nabizadeh
(2012) A
Persian/
English
30
Learner
Constructed
CM
Traditional
17-18
3.3587
Soleimani & Nabizadeh
(2012) B
Persian/
English
30
The map CM
Traditional
17-18
5.198
Soleimani & Nabizadeh
(2012) C
Persian/
English
30
Summarize
Traditional
17-18
3.7692
Modirkhamene (2012)
Persian/
English
70
Multiple
Intelligences-
based
Traditional
16-23
4.281
Baleghizadeh &
Babapour (2011)
Persian/
English
50
Summary
writing
Traditional
18
2.1161
Dabarera et al. (2014)
Singapore
an/
English
67
Meta-
cognitive
Traditional
12-15
1.0398
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Mistar et al. (2016)
Indonesia
n/ English
71
Predicting,
text mapping
and
summarizing
Traditional
Grade
10
1.3374
Jalilifa et al. (2007)
Persian/
English
60
Meta-
discourse
Traditional
College
1.5921
Choo et al. (2011)
Malaysia
n/ English
68
Reciprocal
Traditional
sixth
form
3.0308
Jiang (2012)
Chinese/
English
340
Graphic
organizers
Traditional
19
0.1363
Chen et al. (2013)
Taiwanes
e/ English
89
E-books
Technology
18-19
1.0309
Sadeghi & Ahmadi
(2012) A
Persian/
English
30
Computer-
based
Technology
17-20
2.0029
Sadeghi & Ahmadi
(2012) B
Persian/
English
30
Computer-
based
Extended
Technology
17-20
2.9433
Liu et al. (2010)
Taiwanes
e/ English
192
Computer -
assisted
Concept
mapping
Technology
college
0.7327
Huang, (2014)
Taiwanes
e/ English
57
Online
reading
Technology
college
1.2974
Chen et al. (2010)
Taiwanes
e/ English
56
Tag-based
learning
TACO
Technology
high
school
0.9512
4. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
Effect sizes are related to the magnitude of the effect caused by the treatment.
According to Cohen (1992) the effect size is a significant measure in evaluating
research. The importance of effect size multiplied with the advent of meta-analysis in
late 70's (Glass, 1976), thus in the following discussion the overall and differential
intervention effects are presented. In this section the results of the meta-analysis are
shown beginning in table 7 below, the overall or mean effect size was 1.176. The
confidence interval was 0.818 and 1.534, given that the confidence interval does not
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EFL JOURNAL
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include zero, we concluded that this is a statistically significant mean effect size. As
shown in table 7 a statistically significant Q, was observed indicating the presence of
significant heterogeneity. The large I2 statistic further substantiates the presence of
heterogeneity. Based on the heterogeneity present in the studies the random effects
model was implemented. To assess the possibility of publication bias in this meta-
analysis we calculated the Fail-Safe N and trim and fill. As presented in table 7 the Fail-
Safe N was large and the trim and fill resulted in zero imputed effect sizes. This
indicates that the collected studies are sufficiently represented of the available literature.
Table 7
Overall results of Meta-analysis
Heterogeneity
Publication Bias
k
N
ES
CI
Q
I2
Fail-Safe N
Trim and Fill
Overall
Results
20
1561
1.176*
[.818, 1.534]
203.816*
90.678
1399
0
* indicates a statistically significant result.
Table 8 presents the results of the moderator analysis. This study focused on examining
the difference between technology-based and traditional instruction to support EFL
student reading comprehension, thus strategy was the moderator of interest. From the 12
studies using traditional instruction 14 effect sizes were extracted with a group mean
effect size of 0.703. The 95% confidence interval 0.581 and 0.824, and did not include
zero. The technology-based instruction category included 5 studies, from which 6 effect
sizes were extracted. The mean group effect size for technology-based strategies was
0.707, with a 95% confidence interval of 0.511 to 0.902 that does not include zero.
Although both strategies had statistically significant effect sizes, they were
approximately the same in magnitude. This along with the non-statistically significant
QB indicates that traditional and technology-based reading strategies are essentially
equally effective mechanisms to support EFL reading comprehension.
Table 8
Teaching strategy moderator analysis
Moderator
k
QB
ES
95% CI
Methods
.001
Traditional
14
.703*
[.581, .824]
Technology
6
.707*
[.511, .902]
* indicates a statistically significant result.
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5. CONCLUSION
This meta-analysis study indicates that there is a positive statistically significant effect
of using traditional instruction or technology-based based instruction on reading
comprehension of EFL learners. This study supports the educational value of traditional
strategy instruction in EFL reading class (ES = 0.703). Prior studies also indicate that
EFL students who are taught reading through traditional strategies have significantly
higher scores of reading comprehension (Ahmadi, 2012; Khatib & Fat’hi, 2011). The
results of this study are important because they support traditional strategies, but we
would be remiss if we need not remind researchers and teachers that overall
effectiveness depends on the strategy quality.
Our study also indicates that technology-based strategies have the ability to improve
reading comprehension (ES = 0.707). This finding is important because it supports prior
research with explicit digital tools. For example, teachers should consider including the
ebook into EFL instruction, given it is a powerful reading comprehension tool (Chen et
al., 2013). Other studies provide support for general computers and multimedia use to
enhance teaching in traditional and online computerized L2 text comprehension
(Sadeghi & Ahmadi, 2012). Thus, our study supports prior research that suggests the
use of technology-based instruction to improve poor readers’ reading ability and
narrowed the proficiency gap between good and poor EFL readers (Liu et al., 2010).
To conclude, the most important result of this study was that technology-based and
traditional strategies are equally effective resources to support the reading
comprehension of EFL students. This is of educative import because oftentimes
resources are scarce, and schools must choose whether or not to purchase digital
resources to support student learning. Based on the results of our study schools can
forgo purchasing digital tools to support EFL reading comprehension if resources are
scarce. However, it is important to note that the quality of instruction matters, thus
alternatively if schools lack adequately trained teachers; then technology-based
resources are an equally effective strategy if the financial resources are available.
In conclusion, as the importance of English proficiency grows, the results of this study
have substantial implications for supporting the learning needs of an increasingly
linguistically diverse international populous. The overall results of this meta-analysis
study contradict the oft-claimed assumption that technology is more effective in
teaching than traditional instructional strategies. It revealed that while studies have
concluded that differences exist between traditional teaching strategies and technology-
based instruction to improved reading comprehension of EFL students, when
differences are compared in effect size units there is essentially no difference between
using traditional reading instruction or technology-based instruction to support EFL
students reading comprehension.
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... Regarding this, we must bear in mind that it will be painful for teachers to change what they have been doing for so many years, even more so when many of them are convinced that this is the proper way of teaching (Alsuwat & Young, 2016). However, the most difficult thing will not be to change the way teachers think about this, but to change parents' and the entire educational system's beliefs on this matter, especially considering their reluctance to accept and assimilate changes of this nature (Kramer, 2010). ...
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Aunque la educación del siglo XXI ha sido ampliamente debatida y presentada en la literatura, la realidad de las escuelas actuales, especialmente en los países en desarrollo, muestra una imagen muy alejada de lo que debería ser una educación flexible, personalizada, orientada al desarrollo de habilidades blandas y basada en el uso de Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación (TIC). Abordar esta situación en detalle sería el primer paso para comprenderla y proporcionar elementos de trabajo concretos para los docentes, los directores escolares y los responsables de la política educativa, especialmente para aquellos que trabajan en contextos educativos adversos. Este artículo presenta una revisión sistemática de literatura centrada en la identificación de ideas clave sobre la educación del siglo XXI como posibles factores de transformación de la actual escuela. La revisión incluyó 780 informes de investigación sobre la educación del siglo XXI, 101 de los cuales fueron leídos en profundidad y analizados cualitativamente. Los resultados revelaron que, si bien la mayoría de las ideas clave relacionadas con la educación del siglo XXI no son completamente nuevas, están floreciendo, como bellas durmientes, con nuevas posibilidades de implementación debido a la evolución del desarrollo tecnológico actual. Algunas de las bellas durmientes educativas a destacar son: las rutas personales de aprendizaje, la enseñanza basada en la investigación, el currículo abierto, flexible y apoyado digitalmente y el aprendizaje a lo largo de la vida.
... Regarding this, we must bear in mind that it will be painful for teachers to change what they have been doing for so many years, even more so when many of them are convinced that this is the proper way of teaching (Alsuwat & Young, 2016). However, the most difficult thing will not be to change the way teachers think about this, but to change parents' and the entire educational system's beliefs on this matter, especially considering their reluctance to accept and assimilate changes of this nature (Kramer, 2010). ...
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Although 21st-century education has been widely debated and presented in the literature, the reality of today's schools, especially in developing countries, shows a very distant image of what should be a flexible, personalized, soft skills-oriented education, based on the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). To address this situation should be the first step in order to understand it and provide concrete work elements for teachers, school principals and policymakers, especially for those who work in adverse educational contexts. This article presents a systematic literature review focused on the identification of critical ideas about 21st-century education as possible factors of a transformation of the current school. The review included 780 research reports on 21st-century education, which were coded and processed through text mining. A selection of 101 reports was read in-depth and qualitatively analyzed. The results revealed that although most of the critical ideas related to 21st-century education are not brand new, they are flourishing, like sleeping beauties, with new possibilities of implementation due to the evolution of current technological development. Some of the educational sleeping beauties to highlight are personal learning paths, research-based teaching, open, flexible and digitally supported curriculum, and lifelong learning. R E S U M E N Aunque la educación del siglo XXI ha sido ampliamente debatida y presentada en la literatura, la realidad de las escuelas actuales, especialmente en los países en desarrollo, muestra una imagen muy alejada de lo que debería ser una educación flexible, personalizada, orientada al desarrollo de habilidades blandas y basada en el uso de Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación (TIC). Abordar esta situación en detalle sería el primer paso para comprenderla y proporcionar elementos de trabajo concretos para los docentes, los directores escolares y los responsables de la política educativa, especialmente para aquellos que trabajan en contextos educativos adver-sos. Este artículo presenta una revisión sistemática de literatura centrada en la identificación de ideas clave sobre la educación del siglo XXI como posibles factores de transformación de la actual escuela. La revisión incluyó 780 informes de investigación sobre la educación del siglo XXI, 101 de los cuales fueron leídos en profundidad y analizados cualitativamente. Los resultados reve-laron que, si bien la mayoría de las ideas clave relacionadas con la educación del siglo XXI no son completamente nuevas, están floreciendo, como bellas durmientes, con nuevas posibilidades de implementación debido a la evolución del desarrollo tecnológico actual. Algunas de las bellas durmientes educativas a destacar son: las rutas personales de aprendizaje, la enseñanza basada en la investigación, el currículo abierto, flexible y apoyado digitalmente y el aprendizaje a lo largo de la vida.
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The purpose of this study is to compare the effects of various remediation practices in reducing the number of student misconceptions on physics concepts. This research synthesizes 68 thesis undergraduate students of physics education which are published in Tanjungpura University library 2009-2016 period. In this study, the guidance in the form of checklist in conducting the study arranged to facilitate the understanding and assessment of the scientific work. Based on the analysis result, the average of effect size of all the synthesized thesis is 1.13. There are six forms of remedial misconceptions performed by physics education students, such as re-learning, feedback, integration of remediation in learning, physical activity, utilization of other learning resources and interviews. In addition, sampling techniques and test reliability were have contributed to the effect size of the study. Therefore, it is expected that the results of this study can be considered in preparing the remediation of misconceptions on physics learning in the future.
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A scaffolding instruction program, which lasted for 9 weeks, was implemented to find out its impact on 11th grade Jordanian EFL learners' reading comprehension skills. Using scaffolding instruction, the experimental group was taught three units selected from the participants' English textbook, while the control group was taught the same units with no scaffolding. Pre- and post-test procedure was used to measure the impact of the scaffolding program on the students' achievement. One-way analysis of co-variance (ANCOVA) was used to measure any statistically significant differences in the mean scores of both groups. Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) was also used to find any significant differences in their posttest mean scores. Results of the study show that there are significant differences in the subjects' achievement in reading comprehension skills, in favor of the experimental group. Therefore, it is recommended that scaffolding instruction be integrated into the EFL curriculum, and that teachers be advised to match their teaching techniques with the students' zones of proximal development.
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This study investigated the effect of reading strategies training on the students’ literal and inferential reading comprehension. The training involved three concrete strategies: predicting, text mapping, and summarizing. To achieve the purpose of this study, a quasi experimental design was selected with the experimental group being given reading strategies training and the control group being treated in a ‘business as usual’ mode. The subjects were students of two classes in a vocational senior high school in East Java, Indonesia (N=71). The students’ scores in the mid-semester teacher made test of English were used as the covariate to control possible initial differences between the two groups. Moreover, a test of reading comprehension was developed to measure the effect of the treatment. The analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) yielded that the experimental group outperformed the control group in both literal and inferential reading comprehension levels. Implications of this finding for classroom teaching are then discussed.
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This study investigated the effects of three kinds of gloss conditions that is traditional non-CALL marginal gloss, computer-based audio gloss, and computer-based extended audio gloss, on reading comprehension of Iranian EFL learners. To this end, three experimental and one control groups, each comprising 15 participants, took part in this study. In order to ensure that the participants were from the right proficiency level, KET (Key Language Test) was used to select upper-intermediate proficiency learners. Participants in each group read two passages under one of the three mentioned conditions, with no gloss offered for control group. They all completed one pretest, one reading session, and one post-test. The data were analyzed using t-tests and one-way ANOVA. Statistical analyses of the results revealed that extended audio gloss group, who were provided with the voice of a speaker to read the meaning of the target word, as well as one example sentence, significantly outperformed the other groups. The results of this study provide some insights for teachers and administrators to review their curricula, approaches, and educational tools, and to consider the possibility of incorporating CALL technology into their teaching.
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This study investigates the effects of extensive reading of e-books on tertiary level EFL students' English reading attitude, reading comprehension and vocabulary. Eighty-nine participants were assigned in two groups, with 46 students in the experimental group and the other 43 students in the control group. In addition to a traditional curriculum for both groups, a ten-week e-book extensive reading program was conducted for the experimental group by encouraging students to read the materials freely from three e-book library collections categorized on the basis of level of difficulty. In contrast, the control group did not engage in any extensive reading program. Stokmans's Reading Attitude questionnaire and TOEFL reading comprehension and vocabulary test were employed to collect the data. The findings of the study showed that the experimental group exhibited significantly better reading attitude, reading comprehension and vocabulary than the control group. Therefore, integrating e-books extensive reading program into EFL teaching program helps improve tertiary level EFL students' reading attitude, reading comprehension and vocabulary learning.
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This article reports an experimental study of reading comprehension among lower-intermediate learners of English as a foreign language in China. A sample of 66 participants underwent a program of metacognitive strategy instruction in reading lasting 8 weeks. Measures were taken of their reading comprehension performance and their metacognitive awareness before and after the instruction. Results show that EG and CG do not reveal any significant differences before and after instruction both in reading comprehension test and their reported metacognitive strategies uses and reasons are given in the discussion part.