• Title/Summary/Keyword: Reading comprehension

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An approach to improve college students' EFL reading comprehension through rapid reading and pleasure reading techniques (속독훈련과 자율독서 학습방법을 통한 대학생의 영어 독해력 향상 방안)

  • Im, Byung-Bin
    • English Language & Literature Teaching
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    • v.13 no.1
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    • pp.181-210
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    • 2007
  • This study is to suggest systematic and effective reading comprehension techniques or strategies to be used in EFL reading classes. According to the definition of reading and reading process, six essential elements of reading comprehension are categorized: 1) reading speed; 2) skimming and scanning; 3) logical organization; 4) pleasure reading; 5) vocabulary; 6) cultural background and world knowledge. To present a more effective teaching and learning approach to EFL reading comprehension than ever, an experiment was performed. The hypothesis of the experimental study was that there would be a difference in students' reading speed as well as reading comprehension and vocabulary between an experimental group and a control group depending upon the teaching approaches (experimental vs. traditional). The result of the study indicates that the experimental teaching approach which intensifies speed reading and pleasure reading techniques as well as 4 other essential techniques of reading comprehension is more effective than the traditional one in teaching and learning reading comprehension.

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A Comparative Study on Korean Reading Comprehension by Adjusting Vocabulary Levels (수준별 어휘 조정에 따른 한국어 읽기 텍스트 이해도 비교 연구)

  • Ju, Jae-hwan
    • Journal of Korean language education
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    • v.29 no.4
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    • pp.201-223
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    • 2018
  • The purpose of this study is to observe the effects of text modification by comparing differences in Korean reading comprehension levels that arise from differences in vocabulary levels in texts. This study intends to use simplified texts with the vocabulary difficulty adjusted differently from the original text to measure reading comprehension levels of Korean learners and analyze the result. To measure reading comprehension, the researcher divided 55 Korean learners of intermediate to advanced level of fluency into two groups; the control group read the original text and the treatment group read a simplified text in which complex vocabulary were substituted with easier words of medium difficulty. Then the two groups were tested with the same questionnaire to measure comprehension levels of each group. The result showed that the groups that read simplified texts scored higher than the control group; this suggests that the reading comprehension level was increased in the treatment group. The experiment confirmed that unknown vocabulary density has direct impact on Korean reading comprehension. The result shows that the proportion of unknown vocabulary should be reduced for meaning-focused reading. It also demonstrates that comprehension of the learner was enhanced with lexical simplification rather than structural simplification i.e. simplification of grammar or sentences. Thus, diverse reading materials adjusted to the learners' level of fluency should be developed to enable reading for learning Korean. By reducing the burden of understanding the meaning of each vocabulary, learners will be able to achieve the initial goal of reading.

Effects of Chunking on Reading Comprehension of EFL Learners: Silent vs. Oral Reading

  • Chu, Hera
    • English Language & Literature Teaching
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    • v.16 no.3
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    • pp.19-34
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    • 2010
  • This study investigates how EFL learners' chunking ability both in oral and silent reading affects reading comprehension, and how the chunking ability in silent reading relates to that of oral reading. The participants of this study consisted of 30 Korean university students taking a required 'English Reading' course. Chunking is a technique of grouping words into meaningful syntactic units for better understanding. Chunking was measured from pauses in oral reading. Results of this study suggest that the participants who can chunk properly both orally and silently display better comprehension of texts in general. However, chunking in silent reading was found to be a stronger indicator of improved reading comprehension. Also, the chunking skills in silent reading showed a statistically strong correlation with those observed in oral reading, suggesting that the chunking ability in silent reading may develop in parallel with that of oral reading. Oral as well as silent reading should be continuously practiced to improve reading comprehension of all levels of EFL learners, including low levels of learners. There is also a need to encourage students to read aloud with appropriate prosodic cues to help them read in meaningful units of words, therefore increasing EFL learners' comprehension not only in reading but also in listening.

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An Empirical Analysis on the Rapid Reading and Comprehension Ability Program

  • Choi, Kyoung-Ho;So, Kang-Chun
    • Journal of the Korean Data and Information Science Society
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    • v.18 no.3
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    • pp.679-688
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    • 2007
  • We select the 'rapid reading and comprehension method' to promote the reading skill, and want to apply it to students to study how their reading speed and comprehension improves. For this purpose, in this paper, we define reading as an accurate and quick ability to process information, and the object of this research is to verify a scheme to improve the reading skill, which is called the 'rapid reading and comprehension method - reading based on this method means fast reading as well as an accurate understanding which increases the amount of information received'. For data collection, we selected four primary school in the Kimje city. We found out validation the effective improvement of the reading ability by the 'rapid reading and comprehension method program'. The students' reading speed was enhanced by the rapid reading training and the comprehension ability increased as well.

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A Preliminary Study on the Test of Oral Reading and Comprehension Skill for Lower Level Elementary School Children (구어적 읽기 이해력 검사의 타당화를 위한 예비연구 : 초등학교 저학년을 중심으로)

  • Park, Chan-Hwa;Kim, Myung-Soon
    • Korean Journal of Child Studies
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    • v.30 no.1
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    • pp.59-75
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    • 2009
  • The purpose of this study was to verify the validity and reliability for the Test of Oral Reading and Comprehension Skill (Gardner, 2000) for Korean lower level elementary school children. Subjects were 122 first to third grade students, tested individually. The vocabulary and comprehension sub-tests of K-WISC III and the reading comprehension test of Basic Academic Skills Assessment (Kim, 2000) were used to verify concurrent validity. Internal reliability was determined by internal consistency coefficients. Results verified concurrent validity. Test scores differed significantly by grade level. Test reliability was also confirmed. In conclusion, the Oral Reading and Comprehension Skill Test (Gardner, 2000) is reliable and valid for examination of reading comprehension skills for Korean lower level elementary school children.

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How Derivational Prefix Instruction Impacts Incidental Vocabulary Acquisition and Reading Comprehension

  • Choi, Sung-Mook
    • English Language & Literature Teaching
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    • v.13 no.3
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    • pp.1-22
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    • 2007
  • The study examined the effects of explicit derivational morphology instruction (henceforth DMI) on the incidental vocabulary acquisition and reading comprehension of 132 Korean 1st-year high school students who responded to a battery of tests (two vocabulary tests and a reading comprehension test). Multiple statistical tools were used to analyze the data: Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA), Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), Simple Regression Analysis, Tests of Simple Main Effects, and effect size computation using Cohen's d. The results indicated that (a) DMI enhanced students' ability to infer word meanings in context, (b) DMI promoted high proficiency students' reading comprehension, whereas it impeded intermediate proficiency students' reading comprehension, (c) vocabulary knowledge has a strong positive predictive value for reading comprehension, and (d) the gaps of vocabulary knowledge across proficiency levels were still substantial, despite the observation that DMI promoted students' vocabulary acquisition. These results have a bearing on English as Foreign Language (EFL) reading pedagogy.

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The Effect of Activities-Centered Reading based on Korean Fairy Tales on Children's Reading Attitude and Comprehension (한국전래동화를 통한 활동중심 독서지도가 아동의 읽기 태도 및 읽기 이해에 미치는 영향)

  • Yang Yeon Suk
    • Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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    • v.43 no.6 s.208
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    • pp.1-12
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    • 2005
  • This research analyzed the effect of activity-centered reading band on Korean fairy tales on children's reading attitude and comprehension. The reading altitude of the experimental-group children exhibited more meaningful change in such subordinate areas as academic reading attitude. The academic reading attitude of the male experimental-group had higher improvement than that of the female experimental-group. In addition, the reading comprehension scores of the experimental-group children were higher than those of the control-group children. The reading program effects on reading comprehension were more meaningful in girls in the experimental group than boys in the group. Therefore, the results of this study have demonstrated the necessity of the development and application of a Korean fairy tales program for reading and an activity-centered reading program.

Differences in Story Comprehension: Children's Reading Levels and CD-ROM and Printed Storybooks (전자동화 및 인쇄동화 유형과 읽기 이해 수준에 따른 아동의 이야기 이해 차이)

  • Jeong, Jae-Hoo;Kim, Myoung Soon
    • Korean Journal of Child Studies
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    • v.24 no.5
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    • pp.15-26
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    • 2003
  • In this study of children's story comprehension, 157 first grade students were randomly selected from 2 elementary schools. Based on their test scores on standardized reading comprehension test, 36 children in the upper and in the lower 25th percentiles were assigned to either a high or a low reading group. Children of both groups read the same story presented either by CD-ROM or by printed-book. Story comprehension was measured by retelling the story and by questions on comprehension. Data were analyzed by 2-way ANOVA. Results showed significantly higher comprehension scores in CD-Rom compared with the printed-book group. The difference in comprehension scores between the CD-ROM and the printed-book groups was greater than in the low reading group compared with the high reading group.

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A Study on Checklist Development of Articulating Reading Appreciation (독서감상 표현을 위한 체크리스트 개발에 관한 연구)

  • Lee, Susang;Lim, Yeojoo;Joo, So-Hyun
    • Journal of Korean Library and Information Science Society
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    • v.52 no.4
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    • pp.205-228
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    • 2021
  • This study focuses on the development of checklist on articulating reading appreciation, which will be used as the initial data for book recommendation for library users. As reading comprehension is prerequisite for reading appreciation, researchers analyzed research articles on reading comprehension to find out the core factors on reading comprehension and categorize them. Studies on reader response theory and literacy education were also examined: key words and phrases that will stimulate readers' response to reading were extracted and formed as questions. These questions were reviewed by experts on reading education. The final checklist consists of 14 questions - 4 questions on literal·inferential comprehension, 3 on evaluative comprehension, and 3 on appreciative comprehension.

Reading Strategies among Saudi EFL Students

  • Alsamadani, Hashem A.
    • International Journal of Computer Science & Network Security
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    • v.22 no.9
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    • pp.131-136
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    • 2022
  • This study was initially conducted to explore Saudi students' use of reading strategies and their relationship to their reading comprehension level. The study employed quantitative methods to obtain information about Saudi students' perceived use of reading strategies and their comprehension levels. The results showed that EFL learners in Saudi Arabia use planning strategies more than attending strategies and evaluating strategies. Saudi students also perceived the environment as the most critical factor affecting their reading comprehension. There was no significant relationship between Saudi EFL learners' comprehension level and their use of reading strategies. Finally, gender differences favoring female learners were evident in almost all analyses conducted in the current study. Significant differences were found favoring female students in overall strategy use, comprehension level, and the use of evaluating strategies.