مطالب مرتبط با کلیدواژه

Reading Comprehension


۶۱.

Exploring the Perceptions of Iranian Intermediate EFL Learners about Reading Comprehension Ability

نویسنده:
منبع: Foreign Language Teaching and Translation Studies, Vol. ۷, No.۲, ۲۰۲۲ 33 - 58

کلیدواژه‌ها: Background or Prior Knowledge culture Learners’ Perception Reading Comprehension

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تعداد بازدید : ۳۲۲ تعداد دانلود : ۱۳۷
Learners’ perception of culture on receptive skills more specifically on reading comprehension has been an area facing a big challenge contemporarily. The current research aimed to investigate the cultural perception of Iranian EFL learners on reading comprehension ability. To conduct the study, a mixed-methods design consisting of a questionnaire and interview study was used. Participants, 50 intermediate EFL learners (25 males, 25 females), were randomly selected using Oxford Placement Test. The participants were provided with two passages with different cultural contents (one containing Iranian culture and another containing culture of English spoken countries). Then participants were required to fill in a Likert-scale questionnaire which was distributed through Google form online platform. Also, an interview session was conducted to gather more detailed data. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded to find common themes. Analysis of interview and questionnaire data showed that learners hold similar cultural perceptions on reading comprehension ability by gender and social class has no significant impact on learners' perceptions. The results of the study specified that Iranian EFL learners held a positive attitude towards the integration of cultural materials into reading passages to better comprehend the target language. Moreover, it was seen that gender and social class did not impact significantly learners' cultural perceptions of English reading comprehension. The findings imply that ESL students with various reading levels or capabilities can learn from materials that are culturally diverse, specifically the ones at higher reading proficiency levels.
۶۲.

Ethical Challenges of Designing on Application for Reading Instruction Management System (RIMS): A Phenomenological Study(مقاله علمی وزارت علوم)

نویسنده:
منبع: English Language Teaching and Learning. No. ۲۹, Spring & summer ۲۰۲۲ 198 - 213

کلیدواژه‌ها: Ethical Challenges Learning Management System (LMS) Reading Comprehension

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This study aimed at identifying the ethical challenges encountered when developing a language education virtual environment that acts as a smart platform for managing reading comprehension instruction for EFL/ESL learners. Since Reading Instruction Management System (RIMS) is going to observe, monitor, and supervise the learners' out-of-class activities and help teachers improve their teaching quality, it has to seriously handle humane elements which have not been seriously debated in the related literature on language education software development so far. To this end, this study has devised a qualitative study to further explore the aspects of ethical considerations that have to be considered when developing technological aid. Accordingly, 14 teachers and 14 students were selected based on the purposive sampling method concerning the condition that they will be among the teachers and learners who will use RIMS when it is officially launched in the institution. They were asked to take part in interviews which were held on a one-on-one basis and in Persian, the participants' mother tongue. The data were codded and the emerged ones were then classified under four themes including the challenges related to the teachers, learners, and institutions. Each of these has several aspects which are discussed, accordingly.
۶۳.

Efficacy of Flipped Language Teaching in Enhancing Iranian EFL Learners’ Awareness of Reading Strategies: Learners’ English Proficiency and Attitude in Focus

نویسنده:
منبع: international Journal of Foreign Language Teaching & Research, Volume ۱۰, Issue ۴۲, Autumn ۲۰۲۲ 23 - 36

کلیدواژه‌ها: EFL Learners English Proficiency Flipped Teaching Reading Comprehension Reading Strategies

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تعداد بازدید : ۵۳۲ تعداد دانلود : ۱۴۳
Abstract This study sought to explore the role of flipped teaching/learning in enhancing Iranian EFL learners’ awareness of reading strategies. To this end, two intermediate and two upper-intermediate intact classes participated in a quasi-experimental study. The classes of each proficiency level were randomly assigned to an experimental and a control group. Having been pretested in terms of reading strategies awareness, the experimental groups received out-of-class tuition based on a flipped classroom model. On the other hand, the control groups experienced the conventional in-class method of teaching after being gauged in terms of reading strategies awareness. The results revealed that flipped teaching affected the learners’ awareness of reading strategies positively, regardless of their English proficiency level. Additionally, the learners’ overall attitude towards the flipped classroom model was found to be positive. The findings offered an alternative approach to reading instruction in EFL contexts like Iran.            
۶۴.

Averting EFL Learners’ Reading Anxiety by Implementing Reading Strategies and Vocabulary Learning Strategies

نویسنده:
منبع: international Journal of Foreign Language Teaching & Research, Volume ۱۰, Issue ۴۲, Autumn ۲۰۲۲ 87 - 103

کلیدواژه‌ها: reading anxiety Reading Comprehension Reading Strategies vocabulary learning strategies

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This quantitative study examined the relationship between EFL learners’ choice of vocabulary learning strategies (CVLS), reading strategies (RS), and reading anxiety (RA). To this end, 123 Iranian EFL learners (81 female; 42 male) within the age range of 24 to 39 were selected by employing convenience sampling. The data collection instruments were the Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale (Saito et al., 1999), the Survey of Reading Strategies (Mokhtari & Sheorey, 2002), and the Vocabulary Learning Strategies Questionnaire (Schmitt, 1997). Subsequent to checking and verifying the pertinent assumptions, using Pearson’s correlation coefficient indicated that there was a significant and negative correlation between CVLS and RA and a significant and positive correlation between CVLS and RS; in addition, a significant and negative correlation between RS and RA was observed. Furthermore, the results of multiple regression analysis and comparing the β values revealed that RS makes the strongest statistically significant unique contribution to suppressing reading anxiety, and CVLS turned out to be the second significant preventer of RA. In general, the obtained results confirmed that both RS and CVLS can significantly prevent EFL learners’ RA; therefore, it is fairly reasonable to consider RS and CVLS while planning the pedagogical practice.    
۶۵.

Critical Thinking: A Reading Strategy in Developing English Reading Comprehension Performance

نویسنده:
منبع: Journal of Foreign Language Teaching and Translation Studies, Vol. ۱ No. ۲, August ۲۰۱۲ 21 - 34

کلیدواژه‌ها: Critical thinking strategies training Gender Reading Comprehension language proficiency

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تعداد بازدید : ۲۵۸ تعداد دانلود : ۱۵۱
There is a general consensus that critical thinking can be influential in almost every occupation due to its association with the abilities such as problem solving and decision making. This paper aims at probing the role of critical thinking (CT) skills on EFL learners' reading comprehension performance using Bloom's taxonomy. Therefore, the role of CT strategies training across two language proficiency levels, high & low, was investigated. Then the difference between females and males regarding their CT was studied. In so doing, 240 male and female Iranian EFL students were selected and screened into two proficiency levels based on the Longman preparation course for TOEFL test. Each proficiency group was divided into critical and non-critical group. The results suggested CT skills significantly affected EFL learners’ reading comprehension performance. However, the effect of critical thinking strategy training didn’t vary across different language proficiency levels. Overall, the findings provide empirical support for the facilitative effect of critical thinking strategy training on reading comprehension performance of EFL learners.
۶۶.

The Relationship between teaching reading strategies to hotel staff and its effects on their attitudes: Learners’ Autonomy, Reading Strategies, and Reading Comprehension

نویسنده:
منبع: Tourism and Hospitality Research, Volume ۶, Issue ۴, Summer ۲۰۱۹ 45 - 58

کلیدواژه‌ها: learner autonomy Reading Strategies Reading Comprehension

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تعداد بازدید : ۱۵۰ تعداد دانلود : ۱۰۹
The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between teaching reading strategies to hotel staff and its effects on their attitudes: Learners’ Autonomy, Reading Strategies, and Reading Comprehension. To accomplish this object, 130 ESP learners were asked to take part in a piloted PET reading comprehension test and two questionnaires on learner autonomy (Spratt, Humphreys, & Chan, 2002), and reading strategies (Mokhtari & Sheorey, 2002). After removing incomplete answer sheets, 106 (82 female and 24 male) acceptable cases were used in statistical analysis. Pearson Product Correlation analysis pointed out a statistically significant relationship between ESP learners’ autonomy and reading strategies. It was also exposed that the participants’ reading comprehension is positively correlated with their reading strategies. Though, a statistically significant relationship was not established between autonomy and reading comprehension.
۶۷.

The Impact of Creative Literacy Activities on the Reading Motivation and Reading Comprehension of Young Learners: Evidence from CLIL and EFL Settings

نویسنده:
منبع: Journal of Foreign Language Teaching and Translation Studies, Vol. ۷, No. ۴, Autumn ۲۰۲۲ 1 - 16

کلیدواژه‌ها: CLIL Creative Literacy Activities EFL Reading Comprehension reading motivation Young Learners

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تعداد بازدید : ۳۳۸ تعداد دانلود : ۱۳۲
This study attempted to investigate the impact of creative literacy activities on the reading motivation and reading comprehension of young Iranian learners in the Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) and EFL contexts. A sequential explanatory mixed-methods study was designed in which 65 Iranian female young learners in two different English language settings took part. In the quantitative phase, both groups received the reading comprehension and reading motivation scale as both pre and post-tests. Likewise, the experimental groups received training in terms of creative literacy activities. In the qualitative phase, the learners from both groups were interviewed to explore their reading motivation. Findings revealed that the learners in the CLIL context outperformed their counterparts in the EFL context both in reading and reading motivation. The findings of the study also proved that learners in the CLIL context had a more positive attitude toward L2 reading. Teachers’ reflective journals further revealed the superiority of the CLIL context over the EFL context in developing young learners’ (YLs) L2 reading and reading motivation. The findings have implications for the L2 teachers and curriculum designers when deciding the type of activities and the amount of L2 exposure for young learners.
۶۸.

Investigating the Role of Self-directed Learning and Personal Self-concept in Reading Comprehension of EFL Intermediate Students

نویسنده:
منبع: Research in English Education Volume ۸, Issue ۱ (۲۰۲۳) 92-104
تعداد بازدید : ۱۱۲ تعداد دانلود : ۱۰۳
In the field of foreign language education, self-directed learning and personal self-concept are essential as t h ey can empower students to attain optimal success in language learning by engaging students to express their ideas confidently, think reflectively, and make use of language learning strategies. The main purpose of the present study was to investigate the role of self-directed learning and personal self-concept in reading comprehension. Moreover, the current study aimed to determine that whether self-directed learning and personal self-concept help to increase students’ scores in reading comprehension. The participants in this study were 170 EFL intermediate-level EFL students in two foreign language institutes named Diplomat and Safir in Tehran and Karaj. Gõni’s personal self-concept questionnaire and self-directed learning questionnaire were used and the students' reading skills were measured with the standard PET test. The obtained data were analyzed by multiple linear regression in SPSS software. Results of the study showed that there was a significant correlation between students’ comprehension scores and learners’ self-directed learning, but there was a little correlation between their self-concept and reading comprehension scores. Based on the research findings, it was concluded that self-directed learning has an important role in students’ comprehension, but not personal self-concept. It is possible to make students more successful in acquiring language skills by guiding students towards using self-directed strategies.
۶۹.

Multidimensional IRT Analysis of Reading Comprehension in English as a Foreign Language

نویسنده:
منبع: International Journal of Language Testing, Volume ۱۳, Special Issue, March ۲۰۲۳ 54 - 61

کلیدواژه‌ها: Bifactor model Multidimensional IRT Reading Comprehension Unidimensional IRT

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Unidimensionality is an important assumption of measurement but it is violated very often. Most of the time, tests are deliberately constructed to be multidimensional to cover all aspects of the intended construct. In such situations, the application of unidimensional item response theory (IRT) models is not justified due to poor model fit and misleading results. Multidimensional IRT (MIRT) models can handle several dimensions simultaneously and yield person ability parameters on several dimensions which is helpful for diagnostic purposes too. Furthermore, MIRT models use the correlation between the dimensions to enhance the precision of the measurement. In this study a reading comprehension test is modelled with the multidimensional Rasch model. The findings showed that a correlated 2-dimensional model has the best fit to the data. The bifactor model revealed some interesting information about the structure of reading comprehension and the reading curriculum. Implications of the study for the testing and teaching of reading comprehension are discussed.
۷۱.

Effect of Synchronous Virtual Learning Environment on the Reading Comprehension of Undergraduate EFL Students

نویسنده:
منبع: Iinternational Journal of Foreign Language Teaching & Research, Volume ۱۱, Issue ۴۵, Summer ۲۰۲۳ 71 - 83

کلیدواژه‌ها: Asynchronous Virtual Learning Environment Distance education Live Interactive Teaching Rooms Reading Comprehension Synchronous Virtual Learning Environment

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تعداد بازدید : ۱۳۷ تعداد دانلود : ۱۱۳
Virtual learning has been defined as any system of education and instruction that brings together participants who are separated by geographical distances or time. Significantly, in a virtual learning environment, interactive telecommunications systems are utilized to connect learners, resources, and instructors. As such, the present study sought to investigate the possible effect of a synchronous virtual learning environment on the reading comprehension of undergraduate EFL university students. To this end, from the population of students majoring in English translation at Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran, one control group, and one experimental group were non-probabilistically selected based on their availability. Indeed, thirty students were chosen for the control group and thirty students were nominated for the experimental group. Live interactive teaching rooms were utilized in the experimental group during the term, whereas asynchronous instructional practices were adopted in the control group within the study. According to the results of paired samples t-test, the experimental group, which was instructed by live interactive teaching rooms over the term, progressed at the end of the period as compared to the beginning of the term. Moreover, the independent samples t-test showed that the students' scores on the post-test in the experimental group were higher than that of the control group. Evidently, the results of the present study may have practical implications for EFL teachers, online instructors, distance education programmers, materials developers, and syllabus designers.
۷۲.

Investigating High and Low Achieving Talented Students’ Strategy Use, Perceptions, and Challenges of Reading Comprehension(مقاله علمی وزارت علوم)

نویسنده:
منبع: جستارهای زبانی دوره ۱۵ آذر و دی ۱۴۰۲ شماره ۵ (پیاپی ۷۷) ۱۷۱-۱۴۱

کلیدواژه‌ها: Challenges perceptions reading strategy use Reading Comprehension talented students

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تعداد بازدید : ۱۰۱ تعداد دانلود : ۷۱
The purpose of this study was twofold: to determine pre-university talented students’ perceptions, strategy use, and challenges of reading comprehension section of the university entrance exam and to investigate the difference between low and high-achieving talented readers in strategy use and attitudes to reading. The participants were 121 EFL students at pre-university centers for talented students in Borujen, Iran. The instruments were three questionnaires on reading strategy, reading attitude, and reading difficulty followed by five open-ended questions. The results revealed that talented students used metacognitive strategies more than affective and cognitive strategies; most talented readers had positive attitude to reading; and their most frequent challenges were insufficient vocabulary knowledge, inability to adapt their speed to allotted time, decentralization, and ineffective study. The results of backward stepwise binary logistic regression also indicated that high and low achieving talented readers were different in retrieval and anxiety-coping strategy use and reading self-efficacy. The findings have implications for teachers of talented students to consider their diversities and orient their teaching toward individual characteristics through providing instructional varieties.
۷۳.

Investigating the Impact of Learning Styles on Reading Comprehension Skills and Self-Efficacy Perceptions: Evidence from Iranian Intermediate EFL Learners

نویسنده:
منبع: Research in English Education Volume ۸, Issue ۴ (۲۰۲۳) 61-80

کلیدواژه‌ها: learning styles Reading Comprehension self-efficacy perception EFL Learners

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تعداد بازدید : ۴۴ تعداد دانلود : ۵۹
The present study investigated the impact of learning styles on EFL learners’ reading comprehension skills improvement and self-efficacy perceptions. To this end, 60 intermediate male/female EFL learners at Pasargad Language Center in Langarud, Iran with the age range from 14 to 20 were selected based on the results of Michigan Test of English Language Proficiency. Next, they were randomly divided into two groups of 30. Then, the participants in both groups sat for a pretest of the English reading comprehension test, and answered the English proficiency background form, self-efficacy scale, and Maggie McVay Lynch learning style inventory. Next, the experimental group received learning-style-based activities, while the control group continued to work in the traditional way, with no regard for learning styles. Finally, the English reading comprehension test and self-efficacy scale were administered to both groups as posttests. The results of the study revealed that students’ learning style preferences have significant effects on their reading comprehension skills and English self-efficacy perceptions. The results also indicated that there is a statistically significant difference in the post-test scores between the control and experimental groups. That is, the experimental group performed better than the control group in the post-test of reading comprehension skills and English self-efficacy perceptions, and the progress in the experimental group was more than the control group. The findings of the present study can encourage teachers to use learning style preferences in English language teaching to help EFL learners increase their level of reading comprehension skills and self-efficacy perceptions.
۷۴.

Comparing the Effects of Mind-Mapping vs. Concept-Mapping Techniques on Iranian EFL Students’ Reading Motivation, Reading Comprehension, and Willingness to Communicate(مقاله علمی وزارت علوم)

نویسنده:
منبع: Iranian Journal of Applied Language Studies,Vol ۱۵, No. ۲, ۲۰۲۳ 69 - 90

کلیدواژه‌ها: Concept-Mapping Technique Mind-Mapping Technique Reading Comprehension Reading Motivation Test WTC

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As there have been few studies on the comparative effects of mind-mapping (MM) and concept-mapping (CM) techniques on learning English language skills and sub-skills, this survey pursued to scrutinize the impacts of these techniques on reading motivation, reading comprehension, and willingness to communicate (WTC) of Iranian EFL students. To fulfill these objectives, 78 intermediate EFL students were selected based on non-random sampling and accidentally assigned to two experimental groups (EGs) and one control group (CG). They were then pre-tested using a reading motivation test, a reading comprehension test, and a WTC test. Next, the intervention was conducted on the three groups. The MM technique was employed to teach 16 English reading texts to one EG and the CM technique was applied to teach the same texts to the other EG. None of these techniques were used to teach the texts to the CG. When the intervention ended, the post-tests of reading comprehension, reading motivation test, and WTC were given to the three groups. The outcomes of the One-Way ANOVA tests and the post-hoc Scheffe tests revealed that there was a substantial difference between the scores of the EGs and the CG on the three post-tests, with the results being in favor of the EGs. In effect, the findings indicated that the MM and CM techniques enhanced reading motivation, reading comprehension, and WTC of the experimental participants equally. Finally, the implications and conclusions of the research were explained.
۷۵.

Intelligent Scoring in an English Reading Comprehension Course Using Artificial Neural Networks and Neuro-fuzzy Systems(مقاله علمی وزارت علوم)

نویسنده:
منبع: Teaching English as a Second Language, Volume ۴۲, Issue ۴, fall ۲۰۲۳ 1 - 21

کلیدواژه‌ها: Educational Data Mining ANN NFS Subjective scoring Intelligent scoring Reading Comprehension

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تعداد بازدید : ۱۰۷ تعداد دانلود : ۷۷
Predicting students’ performance in a course is one of the major aims of educational data mining systems. In the present study, two and three-layer artificial neural networks (ANN) and neuro-fuzzy systems (NFS) were used to predict Iranian EFL learners’ final scores and compare them with scores given by their instructor. Sixty-six students’ scores in an English reading comprehension course comprising of five sub-scores of midterm (out of 40), quiz (out of 60), final (out of 50), class participation (out of 5) and bonus (out of 2) were used for training the systems. Two and three-layer ANNs and an NFS were trained to predict students’ final scores using training data. Researchers compared the students’ final scores given by their instructor and those achieved through the ANNs and NFS. The results showed that the NFS could predict and deliver scores that were closer to the linear sum of students’ scores. Moreover, three-layer ANN had a better performance than the two-layer ANN. According to these results, data mining techniques could deliver an accurate estimate of students' abilities in a particular course.
۷۶.

The Effect of Artificial Intelligence Generated Translation versus Human Translation on Reading Comprehension of the Speakers of Less Commonly Taught Languages(مقاله علمی وزارت علوم)

نویسنده:
منبع: Iranian Journal of Applied Language Studies,Vol ۱۶, No. ۱, ۲۰۲۴ 63 - 74

کلیدواژه‌ها: Text Analysis Reading Comprehension AI less commonly taught languages Persian

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تعداد بازدید : ۷۲ تعداد دانلود : ۶۵
English as a Foreign Language (EFL) University students usually write in their native tongue and translate it into English using Artificial Intelligence programs. The study evaluated the quality of translations generated by AI in one hand and investigated the impact of Artificial Intelligence Generated Translation (AIGT) on EFL students in another. A human translator and an AI tool were used to translate two sample texts from English into Persian. The texts were given to 30 EFL teachers to examine the quality of AI translations. In addition, 152 students randomly divided into control or experimental groups were exposed to translated texts. Results from an independent t-test showed that there was a negligible difference between the two groups. The qualitative analysis of the interview data that involved 30 participants revealed that language teachers perceived omission, addition, syntax and punctuation errors in AIGT as adequately acceptable, despite their prevalence. However, a majority of the teachers were dissatisfied with AIGT’s accuracy in rendering idiomatic expressions. Based on the results, EFL educators should acknowledge the prevalence and usefulness of AI among students, and aim to incorporate it effectively in their teaching instead of prohibiting its use.
۷۷.

English Reading Comprehension Achievement as a Result of Iranian EFL Online Flipped Classrooms

نویسنده:
منبع: Research in Techno-based Language Education, Volume ۲, Issue ۴, ِDecember ۲۰۲۲ 29 - 43

کلیدواژه‌ها: Flipped Classroom High School Students online classroom Reading Comprehension

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تعداد بازدید : ۶۷ تعداد دانلود : ۴۱
Flipped classrooms refer to teaching approaches that like usual teaching is not done inside the class. It means that before the class students watch videos that the teacher carefully chooses or prepared. The selected videos have to fulfill the required content that advances the abilities of the students in their learning. This study investigates the influence of online flipped classrooms on Iranian EFL high school students’ reading ability. To this aim, the study was done on 50 EFL 12th-grade and pre-intermediate level female students. The students were set into two groups experimental and control. A reading test was run on both groups as the pre-test, at the beginning of the study. Then, after 10 treatment sessions, the post-test was given to both groups. An independent samples t-test was run to compare the means. The outcomes illustrated the significant outperformance of the experimental group over the control group. In addition, to identify the EFL high school students’ attitudes toward the flipped classroom, the students were asked to answer an open-ended question. The results of students’ responses using thematic coding showed that most of the students had optimistic opinions regarding implementing the flipped classroom. Finally, the present study indicated that this model provides an opportunity for students to learn at their own pace and time. Therefore, it has some implications for teachers, students, and institutions which can increase student-teacher interaction in the teaching-learning process.
۷۸.

Enhancing Reading Comprehension through Critical Dialogs as Pre-task: The Case of the Students of Psychology and Accounting

نویسنده:
منبع: Mixed methods studies in English language teaching,Vol ۱, Issue ۲, Summer ۲۰۲۴ 77 - 96

کلیدواژه‌ها: English for Academic Purposes Reading Comprehension sequential mixed-methods study task-based language teaching

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تعداد بازدید : ۳۳ تعداد دانلود : ۲۹
The effects of task-based language teaching (TBLT) on reading comprehension of EAP students has not received due attention in the literature. Using a mixed-methods approach, the research examines whether TBLT improves reading comprehension more effectively compared to traditional English for academic purposes methodologies. In this study, a sample of 100 intermediate-level Iranian university students was selected through convenience sampling and randomly divided into four groups of 25 participants each (comprising two control groups and two experimental groups). The experimental groups, one in psychology and one in accounting, were instructed using TBLT, while the control groups, also in psychology and accounting, followed traditional EAP instruction as dictated by the curriculum and course instructor. Initially, all groups completed a piloted, researcher-developed reading comprehension pretest. In the experimental groups, the syllabus was co-constructed through negotiation, reflecting the students' needs and rights. In contrast, the control groups were taught using textbooks predetermined by the curriculum. Upon the completion of the treatment sessions, all participants took a posttest. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses revealed that TBLT significantly enhanced the reading comprehension skills of Iranian university students compared to traditional EAP methods. Additionally, the study found that the field of study did not influence the effectiveness of the instructional method (TBLT or EAP). These findings provide valuable insights for English for specific purposes (ESP) teachers and material developers, emphasizing the potential benefits of incorporating TBLT into EAP instruction.
۷۹.

The Effect of Teaching Critical Thinking Intervention on Enhancing the Level of Critical Thinking among In-Service EFL Teachers(مقاله علمی وزارت علوم)

نویسنده:
منبع: Journal Of English Language and Literature Teaching, Volume ۲, Issue ۲, September ۲۰۲۳ 54 - 77

کلیدواژه‌ها: Critical thinking Critical thinking intervention In-service teachers Reading Comprehension

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تعداد بازدید : ۱۰ تعداد دانلود : ۷
Critical thinking is a fundamental cognitive skill that significantly influences our thought processes. Without it, reaching impartial and accurate conclusions becomes challenging. This skill holds profound importance in educational settings. The focus of the present study was to examine how teaching critical thinking skills enhances the critical thinking and reading comprehension abilities of Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. A group of 40 in-service EFL teachers from Farhangian University in Iran underwent pretests on reading comprehension and critical thinking. Critical thinking interventions were systematically integrated into the course curriculum at 4-week intervals. Following the instructional period, posttests were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the critical thinking intervention program. Results indicated a notable improvement in both the knowledge and attitudes towards critical thinking. Moreover, the program positively impacted the students' reading comprehension levels, particularly their ability to critically approach reading comprehension tests. This highlights the significance of creating an environment where students feel comfortable expressing their thoughts without the fear of judgment. Educators play a crucial role in fostering optimal critical thinking behaviors and attitudes through effective modeling. Promoting a culture of open expression and critical thinking is key to nurturing well-rounded learners.
۸۰.

Investigating Gender DIF in the Reading Comprehension Section of the B2 First Exam

نویسنده:
منبع: International Journal of Language Testing, Volume ۱۴, Issue ۲, October ۲۰۲۴ 57 - 66

کلیدواژه‌ها: Fairness Gender Mantel-Haenszel Rasch model Reading Comprehension

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Construct-irrelevant variance is considered as a major threat to validity which indicates the existence of additional unrelated variables that distort the meaning of test scores and cause the test to be biased. Differential item functioning (DIF) analysis is an important technique in examining the validity and fairness of educational tests. Concerning the importance of test fairness in large-scale exams, this study aimed to (1) detect gender DIF in the reading comprehension section of the B2 First exam using the Rasch model and Mantel-Haenszel method, and (2) investigate the comparability of results from the two DIF detection techniques. To this end, the reading section of the B2 First exam was administered to 207 undergraduate students of English as a foreign language (EFL). After checking the fit of the data to the Rasch model, the results of the Rasch model-based DIF analysis showed the presence of two items indicating DIF, whereas the results of Mantel-Haenszel showed that there were three gender-DIF items.