Bibliographic details and abstracts are available to all. Downloads of full-text dissertations are restricted to University of Portsmouth members who must login. MPhils may be accessed by all.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to establish the effectiveness of an online teacher
read aloud (TRA) extensive reading intervention on students’ L2 reading
comprehension ability, and whether the efficacy changed for ‘below average’ readers
in comparison to ‘average and above’ readers. In addition, the research sought to
identify any changes in students’ reading attitudes as a result of an online TRA
intervention. The study was conducted during online education at a primary school in
Turkey with 82 third grade students, who were studying English as a foreign language
(EFL). A quasi-experimental design was used to investigate learners’ L2 reading
comprehension abilities; 47 students received the TRA intervention (TRA group) whilst
35 students continued to follow the school’s existing EFL curriculum (Control group).
Measures included reading comprehension tests (RCTs) scores at the pre and post
intervention stages. Pretest-posttest designs were used with the TRA group to
investigate whether the efficacy of the intervention changed depending on students
categorised as ‘below average’ readers versus ‘average and above’ readers and to
determine if there were any changes in students’ attitudes. Measures included an
English reading proficiency test (ERPT) and English reading attitude survey (ERAS).
Students in the TRA group made significant gains from pre to post-intervention on
RCT scores in comparison to the Control group. However, the efficacy of the TRA
intervention did not change regardless of students’ reading ability and no changes in
students’ attitudes towards reading were detected. The findings add to the literature
concerning TRA, reading comprehension, reading attitudes and establish the efficacy
of an online TRA intervention, which had not been addressed previously. The
outcomes of the study have implications for reading comprehension instruction and
provide valuable insights for educators and researchers concerned with implementing
extensive reading approaches in the online classroom.

Course: TESOL/Leadership and Management - MA - P2593PTD

Date Deposited: 2022-09-06

URI/permalink: https://library.port.ac.uk/dissert/dis14013.html