| dc.description.abstract |
The main purpose of this study was to investigate effects of extensive reading on Ethiopian
EFL students’ reading comprehension and attitudes toward reading. To meet this purpose,
pretest-posttest comparison group quasi-experimental design was employed. An experimental
group (n = 46) and a comparison group (n = 44), selected from two intact grade 8 sections at
Taitu Bitul Primary School in North Wollo, Ethiopia, were involved in the study. The
comparison class received 200-minute intensive reading instruction per week whereas the
experimental class received 120-minute equivalent intensive reading instruction and 80minute
extensive reading instruction per week for 12 weeks. To collect data, reading
comprehension tests and attitude questionnaires were administered at pre- and posttests.
Both descriptive (mean and standard deviation) and inferential (independent and paired
samples t‐test) statistics were used to analyze the data. Independent samples t‐test, and
paired samples t‐test were used to determine whether there were significant inter- and intragroup
differences
on
achievement
in
reading
comprehension
and
attitudes
toward
reading
at
.05
alpha
level.
The
results
revealed
that
both
the
experimental
and
comparison
groups
were
almost
equal
in
reading
comprehension
and
attitudes
toward
reading
before
the
intervention.
However,
after the treatment, the results indicated that the experimental group scored
significantly (p<.05) better than the comparison group on posttest in reading comprehension
and attitudes toward reading. The findings of the study also showed that the experimental
group scored better than the comparison group in both lower-level and higher-level reading
comprehension skills after the intervention although the gain scores were not significant in
lower-level reading comprehension skills. It was also indicated that the experimental group
scored significantly better than the comparison group in both recreational and academic
reading attitudes. Based on the results, it can be suggested that integrating extensive reading
in input-poor EFL classes significantly contributes to the development of students’ reading
comprehension and attitudes toward reading. Implications are thus deduced for EFL
curriculum, instruction, and research on extensive reading. |
en_US |