EFL Learners' Levels of Comprehension across Text Structures: A Comparison of Literal and Inferential Comprehension of Descriptive and Enumerative Expository Texts

Autor/inn/en	Saadatnia, Mahmood; Ketabi, Saeed; Tavakoli, Mansoor
Titel	EFL Learners' Levels of Comprehension across Text Structures: A Comparison of Literal and Inferential Comprehension of Descriptive and Enumerative Expository Texts
Quelle	In: Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, 45 (2016) 6, S.1499-1513 (15 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0090-6905
DOI	10.1007/s10936-016-9414-6
Schlagwörter	Second Language Learning; Second Language Instruction; Language Teachers; Text Structure; Reading Comprehension; English (Second Language); Inferences; Expository Writing; Multiple Choice Tests; Material Development; Instructional Materials; Evaluators; Foreign Countries; Iran + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Zweitsprachenerwerb; Fremdsprachenunterricht; Language teacher; Sprachunterricht; Textstruktur; Leseverstehen; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Inference; Inferenz; Multiple choice examinations; Multiple-choice tests, Multiple-choice examinations; Multiple-Choice-Verfahren; Lehrmaterialentwicklung; Lehrmaterial; Lehrmittel; Unterrichtsmedien; Ausland
Abstract	The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between text structure and two levels of reading comprehension, namely literal and inferential, in Iranian EFL learners. Studies have generally found that learners perform differently after they have read different text structures (Amiri et al. in "Proc Soc Behav Sci" 66:402-409, 2012). The text structures in focus were descriptive and enumerative expository texts. One hundred eighty upper-intermediate EFL learners were assigned four reading passages, two including descriptive and the other two enumerative text structure, followed by both literal and inferential multiple-choice items. A number of paired-samples "t" tests were run to provide answers to the research questions of this study. The results indicated that the participants meaningfully outperformed on the descriptive texts at both levels of literal and inferential comprehension. The findings also revealed that in both text structures of description and enumeration, literal comprehension significantly outweighed inferential comprehension. Implications were made for L2 materials developers, language teachers, and language testers regarding the consideration of text typical features in their practice. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01