Coupling Reading Strategies and Literary Texts: An Approach to Improving Reading

Abstract

The present study aimed to explore the effect of reading comprehension strategy use and literature on the improvement of the reading ability of Iranian EFL learners. An analysis of the use of SQR3 (survey, question, read, recite, and review) and TPS (think, pair, and share) comprehension strategies in terms of the learners’ reading achievements was perused. Moreover, the differences between the reading of short stories as the source of teaching reading and adapted books were studied. The data were collected through a pretest-treatment-posttest design and were analyzed using t-tests and ANOVA. Results revealed that SQR3 and TPS groups outperformed the learners who did not receive any treatment. This indicated that merging reading strategies in reading short stores significantly improved the learners’ comprehension level. The study suggests that instructors should be aware of the learning opportunities that arise in literature-centered readings, provide learners with and instruct comprehension strategies, and accordingly enhance the experience of reading in a foreign language.