Evaluating the Reading Error Patterns in Iranian EFL Learners’ Reading Comprehension

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of teaching phonological and morphological patterns on reading comprehension among language learners. The research sample included 40 intermediate participants who were studying English as a foreign language (EFL) in Gooya Language Training Centre in Ahvaz. They were non-randomly selected in two intact classes and each class included 20 participants. They took a pre-test in reading comprehension at the beginning of the study. The experimental group received awareness on phonological awareness (PA) and morphological awareness (MA) in reading courses while the control group receives traditional approach of reading aloud ,They read texts and answer reading comprehension items. Finally, at the end of the course and after an interval of three weeks, the participants sat for their experimental post-test as an indicator of the long term effect, retention of the instructions. Data were collected and analyzed through paired and independent samples t-test to compare the means of the pre-test and the post-test in both groups. The findings revealed that the reading comprehension of both groups improved. However, there was a significant difference between the two groups concerning the mean score of the experimental group who outperformed the control one.The implications of the study suggest that using PA and MA can improve reading comprehension among the language learners at the intermediate level. This also decreases the reading comprehension errors significantly in reading comprehension courses.

Keywords:

Reading comprehension , Morphological awareness , Phonological awareness