The Effect of WhatsApp and Kroom on Reading Comprehension of Iranian Pre-Intermediate EFL Learners

The present research which was within the domain of mobile assisted language learning (MALL) and computer assisted language learning (CALL) tried to investigate the role of WhatsApp and Kroom (online teaching environment) in teaching reading to Iranian EFL learners. In this experiment, the researcher went through a pretest-posttest control group design to understand the effect of WhatsApp and Kroom on reading comprehension of experimental groups in comparison to ordinary way of teaching reading in the control group. The participants of this study was ۵۲ students from Jahesh institute in Qom at the pre-intermediate level. In order to have relatively the same level of language proficiency an Oxford Placement test (OPT) was used at the beginning of the research. Then, a pre-test consisting of reading test of Preliminary English Test (PET) was given to learners in order to understand the learners’ reading level at the beginning of the study. At the end of experiment, in order to measure the students’ progress as a result of treatment and to determine the efficiency of each approach, reading test of other version of Preliminary English Test (PET) was applied as the post-test. The results showed that using WhatsApp and Kroom had no effect on reading comprehension of Iranian pre-intermediate EFL learners.

Keywords:

Mobile Assisted Language Learning , Online Teaching , Mobile Applications , Reading comprehension , Teaching , WhatsApp , Kroom