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English reading comprehension ability of Sri Lankan secondary one and three students
Author
Louw, Stephen
Supervisor
Lim, Tock Keng
Abstract
Reading comprehension is a multifaceted, complex and interactive process which involves various skills and many reader and text variables. This complexity means that language tests can only cover a small and inadequate sample of what the learner can achieve (Alderson, 1991). In addition, the inherent privacy of the reading act makes studying reading comprehension problematic since it is not possible to determine how much of the text has been understood. In spite of this, it is important for teachers to have some form of objective diagnostic measure of their student's reading comprehension ability. Without this, there is little basis on which teachers can plan effective and useful remedial work which can provide weak students with the reading comprehension strategies they require to become more proficient readers.
International and private schools in Sri Lanka offer English medium instruction to expatriates and Sri Lankan families who want their children to have a multilingual education. These students may find poor reading comprehension ability a source of great frustration when dealing with the literary demands of content area classes conducted in English. This research aims to provide detailed diagnostic measures of reading comprehension to assist teachers identify specific reading comprehension strategies in which students are weak. Using a reading comprehension battery developed in the NIE Centre for Educational Research (Lim, Ho and Wong, 1994), two groups of Sri Lankan students from Secondary 1 and 3 were assessed. One group was studying content subjects in the English medium as a second language, while the other group in the sample was undergoing vernacular medium education with English as one of their school subjects.
By isolating four important reading strategies, it was hoped that the Reading Skills Comprehension Battery would be able to give teachers accurate and objective feedback into their students' reading comprehension ability. Rasch analysis was used to analyze the examinees' ability in the four reading comprehension skill areas. Individual Kidmaps provided detailed diagnostic analyses of the students' performance. The analysis of the test results highlighted deficiencies in the students' reading comprehension skills, providing teachers with information for appropriate remedial intervention.
Since the Reading Comprehension Skills Battery used in this study was developed in and for use in schools in Singapore, the study also aimed to determine whether the battery was appropriate for use in Sri Lankan secondary schools. Similarities in the education environments in Sri Lanka and Singapore, particularly the use of English medium instruction and the adherence to GCE 'O' level syllabi, made it likely that the tests would fit the Sri Lankan sample. There is currently no readily available reading comprehension diagnostic test available to schools in Sri Lanka.
The benefits of improved reading comprehension are far reaching for all students studying English, and in particular, those studying in the English medium who have to tackle content area subjects in their second language.
International and private schools in Sri Lanka offer English medium instruction to expatriates and Sri Lankan families who want their children to have a multilingual education. These students may find poor reading comprehension ability a source of great frustration when dealing with the literary demands of content area classes conducted in English. This research aims to provide detailed diagnostic measures of reading comprehension to assist teachers identify specific reading comprehension strategies in which students are weak. Using a reading comprehension battery developed in the NIE Centre for Educational Research (Lim, Ho and Wong, 1994), two groups of Sri Lankan students from Secondary 1 and 3 were assessed. One group was studying content subjects in the English medium as a second language, while the other group in the sample was undergoing vernacular medium education with English as one of their school subjects.
By isolating four important reading strategies, it was hoped that the Reading Skills Comprehension Battery would be able to give teachers accurate and objective feedback into their students' reading comprehension ability. Rasch analysis was used to analyze the examinees' ability in the four reading comprehension skill areas. Individual Kidmaps provided detailed diagnostic analyses of the students' performance. The analysis of the test results highlighted deficiencies in the students' reading comprehension skills, providing teachers with information for appropriate remedial intervention.
Since the Reading Comprehension Skills Battery used in this study was developed in and for use in schools in Singapore, the study also aimed to determine whether the battery was appropriate for use in Sri Lankan secondary schools. Similarities in the education environments in Sri Lanka and Singapore, particularly the use of English medium instruction and the adherence to GCE 'O' level syllabi, made it likely that the tests would fit the Sri Lankan sample. There is currently no readily available reading comprehension diagnostic test available to schools in Sri Lanka.
The benefits of improved reading comprehension are far reaching for all students studying English, and in particular, those studying in the English medium who have to tackle content area subjects in their second language.
Date Issued
1999
Call Number
LB1050.45 Lou
Date Submitted
1999