The Effect of Explicit Strategy Instruction on Students’ Reading Comprehension Performance of Ethiopian Secondary School Students

Abstract

Despite the importance of strategy instruction in improving learners’ reading ability, several issues remain unresolved in literature. This study investigated the effect of explicit reading strategy instruction on improving grade 11 English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ reading comprehension performance. Additionally, it attempted to see whether male or female students performed better in reading comprehension after the intervention. The quasi-experimental pre- and post-test research design was employed. Eighty-two grade 11 students from two intact classes of Kokebe Tsibah General Secondary School were randomly assigned as an experimental (EG) and control (CG) groups. While 40 students were assigned to the control, 42 (19 male and 23 female) students were assigned to the EG. The EG received explicit reading strategy instruction embedded into their English reading activities using the Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach. While classroom observation was carried out for follow-up purposes, the reading comprehension test was used as a main data-gathering tool. The data were analyzed using percentages, means, and t-tests. The independent sample t-test results showed a significant difference in reading comprehension test scores between the CG and EG after the intervention. On the other hand, the independent sample t-test analysis indicated that there were no significant differences between male and female students in their post-test results. Finally, it was concluded that students’ reading comprehension can be improved if they are explicitly taught various reading strategies (RSs). Therefore, it is recommended that EFL teachers in Ethiopian secondary schools could consider incorporating explicit instruction of different RSs during teaching reading.