The Effect of Readers Theater on EFL Seventh-Graders’ Reading and Listening Comprehension

Abstract

While the effect of Readers Theater (RT) on English oral reading fluency has been extensively investigated, research on the effect of RT on adolescents’ English reading and listening comprehension was scant and yielded different results. This research aimed to explore how RT instruction influenced English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students, especially adolescents, in English reading and listening comprehension. This article conducted a 10-week quasi-experimental design involving two intact classes of 68 seventh-grade students from central Taiwan. The instruments included pretests and posttests of English reading and listening comprehension and nine students were interviewed for an in-depth analysis. The results revealed that the experimental group statistically significantly outperformed the control group on reading comprehension, but not on listening comprehension. Consequently, despite the advantages of RT instruction on reading comprehension stated in the article, interaction among learners in terms of listening comprehension is needed to be emphasized in the course when adopting the RT instruction.

Comparing the Effect of AOs and TPS on EFL Learners’ Listening Comprehension

“…The teachers should think of strategies to increase EFL learners' listening comprehension gradually. To solve the differences between high score and low score learners, teachers should propose useful strategies to motivate learners and guide more advanced learners to help those who are struggling (Lo, Wen, & Lin, 2021). This research seeks to achieve the goal of better-listening comprehension by developing listening comprehension fluency through AOs and TPS techniques.…”