To Use or Not to Use Monroe’s Sequence for Reading? A Preliminary Study

Abstract

Developed by American psychologist, Alan Monroe, Monroe's Motivated Sequence is believed to be a well-used and time-proven method to organize oral presentations for maximum impact. However, literature indicates that its potential for use in reading development may have been overlooked. This paper reports the findings of a preliminary study which aimed to determine the feasibility of using the 5-step Monroe's Motivated Sequence for reading assignments to a group of aspirants for Catholic priesthood in a Formation House in Malaysia. A phenomenological research was conducted on ten participants between February and June 2019. The objectives of the study were to describe how the 5-step Monroe's Motivated Sequence influences reading behaviors and to explore how it provides the scaffolding for the participants to select their reading materials and the relevant information before they verbally share the information in a class presentation. Through focus group interviews and observations during class presentations, it was concluded that the 5-step Monroe's Motivated Sequence can be used as scaffold for reading activities as it enthused the participants to engage in extensive reading particularly reading materials online. However, the study also suggests that refinement on each step of the Monroe's Motivated Sequence is essential for ESL readers. Some details need to be provided in the steps to form solid scaffolding for the participants to understand better how selection of reading materials and appropriate information can be effectively done prior to oral presentations. This preliminary study managed to ascertain an important aspect that needs fine-tuning before the main study is done.