Evaluating the Impact of Student-Created Digital Libraries Versus Teacher-Selected Resources on Enhancing L2 Learners’ Reading Skills
Keywords:
Student-generated Digital Libraries, Teacher-selected Materials, Reading SkillsAbstract
The current study inspected the effect of student-generated digital library versus teacher-selected material on Iranian EFL learners’ reading skills. To this end, 50 Iranian high schoolers, aged between 15 and 18 years old, studying in Tehran, were nominated via convenience sampling. Before the study, the Oxford Placement Test (OPT) and a reading pretest were conducted to ensure that the participants were homogeneous before the treatment. The participants then assigned to the Student-generated Digital Libraries Group (SDLG n=25) and the Teacher-selected Materials Group (TMG n=25). The two intact classes met two sessions a week with a 90-minute over a period of 16 weeks. The students in experimental cluster were instructed reading skills via Student-generated Digital Libraries. In the control cluster, they were instructed reading skills via Teacher-selected Materials. After completing the treatment stage, the participants were given a reading posttest. The overall result indicated that the SDLG significantly outperformed the TMG in reading ability. The study has implications for English language instructors and EFL/ESL students. In terms of theoretical implications, this study can offer insights for researchers looking to develop a comprehensive model for the reading process. Considering the practical implications, all high school and language school teachers could employ digital libraries and student-selected materials in their reading classes. These strategies could effectively enhance self-regulation and decision-making skills among EFL students.
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