ERIC Number: EJ892636
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010-Nov
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0360-1315
EISSN: N/A
A Novel Approach for Enhancing Student Reading Comprehension and Assisting Teacher Assessment of Literacy
Chen, Jun-Ming; Chen, Meng-Chang; Sun, Yeali S.
Computers & Education, v55 n3 p1367-1382 Nov 2010
For students of English as a Foreign Language (EFL), reading exercises are critical not only for developing strong reading comprehension, but also for developing listening, speaking, and writing skills. Prior research suggests that social, collaborative learning environments are best suited for improving language ability. However, opportunities for English learners to collaboratively practice reading comprehension are minimal, and due to resource constraints and a lack of accurate evaluation methods, English instructors rarely assess student literacy effectively. In response to these problems, we propose a Tag-based Collaborative reading learning System (TACO) that makes use of Web 2.0 Internet social tagging techniques to provide a collaborative environment for reading English. We test our system's ability to both improve reading comprehension and aid teachers in accurately assessing literacy by conducting a three-month trial with 56 participating Taiwanese high school students from February to May 2009. During this period, post-testing results show a significant improvement in reading scores among participants in our tag-based system, and survey feedback from teachers suggests an improved capacity for literacy assessment. (Contains 5 tables and 11 figures.)
Descriptors: Reading Comprehension, Second Language Learning, Evaluation Methods, Teaching Methods, English (Second Language), High School Students, Second Language Instruction, Instructional Improvement, Cooperative Learning, Social Networks, Learning Strategies, Language Teachers, Scores, Language Tests, Foreign Countries, Computer Assisted Instruction, Educational Technology, Computer Assisted Testing, Internet, Computer Mediated Communication, Instructional Effectiveness, Educational Strategies, Teacher Attitudes, Teacher Surveys, Pretests Posttests, Computer System Design
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education; High Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Taiwan
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A