Authors : Fatemeh Fazilafar, Mohammad Golshan and Anita Lashkarian
Abstract: This study aimed to investigate the effect of linguistic-based awareness on TOEFL iBT reading module in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context of Iran. For the purpose of the study, via convenience sampling, fifty-one male and female participants aged 19-24, majoring in English and other majors were selected and assigned to two groups of experimental (n = 24) and control (n = 27) and then they were called upon to take part in four tests, namely placement, pre-test, post-test1 and post-test2. The instructional intervention which was spread over a period of 10 sessions targeted working on the reading module of the TOEFL iBT through linguistic-based awareness raising approach alongside the skills while the participants in the control group were not provided with the treatment and were just given instruction which aimed at developing reading comprehension based on the skills. Afterwards, the pretest, immediate posttest and delayed posttest results were submitted to statistical data analyses. Findings of the study showed that first, linguistic- based awareness raising had a statistically significant effect on Iranian EFL student’s TOEFL iBT reading module scores and the scores on TOEFL iBT reading module could be improved through 10 treatment sessions providing that linguisticbased explanations are provided. Further analyses also revealed that the proficiency level of the participants as well as their majors played a significant role in the obtained scores on the reading module of the TOEFL iBT. The findings suggest that the use of linguistic-based awareness-raising as an approach to teaching reading comprehension can have beneficial effects in language teaching pedagogy and L2 learning and the variables of proficiency and major need to be taken into consideration in TOEFL iBT instructional programs.
Fatemeh Fazilafar, Mohammad Golshan and Anita Lashkarian, 2020. The Effect of Linguistic-Based Awareness Raising on TOEFL iBT Reading Module. Research Journal of Applied Sciences, 15: 168-179.