| Summary: | 博士 === 淡江大學 === 英文學系博士班 === 102 === This study investigated instructional impacts on learners’ reading attitudes/motivation, the relationship between materials and learners’ reading attitudes/motivation, required reading and learners’ reading attitudes/motivation and what changes are needed for this instruction to better reflect the learning needs of low achieving students. The participants were fifty seven Applied Foreign Languages freshmen from three different programs in a private Institute of Technology at Eastern Coast Taiwan. They received integrated reading instruction which strategies were taught with a class reader in the fall semester of 2011. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected including pretest and posttest reading attitudes/motivation questionnaires, course evaluation surveys, and follow-up interviews, student feedback sheets, book reports, and teaching logs.
The quantitative results of paired samples t-test indicated there was no significant difference in learners’ reading attitudes/motivation except for two items: “I had good attendance in this class.” and “I shared the reading materials I read with classmates and friends.” The independent samples t-test showed that in-class reading group was significantly different from out-of-class reading group after instruction and this result supported the instructional impacts on learner reading attitudes/motivation. Moreover, in-class reading group adopted more active role in class participation than out-of-class reading group. This class experience raised learners’ awareness of the importance of personal engagement both in and out of the classroom in their reading progress.
The Pearson Correlation analysis revealed that instructional materials that were interesting, easy, and helpful for learning were likely to lead to positive attitudes/motivation. However, students with better reading attitudes/motivation tended to choose more difficult levels of readers for independent reading. Qualitative results indicated that class reader accompanying movies and songs were motivating. Materials for independent reading were perceived better when it was not too difficult or too easy to discourage reading. Reading graded readers which emphasizes reading for general meaning can be challenging for students who are used to the traditional teaching. In addition, students who were willing to comply with reading requirements have better reading attitudes/motivation.
Whether this successful experience could continue depended more on external factors such as required reading, peer influence, teacher recognition/encouragement than on motivation from learner themselves. Learner passivity, reluctance to read, time spent on reading, and difficult to find an appropriate level of readers were emerged reasons for students who failed to comply with the reading assignments.
Students preferred guided reading assisted by teacher explanation. A combination of reading with oral reading, speaking, and writing will improve learner interest in reading. Inclusion of reading time in class will provide learner opportunity to read English.
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