Examining the use of Affective and Social Strategies in Teaching Reading Comprehension in Pakistan
Abstract
Developing ESL learners’ reading comprehension skills presents a significant challenge for English language teachers in Pakistan. This study aimed to examine the complexity of teaching reading comprehension skills by exploring the extent to which affective and social strategies are implemented. These strategies align with Dewey’s (1930) concept of learning by doing, emphasising that learning occurs through social interaction and engagement. This study also examined the challenges faced by the respondents that impact on their preference in teaching strategies. Using a descriptive, survey-based method, quantitative data were gathered from 200 randomly selected secondary school teachers through an adapted structured questionnaire and analysed using SPSS. The findings reported a low preference for affective strategies while there is a moderate use of social strategies. The respondents relied on text-translation methods, focusing on syllabus completion. This indicates a misalignment between the respondents’ teaching practices and the concept of learning by doing, hindering the development of reading comprehension skills. The findings suggest that the reliance on such methods are the impacts of the challenges in teaching reading comprehension skills such as time constraints and class size. This study highlights the need for a shift from exam-oriented learning to a learning environment that supports the employment of affective and social strategies. Various stakeholders such as policy makers, curriculum developers and education departments need to work together to develop proper mechanisms that can support such learning environment, reinforcing the need for experiential, engaging, and socially grounded education.
Downloads
References
Aziz, M. A., Azizullah, A., & Baloch, S. (2024). Emerging trends and issues in English language teaching: A Bibliometric Analysis. Journal of Asian Development Studies, 13(1), 1004-1016.
Abbas, Q., Hussain, S., & Rasool, S. (2019). Digital literacy effect on the academic performance of students at higher education level in Pakistan. Global Social Sciences Review, 4(1), 154-165.
Abro, A., Soomro, G. R., Teevno, R. A., & Shoro, M. B. (2021). An Investigation of the teaching techniques, assessment strategies and ESL learners’ attitude towards reading English and their Impact on learners’ performance in Pakistan. Sukkur IBA Journal of Educational Sciences and Technologies, 1(1), 1-15.
Ahmad, U., & Nisa, N. (2019). English language learning anxiety: A case study of secondary government school’s ESL learner of District Larkana, Sindh. International Journal of Academic Pedagogical Research (IJAPR), 3(1).
Ali, A. M., & Razali, A. B. (2019). A Review of studies on cognitive and metacognitive reading strategies in teaching reading comprehension for ESL/EFL learners. English Language Teaching, 12(6), 94-11.
Amir, S., Sharf, N., & Khan, R. A. (2020). Pakistan’s education system: An analysis of education policies and drawbacks. Electronic Research Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2, 244-248.
Amjadi, A., & Talebi, S. H. (2024). Extending the efficacy of Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR) in teaching reading strategies: A socio-cultural emotional perspective. Language Teaching Research, 28(2), 714–748.
Bosch, A., Ilie, M. D., & Rusu, A. (2024). The impact of professional development programs of teachers on the reading skills of primary school students: A meta-analytic study. Revista de Pedagogie. https://doi.org/10.26755/revped/2024.1/55
Channa, L. A., Manan, S. A., & David, M. K. (2021). Global aspirations versus local resources: planning a sustainable English teaching policy in Pakistan. Asian Englishes, 23(3), 294-312.
Damiri, A., Hastomo, T.,&Sari, Y. A. (2022). Visualization strategy: An effective strategy to teach reading to middle school students. Seltics Journal: Scope of English Language Teaching Literature and Linguistics, 1-8.
Dewey, J. (1930). Democracy and education: An introduction to the philosophy of education. Macmillan.
Dewey, J. (1975). Experience and education. Macmillan.
Elashhab, G. (2018). Investigating second language English teachers' reading instruction and their attitudes towards teaching English reading in a fifth and seventh grade Libyan setting [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University of York.
Fadila, L., Dalimunthe, S. A., & Siagian, N. (2024). Strategies to improve English reading comprehension. Fonologi Jurnal Ilmuan Bahasa dan Sastra Inggris, 2(3), 16–25. https://doi.org/10.61132/fonologi.v2i3.774
Farid, A., Ishtiaq, M., & Hussain, M. S. (2020). A review of effective reading strategies to teach text comprehension to adult English language learners. Global Language Review, 5(3), 77-88.
Hakim, I. A., & Tanuatmadja, A. P. (2022). Dealing with common challenges in improving reading comprehension skills for Indonesian secondary school students. ELS Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities, 5(2), 255-264.
Hassan, I. J., & Dweik, B. S. (2021). Factors and challenges in English reading comprehension among young Arab EFL Learners. Academic Research International, 12, 18-30.
Hezam, T. A., Ali, J. K. M., Imtiaz, S., Saifi, M. A., & Islam, M. R. (2022). Challenges and problems of reading comprehension experienced by EFL learners. Journal of English Studies in Arabia Felix, 1(2), 11-21.
Kamil, I., & Perrodin, D. D. (2023). Foreign language reading anxiety: Exploring the experiences of EFL ESL learners at a state university in Padang, Indonesia. English Language Teaching Educational Journal, 6(1), 1-13.
Kan, T., Noordin, N., & Ismail, L. (2024). Implementation of metacognitive reading strategies to improve English reading ability: A systematic review. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 23(7), 368-389.
Khan, Z., Khan, M. I., & Shah, M. H. (2021). Causes of poor performance in English at secondary school level in Pakistan. University of Chitral Journal of Linguistics & Literature, 5(1), 293-310.
Masood, M. H., Shafi, S., Rahim, M. Y., & Darwesh, M. A. (2020). Interference of L1 (Urdu) in L2 (English) in Pakistan: Teaching English as a second language. International Journal of Applied Linguistics and English Literature, 9(5), 110-118.
Mohammed, I., & Amponsah, O. (2018). Predominant factors contributing to low reading abilities of pupils at Elsie Lund Basic School in the Tamale Metropolis, Ghana. African Educational Research Journal, 6(4), 273-278.
Mohsin, Z. I. (2018). Teachers' beliefs about teaching reading to English as a foreign language (EFL) ESL learners in Saudi higher education. Ministry of Higher Education, Saudia.
Moustafa, A., & Naima. G. (2022). An Affective Approach to Teaching Literature: I Feel Therefore I am. Arab World English Journal, 13(2) 253-266. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol13no2.17
Muazzam, H. A., Muhammad, Y., & Naseer, H. (2021). English language teachers’ attitudes towards instructional policy in public secondary schools: An interview study. Global Educational Studies Review, VI, 6, 24-35.
Nguyen, T. L. P., & Nguyen, V. N. (2024). Effects of strategy-based instruction on Vietnamese EFL college students’ reading comprehension: A mixed method approach. International Journal of Language Instruction, 3(1), 43-65.
Nguyen, T. L. P. (2022). Teachers’ strategies in teaching reading comprehension. International Journal of Language Instruction, 1(1), 19-28.
Nomaan, S. (2022). Language pedagogy: An evaluation of oral communication skill materials in secondary school ELT books in Pakistan. In N. Ali Raza, & C. Coombe (Eds.), English Language Teaching in Pakistan (pp. 345-367). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-7826-4_21
Nordin, N. H. B., Jamil, K. A. B. M., Zainol, N. Z. B., Kamaruddin, A. S. B., & Ismail, N. F. B. (2024). ESL novice teachers' beliefs and practices on the teaching of reading strategies. Malaysian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (MJSSH), 9(9).
Noreen, S., & Asif, M. (2019). Implementing pedagogical leadership for professional development of teachers in public school at elementary level in Pakistan. European Academic Research, 7(6), 3281-3292
Nurjanah, R. L., & Pratama, M. R. A. (2020). Self-regulated learning strategy instructions in reading comprehension skill learning during outbreak era. Journal of English Language Teaching and Linguistics, 5(2), 191- 201.
Nurkamto, J., Drajati, N. A., Ngadiso, N., & Karlina, Y. (2021). Teachers' beliefs and practices in teaching reading at Islamic secondary schools in Indonesia. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 10(3).
O'Malley, J. M. & Chamot, A. U. (1990). Learning strategies in second language acquisition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Othman, N. A., Mohamed, M. N. A., Powzi, N. F. A., & Jamari, S. (2022). A case study of English language learning strategies used by engineering students in Malaysia. Malaysian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (MJSSH), 7(1), 261-269.
Oxford, R. L. (2003). Language learning styles and strategies: An overview. GALA, 1–25. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/25444682
Phala, T. A., & Hugo, A. (2022). Difficulties in teaching grade 3 learners with reading problems in full-service schools in South Africa. African Journal of Disability (Online), 11, 1-9.
Rajput, N. H., Chandio, M. Y., Bhutto, R. N., & Kanhio, Z. H. (2020). Headteachers’ Perspectives about the English Language Teaching at Lower Secondary Level in Shaheed Benazirabad, Pakistan. Sindh Journal of Educational Research, 5(1), 30–45.
Ranjit, R. (2022). Classroom Challenges of Secondary Level English Teachers at Remote Government Schools in Nepal. JELITA: Journal of Education, Language Innovation, and Applied Linguistics, 1(1), 10-25.
Sandhakumarin, Y., & Tan, K. H. (2023). ESL teachers’ views on the implementation of CEFR in reading skill. Malaysian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (MJSSH), 8(4).
Shafique, A., Amjad, A., Khurshid, N., & Zubair, H. B. (2022). Analyzing the contemporary developments and challenges in teaching English language in Pakistani schools. Ascarya: Journal of Islamic Science, Culture, and Social Studies, 2(1), 65-69.
Shah, S. H. R., Kadir, Z. A., & Naveed, S. (2022). Factors affecting English reading skills at collegiate level In Pakistan. Journal of Positive School Psychology, 6(11), 1863-1876.
Shakil, M. (2020). Factors Affecting ESL learners’ low Competence in Reading English at Primary level in Pakistan. International Journal of Education, 8(3), 19-26.
Sorohiti, M., Nugraha, H. N. R., & Rahmawati, F. (2024). Teacher awareness, identification of learning difficulties, and effective teaching strategies for English grammar mastery. Indonesian EFL Journal, 10(1), 45–54.
Suharyadi, S., Gunadi, H., Sulistyo, S., & Rachmajanti, S. (2019). Continuous professional development: Teachers' voices. J‑ELLiT (Journal of English Language, Literature, and Teaching), 3(2), 34-44. https://doi.org/10.17977/UM046V3I2P34-44
Sun, Y., Wang, J., Dong, Y., Zheng, H., Yang, J., Zhao, Y., & Dong, W. (2021). The Relationship Between Reading Strategy and Reading Comprehension: A Meta- Analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 12(4), 233-245.
Tahira, M., Hassan, A., Malik, A., & Yousuf, M. I. (2020). Teacher education in Pakistan: Issues and problems [ERIC Document No. ED608314]. ERIC. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED608314.pdf
Teevno, R. A., & Raisani, R. B. (2017). English reading strategies and their impact on students’ performance in reading comprehension. Journal of Education & Social Sciences, 5(2), 152-166.
Yapp, D., de Graaff, R., & van den Bergh, H. (2023). Effects of reading strategy instruction in English as a second language on students’ academic reading comprehension. Language Teaching Research, 27(6), 1456-1479.
Zaman, S., & Asghar, S. (2019). Evaluation of teaching reading strategies used by early grade teachers. Journal of Early Childhood Care & Education, 3(1), 15–28.
