| تعداد نشریات | 24 |
| تعداد شمارهها | 851 |
| تعداد مقالات | 7,575 |
| تعداد مشاهده مقاله | 13,413,795 |
| تعداد دریافت فایل اصل مقاله | 11,580,476 |
The Effect of Reducing Lexical and Syntactic Complexity of Texts on Reading Comprehension | ||
| Teaching English as a Second Language Quarterly (Formerly Journal of Teaching Language Skills) | ||
| مقاله 3، دوره 36، شماره 3، دی 2017، صفحه 59-83 اصل مقاله (86.67 K) | ||
| نوع مقاله: Research Paper | ||
| شناسه دیجیتال (DOI): 10.22099/jtls.2017.26325.2324 | ||
| نویسندگان | ||
| Mahmood Safari* 1؛ Mana Mohaghegh Montazeri2 | ||
| 1English Translation Department, Humanities Faculty, Hazrat-e Masoumeh University, Qom, Iran | ||
| 2Azad University, Qom Branch | ||
| چکیده | ||
| The present study investigated the effect of different types of text simplification (i.e., reducing the lexical and syntactic complexity of texts) on reading comprehension of English as a Foreign Language learners (EFL). Sixty female intermediate EFL learners from three intact classes in Tabarestan Language Institute in Tehran participated in the study. The intact classes were assigned to three experimental groups. Moreover, to homogenize the groups, the researchers administered a general proficiency test (TOEFL, 2003) to the participants. The results revealed no significant difference among the groups in general proficiency and reading ability. Then four reading comprehension texts from TOEFL test (2005) were simplified through lexical simplification, syntactic simplification or lexical-syntactic simplification techniques. The simplified texts, along with their reading comprehension (RC) questions, formed the three versions of the post-test, each version contained either lexically, syntactically or lexical-syntactically simplified texts. Each group took one version of the post-test. The scores were analyzed through one-way ANOVA. The results revealed a significant difference among the groups. The post hoc test indicated that the lexical-syntactic simplification group significantly outperformed the lexical simplification group and performed considerably better than the syntactic simplification group. There was no significant difference between the lexical and syntactic simplification groups, although the latter showed better results. | ||
| کلیدواژهها | ||
| lexical simplification؛ syntactic simplification؛ lexical-syntactic simplification؛ Reading comprehension | ||
| مراجع | ||
|
Anani Sarab, M. R., & Karimi, M. (2008). The impact of simplified and interactionally modified input on reading comprehension of Iranian EFL learners. Journal of Human Sciences, 56, 29 - 42.
Arya, D., Hiebert, E., & Pearson, D. (2011). The effects of syntactic and lexical complexity on the comprehension of elementary science text. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 4(1), 107-125.
Bernhardt, E. B. (1984). Towards an information processing perspective in foreign language reading. Modern Language Journal, 68, 322-331.
Blau, E. K. (1982). The effect of syntax on readability for ESL students in Puerto Rico. TESOL Quarterly, 16, 517-528.
Brown, R. L. (1987). A comparison of the comprehensibility of modified and unmodified reading materials for ESL. University of Hawaii Working Papers in ESL, 6, 49-79.
Cambridge English Vocabulary Profile, available at http://www.englishprofile.org/wordlists.
Crossley, S., Allen, D., & McNamara, D. (2011). Text readability and intuitive simplification: A comparison of readability formulas. Reading in a Foreign Language, 23(1), 84-102.
Crossley, S. A., Allen, D., & McNamara, D. S. (2012). Text simplification and comprehensive input: A case for intuitive approach. Language Teaching Research, 16, 89-108.
Crossley, S. A., & McNamara, D. S. (2016). Text-based recall and extra-textual generations resulting from simplified and authentic texts. Reading in a Foreign Language, 28(1), 1-19.
Ellis, R. (2008). The study of second language acquisition (2nd Ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Gardner, D., & Hansen, E. (2007).Effects of lexical simplification during unaided reading of English informational texts. TESL Reporter, 40(2), 27-59.
Gass, S. M., & Alvarez Torres, M. J. (2005). Attention when? An investigation of the ordering effect of input and interaction. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 27, 1-31.
Ghane, A., Oroji, M. R., & Habibzade, S. M. (2015). Simplified texts or authentic texts: Which one is more coherent? Extensive Journal of Applied Sciences, 3(6), 234-238.
Hague, S. A., & Scott, R. (1994). Awareness of text structure: Is there a match between readers and authors of second language texts? Foreign Language Annals, 27, 343-363.
Johnson, P. (1981). Effects on reading comprehension of language complexity and cultural background. TESOL Quarterly, 15, 169-181.
Heydari, M., Khodabandehlou, M., & Jahandar, S. (2013). On the effectiveness of strategy-based instruction of textual simplification on EFL learners’ reading comprehension ability. Indian Journal of Fundamental and Applied Life Sciences, 3 (2) 176-183.
Keshavarz, M. H., Atai, M. R., & Ahmadi, H. (2007). Content schemata, linguistic simplification, and EFL readers’ comprehension and recall. Reading in a Foreign Language, 19(1), 19–33.
Kirkpatrick, B. (1994). The Oxford paperback thesaurus. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Klare, G. R. (1974). Assessing readability. Reading Research Quarterly, 10, 62-102.
Leow, R. (1993). To simplify or not to simplify. Studies in Second language Acquisition, 15, 333-355.
Long, M. H., & Ross, S. (1993). Modifications that preserve language and content. In M. L. Tickoo (Ed.), Simplification: Theory and application (pp. 29-52). Singapore: SEAMEO Regional Language Center.
Longman dictionary of contemporary English (5th Ed.) (2009). London: Longman.
Lucas, M. A. (1991). Systematic grammatical simplification. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, 29, 241-248.
McDonough, J., Shaw, Ch. Masuhara, H. (2013). Materials and methods in ELT. New York: Wiley-Blackwell.
McLaughlin, B. (1987). Theories of second language learning. London: Edward Arnold.
Moradian, M. R., Naserpoor, A., & Tamri, M. S. (2013). Effects of lexical simplification and elaboration of ESP texts on Iranian EFL university students’ reading comprehension. International Journal of Psychology and Behavioral Research, 2(6), 332-338.
Oh, S. Y. (2001). Two types of input modification and EFL reading comprehension: Simplification versus elaboration. TESOL Quarterly, 35(1), 69-96.
Parker, K., & Chaudron, C. (1987). The effects of linguistic simplifications and elaborative modifications on L2 comprehension. University of Hawaii Working Papers in ESL, 6, 107-133.
Rello, L., Baeza-Yates, R., Dempere, L., & Saggion. H. (2013). Frequent words improve readability, and short words improve understandability for people with dyslexia. Proceedings of INTERACT, 13, Cape Town, South Africa.
Saggion, H. (2017). Automatic text simplification. Toronto: Morgan & Claypool.
Shewan, C. & Canter, G. (1971). Effects of vocabulary, syntax and sentence length on auditory comprehension in aphasic patients. Cortex, 7, 209-226.
Shook, D. (1997). Identifying and overcoming possible mismatches in the beginning reader–literary text interaction. Hispanica, 80, 234-243.
Siddharthan, A. (2004). Syntactic simplification and text cohesion. Technical report, University of Cambridge.
Siddharthan, A. (2014). A survey of research on text simplification. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 165(2), 259–298.
Sonmez, S. (2007). An overview of studies on the use of authentic texts in language classrooms. Proceedings of the third international online conference on second and foreign language teaching and research (pp. 51-62). The Reading Matrix Inc., United States. Swaffar, J. K. (1985). Reading authentic texts in a foreign language: A cognitive model. Modern Language Journal, 69, 15-34.
Tomlinson, B. (2013). Are materials developing? In B. Tomlinson (Ed), Developing materials for language teaching (pp. 1-19). New York: Bloomsbury.
Tomlinson, B. & Masuhara, H. (2013). Review of adult EFL courses. ELT Journal, 67(2), 233-249.
Tweissi, A. I. (1998). The effects of the amount and the type of simplification on foreign language reading comprehension. Reading in a Foreign Language, 11, 191–206.
Ulijn, J. & Strother, J. B. (1990). The effect of syntactic simplification on reading EST texts as L1 and L2. Journal of Research in Reading, 13(1), 38-54.
Widdowson, H. G. (1984). Explorations in applied linguistics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Yano, Y., Long, M., & Ross, S. (1994). The effects of simplified and elaborated texts on foreign language reading comprehension. Language Learning, 44, 189- 219.
Young, D. J. (1999). Linguistic simplification of SL reading material: Effective instructional practice? Modern Language Journal, 83, 350-366. | ||
|
آمار تعداد مشاهده مقاله: 2,263 تعداد دریافت فایل اصل مقاله: 2,583 |
||