An Exploration of Reading Comprehension Challenges in Saudi Arabian University EFL Students

361 Pages·2014·5.28 MB·English

An Exploration of Reading Comprehension
Challenges in Saudi Arabian University EFL Students
By
Mohammed Aedh A. Alsubaie
To
The University of Exeter
For a Degree of
Doctor of Philosophy in Education
MAR 2014
The thesis is available for library use on the understanding that it is
copyright material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published
without proper acknowledgement
I certify that all material in this thesis which is not my own work has
been identified and that no material has previously been submitted and
approved for the award of a degree by this or any other university
Signature

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Dedication
I dedicate this thesis to my father who believed in me and raised me with his
support and prudence.
With love to the memory of my late mother who passed away tragically and
unexpectedly at the beginning of my postgraduate journey. I wish you were
here MUM to see how your prayer has lightened my way. Your passing is
engraved on my heart and will never be forgotten.
To my brother Turki, and my best friend - my wife's brother Madhi, who have
supported me during my absence abroad, facilitating everything in Saudi Arabia
to enable me to stay in the United Kingdom and study without worry.
To my wife and children who dedicated their time and happiness with
patience and tolerance in order for us to complete this long journey together.

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Abstract
This is an interpretive study, framed by sociocultural theory, and employing
qualitative data collection methods to explore the nature of reading
comprehension challenges faced by English as Foreign Language learners.
These challenges were identified through analysis of the students' reading
aloud processes, and the factors to which students attributed these challenges
were investigated from the perspectives of both the readers themselves and
those of their lecturers.
Information about student reading aloud processes was obtained through
participation in the Think Aloud Protocol by sixteen student volunteers from
three universities in Saudi Arabia. Nine students then volunteered to reflect on
their reading aloud processes in the follow-up Retrospective Verbal Report. All
sixteen students then took part in a semi-structured interview in which they were
questioned about the factors influencing their reading challenges. Six of their
lecturers also volunteered to undertake a similar interview process with regard
to their student's reading of English.
The findings showed that Saudi EFL students exhibited a number of
reading processes which interfered with comprehension. They paid little
attention to punctuation, and used ineffective reading strategies such as
repetition and guessing, which were usually incorrect. Words were often
incorrectly decoded and therefore, mispronounced, particularly vowels which
were pronounced by their alphabetic names rather than phonically, and words
were substituted for those which were graphically or phonologically similar,
indicating a failure to monitor comprehension. Students also read slowly which
interfered with the development of coherency, fluency and comprehension. A
number of themes were identified with regard to the source of these challenges.
These themes relate to the social and cultural framework surrounding the
student, including a cohesive, authoritarian society with a strong social tradition
and a culture which does not value or prioritise reading for pleasure.
Participants believed that these social and cultural forces lead to a lack of
resources, poor access to English, poor teaching methods and a lack of
background knowledge as they read. They claimed that this generated states
of mind which contributed to their reluctance, and largely negative attitudes
towards, reading in English. In particular, participants reported that the social
demands of their culture, the failure to teach good phonic skills, and of negative
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mental and emotional states, influenced their reading fluency and contributed to
their reading comprehension challenges.
The unique approach and design of this study, particularly in the context
of the Arab world, has produced findings which demonstrate the relevance and
influence of social and cultural factors on reading processes and
comprehension challenges. These findings have led to a number of
recommendations for the learning and teaching of English reading in
international contexts. The study concludes by suggesting that these processes
and factors be further investigated by future studies.

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Acknowledgment
I am very grateful to Dr. Susan Riley, my first supervisor, for her patience,
invaluable insights and ideas, and unwavering support. Without her guidance
this work would not have been accomplished.
Many thanks to my second supervisor Dr. Ros Fisher for the support of her
immense knowledge, detailed feedback, valuable comments and constant
encouragement to achieve my goal.
I would like to thank all of my participants for their generous contributions to
this study. I am also grateful for the universities and the departments where this
study has been undertaken for their kind permissions and for welcoming me
with warmth.
I would like to extend my gratitude to King Abdullah whose vision of the
development of Saudi Arabia was the basis of the research programme of
which this study is part. I also express my thanks to the Saudi Cultural Bureau
in London who facilitated the funding and many logistical aspects of studying in
the United Kingdom.

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DEDICATION .................................................................................................................................... 2
ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................................... 3
ACKNOWLEDGMENT ....................................................................................................................... 5
TABLE OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................................ 12
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS & ACRONYMS ........................................................................................ 13
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 14
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE CURRENT STUDY ............................................................................................... 14
1.2 THE NATURE OF THE PROBLEM .......................................................................................................... 15
1.3 RATIONALE FOR THE CURRENT STUDY ................................................................................................. 18
1.4 AIM OF THE CURRENT STUDY ............................................................................................................ 20
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE CURRENT STUDY ................................................................................................ 21
1.6 RESEARCH QUESTIONS ..................................................................................................................... 22
1.7 STRUCTURE OF THE THESIS ............................................................................................................... 23
CHAPTER 2: CONTEXT AND BACKGROUND .................................................................................... 24
2.1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................. 24
2.2 SAUDI ARABIA – BACKGROUND TO THE PRESENT SITUATION .................................................................... 24
2.2.1 Geography of Saudi Arabia ................................................................................................ 24
2.2.2 Saudi Arabian resources .................................................................................................... 25
2.2.3 Saudi Arabian culture and society ..................................................................................... 26
2.2.4 Saudi Arabia in the international context .......................................................................... 28
2.3 THE SAUDI EDUCATIONAL CURRICULUM .............................................................................................. 28
2.3.1 The history and development of the education system ..................................................... 28
2.3.2 The current education system............................................................................................ 29
2.3.3 Stages in the education system ......................................................................................... 30
2.4 THE BACKGROUND OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE IN SAUDI SCHOOLS ................................................................ 32
2.4.1 Principles of English education in the Saudi school ........................................................... 33
2.4.2 Objectives of English education in the Saudi school .......................................................... 33
2.4.3 English language in Saudi schools: the current situation................................................... 35
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2.4.4 English textbooks in S.A. in primary and secondary schools .............................................. 35
2.5 HIGHER EDUCATION IN SAUDI ARABIA ................................................................................................ 38
2.5.1 Structure of the Saudi English degree ................................................................................ 38
2.5.2 Reading in the Saudi English degree .................................................................................. 40
2.5.3 Saudi Arabian HE classroom reading practice in English ................................................... 40
2.6 ARAB READING .............................................................................................................................. 41
2.6.1 Saudi Arabian reading habits in Arabic ............................................................................. 42
2.6.2 Saudi Arabian reading habits in English ............................................................................ 43
2.7 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................. 43
CHAPTER 3: THE LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................................... 45
SECTION ONE: PREVIOUS RESEARCH ............................................................................................. 45
3.1 READING AND READING COMPREHENSION ........................................................................................... 46
3.2 READING MODELS .......................................................................................................................... 46
3.3 THE DEVELOPMENT OF READING ABILITIES ........................................................................................... 47
3.4 LINGUISTIC ASPECTS OF READING COMPREHENSION ............................................................................... 49
3.4.1 Letters or orthography and reading comprehension ......................................................... 49
3.4.2 Phonology and reading comprehension ............................................................................ 52
3.4.3 Morphology and reading comprehension.......................................................................... 54
3.4.4 Lexical knowledge and reading comprehension ................................................................ 55
3.4.5 Syntax and reading comprehension .................................................................................. 58
3.4.6 Semantics and reading comprehension ............................................................................. 60
3.5 EXTRA-LINGUISTIC ABILITIES IN READING ............................................................................................. 62
3.5.1 Fluency and reading comprehension ................................................................................. 62
3.5.2 Reading modality and reading comprehension ................................................................. 64
3.5.3 Prior knowledge and reading comprehension ................................................................... 68
3.5.4 Text structure and reading comprehension ....................................................................... 70
3.5.5 Reading strategies and reading comprehension ............................................................... 72
3.5.6 Teaching strategies and reading comprehension .............................................................. 75
3.5.7 Topic interest and EFL reading comprehension ................................................................. 78
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3.5.8 Text culture ........................................................................................................................ 79
3.5.9 Text types ........................................................................................................................... 79
3.5.10 Text features .................................................................................................................... 80
3.6 TRANSFER OF L1 READING ABILITIES TO L2 AND EFL READING COMPREHENSION ......................................... 82
3.7 PREVIOUS APPROACHES TO THE STUDY OF READING COMPREHENSION IN ARABIC CONTEXTS .......................... 83
3.8 PREVIOUS USES OF THE TAP IN READING COMPREHENSION RESEARCH ...................................................... 85
3.9 SUMMARY OF SECTION ONE ............................................................................................................. 89
SECTION TWO: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ................................................................................. 91
3.10 BEHAVIOURISM............................................................................................................................ 91
3.11 COGNITIVISM .............................................................................................................................. 93
3.12 CONSTRUCTIVISM ......................................................................................................................... 94
3.13 SOCIOCULTURAL THEORY - THE FRAMEWORK OF THE CURRENT STUDY ..................................................... 97
3.14 THE GAB IN LITERATURE ................................................................................................................. 99
3.15 SUMMARY OF SECTION TWO ......................................................................................................... 100
3.16 CONCLUSION TO CHAPTER 3 ......................................................................................................... 101
CHAPTER 4: THE METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................ 103
4.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................ 103
4.2 PHILOSOPHICAL THEORIES UNDERPINNING THE CURRENT STUDY ............................................................ 103
4.2.1 Positivism ......................................................................................................................... 104
4.2.2 Post-positivism ................................................................................................................. 105
4.2.3 The ontological assumption ............................................................................................. 106
4.2.4 The epistemological assumptions .................................................................................... 107
4.3 METHODOLOGY AND DESIGN .......................................................................................................... 108
4.3.1 The interpretivist approach ............................................................................................. 108
4.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS ................................................................................................................... 109
4.5 DATA COLLECTION METHODS .......................................................................................................... 110
4.5.1 Verbal report types .......................................................................................................... 111
4.5.2 The interview method ...................................................................................................... 116
4.5.3 Design of the data collection tools .................................................................................. 118
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4.6 PARTICIPANTS.............................................................................................................................. 124
4.6.1 Students ........................................................................................................................... 125
4.6.2 Lecturers .......................................................................................................................... 126
4.7 DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURES ...................................................................................................... 126
4.7.1 Piloting the data collection tools ..................................................................................... 126
4.7.2 Training students to use the Think Aloud Protocol (TAP) ................................................ 128
4.7.3 Data collection ................................................................................................................. 129
4.8 DATA ANALYSIS OF THE TAP, RVR AND SSIS ..................................................................................... 131
4.8.1 TAP analysis ..................................................................................................................... 133
4.8.2. RVR analysis .................................................................................................................... 135
4.8.3 Semi-Structured Interview analysis (both student and lecturer) ..................................... 135
4.9 TRUSTWORTHINESS ...................................................................................................................... 136
4.9.1 Credibility ......................................................................................................................... 137
4.9.2 Dependability ................................................................................................................... 137
4.9.3 Authenticity ..................................................................................................................... 138
4.9.4 Transferability .................................................................................................................. 138
4.10 ETHICAL ISSUES .......................................................................................................................... 139
4.10.1 Consents of institutions and participants ...................................................................... 141
4.11 LIMITATIONS ............................................................................................................................. 142
4.12 CONCLUSIONS ........................................................................................................................... 144
CHAPTER 5: FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS ......................................................................................... 146
5.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................ 146
PART I: THE FINDINGS FROM EACH OF THE FOUR DATA SETS ..................................................... 146
5.2 STUDENT READING COMPREHENSION ............................................................................................... 146
5.3 FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS OF PARTICIPANTS VERBAL PROTOCOLS ............................................................. 149
5.3.1 The Think-Aloud Protocol (TAP) ....................................................................................... 149
5.3.2 The Retrospective Verbal Report (RVR) ........................................................................... 160
5.3.3 The student interview ...................................................................................................... 169
5.3.4 Lecturer interviews .......................................................................................................... 186
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PART II: THE ANSWER TO RESEARCH QUESTIONS ....................................................................... 199
5.4 ANSWERING THE RESEARCH QUESTIONS ............................................................................................ 199
5.5 RESEARCH QUESTION 1 ................................................................................................................. 200
5.5.1 Reading processes ........................................................................................................... 200
5.5.2 The use of reading strategies ........................................................................................... 201
5.5.3 Punctuation ..................................................................................................................... 201
5.5.4 Fluency ............................................................................................................................. 202
5.5.5 Factors affecting students' reading processes ................................................................. 203
5.6 RESEARCH QUESTION 2 ................................................................................................................. 208
5.6.1 Reading comprehension challenges ................................................................................ 208
5.6.2 Student perceptions of their reading comprehension challenges .................................... 209
5.6.3 Students ascriptions for their reading comprehension challenges .................................. 209
5.7 RESEARCH QUESTION 3 ................................................................................................................. 210
5.8 CONCLUSION TO CHAPTER 5 ........................................................................................................... 211
CHAPTER 6: DISCUSSION ............................................................................................................. 214
6.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................ 214
6.2. Reading comprehension standard ..................................................................................... 214
6.2.1 Reading processes used by Saudi Arabian EFL university students.................................. 214
6.2.2 Reading comprehension challenges ................................................................................ 217
6.3 FACTORS AND READING PROCESSES AFFECTING COMPREHENSION........................................................... 219
6.3.1 Cultural factors ................................................................................................................ 220
6.3.2 Teaching .......................................................................................................................... 221
6.3.3 Access to English .............................................................................................................. 224
6.3.4 Prior knowledge ............................................................................................................... 224
6.3.5 Mental and emotional states........................................................................................... 227
6.4 THE RESEARCH FINDINGS IN THE LIGHT OF THE SOCIOCULTURAL FRAMEWORK ........................................... 228
6.4.1 Saudi English education and sociocultural theory ........................................................... 229
6.4.2 Community and family relations and sociocultural theory .............................................. 230
6.5 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................... 231
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