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What advice is proper for EFL students to improve their comprehension levels?
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, , Hiroshima International University, Japan ; , Tokyo University of Agriculture, Japan ; , Kwansei Gakuin University, Japan

E-Learn: World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education, in Montréal, Quebec, Canada ISBN 978-1-880094-98-3 Publisher: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE), San Diego, CA

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Abstract

This paper is a report on the findings of a survey conducted on EFL learners in Japan. We conducted the Japanese Reading Span Test (J-RST) by Osaka (2002), two types of computer-based English comprehension tests, and semi-structured interviews on how they tackled those tasks. Data collected were analyzed descriptively and qualitatively. Findings indicated that the J-RST scores along with the learner’s background experiences would be good predictors of performance in comprehension. They also suggested that the levels of vocabulary knowledge, along with the learners’ awareness of their own strategies, had some influence on reading comprehension. In addition, the results suggested written-answer tests had more power to identify learners’ weaknesses than multiple choice questions did. Educators need to give individual learners proper advice in accordance with their test results and learning styles for betterment of comprehension levels.

Citation

Kuramoto, A., Ochi, T., Nishida, H. & Tsurii, C. (2012). What advice is proper for EFL students to improve their comprehension levels?. In T. Bastiaens & G. Marks (Eds.), Proceedings of E-Learn 2012--World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 1 (pp. 1827-1832). Montréal, Quebec, Canada: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). Retrieved November 22, 2019 from .

© 2012 Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE)

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References

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