Investigating the use of discourse structure-based graphic organizers in reading instruction

Abstract

This study investigated the effectiveness of discourse structure-based graphic organizers on intermediate level EFL students‟ reading comprehension of selected texts. The purpose of the study was to determine whether students who used discourse structure-based graphic organizers as a post-reading activity would perform better on post-test summaries compared to those who were involved in a discussion as a post-reading activity. This study also explored the attitudes of students towards the use of discourse structure-based graphic organizers in reading instruction. Two intact intermediate-level EFL classes at Uludağ University School of Foreign Languages participated in the study. The data were collected through the administration of four post-test summaries and a questionnaire that was in a Likertscale format. The statistical analysis of the post-test scores revealed that the students who completed discourse structure-based graphic organizers as a post-reading activity performed significantly better in the post-test summaries of the four selected texts than the students who participated in discussion as a post-reading activity. The analysis of the participant students‟ responses to the attitude questionnaire showed that the students had mixed attitudes towards the utilization of discourse structurebased graphic organizers in reading instruction.