Effects of Reciprocal Teaching on EFL Fifth Graders' English Reading Ability

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of Reciprocal Teaching on EFL fifth graders’ reading ability, in terms of word recognition and reading comprehension in an elementary school in Taiwan. The participants in this research were fifty-three fifth-graders of an elementary school, 25 males and 28 females, in two intact classes in Taiwan. Students in one fifth-grade class, the control group, received regular English instruction, while those in the other fifth-grade class, the experimental group, received reciprocal teaching program, in two-hour English classes per week for 12 weeks, the duration of this study. Pretest-posttest of word recognition tests and reading comprehension tests were applied to evaluate students’ progress of reading ability before and after reciprocal teaching program. Six students were interviewed after the program, and students’ attitudes toward reciprocal teaching in English reading were recorded. The research results indicated that most students made prominent improvement in their English reading ability, word recognition, and reading comprehension. In addition, most participants had positive attitude toward reciprocal teaching, and they liked reciprocal teaching to be incorporated into English classes. Finally, based on the findings, some implications are also proposed to be of help to those who are English teachers or educational practitioners in elementary schools.