Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of English, Shahrekord Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord, Iran

2 Department of English Language Translation, Islamic Azad University, Lahijan Branch, Iran.

3 Assistant Professor, Department of English, Faculty of Humanities, Ahvaz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz, Iran

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of 2 modes of instruction (Short-block versus Long-block) on Iranian EFL learners' reading motivation and reading attitude. For this study, 60 pre-intermediate level students who were studying in an English language institute in Ahvaz were selected. They took part in a homogeneity test (OQPT) to determine their homogeneity level. Then they were randomly divided into two groups, 30 learners each included, namely short-block instruction group and long-block instruction group. Then the two groups were given a reading motivation questionnaire and reading attitude survey as the pre-test before treatment to determine the participants’ reading motivation and reading attitude. During the eleven-session treatment, the long-block group was taught the reading comprehension in an intensive 75-minute session, while the short-block group was taught in three short sessions (twenty-five- minute session). After the treatment sessions, the participants were given a reading motivation questionnaire and reading attitude survey as a posttest. Data were analyzed through descriptive statistics and one-samples t-tests and the findings showed a significant difference between the groups. The short-block group outperformed the other groups in both reading motivation and reading attitude post-test. Implications of this study could be a hint for both EFL teachers and learners that teaching through short-block instruction is more effective than long-block instruction in teaching reading comprehension.

Keywords

Anderson, J. R., & Bower, G. H. (1972). Recognition and retrieval processes in free recall. Psychological Review, 79(2), 97-123.
Baker, L., Dreher, M. J., & Guthrie, J. T. (2000). Engaging young readers: Promoting achievement and motivation. New York: Guilford Press.
Bird, S. (2010). Effects of distributed practice on the acquisition of second language English syntax. Applied Psycholinguistics, 31(4), 635–650.
Cepeda, N., Coburn, N., Rohrer, D., Wixted, J., Mozer, M., & Pashler, H. (2009). Optimizing distributed practice: theoretical analysis and practical implications. Experimental Psychology, 56(4), 236–246.
Collins, L., & White, J. (2011). An intensive look at intensity and language learning. TESOL Quarterly, 45(1), 106–133.
Conradi, K., Jang, B. G., Bryant, C., Craft, A., & McKenna, M. C. (2013). Measuring adolescents’ attitudes toward reading: A classroom survey. Journal of Adolescents and Adult Literacy, 56(7), 565–576.
Donovan, J., & Radosevich, D. (1999). A meta-analytic review of the distribution of practice effect: Now you see it, now you don't. Journal of Applied Psychology, 84(5), 795–805.
Dornyei, Z. (2003). Attitudes, orientations, and motivations in language learning: Advances in theory, research, and applications. Language Learning, 53(1), 3-32.
Fitrisia, D., Tan, K.-E., & Yusuf, Y. Q. (2015). Investigating metacognitive awareness of reading strategies to strengthen students’ performance in reading comprehension. Asia Pacific Journal of Educators and Education, 30 (3), 15–30.
Gardner, R. (1980). On the validity of affective variables in second language acquisition: conceptual and statistical considerations. Language Learning, 30 (2), 255-270.
Ghavamnia, M., Ketabi, S., & Tavakoli, M. (2013). L2 reading strategies used by Iranian EFL learners: A think-aloud study. Reading Psychology, 34(4), 355–378.
Goossens, N. A., Camp, G., Verkoeijen, P. P., Tabbers, H. K., & Zwaan, R. A. (2014). Spreading the words: A spacing effect in vocabulary learning. Journal of Cognitive Psychology, 24, 965–971.
Greene, R. L. (1989). Spacing effects in memory: Evidence for a two-process account. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 15(3), 371-377.
Guo, Y., & Roehrig, A. D. (2011). Roles of general versus second language (L2) knowledge in L2 reading comprehension. Reading in a Foreign Language, 23(1), 42–64.
Habók, A. (2015). Learning to learn in Years 1 and 2 of Hungarian primary schools. Education 3-13: International Journal of Primary, Elementary and Early Years Education, 43(2), 153–163.
Han, F. (2017). Applicability of the compensatory encoding model in foreign language reading: An investigation with Chinese college English language learners. Frontiers in Psychology, 8(6), 223-256
Hosseini, S. B., & Pourmandnia, D. (2013). Language learners’ attitudes and beliefs: brief review of the related literature and framework. International Journal on New Trends in Education and Their Implications, 4 (4), 6-29.
Jabbari, M. J., & Golkar, N. (2014). The relationship between EFL learners’ language learning attitudes and language learning strategies. International Journal of Linguistics, 6(3), 161–167.
Karimi, S., & Dastgoshadeh, A. (2018). The effect of strategy-based instruction on EAP students’ reading performance and reading autonomy. Cogent Education, 5 (1), 1-28.
Khatib, M., & Fathi, J. (2012). On the role of phonological processing in L2 reading. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 3(1), 66-73.
Kintsch, W. (2012). Psychological models of reading comprehension and their implications for assessment. In J. Sabatini, E. Albro, & T. O’Reilly (Eds.), Measuring up: Advances in how to assess reading abilities (pp. 21–38). Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Education. 
Lohnas, L. J., & Kahana, M. J. (2014). A retrieved context account of spacing and repetition effects in free recall. J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn, 40(3), 755–764.
Lotfolahi, A.R., & Salehi, H. (2017). Spacing effects in vocabulary learning: Young EFL learners in focus. Cogent Education, 4, 1-10.
Mashhadi, A., & Farvardin, M.  T.  (2017).  Effects of spaced and massed distribution instruction on EFL learners’ recall and retention of grammatical structures. Teaching English Language, 11(2), 57-75.
Miles, S. (2014). Spaced vs. massed distribution instruction for L2 grammar learning. System, 42, 412–428.
Nagy, J., & Habók, A. (2018). Attitudes and behaviors related to individual and classroom practices: An empirical study of external and internal factors of ICT use. Libri, 68(2), 113–124.
Nakata, T. (2015). Effects of expanding and equal spacing on second language vocabulary learning. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 37(4), 677-711.
Namaziandost, E., & Nasri, M., Rahimi Esfahani, F., & Keshmirshekan M. H. (2019). The impacts of spaced and massed distribution instruction on EFL learners’ vocabulary learning. Cogent Education, 6(1), 1-18. 1661131. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2019. 1661131.  
Namaziandost, E., Rahimi Esfahani, F., & Hashemifardnia, A. (2018). The comparative effect of spacing instruction and massed instruction on intermediate EFL learners’ reading comprehension. SAGE Open, 8(4), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1177/215824401881102.
Namaziandost, E., Razmi, M. H., Hernández, R. M., Ocaña-Fernández, Y., & Khabir, M. (2021). Synchronous CMC text chat versus synchronous CMC voice chat: impacts on EFL learners’ oral proficiency and anxiety. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, DOI: 10.1080/15391523.2021.1906362
Namaziandost, E., Razmi, M. H., Tilwani, S. A., & Pourhosein Gilakjani, A. (2021). The impact of authentic materials on reading comprehension, motivation, and anxiety among Iranian male EFL learners. Reading & Writing Quarterly, DOI: 10.1080/10573569.2021.1892001.
Namaziandost, E., Sawalmeh, M. H. M., & Izadpanah Soltanabadi, M. (2020). The effects of spaced versus massed distribution instruction on EFL learners’ vocabulary recall and retention. Cogent Education, 7(1), 1-13. DOI: 10.1080/2331186X.2020.1792261
Rajab, A., Zakaria, W, & Rahman, H. A., (2012). Reading anxiety among second language learners. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 66, 362-369.
Roediger, H. L., & Karpicke, J. D. (2006). The power of testing memory: Basic research and implications for educational practice. Perspectives on Psychological Science,1, 181–210.
Rohrer, D. (2015). Student instruction should be distributed over long time periods. Educational Psychology Review, 27(4), 635–643.
Rohrer, D., & Pashler, H. (2007). Increasing retention without increasing study time. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 16(4), 183-186.
Rooholamin, A., Biria, R., & Haghverdi, H. R. (2016). Effectiveness of proactive intensive FFI in cultivating grammatical knowledge of Iranian EFL learners at different proficiency levels. English Language Teaching, 9(3), 197-206.
Rooholamin, A., Biria, R., & Haghverdi, H. R. (2017). Form-focused instruction and lexical development of Iranian EFL learners. Modern Journal of Language Teaching Methods, 6(10), 276-286.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55, 68-78.
Schuetze, U. (2015). Spacing techniques in second language vocabulary acquisition: Short-term gains vs. long-term memory. Language Teaching Research, 19(1), 28-42.
Serrano, R. (2011). The time factor in EFL classroom practice. Language Learning, 61(1), 117–145.
Shirzadi, M., Akhgar, F, Rooholamin, A., & Shafiee, S. (2017). A corpus-based contrastive analysis of stance strategies in native and nonnative speakers’ English academic writings: introduction and discussion sections in focus. International Journal of Research in English Education (IJREE), 2(4), 30-40.
Sobel, H. S., Cepeda, N. J., & Kapler, I. V. (2011). Spacing effects in real-world classroom vocabulary learning. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 25, 763–767.
Sookchotirat, M. (2005). Reading: Learning sooner, teaching well. Nanmee, Bangkok, Thailand.
Wang, T. H. (2008). The effects of modified collaborative strategic reading on EFL learners’ reading comprehension. Unpublished MA dissertation, National Changhua University of Education, Changhua, Taiwan.
Wenden, A. (1991). Learners strategies for learner autonomy. London: Prentice Hall.
Wigfield, A., & Guthrie, J. T. (1997). Relations of children’s motivation for reading to the amount and breadth of their reading. Journal of Educational Psychology, 89, 420-432.
Year, J. (2009). Korean speakers’ acquisition of the English ditransitive construction: The role of input frequency and repetition. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Teacher’s College, Columbia University.