The effect of metadiscourse markers presence on high school EFL learners reading comprehension

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Associate Professor English Language Teaching at University of Mohaghegh Ardabili

2 English teacher, Ministry of Education, Namin

d-2-2-92-4-6

Abstract

This study investigates the effect of metadiscourse markers presence on reading
comprehension, and also explores the effect of metadiscourse awareness of learners
on reading comprehension performance. A total of 96 participants, studying in preuniversity
centers, in Namin and Ardabil cities were selected to take part in the
study based on their scores on Nelson Proficiency Test. Those who scored one
standard deviation above the mean were selected as high level groups and those
who scored one standard deviation below the mean were assigned to the low level
groups. The participants were then randomly assigned to four groups. The first and
the second groups, i.e. high experimental group and low experimental group,
received the metadiscursively stripped reading text. The third and the fourth
groups, i.e. high control group and low control group received metadiscursively undoctored
reading text. Hawing read the texts, all the participants took the reading
comprehension test. A two-way ANOVA was used to analyze the data. The
analysis showed that the participants performed better on the un-doctored texts.
Also, based on the results of the follow-up questionnaire, the learners were divided
into high and low level of awareness and then their scores on reading test were
compared through a t-test. The results showed that the learners with more
awareness of metadiscourse markers performed better on reading comprehension
test. The results were argued to have implications for English languge material
production and teaching.

Keywords


کرمی، جهانگیر؛ عباسی، زینب و زکی یی، علی ( 1392 ). تأثیر آموزش آگاهی واج شناختی بر سرعت،
.38-53 ،(3) دقت و درک مطلب دانش آموزان نارساخوان. فص لنام هی ناتوان یهای یادگیری، 2
Abdi, R., Tavangar, M., & Tavakoli, M. (2010). The cooperative principle in discourse
communities and genres: A framework for the use of metadiscourse. Journal of
Pragmatics, 42, 1669-1679.
Alderson, J. C. (2000). Assessing reading. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Bernhardt, E. (1991). Reading development in second language: heoretical, empirical, and
classroom perspectives. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
Camiciottoli, B. (2003). Metadiscourse and ESP reading comprehension: An
exploratorystudy. Reading in a Foreign Language, 15(1), 15–33.
Carrell, P. L. (1985). Facilitating ESL reading by teaching text structure. TESOL Quarterly,
19, 727–752.
Carrel, P. L., Pharis, B. G., & Liberto, J. C. (1989). Metacognitive strategy training for ESL
reading. TESOL Quarterly, 23, 647-678.
Crismore, A. (1989). Talking with readers: Metadiscourse as rhetorical act. New York:
Peter Lang Publishers.
Crismore, A., Markkanen, R., & Steffensen, M. (1993). Metadiscourse in persuasive
writing: A study of texts written by American and Finnish university students. Written
Communication, 10, 39-71.
Grabe, W. (1988). Reassessing the term ‘interactive’. In Carrell, P. L., Devine, J. & Eskey,
D. E. (eds.) (1988). Interactive approaches to second language reading.
Cambridge:CUP.
Grabe, W., & Stoller, F. (2001). Reading for academic purposes: Guidelines for the
ESL/EFL teacher. In M. Celce-Murcia (Ed.), Teaching English as a second or foreign
language (3rd ed.) (pp. 187–205). Boston: Heinle & Heinle Publishers.
Halliday, M. A. K. (1994). An introduction to functional grammar (2nd ed.). London:
Edward Arnold.
Hashemi, M. R., & Khodabakhshzadeh, H. (2012). The effect of metadiscourse of EFL
learners' reading comprehension. Modern Journal of Language Teaching Methods, 2(3),
1-16.
Hyland, K. (1998). Persuasion and context: The pragmatics of academic metadiscourse.
Journal of Pragmatics, 30, 437–455.
Hyland, K. (2005). Metadiscourse: Exploring interaction in writing. London: Continuum.
Hyland, K., & Tse, P. (2004). Metadiscourse in academic writing: A reappraisal. Applied
Linguistics, 25(2), 156–157.
Intaraprawat, P., & Steffensen, M. (1995). The use of metadiscourse in good and poor ESL
essays. Journal of Second Language Writing, 4(3), 263–272.
Kumpf, E. P. (2000). Visual metadiscourse: Designing the considerate text. Technical
Communication Quarterly, 9(4), 401–424.
Lynch, B., & Hudson, T. (1991). EST Reading. In M. Celce-Murcia (Ed.), Teaching
English as a second or foreign language (2nd ed.) (pp. 216–232). Boston: Heinle &
Heinle Publishers.
Nunan, D. (2001). Second language teaching and learning. Boston: Heinle & Heinle
Publishers.
Parvaresh, V., & Nemati, M. (2008). Metadiscourse and reading comprehension: The
effects of language and proficiency. Electronic Journal of Foreign Language Teaching,
5, 220–239.
Richards, P. M., & Renandya, W. A. (2002). Teaching reading. In J. C. Richards & W. A.
Renandya (Eds.), Methodology in language teaching: An anthology of current practice
(pp. 273–275). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Simin, S., & Tavangar, M. (2009). Metadiscourse knowledge and use in Iranian EFL
writing. The Asian EFL Journal Quarterly, 1(11), 230–255.
Tavakoli, M, Dabaghi, A., & Khorvash, Z. (2010). The Effect of Metadiscourse Awareness
on L2 Reading Comprehension: A Case of Iranian EFL Learners. English Language
Teaching, 3(1), 92-102.
Vande Kopple, W. J. (1985). Some exploratory discourse on metadiscourse. College
Composition and Communication, 36, 82–93.
Wilson, D., & Sperber, D. (2004). Relevance theory. In G. Ward & L.R. Horn (Eds.),
Handbook of pragmatics (pp. 607–632). Oxford: Blackwell.