K-W-L: A teaching strategy in teaching reading comprehension skills amongst non-english majors

Abstract

This research aims at enhancing non-English major students’ comprehension in the process of learning English exploiting the K-W-L (Know, Wanted to know, and Learned) strategy for teaching at the tertiary education level. In this study, the researchers used the qualitative research method, including questionnaires, observations and interviews to collect data. Thirty-two junior students from a class of the Faculty of International Economics Administration at Lac Hong University were selected to engage in this research. They were studying English 6 using the main textbook Cutting-edge Intermediate (3rd Edition) by Sarah Cunningham Moor and Jonathan Bygrave (2013). The teachers were assigned to be responsible for teaching Listening and Speaking skills with the inevitable supplementation of Reading skills. It was hoped that the K-W-L strategy would shift passive students into active ones for the purpose of achieving their reading comprehension skills. The result showed the extraordinarily significant effect of applying the K-W-L strategy towards students’ ability in reading comprehension, resulting in mastering the idea in the reading texts so as to be successful in communication in English.