The Improvement of Reading Comprehension of Secondary School Students Using Web-based Instruction and KWL-Plus

Abstract

The growing of technology had contributed to language learning; especially the use of Web-based instruction (WBI) had been increased in the language classroom. WBI has recognized its’ effects on the students’ language skills such as listening, speaking, writing, and reading. However, technology could not replace teachers in class, for the fact that it was a lack of human interaction and inspiration for the students. The current study attempted to investigate the integration technology and teacher instruction by adopting WBI and KWL- Plus to improve secondary school students reading comprehension at a literal level as well as the students’ attitudes towards WBI and KWL-Plus. The participants were seventh-grade students consisted of twenty students in the secondary school in the Northeast of Thailand. The implementation of the current study lasted eighteen hours. The web-based lesson was designed based on KWL-Plus procedures and scaffolding instruction through web-based instruction. According to data collection, the researcher adopted reading comprehension pretest and posttest, questionnaire, and semi-structured interview. The findings of the study showed that there was a significant difference between the overall mean scores of students reading comprehension pre-test and posttest at the 0.01 level and students expressed a positive attitude towards the integration of Web-based instruction and KWL-Plus at a very high level. In addition, the qualitative data obtained from the semi-structured interview indicated that the majority of the students enjoyed performing reading with the integration of Web-based Instruction and KWL-Plus.

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