Constructivist pedagogy in strategic reading instruction: exploring pathways to learner development in the English as a second language (ESL) classroom |
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| Authors: | Lawrence Jun Zhang |
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| Institution: | (1) English Language & Literature Academic Group, Arts Building, NIE3-03-98, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, 1 Nanyang Walk, Singapore, 637616, Republic of Singapore |
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| Abstract: | The study explored English as a Second Language (ESL) learner development. In particular, it focused on investigating learners’
understanding of reading and their willingness to be engaged in strategic reading in participatory classroom activities. It
also examined possible effects of such pedagogy on reading performance. The context was a two-month strategy-based reading
instruction program, set within a constructivist framework. The program emphasized developing students’ academic reading proficiency.
The study, quasi-experimental in design, involved a control group and an experimental group, both of whom were ESL students
from the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The students were expected to satisfy an intensive English communication skills
requirement in order to be successfully matriculated into English-medium universities in Singapore. The results showed that
the teacher’s strategy-based instructional intervention evolving around participatory activities affected changes in the ESL
students’ use of reading strategies and improvement in comprehension. These findings are discussed in relation to PRC students
in study-abroad contexts, especially the cultures of learning that they bring along with them. Recommendations for further
research are also made.
I have been granted permission to use all the materials presented in this article and I declare that the participants’ names
that are referred to in this study are not their real names. |
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| Keywords: | Constructivist pedagogy Strategy-based reading instruction Chinese cultures of learning Reading strategies Chinese ESL learners China Singapore |
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