The effect of reading strategy instruction based on cognitive academic language learning approach on reading comprehension and strategy use in the French course as a foreign language: Eskişehir Osmangazi University case

The present study aimed at examining the effects of reading strategy instruction based on Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach (CALLA) on students? reading comprehension and reading strategies use in the French course as a foreign language. The study also investigated the students? views about the intervention after reading strategies instruction based on CALLA.The study was designed as an action research. Reading strategies instruction based on CALLA was implemented in Foreign Languages Department at Eskişehir Osmangazi University 4 hours per week for 8 weeks during the spring semester of 2009-2010 academic year. A total of 18 students attending French Preparatory Class participated in the study. Data were collected through Reading Comprehension Test, Reading Strategies Scale, think-aloud technique, interview, questionnaire, video, and journals.The findings obtained from data analysis revealed that reading strategies instruction implemented had positive effects on students? reading comprehension level and that average and low achievement level students have improved their reading comprehension more than high achievement level students.The findings related to the effect of the reading strategies instruction based on CALLA on reading strategies use and obtained through Reading Strategies Scale showed that after the intervention, the students used certain strategies especially selective attention and self-questioning strategies more frequently than before. According to think-aloud technique data, after the intervention, it was found that the students diversified cognitive and metacognitive strategies which they used, that they preferred selective attention to the title, connecting between parts of text strategies more frequently, and that they used selective attention to the linguistic elements and deduction strategies less frequently than before. Another finding was that both before and after the intervention, the students used cognitive strategies more than metacognitive strategies in all achievement levels while the frequency of the use of metacognitive strategies increased among the low achievement level students but decreased in other achievement levels after the intervention. Moreover, it was revealed that average and low acheivement level students started to use the strategies which they didn?t prefer before the intervention.The students? views before and after the intervention about French reading comprehension and the reading strategies they used showed that the students? awareness about their reading comprehension level and strategies improved after the intervention. It was finally found that the students had positive views about reading strategies instruction implemented.As a result, this study revealed that reading strategies instruction based on CALLA had positive effects on reading comprehension level especially for average and low achievement students and strategy use and awareness of strategy in general.