The Effects of the Know-Want-Learn (KWL) Strategy on Seventh Grade Second Language Learners’ Reading Comprehension Ability and Reading Motivation in Ethiopia

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to investigate the impact of the KWL strategy on students’ reading comprehension and their reading motivation. A Solomon Four Non-Equivalent Control Group Design under quasi-experimental research was used. The participants in this study were seventh-grade students who speak Oromiffa and learn Amharic as a second language. The KWL strategy approach was used for the experimental groups, while the conventional teaching method was used for the control groups. The data for this study was collected through reading comprehension tests and a reading motivation questionnaire. The reading comprehension tests and reading motivation questioner were piloted to ensure their reliability. The reliability coefficient alpha was pretest = 0.75, posttest =.805, and reading motivation =.88. The collected data was analyzed by descriptive statistics using mean and standard deviation and by inferential statistics using independent sample t-test, one-way ANOVA, and Post hoc Bonferroni. Hypotheses were accepted or rejected at a significance level of 0.05. Based on the analysis, the results of the posttest in experimental groups 1 and 2 are significantly higher than those in control groups 1 and 2. This means that participants who were taught using the KWL strategy, which is one of the graphic organizers, scored higher in their reading comprehension and reading motivation than those students who were taught using the conventional teaching method. So, it can be concluded that the KWL strategy is effective in improving students’ reading comprehension and reading motivation. So, the curriculum designers and text book makers should consider types of graphic organizer strategies, such as the KWL strategy, to develop the learners reading comprehension ability and their reading motivation while constructing Amharic reading materials for second language learners.

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