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Although word predictability is commonly considered an important factor in reading, sophisticated accounts of predictability in theories of reading are lacking. Computational models of reading traditionally use cloze norming as a proxy of word predictability, but what cloze norms precisely capture remains unclear. This study investigates whether large language models (LLMs) can fill this gap. Contextual predictions are implemented via a novel parallel-graded mechanism, where all predicted words at a given position are pre-activated as a function of contextual certainty, which varies dynamically as text processing unfolds. Through reading simulations with OB1-reader, a cognitive model of word recognition and eye-movement control in reading, we compare the model's fit to eye-movement data when using predictability values derived from a cloze task against those derived from LLMs (GPT-2 and LLaMA). Root Mean Square Error between simulated and human eye movements indicates that LLM predictability provides a better fit than cloze. This is the first study to use LLMs to augment a cognitive model of reading with higher-order language processing while proposing a mechanism on the interplay between word predictability and eye movements. Author summary: Reading comprehension is a crucial skill that is highly predictive of later success in education. One aspect of efficient reading is our ability to predict what is coming next in the text based on the current context. Although we know predictions take place during reading, the mechanism through which contextual facilitation affects oculomotor behaviour in reading is not yet well-understood. Here, we model this mechanism and test different measures of predictability (computational vs. empirical) by simulating eye movements with a cognitive model of reading. Our results suggest that, when implemented with our novel mechanism, a computational measure of predictability provides better fits to eye movements in reading than a traditional empirical measure. With this model, we scrutinize how predictions about upcoming input affects eye movements in reading, and how computational approaches to measuring predictability may support theory testing. Modelling aspects of reading comprehension and testing them against human behaviour contributes to the effort of advancing theory building in reading research. In the longer term, more understanding of reading comprehension may help improve reading pedagogies, diagnoses and treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This new exploratory study is part of a larger ongoing follow-up project. Its specific aim was to verify whether an innovative European Program, primarily designed to enhance children's social and emotional learning, led to gains in theory of mind and emotion understanding when implemented in preschool settings. Methods: Thirty-four children (mean age: 56.4months; SD: 10.1; range: 40-70months) participated in the study. They were randomly and equally divided into a training group and a control group. The training sample completed eight linguisticconversational activities drawn from the Program, in groups of 5 to 6 children, over 8 weeks. The activities were based on listening to stories and/or watching videos and then thinking and talking about the inner world (thoughts and emotions) of the story characters as well as the participants' own inner states. During the training phase, the children in the control group engaged in drawing or free play activities. At both the pre-test and post-test phases of the study, all the children completed a language test, a battery of theory of mind (ToM) tasks (including 'change of location' and 'unexpected content' tasks), and the Test of Emotion Comprehension which evaluates nine components of emotion understanding (EU). The validated national versions of the tests were administered in all cases. Results: Significant differences were identified between the training and control groups. Indeed, the participants in the Program training activities, which were based on conversational exchanges between an adult and a group of children, as well as among the children themselves, outperformed the control participants on both overall theory of mind and overall emotion understanding. A more detailed analysis showed that the training group outperformed the control group in relation to both specific components of EU and the 'change of location' ToM task. Discussion: The results of this exploratory study suggest that the Program is effective at enhancing preschoolers' social understanding and thus merits implementation in preschool settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Jingle fallacy is the false assumption that instruments which share the same name measure the same underlying construct. In this experiment, we focus on the comprehension subtests of the Nelson Denny Reading Test (NDRT) and the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT-II). 91 university students read passages for comprehension whilst their eye movements were recorded. Participants took part in two experimental blocks of which the order was counterbalanced, one with higher comprehension demands and one with lower comprehension demands. We assumed that tests measuring comprehension would be able to predict differences observed in eye movement patterns as a function of varying comprehension demands. Overall, readers were able to adapt their reading strategy to read more slowly, making more and longer fixations, coupled with shorter saccades when comprehension demands were higher. Within an experimental block, high scorers on the NDRT were able to consistently increase their pace of reading over time for both higher and lower comprehension demands, whereas low scorers approached a threshold where they could not continue to increase their reading speed or further reduce the number of fixations to read a text, even when comprehension demands were low. Individual differences based on the WIAT-II did not explain similar patterns. The NDRT comprehension test was therefore more predictive of differences in the reading patterns of skilled adult readers in response to comprehension demands than the WIAT-II (which also suffered from low reliability). Our results revealed that these different comprehension measures should not be used interchangeably, and researchers should be cautious when choosing reading comprehension tests for research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to assess and improve the impact on reading students' comprehension due to an intervention in two curricular modules, Teorías pedagógicas and Lengua at Teacher's Training of an Instituto de Formación Docente (IFD) in Uruguay. The framework on these studies is based on Academic Literacy, which encompasses the teaching practices needed for reading specialized texts. The method used to quantify changes on reading students' comprehension is a pretest and posttest strategy without control group. Before and after the intervention a reading comprehension test is applied. The results show a statistically significant difference in the mean between the pre and posttest (the difference of 1 and p value equal to 0.003). Therefore, the null hypothesis is rejected, and the alternative hypothesis is accepted which is that the intervention produced change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: This study aimed to develop and validate a modified version of the Speech in Noise Sentence Test in Kannada, which would be appropriate for testing the speech comprehension ability of children aged 8-12 years. Subjects and Methods: A total of 120 sentences were chosen from 200 familiar sentences and split into four lists. Continuous discourse was used as a competition or distractor. Using MATLAB, the target stimulus was presented at 0-degree azimuth while the distractor's location varied (+90° and -90° azimuth). The test was programmed to dynamically adjust the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) based on participants' responses. After initial validation, a pilot study was conducted with 60 typically hearing children aged 8 to 12 years. Results: The SNR50 scores significantly improved when the distractor and target sentences were spatially separated across all groups. Age had a significant influence on the spatial separation scores. The test-retest reliability was excellent. Conclusions: The developed stimuli effectively measured spatial separation, and the normative and psychometric analyses demonstrated reliable outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Pain is common in Parkinson's disease (PD) and impairs quality of life. The King's PD pain questionnaire (KPPQ) is a standardized, reliable, and valid self‐administered questionnaire for screening of pain in PD. We developed a linguistically validated German version of the KPPQ and applied it to a cohort with fluctuating PD. Methods. The interculturally adapted German translation was performed according to internationally accepted procedures in coordination with the authors of the original publication but without further psychometric validation. After final approval by all translators and original authors, the German version was then tested for feasibility and comprehension in 30 PD patients. After final adaption, the German KPPQ together with the German quantitative KPPS were applied to an independent cohort of fluctuating PD patients within the VALIDATE‐PD study. Results. The use of the German version of the KPPQ in clinical practice or in the VALIDATE‐PD study revealed no significant problems of understanding. Sufficient datasets were available from 47 patients with motor fluctuations (24 (51%) males, 23 (49%) females; median (interquartile range (IQR)) age: 65 (58‐73) years; median (IQR) Hoehn and Yahr stage: 2.5 [2‐3]). Total pain was reported by 43 (92%) of participants with a median number of 4 (IQR: 2‐5) pain subtypes. We did not observe any associations of total pain frequency, neither with gender nor with other demographic or clinical parameters. Conclusions. The German version of the KPPQ is recommended as a questionnaire for assessing the frequency of pain and its subtypes in PD in clinical studies and/or routine care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prompted by the challenges faced by teachers in balancing grammar and content in English classes, coupled with the poor English proficiency of rural Odia medium school students, the study aimed to devise an intervention that could balance content and grammar, thereby enhancing the grammar competency and content comprehension of eighth-grade students. Based on quasi-experimental research with a pretest-posttest nonequivalent group design, two groups were assigned treatment conditions: the 5E Model with Planned-Incidental Grammar Teaching Approach (experimental group) and the traditional Grammar Translation Method (control group) during class instructions. Data were collected from 100 school students, with 52 in the experimental group and 48 in the control group, using pretest and posttest assessments. The mixed ANOVA test results revealed significantly higher posttest scores in the experimental group compared to the control group, highlighting the positive impact of the intervention on students' grammar proficiency. The t-test for the comprehension test suggested comparable levels of comprehension in both groups, indicating the efficiency of the new pedagogical strategy in seamlessly integrating grammar instruction into regular classroom teaching, optimizing instructional time and ensuring balance between content and grammar, making it particularly valuable for educators facing time constraints. This study underscores the need for professional development opportunities to enhance teachers' pedagogical skills and knowledge. Further research is warranted to explore the intervention's impact on various language skills and assess its applicability in diverse contexts, contributing to a broader understanding of its implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given that the use and comprehension of figurative language is one of the most intriguing abilities of the mind, this study extends the line of research related to the process of understanding figurative language to individual differences. The starting assumption is that individual differences affect our ability to understand figurative language, focusing on fluid and crystallized intelligence. These types of intelligence were measured in relation to the ability t1o understand metaphors, and their influence was investigated indirectly, through tests that reliably examine both types of intelligence. The research investigates non-literary metaphors in the Serbian language, normed according to the following dimensions: metaphoricity, aptness, and familiarity. This study seeks to show whether and to what extent fluid and/or crystallized intelligence influence the process of understanding non-literary metaphors normed according to different features. Through selected verbal and non-verbal tests, Raven’s progressive matrices (Raven, 1938), semantic similarities test (Stamenković, Ichien, & Holyoak, 2019a), as well as a non-literary metaphor comprehension test, it is determined in which way fluid and crystallized intelligence play roles in the process of metaphor comprehension, as well as which possible cognitive mechanism allows us to process metaphors. The results show that the comprehension of non-literary metaphors mostly relies on crystallized intelligence, while fluid intelligence seems to be employed in individual cases, only with some groups of metaphors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our study examined the complex relationships among reading performance (decoding, comprehension) and language, visuo-spatial, and attentional control abilities in 115 Italian-speaking children. Latent profile analysis was used to identify distinct clusters of participants showcasing quantitative differences in decoding skills, including word, pseudo-word, text reading speed and accuracy. Then, we used this classification to investigate group differences in a variety of linguistic, working memory, and visuo-spatial tasks, as well as in reading comprehension skills, by means of multivariate and univariate tests. Our results reveal significant links between reading proficiency and several key factors: language skills, visuo-spatial abilities, and attentional control. These findings illuminate the nuanced impact of domain-general processes that govern a series of linguistic and visuo-perceptive subcomponents during reading tasks. Additionally, using dominance analysis, predictors of written text comprehension were identified. Our findings suggest that effective reading comprehension relies on a synergistic interplay of adequate reading speed, attentional control, working memory, and verbal fluency, accounting for 23% of the explained variance. This study highlights the multifaceted nature of reading proficiency and suggests that a broader perspective is necessary to fully understand reading development and support its improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the types of static, dynamic, and mixed text display on students' reading comprehension, attention, and cognitive. In addition, this study also considers sitting, standing, and walking positions and different types of text. Quasi-experiments were used in this study with random sample selection of students at the high school level who have mobile reading habits. The instruments used in this study were gadgets for mobile reading, reading comprehension tests, and cognitive level measurement scales. The results showed that the reading positions that made a significant positive contribution to sustained attention were sitting reading positions and mixed text types which made the lowest contribution to sustained attention. In addition, it was found that the type of text did not have a significant effect on students' reading comprehension skills. Moving text also does not contribute significantly to students' reading comprehension skills. Students' reading comprehension ability is significantly influenced by the type of text display and reading context. Students' cognitive abilities are significantly influenced by the type of text display, but not by the reading context. Of the three types of text display, the sequence of text types that make a significant contribution from the highest to the lowest is mixed text which makes the most significant contribution, then dynamic text, and static text. So, it can be concluded that the reading context and the type of text display have different impacts on students' reading comprehension skills, sustained attention and cognitive levels of students. This research has implications that teachers must modify students' mobile reading habits by displaying text, and reading contexts so that reading comprehension skills can increase optimally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reading and reading comprehension skills are among the most basic language skills. Therefore, these skills should be acquired at an early age. Although there are studies in terms of reading in Türkiye, it was seen that reading comprehension skills are insufficient in the exams. This study investigated how reading and reading comprehension activities were carried out at the primary school level and how this situation reflected on students. This study was designed as a case study to reveal the subject to be examined in depth. The participant group of this study, which was carried out at the primary school level, consisted of 207 students and eight primary school teachers. Data were collected from students with a reading comprehension test and teachers with a semi-structured interview form. The data obtained from the achievement test are presented descriptively. The interviews with the teachers were analyzed by content analysis. According to the data obtained, it was seen that the teachers preferred the reward method in gaining the habit of reading, and they carried out activities that would improve the students' cognitive skills for their reading comprehension skills. The result that 70.53% of the students in the research made the profound understanding question wrong was also a remarkable situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As science and technology rapidly progress, it becomes increasingly important to understand how individuals comprehend expository technical texts that explain these advances. This study examined differences in individual readers' technical comprehension performance and differences among texts, using functional brain imaging to measure regional brain activity while students read passages on technical topics and then took a comprehension test. Better comprehension of the technical passages was related to higher activation in regions of the left inferior frontal gyrus, left superior parietal lobe, bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and bilateral hippocampus. These areas are associated with the construction of a mental model of the passage and with the integration of new and prior knowledge in memory. Poorer comprehension of the passages was related to greater activation of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and the precuneus, areas involved in autobiographical and episodic memory retrieval. More comprehensible passages elicited more brain activation associated with establishing links among different types of information in the text and activation associated with establishing conceptual coherence within the text representation. These findings converge with previous behavioral research in their implications for teaching technical learners to become better comprehenders and for improving the structure of instructional texts, to facilitate scientific and technological comprehension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of explicit reading strategy teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) on Ethiopian grade eleven learners’ reading comprehension skills, particularly, reading for the gist, detail, vocabulary, inference, and reference skills. Methodology. A quasi-experimental design was used, involving eighty-seven students (43 students in the control and 44 students in the experimental group). The students of the experimental class were exposed to four months of explicit reading strategy training, but no training was given to the students in the control group. Reading comprehension tests were given to both groups before and after training. Results. The independent sample t–test revealed that there was no significant difference between the control and the experimental group in overall reading comprehension before the training, whereas the results of multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) for the post-test indicated students in the experimental group significantly outperformed their counterparts in terms of overall reading comprehension as well as the three reading comprehension skills, namely, reading for the gist, detail, and vocabulary. The post means of inference and reference skills for the experimental group were also higher than the post means of the control group though the differences were not statistically significant. Conclusions. The study concluded that explicit reading strategy training promotes Ethiopian students' reading comprehension skills; hence, EFL students should be adequately supported and encouraged to use reading strategies to circumvent their reading comprehension difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aimed to examine the impact of employing a digital game, Life is Strange 1: Episode 1, on the listening skills of English as a Second Language (ESL) learners. To conduct the study, the researchers employed a one-group pretest-posttest mixed-methods research design. A sample of 24 intermediate undergraduate engineering students from a private university in Chennai, India, participated in this study. During the experiment, the participants who enrolled in the course Interpersonal Listening Skills played the game Life is Strange 1: Episode 1 in the university's language lab for four weeks. To collect quantitative data, all the participants took pre- and post-listening comprehension tests (LCT), and through close-ended questionnaires on students' perceptions using SPSS software, quantitative analysis of the data was made using frequency and percentage. And through the participants' face-to-face interviews, qualitative data were collected and analyzed to gain deeper insights into the participants' experiences and perceptions. The post-test results revealed that participants' listening skills had improved in comparison to the pre-test results. Additionally, qualitative data showed that participants enjoyed playing the game and found it motivating, engaging, and an effective method to improve their listening skills. These findings were in line with those of several other studies. Thus, the study revealed that ESL learners' listening skills could be improved by playing the video game, which may have significant implications for ESL educators and researchers who can integrate DGBLL to improve language learning outcomes into their teaching and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research indicates that reading strategy instruction improves comprehension. Conceptualizing strategy training as mediating reading strategy use through collaborative and reflective practices, the present study examined the combined effect of peer-collaborative strategic reading and reflective journaling on strategy use and comprehension. Data were collected from 72 ninth-grade participants, employing a pretest-posttest comparison group design, through Reflective Journals, Reading Comprehension Test, and the Survey of Reading Strategies. The experimental group (n=36) participated in strategy training, while the comparison group (n=36) had regular study hours. Reflective journals show that the experimental group improved in rationalizing the conditional knowledge of strategies, using strategy clusters, employing responsive actions, specifying the details of strategy use and verbalizing the reading process. Findings also indicate that the experimental group outperformed the comparison group in posttest in comprehension and frequency of strategy use. The findings imply that reading strategy instruction models and teachers can increase the collaborative and reflective nature of strategy training to develop students' strategic reading and comprehension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The multiplication of fractions was generally considered easy, but it became challenging when presented as a nonroutine problem. One solution to these challenges was integrating technology into learning. Therefore, the study is aimed at proposing a hybrid module as a solution. The design in this research was a didactical design research. The study involved 56 participants, aged 13–18 years, mainly female students from the Sasak tribe in an Indonesian junior high school. Researchers employed fraction comprehension tests, in-depth interviews, and a hybrid hypothesis module as primary instruments. For learning outcomes, NVivo-12-assisted thematic analysis was used, and for learning obstacles, retrospective-based qualitative analysis was used. The study findings revealed several factors that caused learning obstacles, including conceptual ontogenic, epistemological factors, and students' restricted Internet access. The hybrid hypothesis module proved effective in assisting students by providing additional problem contexts and scaffolding, addressing previous learning obstacles. After implementation, there was a redesign of the hybrid module in the form of additional scaffolding to help students construct the concepts studied. This research concluded that the application of technology in the form of hybrid modules was able to minimize barriers to student learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Segmentation is a common pedagogical approach in multimedia learning, but its effects on cognitive processes and learning outcomes have yet to be comprehensively explored. Understanding the role of segmentation is crucial, as it has the potential to influence the way instructional materials are designed and delivered in digital learning environments. Objectives: This research aims to fill this gap by examining the impact of segmentation on cognitive load, vocabulary acquisition, retention, and reading comprehension in a multimedia learning context. Methodology: Participants were selected from two language schools in Zhengzhou through a multi-stage random sampling method. Ninety teenage students were randomly assigned to six experimental groups. The study utilized a 2 × 3 factorial design to examine segmentation and textual augmentation effects. Four assessment instruments were employed: a Reading Comprehension Test, a Vocabulary Assessment Test, a Cognitive Load Assessment Scale, and a Prior Knowledge Test. The experiment comprised four stages: pre-test, Instruction, post-test, and follow-up. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 22 software, involving descriptive statistics, one-way, and multi-way analysis of variance. Results: Results indicated that high segmentation significantly impacts cognitive load, vocabulary learning, retention, and reading comprehension across various aspects of multimedia learning. In essence, segmentation reduces cognitive load, supports learning efficiency, and facilitates more profound understanding, vocabulary learning, and retention. Conclusions and implications: High segmentation in multimedia learning significantly impacts cognitive load, vocabulary learning, comprehension, and retention. Educators should prioritize segmentation for more effective and engaging e-learning experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research in academic literacy has shown that scaffolding improves the reading of disciplinary texts. Included among the considered variables is the lexica. A robust vocabulary will result in better reading performance. To verify this, a semantic priming task and a reading comprehension test were applied to 31 first-year pedagogy students to establish whether there is a correlation between lexical processing and reading. The main findings indicate the establishment of weak semantic relations and normal reading performance. It is concluded that better reading performance is associated with slower lexical processing, which would suggest that readers engage in strategic operations to address comprehension tasks. This will allow for the formulation of scaffolding actions that highlight the importance of mastering the disciplinary vocabulary in order to safeguard an adequate reading task. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research was developed to investigate the levels of understanding of information in academic and journalistic texts read in different digital media and in print, in order to check if there would be significant differences in reading in these media. The study was based on Kintsch e Rawson's (2013) comprehension model and used Barret's (1968) taxonomy, and its adaptation, in the elaboration of the reading tests. It is a quasi-quantitative research, conducted with 24 participants, which involved reading texts and carrying out comprehension tests, in order to assess how much readers understood information in the texts read, two academic (an abstract and an introduction of scientific articles) and two journalist texts (academic news and journalistic news) when read in different digital media (cell phone, tablet and computer) and in print. Statistical tests (ANOVA and t test) did not identify significant differences in comprehension in relation to the text read or the media used for reading. Although the results did not reveal that digital reading can hinder - or benefit - comprehension of informative texts when read academic and journalistic texts, further inquiry is needed so we can achieve conclusive results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The text "How we read now" discusses the differences between reading printed, digital, and audio texts, and how these differences are affected by the genre of the text, types of comprehension tests, technology, and individual preferences. The author highlights that girls and women read more and perform better in comprehension tests, while children tend to find reading boring and young people and adults prefer reading on paper. The text also addresses the decrease in interest in long narratives associated with the increase in screen use and a preference for shorter online texts. Additionally, it discusses strategic reading behavior, the differences between reading on paper and digitally, and reading multiple texts. The text discusses the challenges of reading in the digital age and presents strategies for efficient screen reading. Three crucial competencies for online reading are highlighted: searching, analyzing, and synthesizing. The author also addresses audio and video reading, highlighting the differences compared to reading written texts. Furthermore, the future paths of reading and their repercussions in education are discussed, such as the appreciation of knowledge and the development of critical thinking. The text emphasizes the importance of balancing the use of screens and printed materials and recognizing the complexity of the reading activity. [Extracted from the article]

The aim of this research was to assess whether using video modeling (VM), concrete manipulatives, a self-monitoring checklist, and practice for comprehension check impacted the extent to which five primary school students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) could accurately solve problems involving fractions. The sample of the study was purely comprised of five students owing to the challenges associated with eliciting approval to extend the study to a larger sample. A single-case multiple probe between participants experimental approach in its quasi-experimental design was employed to evaluate whether a significant association could be identified between these variables. The results revealed that from baseline to intervention, all five students solved simple proper fraction problems with greater accuracy and four were able to apply this ability to solve problems involving whole proper fractions. Given these results, the researchers recommend that to cater for the disparate learning needs of students with ASD across a range of settings, teachers should consider implementing interventions comprising VM and concrete manipulatives in conjunction with certain behavioural techniques. Owing to the challenges associated with eliciting approval to extend the study to a larger sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ciencias Psicológicas is the property of Universidad Catolica del Uruguay Damaso Antonio Larranaga and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Pedagogische Studien is the property of Vereniging Onderwijsresearch and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of BSU Journal of Pedagogy & Curriculum is the property of Beni Suef University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study attempted to examine the impacts of conceptual and perceptual primes on the word recognition and sentence comprehension of beginner, intermediate and advanced EFL learners. Consequently, 246 EFL learners were recruited for study and categorized into three English proficiency levels. The needed data was collected via Lexical Decision Tasks (LDTs) and a constructed multiple-choice sentence comprehension test. The findings indicated that both priming techniques improved word recognition and sentence comprehension of the participants significantly, however the conceptual primes were more facilitative for both word recognition and sentence comprehension tasks. Moreover, language proficiency was found to be determinant of priming efficiency, in the way that, as the learners become more proficient their performance would be more positively affected by both conceptual and perceptual priming techniques. Finally, the pedagogical implications and suggestions are discussed in the light of the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Question-Answer-Relationship (QAR) strategy has been suggested to improve EFL students' reading comprehension. Nonetheless, disappointing outcomes when using the QAR instruction were noted. The current study seeks to 1) add the Review (R) component to the instruction and 2) assess the effectiveness of the developed Question-Answer-Response-Review (QARR) instruction to improve reading comprehension among Thai EFL university students. Instructional concepts such as common question types (Yathip & Chanyoo, 2022), the Question-Answer-Relationship strategy (Raphael & Au, 2005), the experiential learning approach (Kolb, 2014), and the reading instruction principle (Raphael, Highfield, & Au, 2006) were synthesized to create the instruction. The developed curriculum was implemented with 58 Thai EFL students. Data were examined using frequency, mean, standard deviation, and F-test. As for the findings, the experts' high degree of agreement (M = 0.96) demonstrated the efficiency of the developed instruction. One-way repeated measures revealed that the posttest (M = 21.74, SD = 4.12, d = 0.89) and delayed posttest (M = 22.19, SD = 4.23, d = 0.95) were substantially higher than the pretest mean scores (M = 16.86, SD = 5.59, p <.001) with a large effect size (n²= 0.209). Participants' satisfaction surveys strongly agreed with the created instruction (M = 4.36, SD = 0.63), consistent with interview data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through the application of the experimental research method and the factorial design, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the authoring tools SoftChalk medium and Hot Potatoes medium in the learning management system (LMS), as well as the types of readers (Avid, Passive, and Reluctant), on the reading comprehension achievement (ReComA) of second year university students (sophomores). In order to identify the different sorts of readers that took part in the study, a quick survey was given to all of the participants. Both the pre-test and post-test were administered to sixty second-year students in order to evaluate the students' ReComA. The findings suggested that the use of the Hot Potatoes medium was more successful in enhancing the students' ReComA and its features. On the other hand, the majority of components of reading comprehension contributed to ReComA (total) in both the SoftChalk and Hot Potatoes groups. In addition, despite the fact that there was no significant interaction on students' ReComA, the mean difference between the post-test and the whole sample indicated that the achievement of the Avid reader and Reluctant reader students in both the SoftChalk and Hot Potatoes groups were higher than the achievement of the Passive reader students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study assessed the efficacy of the mnemonic instruction (MI) in enhancing reading abilities among grade three learners with reading disability in two government schools (grade R to 7) in Mpumalanga, South Africa. Skinner's reinforcement and the Information Processing theories were employed. A research method used to estimate causal relationships without random assignment was used. One of the two schools was an intervention and the other one was a control one. 43 participants were included in the study from the two selected schools using purposive sampling technique. 23 parents (from the intervention school) participated in the questionnaires. The Bangor Dyslexia Test (BDT), pre- and post-tests, and a reading comprehension test were the tools used to collect data. The results revealed that there were statically substantial differences between the assessment scores administered before and after treatment for the experimental group, t (22) = -10.753; p <.001, suggesting that mnemonic instruction is highly effective in enhancing reading abilities among primary school LWD. This investigation advocates that the Department of Basic Education should revise the policy that reading is tested from grade one, instead of from grade three, that those who are not able to read do not proceed until and unless they are able to read, and to train teachers on how to use various approaches to enhance reading abilities, including mnemonic techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estimating the difficulty of reading tests is critical in second language education and assessment. This study was aimed at examining various text features that might influence the difficulty level of a high-stakes reading comprehension test and predict test takers' scores. To this end, the responses provided by 17,900 test takers on the reading comprehension subsection of a major high-stakes test, the Iranian National University Entrance Exam for the Master's Program were examined. Overall, 63 reading passages in different versions of the test from 2017 to 2019 were studied with a focus on 16 indices that might help explain the reading difficulty and test takers' scores. The results showed that the content word overlap index and the Flesch-Kincaid Reading Ease formula had significant correlations with the observed difficulty and could therefore be considered better predictors of test difficulty compared to other variables. The findings suggest the use of various indices to estimate the reading difficulty before administering tests to ensure the equivalency and validity of tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Past research on knowledge has differentiated between dimensions (e.g., amount, accuracy, specificity, coherence) of knowledge. This paper introduces a novel dimension of knowledge, the Motivational Utility of Knowledge (MUK), that is based on fundamental human needs (e.g., physical safety, affiliation, actualization, reproduction). Adults in the United States (N = 190) were recruited from an online survey platform and paid for participation. Participants read a set of four texts arguing different views of houselessness and were administered a comprehension test after each text. Participants were asked about their conceptions of houselessness before and after reading. Finally, they were given the MUK scale, a demographics questionnaire, including questions about their personal experience with houselessness, and were administered a general prior knowledge test and a vocabulary knowledge test. We examined MUK, the factor structure of the scale and the relationship between MUK and other measures of knowledge. The analyses showed that the subscales of MUK loaded onto a single factor—an overall value of houselessness knowledge. In addition, we found that MUK was correlated with conceptions of houselessness and comprehension of texts on houselessness, indicating that the scale was valid. Overall, the findings demonstrate that MUK is an important dimension of knowledge to consider in learning tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study examined whether older adults with hearing loss (HL) experience greater difficulties in auditory sentence comprehension compared to those with typical-hearing (TH) when the linguistic burdens of syntactic complexity were systematically manipulated by varying either the sentence type (active vs. passive) or sentence length (3- vs. 4-phrases). Methods: A total of 22 individuals with HL and 24 controls participated in the study, completing sentence comprehension test (SCT), standardized memory assessments, and pure-tone audiometry tests. Generalized linear mixed effects models were employed to compare the effects of sentence type and length on SCT accuracy, while Pearson correlation coefficients were conducted to explore the relationships between SCT accuracy and other factors. Additionally, stepwise regression analyses were employed to identify memory-related predictors of sentence comprehension ability. Results: Older adults with HL exhibited poorer performance on passive sentences than on active sentences compared to controls, while the sentence length was controlled. Greater difficulties on passive sentences were linked to working memory capacity, emerging as the most significant predictor for the comprehension of passive sentences among participants with HL. Conclusion: Our findings contribute to the understanding of the linguisticcognitive deficits linked to age-related hearing loss by demonstrating its detrimental impact on the processing of passive sentences. Cognitively healthy adults with hearing difficulties may face challenges in comprehending syntactically more complex sentences that require higher computational demands, particularly in working memory allocation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pediatric musculoskeletal disorders account for 10% of first-line consultations in Tunisia. Referral delay and deficiencies in musculoskeletal screening raise a challenge to the early diagnosis and management of rheumatic conditions in children. The pGALS (Pediatric Gait Arms Legs Spine) was developed and translated into many languages to overcome these deficiencies. Our study aimed to adapt and validate pGALS to the Tunisian dialect for school-age children. Methods: Using the Delphi method, we carried out a cross-cultural adaptation of the pGALS to the Tunisian dialect. This consensual version was validated in a cross-sectional study, in two pediatric centers. Results: Ninety-two patients were enrolled, 43 females (46.7%) and 49 males (53.3%), mean age was 9.4 ± 2.6 years. The mean test duration was 3.4 ± 2.3 min, and the acceptability and comprehension of the test were good. Six patients had a musculoskeletal complaint, 19 had positive pGALS, and 14 were diagnosed with musculoskeletal disease. The internal consistency score (Cronbach's α) was 0.852. The sensitivity of the test was 92.8%, the specificity was 92.3%, the positive likelihood ratio was 2.16, and the negative likelihood ratio was 0.01. Conclusion: The pGALS test adapted to the Tunisian dialect is a relevant, quick, and valid tool for screening musculoskeletal abnormalities in school-age children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents a comparative analysis of various machine learning (ML) methods for predicting item difficulty in English reading comprehension tests using text features extracted from item wordings. A wide range of ML algorithms are employed within both the supervised regression and the classification tasks, including regularization methods, support vector machines, trees, random forests, back-propagation neural networks, and Naïve Bayes; moreover, the ML algorithms are compared to the performance of domain experts. Using f-fold cross-validation and considering the root mean square error (RMSE) as the performance metric, elastic net outperformed other approaches in a continuous item difficulty prediction. Within classifiers, random forests returned the highest extended predictive accuracy. We demonstrate that the ML algorithms implementing item text features can compete with predictions made by domain experts, and we suggest that they should be used to inform and improve these predictions, especially when item pre-testing is limited or unavailable. Future research is needed to study the performance of the ML algorithms using item text features on different item types and respondent populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Previous research on performance in interpreting has focused primarily on the influence of interpreting experience on executive functions, such as shifting, updating, and inhibition. However, limited research has explored the effects of executive functions on performance. Understanding how different executive functions affect interpreting performance can provide valuable insights for teaching methods. Therefore, the present study aims to examine the effects of executive functions on comprehension and output performance during bidirectional consecutive interpreting between Chinese and Japanese. Methods: This study involved 48 Chinese advanced Japanese language learners. Self-assessment results indicated that all participants were unbalanced bilingual individuals. All participants took part in consecutive interpreting, completed comprehension tests, and underwent executive function tests. Executive functions were assessed using the color--shape switching task, 1-back task, and Stroop task. Results: Analysis using Bayesian linear regression revealed the following. (1) Updating exhibited a significant impact on both Japanese-to-Chinese and Chinese-to-Japanese interpreting, indicating that higher updating ability was associated with better interpreting performance. (2) Inhibition showed a significant effect on Japanese-to-Chinese interpreting performance, whereas the effect was not significant in Chinese-to-Japanese interpreting. (3) No significant effects of shifting were observed in either Japanese-to-Chinese or Chinese-to-Japanese interpreting. Discussion: The results indicate that executive functions have different effects on the interpreting performance of unbalanced bilinguals, while these effects are also influenced by the direction of the source language. Based on these findings, it is recommended that executive function training should be included in interpreter teaching and training programs, with a specific focus on the updating and inhibition functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cognitive–achievement relations research has been instrumental in understanding the development of academic skills and learning difficulties. Most cognitive–achievement relations research has been conducted with large samples and represent average relations across the ability spectrum. A notable gap in the literature is whether these relations vary by cognitive ability levels (IQ). This study examined cognitive–achievement relations across different general ability levels (Low, Average, and High) to fill this gap. Based on Spearman's Law of Diminishing Returns, it would be expected that general intelligence would be a stronger predictor of academic skills at lower levels of IQ, and more specific abilities would be stronger predictors of academic skills at higher levels of IQ. To test this, multi-group path analysis and structural equation modeling were used to examine whether integrated models of cognitive–reading relations are differentiated by IQ levels in the Woodcock–Johnson III and Woodcock–Johnson IV standardization samples. Global and broad cognitive abilities were used as predictors of basic reading skills and reading comprehension for elementary and secondary school students. The magnitude of prediction differed across ability groups in some cases, but not all. Importantly, the variance explained in basic reading skills and reading comprehension tended to be larger for the Low group compared to the Average and High groups. When variance accounted for by general intelligence was removed from the broad abilities, the effects of the broad abilities were similar across ability groups, but the indirect effects of g were higher for the Low group. Additionally, g had stronger relative effects on reading in the Low group, and broad abilities had stronger relative effects on reading in the Average and High groups. The implications and limitations of this study are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As there have been few studies on the comparative effects of mind-mapping (MM) and concept-mapping (CM) techniques on learning English language skills and sub-skills, this survey pursued to scrutinize the impacts of these techniques on reading motivation, reading comprehension, and willingness to communicate (WTC) of Iranian EFL students. To fulfill these objectives, 78 intermediate EFL students were selected based on non-random sampling and accidentally assigned to two experimental groups (EGs) and one control group (CG). They were then pre-tested using a reading motivation test, a reading comprehension test, and a WTC test. Next, the intervention was conducted on the three groups. The MM technique was employed to teach 16 English reading texts to one EG and the CM technique was applied to teach the same texts to the other EG. None of these techniques were used to teach the texts to the CG. When the intervention ended, the post-tests of reading comprehension, reading motivation test, and WTC were given to the three groups. The outcomes of the One-Way ANOVA tests and the post-hoc Scheffe tests revealed that there was a substantial difference between the scores of the EGs and the CG on the three posttests, with the results being in favor of the EGs. In effect, the findings indicated that the MM and CM techniques enhanced reading motivation, reading comprehension, and WTC of the experimental participants equally. Finally, the implications and conclusions of the research were explained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored the relationships among reading motivation, reading strategy use and, reading comprehension in EFL reading. A cohort of 308 male and female EFL students at the preparatory year of an emerging Saudi university completed a reading motivation questionnaire, a reading strategy questionnaire, and a reading comprehension test. Independent samples t-test results revealed that students with high reading motivation (extrinsic, intrinsic, and efficacy) used three reading strategy categories (pre, while, and postreading strategies) more frequently than students with moderate reading motivation. Similarly, students with high reading motivation were found to have better reading comprehension. Reading strategy use was also found to induce significant differences in students’ reading comprehension. Results of multiple regression revealed that extrinsic motivation was the best predictor of students’ reading strategy use and reading comprehension. Of all strategy categories, while-reading strategies were the best predictor of students’ reading comprehension. Of all motivation and strategy factors, while-reading strategies, reading efficacy and extrinsic motivation significantly predicted reading comprehension, with while-reading strategies being the strongest predictor. Implications for reading instruction and suggestions for further research are offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the importance of strategy instruction in improving learners' reading ability, several issues remain unresolved in literature. This study investigated the effect of explicit reading strategy instruction on improving grade 11 English as a foreign language (EFL) learners' reading comprehension performance. Additionally, it attempted to see whether male or female students performed better in reading comprehension after the intervention. The quasi-experimental pre- and post-test research design was employed. Eighty-two grade 11 students from two intact classes of Kokebe Tsibah General Secondary School were randomly assigned as an experimental (EG) and control (CG) groups. While 40 students were assigned to the control, 42 (19 male and 23 female) students were assigned to the EG. The EG received explicit reading strategy instruction embedded into their English reading activities using the Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach. While classroom observation was carried out for follow-up purposes, the reading comprehension test was used as a main data-gathering tool. The data were analyzed using percentages, means, and t-tests. The independent sample t-test results showed a significant difference in reading comprehension test scores between the CG and EG after the intervention. On the other hand, the independent sample t-test analysis indicated that there were no significant differences between male and female students in their post-test results. Finally, it was concluded that students' reading comprehension can be improved if they are explicitly taught various reading strategies (RSs). Therefore, it is recommended that EFL teachers in Ethiopian secondary schools could consider incorporating explicit instruction of different RSs during teaching reading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper reports on the outcomes of research carried out at a North Macedonian public university aimed at developing the language competences of prospective EFL teachers through formative assessment. For the study's purposes, a CEFR-based assessment tool was designed for teacher, peer and self-assessment of the ETP (English-for-teaching purposes) competences of fourth year student-teachers (n=15) micro-teaching lower year students. Fluency, accuracy, interaction, stimulating the development of ideas, and addressing audiences were the formative assessment criteria used to check if there was progress from the first to the third micro-teaching session as a result of formative feedback and assessment training. Additionally, two surveys for student-teachers and peerassessors were used aimed at exploring: a) the effects of formative feedback on students' language competences and teaching skills; b) the effects of formative assessment training on students' peer- and self-assessment skills; and c) the professional and personal benefits of formative assessment training for students. Apart from many personal benefits from the project, findings revealed positive effects of formative assessment on students' language competences and teaching skills; specifically on the awareness of the complexity of ETP competences and the skills for tackling various classroom, assessment and material design challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the effectiveness of two approaches, strategy-based and reading-level-based grouping, in small-group reading instruction for students receiving Tier 2 support. It discusses the impact of these approaches on students' comprehension and highlights the importance of finding the best practice to help students reach grade-level expectations in reading.

A major concern of language testing researchers has for long been the identification of construct-irrelevant influential cognitive and psychological bias factors in test takers' language test performance and recently the identification of the tentative models of interactions among such factors. With the same purpose in mind, the present study investigated the direct and indirect interrelationships among EFL learners' test anxiety, test-wiseness, reading metacognitive awareness, and reading comprehension test performance through a path analytic research design. To this end and on the basis of the related literature and the previous research findings, first a hypothesized model of the interrelationship among the variables was assumed. Next, 317 undergraduate and graduate students took the related questionnaires and tests. Finally, the obtained data were analyzed through AMOS statistical package and the hypothesized model of the interrelationship among variables was tested. According to the final verified model, test-wiseness directly predicted reading comprehension test performance, while test anxiety did not. Moreover, while reading strategies metacognitive awareness did not directly predict reading comprehension test performance, it was indirectly associated with reading comprehension test performance through the mediation of test-wiseness. In addition, both correlational and path analyses confirmed a strong negative relationship between reading strategies metacognitive awareness, and test anxiety. The findings highlight the importance of the language test takers' less test anxiety and enhanced metacognitive awareness of reading strategies and test-wiseness for their more reliable test-taking performances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the effects of bilingual education and simultaneous biliteracy on children's levels of speech connectedness and reading in Portuguese and English. Thirty-two 5th graders completed oral production tasks and took reading fluency and comprehension tests in L1 and L2. Our results show that, in general, children show connectedness and reading scores which are correlated in the two languages, that is, the languages follow different, but related paths in the time point they were assessed. We conclude that simultaneous biliteracy, in the case of the participants of this research, is not detrimental to the outcomes of either language. On the contrary, it promotes the concomitant use of languages, which, in turn, seems to guarantee support for both languages, L1 and L2, in a bidirectional fashion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examined using interactive teaching strategies to raise the understanding of students in literary texts. The study used reciprocal teaching strategies with undergraduate students at UST University in Yemen. The sample research included 46 female students from the English Department's 4th level in the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences, UST. The study's sample was randomly chosen and divided into control and experimental groups. Both groups were taught the exact content of the literature; the experimental group was taught using novel reciprocal strategies, while the control group received instruction as usual by following the department plan. The development of students reading comprehension was tested using a Pre- and Post-Reading Comprehension Test (RCT) throughout the teaching of literary courses. According to the data analysis, there is a statistically significant difference between the students' accomplishments in the experimental and control groups. It was found that literature courses that included both direct and indirect teaching techniques proved to serve the majority of students better. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reading is unquestionably a crucial component of any educational system because it not only underlies it but also permeates its aspects. Therefore, reading should be appropriately assessed. This mixed-methods developmental study developed a test package for assessing the reading competency of Grade 7 learners. The researcher used a variety of scales for validation, attribute assessment, assessment adherence principles, and indicators of a good reading diagnostic test. Analysis methods included mean, weighted mean, difficulty-discrimination indices, and Cronbach's Alpha. It was revealed that the comprehension test has a strong reliability score for a classroom test (a=.700). In contrast, the vocabulary test has a somewhat lowreliability score (a=.600). The validity results indicated that the fluency test was extremely valid (4.535), while both vocabulary and comprehension tests were very valid (4.322, 4.486). It was described as very good (4.33), and the experts concurred that it adheres to the indicators of a good reading diagnostic test (fluency: 1.00; vocabulary: 0.97; and comprehension: 0.97). Generally, the reading diagnostic test is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing students' reading competence levels, particularly in terms of fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, but further validation is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This mixed methods nationwide research aimed to examine the relationships between three variables; namely, self-efficacy (S-E), emotional intelligence (EI), autonomy (A), their sub-constructs and reading comprehension ability of Persian second language (PSL) students. Participants were 141 PSL students from 28 different countries studying at 12 universities across Iran. Data were collected through S-E, EI, A scales, and a reading comprehension test and were analyzed using Pearson correlation. The results revealed that there were significant links between the variables and their sub-constructs and reading comprehension ability. Also, structured interviews were administrated with 45 participants, the results of which confirmed those obtained from quantitative instruments. Moreover, structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to access more in-depth perception of the variables and explore the strengths of the causal relationships. The three independent variables strongly predicted reading comprehension, with S-E being the strongest predictor. Also, three out of four subconstructs of EI, and two out of three sub-constructs of A were powerful predictors of reading comprehension. In terms of the increasing number of PSL learners, the findings of the present study could be helpful for L2 (particularly PSL) teachers, learners, and academic policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The auditory brainstem implant (ABI) is an auditory neuroprosthesis that provides hearing by electrically stimulating the cochlear nucleus (CN) of the brainstem. Our previous study (McInturff et al., 2022) showed that single-pulse stimulation of the dorsal (D)CN subdivision with low levels of current evokes responses that have early latencies, different than the late response patterns observed from stimulation of the ventral (V)CN. How these differing responses encode more complex stimuli, such as pulse trains and amplitude modulated (AM) pulses, has not been explored. Here, we compare responses to pulse train stimulation of the DCN and VCN, and show that VCN responses, measured in the inferior colliculus (IC), have less adaption, higher synchrony, and higher cross-correlation. However, with high-level DCN stimulation, responses become like those to VCN stimulation, supporting our earlier hypothesis that current spreads from electrodes on the DCN to excite neurons located in the VCN. To AM pulses, stimulation of the VCN elicits responses with larger vector strengths and gain values especially in the high-CF portion of the IC. Additional analysis using neural measures of modulation thresholds indicate that these measures are lowest for VCN. Human ABI users with low modulation thresholds, who score best on comprehension tests, may thus have electrode arrays that stimulate the VCN. Overall, the results show that the VCN has superior response characteristics and suggest that it should be the preferred target for ABI electrode arrays in humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examined the relation between perspective taking embedded in theory of mind (ToM) and emotion comprehension (EC) in young children. Our study involved children from Poland aged 3-6 (N = 99; 54% boys) from public and private kindergartens residing mainly in urban areas, whose parents could mostly be classified as middle class. The children were examined with the Test of Emotion Comprehension (TEC) and three tasks targeting three aspects of ToM: a first-order false belief task, an appearance-reality test, and a mental states opacity task. The results showed similarities in performances between these different measures. However, only the opacity task predicted the emotion comprehension test results (X2 = 0.13). The results indicate that the key element of ToM that explains individual differences in children's emotion comprehension is the full-blown understanding of perspective taking, namely that having access to an object under one description does not ensure access to that object under all descriptions. In the research, we took also into account the linguistic side of such specific competences as ToM and EC, which allowed us to see the role of language in scaffolding the development of children's ability to handle such socially fundamental tasks as understanding emotions and epistemic states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study determines the relationship between reading mindsets and reading comprehension performance with the use of reading engagement as a mediating variable. It drew on Dweck's (1999) mindset theory and employed a correlational research design to collect data from 567 EFL undergraduate students majoring in English in three public universities in Saudi Arabia. The data collection was conducted by distributing two questionnaires and administering a reading comprehension test. The collected data were analyzed using a two-phase structural equation modeling approach (i.e., measurement and structural models). The results indicated that there was a significant correlation between a growth reading mindset and reading engagement. Nevertheless, a significant yet negative correlation was revealed between a fixed reading mindset and reading engagement. Moreover, there was a significant and positive correlation between reading engagement and reading comprehension performance. Lastly, the findings showed that reading engagement served as a mediating variable in determining the correlation between reading mindsets and reading comprehension performance. The relevance of the current study stems from the dearth of research on reading mindsets. Also, previous studies have not focused on exploring the correlation between mindsets and performance in the EFL context. Therefore, the current study is expected to benefit EFL readers, instructors, and policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]