A Comparative Study on the Effect of Varied Reading Input on Discourse Signaling Awareness - Published Article

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Cart

The study investigates how extensive exposure to reading materials and moderate exposure supported by explicit instruction affect learners’ discourse signaling awareness. Quantitative analysis uses test scores from 36 high school students in Istanbul, Turkey, compared across two two-week learning conditions focused on target conjunctions. Extensive exposure yields higher final test performance; moderate reading plus instruction shows improvement without significant between-group differences. Qualitative participant reports suggest more conscious reading behaviors.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Statement of the Problem

Justification and Significance

Research Design

Research Questions (RQs) and

Advances in Language and Literary Studies ISSN: 2203-4714 [www.alls.aiac.org.au](www.alls.aiac.org.au) | A Comparative Study on the Effect of Varied Reading Input on Discourse Signaling Awareness
ElifGürergene*
Graduate School of Educational Sciences, Yeditepe University School of Management, PO box 34755 İnönü Main St. Kayışdağı St. 26 Ağustos Campus, Atasehir, Istanbul, Turkey
Corresponding Author: ElifGürergene, E-mail: [elifgurergene@gmail.com](elifgurergene@gmail.com) | | | --- | --- | | ARTICLE INFO | ABSTRACT
This study has recently been conducted to find out the effect of extensive exposure to reading materials and of moderate amount of exposure supported by explicit instruction on enhancing discourse signaling awareness. Data analyzed quantitatively came from test scores of 36 highschool students at elementary level in Istanbul, Turkey, divided into two groups who were treated through a certain type of learning/teaching method over a two-week period. Unlike the firstgroup who were instructed to read 28 reading passages with six target conjunctions embedded in them (and, or, but, so, because, although) the second one was provided 14 reading passages, anda handout with exercises on the target conjunctions, supported with explanations on the handout. It was found that those who were exposed to extensive amount of reading statistically performed better in the final test. Those who were exposed to moderate amount of reading input plus instruction performed better, as well, albeit not statistically. However, performances between the groups in the final test did not differ significantly. Further, to earn a qualitative dimension to the study, participant evaluation reports were collected, coded, and analyzed. Sentences in reports beginning with “I realized…, I understood…” or “Ihave noticed that…” can be an evidence that they may go on doing reading activities in a more conscious manner. Pedagogical implications in a nutshell suggest that reading comprehension can be achieved through reading itself. Still teachers can find individualized ways for their students to read in their L2 . Suggestions for future research are also included. | | Article history
Received: November 10, 2018
Accepted: February 04, 2019
Published: April 30, 2019
Volume: 10 Issue: 2
Advance access: March 2019 | | | Conflicts of interest: None
Funding: None | | | Key words:
Extensive Exposure,
Explicit Instruction,
Discourse,
Conjunctions | | INTRODUCTION Statement of the Problem For quite a long time language skills have been tried to be taught separately, that is in a disconnected manner. As well, despite efforts and several years of formal education, many people still suffer from incompetence and lack of performance in teaching and learning language skills. One of the most probable reasons for this unfortunate situation is stated by Gass and Selinker (2008) who posit that “one cannot hope to appreciate the complexity of the learning situation by studying one limited part of it” (p. 110) . While “no curriculum can practice all skills on a consistent basis”(Grabe, 2009, p. 350), much emphasis can be devoted to teaching fundamental aspects of skills in general and reading skills in particular. By the same token, reading and listening have been labelled as receptive in many studies, which is why as the word receptive implies reading has been thought as an inactive process. In other words, reading skills have been mainly thought to occur in a vacuum not on an ongoing process. However, in recent decades, studies have shown that reading is itself productive as it requires that many cognitive, physical, and sociocultural mechanisms co-work simultaneously and in harmony for a higher level of comprehension (Grabe & Kaplan, 1996; Grabe, 2009) . Justification and Significance As opposed to reading which is not valued as much as it deserves, grammar or vocabulary instruction is highly appreciated in thi

FAQs

What variables does the study compare regarding reading input?

It compares extensive reading exposure with moderate reading exposure combined with explicit instruction supported by explanations and exercises on target conjunctions.

How was discourse signaling awareness assessed?

Discourse signaling awareness was evaluated using quantitative final test performance and supported by qualitative analysis of participant evaluation reports.

What do the results indicate about extensive reading versus moderate reading with instruction?

Extensive exposure statistically outperformed the final test. Moderate input with instruction performed better too, but the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Cart