The Effectiveness of Telegram for Improving Students' Reading Ability

Abstract

The present study sought to investigate the effectiveness of social media, more specifically Telegram, as a presentation technique for teaching reading strategies in IELTS preparatory courses. The population of the study from which sample was selected were ILETS students studying ILETS preparatory course located in Isfahan, Iran. The sample was randomly assigned to a control and an experimental groups, each having 8 participants. The former group received strategies through the traditional method while the latter received them through Telegram social network. Statistical analysis of the data revealed that the experimental group had better performance on the posttest. Also, the frequently employed strategies when answering comprehension questions were identified. The top three strategies turned out to be ‘reading instructions carefully’, ‘skim the question and answer choices carefully’ and ‘look at the illustrations or diagrams’. Finally, the learners all agreed that they liked learning via Telegram. The findings of this study can be used by IELTS practitioners and teacher of other general proficiency test, textbook designers and materials developers. So, teaching reading comprehension ability through social network can similarly improve EFL learners’ motivation and render more useful results.