Examining the Effects of Strategy-Based Instruction of Reading Passages to Iranian Undergraduate EFL Learners

The present study aimed at exploring the possible effects of strategy-based instruction of reading passages to undergraduate Iranian EFL learners. The study particularly explored the effects of using SQR3 and TPS reading strategies on learners’ reading performance. To this end, 60 EFL learners were selected and participated in this study. After homogenizing the learners, they were randomly divided to three groups; two experimental and a control group. Learners in the first experimental group (SQR3) surveyed, questioned, read, reviewed and recited the reading passages while learners in the second experimental group (TPS) group thought about reading passages and shared their comprehensions with the classmates. However, learners in the control group followed the traditional method of translating reading passages to Persian for comprehension. The reading section of IELTS Test, as an internationally validated test, was applied as the pre- and the post-test of the study to further check learners’ reading comprehension. The paired-samples t-test and ANOVA analysis of learners’ performances indicated that SQR3 and TPS learners significantly outperformed on their post-tests compared with their peers in the control group. The results certified the efficacy of strategy-based approach of teaching reading passages, namely SQR3 and TPS, in promoting learners’ reading comprehension in academic Iranian EFL context.