Effects of Provided versus Learner-Generated Pictures on Chinese Reading Comprehension

Concerning Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI), this research builds a “Provided Picture System” and a “Learner-Generated Picture System” based on related pedagogical principles. The effects and longevity of these two methodologies on improving students’ reading comprehension are compared through a teaching experiment. 96 fourth-grade students in a Taiwanese primary school were divided into the provided picture condition group (PPCG) and learner-generated picture condition group (LPCG) based on their reading comprehension test results. One-way ANOVA proved that the reading comprehension competency of these two groups was comparable. The PPCG was trained to read articles and examine pictures based on the articles’ themes by using the “Provided Picture System”. The LPGP was trained to read articles using the “Learner-Generated Picture System” before generating pictures corresponding to the theme of each paragraph. All students were required to take post-test and delayed post-test one and three weeks after the reading classes, respectively. Finally, paired-samples t-test was used to analyze the three test results. Analysis of the PPCG’s results indicated no significant difference in reading comprehension competency among the three tests before and after the experiment. In contrast, the LPCG’s reading comprehension competency improved significantly, and the effects persisted following the experiment. The results revealed that the learner-generated picture pedagogy was effective in improving students’ reading comprehension competency, superior to the provided picture pedagogy.