Examining the Effectiveness of Pre-reading Strategies on Saudi EFL College Students’ Reading Comprehension

Reading comprehension is a key issue in learning English as a foreign language, and it is critical that teachers utilize pre-reading strategies in reading classes in order to help students enhance their comprehension. The present study investigates the effectiveness of two pre-reading strategies on EFL students’ performance in reading comprehension. A group of 46 students from King Saud University, Preparatory Year, participated in this study. A quasi-experimental design was used, with 23 students being assigned to the first experimental group that received one pre-reading strategy (vocabulary pre-teaching) while the remaining 23 students received another pre-reading strategy (pre-questioning). Students in both groups were asked first to perform the pre-reading strategy, read a passage, and then answer comprehension questions. Results indicated that there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups. Some implications have been drawn for EFL teachers and material designers.