Bring the Action! Involving Technical Preparatory Students in EFL Reading Classes: An Action Research Study

During my two-year teaching experience in a university setting one of the biggest problems I faced was to motivate my students at a private (mostly) technical university for the reading classes. It is an undeniable fact that reading classes require EFL learners to have enough skill, confidence, and motivation. However, this requirement is hard to be fulfilled especially for many EFL technical students because their exposure to English is very limited and they have difficulty in meeting some necessary requirements of reading such as critical thinking and use of some strategies and techniques.  Consequently, the action research was conducted to involve my technical preparatory students in EFL reading classes. Through this study, I also aimed to develop a deeper and better understanding of my teaching and grow professionally. The question guiding this study was: What happens to my students’ attitudes towards reading classes when I integrate visuals, hands-on activities, and competitions into my lessons? After planning the procedures, the action research process involved a pre-test, 4-week intervention, and a post- test to measure the improvement. The statistical data did not show any significant difference in their achievement, but qualitative data taken from observation, field notes, and interviews revealed that integration of visuals and interactive activities into reading classes motivated the students and engaged them more in the classes.