The Effects of L1 Translation vs. Paraphrasing the Literary Texts on Female and Male Students Reading Comprehension

During the last decades, the role of mother tongue in language teaching has been the subject of a host of research studies (e.g., Block, 1986; Kern, 1994; Jimenez, Garcia, and Pearson, 1996; Upton, 1997); however, quite rarely have researchers addressed such issues as comparing the use of mother tongue and other teaching techniques like paraphrasing and translation effects on teaching specific texts in literary courses. This study aimed to explore whether paraphrases vs. translations of English poems make any significant difference in EFL students' level of comprehending literary texts. It also aims to examine whether paraphrases or translations of literary text at undergraduate level affect significantly the performance of male and female students' comprehension of such texts. The data for this study were collected through two comprehension tests and a personal questionnaire from 40 English students who study at University of Isfahan. The data were analyzed descriptively and also inferentially. The overall findings of the study indicated that there was no significant difference between the comprehension of those who received Persian translation of the poems and those who dealt with the paraphrase of the same poems. However in the group, in which students received translation of the poems, the male participants significantly outperformed the female learners whereas in the group in which students received the paraphrase of poems, the female participants significantly outperformed the male learners. The findings of the present study would help teachers and teacher trainers to construct and implement L1 and paraphrase in literature classes more effectively