The Students’ Attitudes in Preparatory Classes towards the Effectiveness of Silent Reading in Terms of Reading Comprehension

Reading comprehension is the gateway to acquire knowledge, therefore, it has attracted attention in academic environment. Silent reading is accepted as the major reading mode, and it is associated with the idea of reading for comprehension. In the related literature there exist contradictory studies on the efficiency of silent reading. Thus the present research investigates students’ attitudes towards silent reading in terms of its effectiveness in reading comprehension, reading for pleasure, and concentration. The present study was conducted with 120 preparatory school students from different levels at a state university in Bursa. In the study, a mixed method research design was used. Quantitative data were gathered via a questionnaire and qualitative data were gathered via an interview from 12 participants for a deeper understanding of the students’ attitudes towards the effectiveness of silent reading. According to the results, the participants have a moderately positive level of agreement that they can grasp the meaning easily and concentrate better while reading silently.

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