Using Lexical Cohesion Cloze Exercises to Improve EFL Learners’ Reading Comprehension

Abstract

The present research examined the effects of lexical cohesion cloze reading exercises (in which deletions involved various types of lexical cohesive devices) on improving EFL students’ reading comprehension. Sixty-four Thai university students were randomly assigned to control and experimental groups. Both groups received 12 sessions of skill-based instruction, but the experimental group had additional practice in recognizing lexical relations through cloze passages. The mean pretest and posttest scores were compared using paired samples t-test. Post-treatment questionnaires were used to investigate students’ attitudes towards the assigned extra reading exercises. Students in the experimental group achieved significantly higher mean posttest scores than the control group (p < 0.05). There were no significant difference in attitude mean scores between the control group and the experimental group (p > 0.05). The experimental group, however, were more positive towards the use of the extra reading exercises and found the technique to be useful in fostering their English reading comprehension. These findings indicated that lexical cohesion cloze reading is effective in improving the reading performance of Thai EFL students and should be used to equip EFL students with the knowledge they need for better reading comprehension.