Enhancing Academic Performance of Omani Students in the IELTS-Based Reading Exams: Influence of Reading Strategy Interventions

Abstract

This study investigates how using reading strategies as an intervention effectively improves the academic performance of Omani students at level 4 in the IELTS-based reading exams. Eight research questions and corresponding null hypotheses were formulated and tested to find out the influence of reading strategy interventions on test outcomes. About 24 students studying at level 4 in the General Foundation Program of the Preparatory Studies Center, University of Technology and Applied Sciences-Ibra, participated in the study. The experiment group had 12 students, and the control group had 12 students. A pre-test was administered to both groups to assess their initial performance. Following that, targeted reading strategy interventions were given to the experiment group. The control group did not receive any such interventions. A post-test was given to both groups at the end of the intervention period. The comparison of test scores revealed that the experiment group performed better than the control group, which means that the reading strategy interventions positively affected the academic performance of the experiment group compared to the control group. Hence, it is recommended that targeted reading strategy interventions be incorporated to enhance the academic performance of level 4 Omani students in the IELTS-based reading exams.