Disertasi

Enhancing students’ reading comprehension and attitudes in esp course through literature circles with self-regulated learning / Radina Anggun Nurisma

Abstrak
In the field of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) reading comprehension is crucial for academic and professional disciplines. Despite its importance problems arose when engaging in classroom reading activities. Classroom problems were also evident in reading activities in the ESP course at a state polytechnic in Indonesia. A preliminary study which involved 29 students and 9 teachers explored the problems through comprehension tests attitudes and reading instructional challenges. Key findings revealed that students had moderate to low comprehension struggling with understanding vocabulary complex sentences and logical inferences. Some students found reading boring and difficult leading to low motivation while others recognized its importance but lacked strategies to read effectively. Students relied heavily on translation tools and teacher explanations. The teacher survey confirmed that the ESP reading instruction was predominantly teacher-centred with limited student interaction due to time constraints. This hindered students rsquo ability to develop positive attitudes toward reading which is essential for enhancing their reading comprehension. Based on the results of the preliminary study the identified reading problem faced by students can be summarized as follows (1) lack of interest and participation (2) poor reading comprehension skills including limited vocabulary critical thinking and analytical skill difficulty drawing conclusions from evidence and relating content to real-life contexts. These problems serve as foundation for improving reading instruction in ESP course through more engaging approaches. Literature circles (LC) small discussion groups have gained recognition as an effective way of promoting EFL learning through engaging collaborative activities while incorporating SRL strategies is essential to ensure that students collaborate effectively. Thus this study investigates how empowering literature circles (LCs) with self-regulated learning (SRL) principles can enhance reading comprehension and attitudes in ESP course. This study employed classroom action research (CAR) design to explore the use of LCs with SRL principles. The study investigated students rsquo comprehension and attitudes towards this instructional method. The research followed an action research cycle consisting of planning action observation and reflection stages. The implementation of LCs with SRL was carried out over 14 meetings including initial and follow-up reading tests to measure the learning progress involving 29 students with intermediate English proficiency levels. In the implementation stage the LCs model was based on SRL principles covering instructional procedures such as forethought performance and reflection with students in turn playing the five role tasks of (1) discussion leader (2) summarizer (3) word master (4) mind mapper and (5) connector. Data collection instruments included initial and follow-up tests written work samples from LCs discussion classroom observation documentation reflective journals questionnaire and interviews. Initial test and follow-up reading test were administered in the first and last week to assess the learning outcomes. The criteria for success was defined as at least 80% of students scoring above the minimum score of 69 or developing level in the reading tests. All students rsquo written works of LCs during discussion were also collected and analysed. Data from classroom observation were collected by watching classroom activities and analysed by identifying patterns and behaviours. Documentation data were collected through photos and videos then analysed by reviewing and organizing evidence to support findings. Reflective journals were collected through participants rsquo writings and analysed by coding themes. To supplement the data questionnaires with Likert scale questions about students rsquo attitudes were distributed via Google Forms in the final week to gather feedback from the students with the results analysed descriptively to gain percentages reflecting their experiences toward LCs. In-depth interviews with 11 students were also conducted in the final meeting to provide detailed information into individual perception behind the questionnaire responses. In the first cycle of intervention process LCs procedure with SRL principles was introduced. The process began with the formulation of a framework for LCs with SRL that integrated SRL components in three phases forethought performance and reflection. In the forethought phase students engaged in planning and goal-setting. In the performance phase students carried out the assigned LCs role tasks. In the reflection phase they evaluated the tasks and their learning process. Reflection on the implementation of Cycle 1 indicated that some students still focused more on surface-level responses and there was unequal participation among students with different proficiency levels. This marked the emergence of a follow-up problem which led to the implementation of Cycle 2. In the second cycle of the intervention process strategies dealing with unequal participation were provided. These included introducing the concept of ldquo guest rdquo and ldquo host rdquo groups and allowing students to choose their own topic to make discussions more engaging. The results indicate that the integration of LCs with SRL led to some enhancement in students reading comprehension such as the ability to extract key ideas make logical inferences think critically. This integration is implemented effectively through some ways like the structured role assignment in LCs and learning phases of SRL. The data from test scores and quality of discussion in students rsquo written work demonstrated meaningful gains in comprehension. The tests showed an increase in the number of students meeting the criteria for success. In the initial test 19 out of 29 students (66%) scored below the minimum score of 69 while 10 students (34%) scored above it. Meanwhile in the follow-up test only 6 students (20%) scored below the minimum score of 69 while 23 students (80%) performed above it. In addition the progression in students rsquo performance from initial test to follow-up test is also reflected in the comprehension level. The number of students in the lower performance categories (beginning and emerging) decreases whereas the number of students in the higher performance categories (developing proficient and advanced) increases. The study also highlighted improvements in students rsquo LCs work over two cycles. Over time all groups showed consistent progress with the overall score increasing from 2.4 in Cycle 1 to 3.3 in Cycle 2 respectively. These results underscore the potentials of LCs on enhancing reading comprehension and active participation in collaborative learning environment. The study also shows that majority of students expressed positive changes in reading attitudes. The enhancement of students rsquo attitude toward reading can be observed through several indicators including (1) willingness to engage with different types of texts (2) increased confidence in sharing thoughts in discussion (3) active contribution to group discussion (4) stronger sense of responsibility in completing assigned roles. Hence the enhancement of attitude and comprehension was evident when the LCs model was implemented through these steps goal setting in the forethought phase collaborative discussion with five role tasks played in two major groups- host and guest in the performance phase and evaluation in the reflection phase. Several suggestions arise from the findings of this study. To sustain this success of LCs with SRL follow-up actions are needed. Teachers facing similar reading challenges in ESP contexts can adopt LCs with SRL as an interactive student-centred approach. However a notable limitation of this study was the uneven language proficiency among students which may have led to imbalanced group participation and caused some lower-proficiency learners to rely too heavily on peers. To address this future studies should explore grouping strategies such as proficiency-based or mixed-ability teams with appropriate scaffolding. Research should also involve students from various disciplines to test the broader applicability of LCs with SRL. Studying its long-term impact across multiple semesters could offer insights into sustained benefits. Moreover future research could examine how factors like learning styles motivation types and cultural backgrounds influence participation and identify strategies to support effective collaboration. Lastly the use of digital tools and online platforms both synchronous and asynchronous should be explored to optimize the application of LCs with SRL. Since SRL requires independent management integrating digital self-monitoring tools such as learning journals or online goal-setting platforms would be a good enhancement to consider in future implementations.

Informasi Detail

DDC

Rd 420.84 NUR e

Prodi

Universitas Negeri Malang. Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, 2025.

Deskripsi Fisik

xviii, 170 lembar. : ilus. ; 30 cm.

Bahasa

No Reg

00127/RD/25

Edisi

Disertasi (Pascasarjana)--Universitas Negeri Malang. 2025

Subjek

1. BAHASA INGGRIS - MEMBACA PEMAHAMAN - KEMANDIRIAN BELAJAR
2. BAHASA INGGRIS - MEMBACA - SIKAP SISWA
3. ENGLISH - READING COMPREHENSION - LEARNING INDEPENDENCE

Pembimbing

1. Prof. Dra. Hj. Utami Widiati, M.a., Ph.d.; 2. Francisca Maria Ivone, S.pd, M.a., Ph.d; 3. Anik Nunuk Wulyani, S.pd, M.pd, Ph.d

Lampiran Berkas