Authentic written materials in the English reading comprehension skills development

Abstract

The main goal in this research work was to analyze how authentic written materials influence in the reading comprehension skills development in the learning of English language. The materials’ effectiveness was determined by the use of a Cambridge test in a pre-test and post-test. This test was applied to second-year bachillerato students at “Unidad Educativa Agropecuario Luis A. Martinez” in Ambato. The students in classes A and C (57 students) were denominated experimental group, while learners in B and D classes (48 students) were designed the control group. There were chosen six authentic written materials: newspaper articles, comics, biographies, movie reviews, touristic brochures and song lyrics. These materials were implemented in the experimental group. Hence, the hypothesis verification proposed for the current study was obtained based on the statistical analysis of the results. The post test results showed that students who worked with authentic written materials significantly improved their reading comprehension skills and motivation to read. Therefore, it is important to suggest the implementation of authentic written materials to strengthen the reading comprehension skills and to accompany the textbook. English teachers could use the handbook for micro curricular planning, here proposed, due to the fact that it includes recommendations to plan each lesson with pre-reading, while reading and post reading activities. In addition, the authentic written materials used to accompany and support the contents of the six units from the textbook and the specific skills to be developed, as well as the worksheet applied in the lesson plans and the rubric to assess the advancement in the reading comprehension skills.