Social media and reading comprehension

Abstract

The current research identified the most used social media platform for improving the reading comprehension skill of English learners. A total of 76 students (29 males and 47 females) of B1 level of Centro de Idiomas of Universidad Técnica de Ambato took part in a descriptive investigation. The data was collected through a survey with 18 items on a Likert scale and 7 open-ended questions. It was validated with the coefficient Cronbach’s Alpha (0.991) and by three experts of the major. Additionally, the research was based on three research questions that were proposed to achieve the main objective of this study. The results revealed that the most common types of content consumed by English pupils were the rational-informative and rational-educational. In addition to this, it was discovered that students carried out a set of reading activities to enhance their reading comprehension competence when they use Facebook and Instagram. Furthermore, the majority of students know and use WhatsApp, however, they prefer Facebook and Instagram to access to reading content. Then the majority of learners reach a literal reading comprehension level and they only achieve the critical level of comprehension when they connect the text to their personal experiences. Finally, it was evidenced the preference for online and authentic reading materials as means for improving the reading comprehension ability. Nevertheless, traditional printed materials still being popular among English pupils.