Mind maps and reading comprehension

Abstract

English has become one of the most spoken languages in the world. English teachers must face the challenge of achieving important learning in reading comprehension, and for this, they must use some strategies that help students in the reading process. Depending on the reader's goal, there are many strategies that can be applied when reading. The aim of this research is to analyze the relationship between Mind maps and the development of Reading Comprehension. The population used for this research were 42 students from the 2nd semester of PINE major at Universidad Técnica de Ambato. This research was based on a pre-experimental design. At first it was necessary to apply a pre-test in order to check students’ reading comprehension using the third part of an English Test (KET) Cambridge and 2 questions added by the researcher. After that, the researcher applied the treatment and students had the opportunity of practicing the strategy for a month. Finally, the group took a post- test to evaluate the effectiveness of the strategy. The results obtained were analyzed using T-Student. Based on the results obtained through the statistical analysis, it was proved that there is a relationship between mind maps and the reading comprehension because mind maps facilitate remember and organize information which help students to improve their reading comprehension. Thus, it stimulates students’ creativity and strengthens their reading comprehension