The Effect of Online Short Story Reading on Iranian Intermediate EFL Learners’ L2 Reading Comprehension Ability

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of reading online and paper-based (conventional) short stories on reading comprehension of intermediate Iranian EFL learners. Sixty participants who were studying in Jahad Daneshgahi, in Isfahan, Iran, were assigned to two homogeneous groups according to the result of an Oxford Placement Test (OPT). Students whose scores were within one standard deviation above and below the mean score were selected as participants of the study. Then, both groups were given a pretest, the result of which assured the homogeneity of the groups with regard to their reading comprehension. Twenty short stories were selected and given to the learners in the online group in a language lab from ESL Fast website. The second group of learners read the same passages in a print-based form. Finally, at the end of the course and after a week, participants sat for the post-test. Findings revealed that there was a significant effect of using online instructions on their reading comprehension performance. Moreover, it was found that the online group outperformed the print-baesd reading group.