IMPROVING READING COMPREHENSION BY USING COMPUTER-BASED CONCEPT MAPS: A CASE STUDY OF ESP STUDENTS AT UMM-ALQURA UNIVERSITY

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the impact of using a computer-based concept mapping technique on a group of pre-medical Saudi students' reading comprehension. These students were registered for an ESP course during the second term of the academic year 2013-14.Twenty-five male subjects were engaged in this experiment which lasted for seven weeks. Participants completed a five-week training period on how to manipulate CMapTools software to generate concept maps to aid their reading comprehension. The findings indicate that using computer-generated concept maps as a learning strategy has a positive impact on students' reading comprehension level. It is found the students' mean score in a reading comprehension test has increased from (11.04) to reach (15.64) after they have completed their five-week training period to restructure their reading texts. The students have also shown very positive views towards this technique and report that it has made their reading process more tangible and interesting. They even claim the possibility of using this technique to facilitate learning other language skills and not only reading. These results verify the efficacy of this technique and the researcher recommends its application in Saudi institutions.