ZARMINA DAUD Education 2021 Lcwu LHR

DEVELOPMENT OF READ ALOUD FOCUSED MODEL TO
ENHANCE READING COMPREHENSION SKILLS AND

VOCABULARY OF PRIMARY LEVEL STUDENTS
ZARMINA DAUD
DEPARTMENT OF RESEARCH AND EVALUATION

INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION
LAHORE COLLEGE FOR WOMEN UNIVERSITY,
LAHORE
2020
DEVELOPMENT OF READ ALOUD FOCUSED MODEL TO
ENHANCE READING COMPREHENSION SKILLS AND
VOCABULARY OF PRIMARY LEVEL STUDENTS
A THESIS SUBMITTED TO LAHORE COLLEGE FOR WOMEN

UNIVERSITY IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF
PHILOSOPHY IN EDUCATION
ZARMINA DAUD
Registration No: 15-Ph.D/LCWU-1904
Supervisor
Dr. Asma Shahid Kazi
Co-supervisor
Dr.Mofiah Nader
Session 2015-18
DEPARTMENT OF RESEARCH AND EVALUATION

INSTITUTE OF EDUCATIONLAHORE COLLEGE FOR
WOMEN UNIVERSITY, LAHORE
2020
Dedicated to
I would like to dedicate this research to my husband and
my daughters
v
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
First of all I would thank Almighty Allah the most beneficent and the most
merciful for giving me courage and strength to complete this research work.
I would like to thank and express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor
without whom I would not have been able to accomplish such a research. My
supervisor Dr Asma Shahid Kazi helped me and guided me at every stage towards the
completion of this research. Her knowledge, patience and motivation helped me to
compile my thesis. I could not have imagined having a better supervisor than her for
my Ph.D. study.
I would also like to further acknowledge Dr.Afifa Khanum for the moral
support and assistance throughout my research and the efforts of my university,
department and associated members.
I am also grateful to the school administration and teachers who facilitated me
during my research.
Zarmina Daud
vi
ABSTRACT
The study attempted to determine the effect of utilizing read aloud teaching
technique on development of reading comprehension skills and vocabulary. Benefits
of read aloud are well documented previously in the existing literature and it is stated
that reading texts aloud is one of the most important activity in building literacy skills
in young children and especially in ESL context. To probe into the effectiveness of
read aloud teaching strategy in our context Quasi- experimental research design was
adopted for this study where two intact groups of primary level were allocated as
experimental group and control group respectively. The study was conducted in a
private school of Lahore city in Pakistan where two sections of Grade 2 were
recruited. The study also attempted to determine the effect of read aloud teaching
strategy on other variables such as students reading motivation and speaking fluency
as it is evident from the previous studies that read aloud also has a positive impact on
students‘ motivation and speaking fluency. Lady Bird Graded Readers were used for
read aloud which are specially designed for ESL context. Data was collected using the
reading motivation questionnaire, fiction story retelling form, oral fluency form along
with comprehension worksheets and vocabulary tests. Pre-test and post-test were
conducted and data was statistically analysed by applying paired sample t-test. Effect
size was calculated to measure the magnitude of the effect on reading comprehension
skills, vocabulary, speaking fluency and reading motivation of students in the
experimental group. The data analysis of the two groups revealed that there was no
significant difference in pre-test scores of experimental and control group. However, a
significant difference was found in the post-test scores of experimental group and
control group and the experimental group performed better as compared to the control
group. The results of the study revealed that read aloud teaching strategy was more
vii
effective teaching method as compared to the traditional teaching method in an ESL
context. The outcomes of the study are also significant to the classroom practise of
primary level teachers because the findings offer direct research based input to
classroom practise by building teacher knowledge on how to capitalize on the
flexibility of the read aloud instructional approach in order to enhance reading
motivation and literacy skills of primary level students.
Keywords: Read-Aloud, Oral Fluency, Speaking Skills, Reading Motivation, Reading
Comprehension Skills
viii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER Title Page No
Chapter 1: Introduction 1
1.1 Study Background 1
1.1.1 Educational System in Pakistan and English in Pre-School 3
1.1.2 Evaluation of English Teaching in Pakistan 4
1.2 Statement of Problem 5
1.3 Objectives of the Study 6
1.4 Research Questions 6
1.5 Hypothesis 7
1.6 Significance of the Study 7
1.7 Theoretical Framework 7
1.8 Operational Definitions 10
1.9 Delimitations 12
1.10 limitations 12
Chapter 2: Review of Literature 13
2.1 Introduction 13
2.2 English as Second Language (ESL) Learners at Primary Level 16
2.3 Read Aloud Technique and Young ESL Learners (Children in Primary
School) 23
2.4 Concept of Read Aloud Technique in Classroom 30
2.5 Significance of Read Aloud Technique 33
2.5.1 The literary corpus 36
2.5.2 The languages used by the reader / mediator 36
2.5.3 Storytelling 37
ix
2.6 Aspects of Read Aloud Techniques Used in Classrooms 40
2.6.1 The voice 40
2.6.2 The Tonality 41
2.6.3 The Accent 42
2.6.4 Punctuation Marks 43
2.6.5 The Gestures 44
2.6.6 Guidelines for Read Aloud Sessions 45
2.7 Research Related to Read Aloud Technique as a Tool to
Enhance Student‘s Reading 46
2.8 Effect of Read Aloud Technique on Comprehension Skills
of Students 55
2.9 Effect of Read Aloud on Vocabulary Development of Students 62
2.10 Effect of Read Aloud on Speaking Skills of Students 69
2.11 Chapter Summary 73
Chapter 3: Methodology 75
3.1 Paradigm 75
3.2 Pre-test Post-test Quasi- Experimental Design 76
3.3 Population 79
3.4 Sample of the Study 80
3.5 Instruments of the Study 81
3.6 Instruments Validity and Reliability 83
3.7 Variables 85
3.8 Research Procedure for the Intervention 86
3.9 Read Aloud Procedural Stages for each 2 Weeks Session 89
3.10 Data Analysis 92
x
3.11 Reliability and Validity 93
3.12 Ethical Considerations 94
Chapter 4: Results 95
4.1 Introduction 95
4.2 Reading Comprehension Test Analysis 97
4.3 Story Re-Telling and Comprehension Analysis 107
4.4 Vocabulary Test Analysis 115
4.5 Speaking Fluency Test analysis 125
4.6 Analysis of Reading Motivation 131
4.7 Chapter Summary 135
Chapter 5: Summary, Findings, Discussion, Conclusion and
Recommendations 137
5.1 Summary 137
5.2 Impact of Reading Aloud on Reading Comprehension 139
5.3The Impact of Read Aloud Practice on Student‘s Vocabulary 141
5.4 Impact of Read Aloud on the Oral Fluency of the Primary Level
Students 144
5.5 Reading Aloud Strategy and Increase in Students‘ Desire to Read 146
5.6 Findings and Suggestions 149
5.7 Limitations 153
5.8 Conclusion 156
5.9 Recommendations 160
REFERENCES 164
APPENDICES 185
Appendix A: Reading Motivation Questionnaire 185
xi
Appendix B: Fictional Story Retelling Form 187
Appendix C: Vocabulary Pre- Tests and Post-Test 188
Appendix D: Speaking Fluency Form 190
Appendix E: Lesson Plan 191
xii
LIST OF TABLES
Tables No. Titles Page No.

Table 3.1 Sample of the Study 81
Table 3.2 Strategies of Intervention 88
Table 3.3 Name of Story and Vocabulary Words of Each Book 92
Covered in Each Month
Table 3.4 Data Sources and Analysis Procedure 93
Table 4.1 Puss in Boot Story Comprehension Results of EG and 98
CG
Table 4.2 Rapunzel Story Comprehension Results of EG and CG 99
Table 4.3 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Story Comprehension 100
Results of EG and CG
Table 4.4 The Jungle Book Story Comprehension Results of EG 101
and CG
Table 4.5 Jack and the Beanstalk Story Comprehension Results of 102
EG and CG
Table 4 6 Hansel and Gretel Story Comprehension Results of EG 103
and CG
Table 4.7 The Pony School News Story Comprehension Results of 104
EG and CG
Table 4.8 Elves and the Shoemaker Story Comprehension Results 105
of EG and CG
Table 4.9 The Red Knight Story Comprehension Results of EG and 106
CG
Table 4.10 Retelling Scores of Five Stories and Calculation of 108
Effect size, Mean and Standard Deviation
Table 4.11 Story Retelling Scores of Four Stories and Calculation of 111
Effect Size, Mean and Standard Deviation
Table 4.12 In Depth Comparison between EG and CG in Story 113
Retelling Percentage Wise
Table 4.13 EG and CG Gain Scores, Mean and Standard Deviation 116
of Four Stories in Vocabulary Pre-test and Post-test
xiii
Tables No. Titles Page No.
of Three Stories in Vocabulary Pre-test and Post-test
of Two Stories in Vocabulary Pre-test and Post-test
Table 4.16 Vocabulary Mean, Standard Deviation and T- Test 122
Scores for overall Nine Stories of EG and CG
Table 4.17 Speaking Fluency Mean, Standard Deviation and effect 126
size calculation of EG and CG in five Stories
Table 4.18 Speaking Fluency Mean, Standard Deviation and Effect 129
Size Calculation of EG and CG in Four Stories
Table 4.19 Gain Scores and Effect Size Calculation of EG and CG 132
on Reading Motivation
Table 4.20 Mean, Standard Deviations, and T- Test Scores on 134
Reading Motivation of EG and CG
xiv
LIST OF FIGURES
Figures No. Titles Page No.
Figure 3.1 Design of the Study 79
Figure 3.2 Data Collection Instrument 85
xv
DEVELOPMENT OF READ ALOUD FOCUSED MODEL 1
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Study Background
Language is the tool through which we connect with the world. For effective
communication it is important to not just be able to articulate your thoughts and ideas
clearly, but also to understand what we hear. In formal learning, reading and writing
become even more important. The basis of formal learning begins through oral
language. Thus its importance in school settings cannot be undermined. This study is
an attempt to improve the reading comprehension skills and vocabulary of primary
level students in Pakistan utilizing read aloud teaching technique.
Most parents in Pakistan are aware of the importance of English for their
children, but few really know what the advantages are of starting English learning at
an early age instead of waiting for school age (Khan, 2011). When parents consider
enrolling their child in a bilingual nursery school, they should know the benefits that
learning this language and bilingualism in general have on children of early ages.
The most important benefit is the ease of learning English skills is in the
school. The younger the child is when he begins to study English, the easier and more
beneficial it is for him/her, than if the language learning is after 3 years of age or older
(Shamim, 2011). This is because during childhood language is learnt in an innate way.
Children do not have to make effort to learn it, but they acquire it as their brain
structure develops (Coleman, 2010).
Research also shows that learning a second language, be it English or another
for that matter, has a positive impact on mental health of children. Children who begin
to learn English at an early age develop their brain in such a way that they have a
greater capacity for concentration. They have greater agility and ability to solve
problems. They develop competency to performing several tasks at the same time
effectively (multitasking) (Nawab, 2012). They can make more connections between
different concepts. There is improvement in focusing attention and memory.
Furthermore, within social context of Pakistan, like any other developing country,
children learning English at an early age have benefits in terms of access to a
globalized world. The child will have access to two different cultures, which will
enrich their education and intellectual development and have a more open mind to the
world and in regard to their relationship with others (Khan, 2011). This can help make
the child accept and be interested in other cultures and ways of life different from
their own. They will be able to communicate with people of other nationalities, and
gain knowledge about other cultures which in turn will help in personal development
and have access to a globalized world (Shamim, 2011).
Furthermore, children when they are very young are not shy of anything, so
they throw themselves to speak and practice English without fear of being wrong or
what others think, acquiring confidence in the language and also confidence in
themselves for the future. Therefore, it is good that children begin to learn English
before the feeling of shame develops in them and slows down the learning process
(Shamim, 2011). Finally it is important to mention the impact of learning English on
future employability. If the child begins to learn English at a young age, they will
increase their chances of getting the job they want as an adult. The facts of being
bilingual or having a very good command on English are skills that companies seek
and value greatly (Khan, 2011).

1.1.1 Educational System in Pakistan and English in Pre-School
To understand the environment in which the objective of the study is
developed, it is important to analyse the perspective of Pakistan‘s education system in
the context of the preschool and learning English language at this level. Ahmad &
Rao, (2013) point out that pre-school education has not been a priority of the nation
and its importance has been overlooked. Agreeing with this statement, the researcher
believes that it is an unfortunate fact, since it is at this age that children develop
intelligence and shape their personality. In addition, Shamim, (2011) points out that
health, nutrition, social interaction and opportunities to enhance the development of
the brain intervene in this development.
In the search for quality education in preschool, it seems that the teaching of
languages is not relevant in our local context. The closest reference to the subject was
found in The World Bank document ―Learning for All: Investing in People's
Knowledge and Skills to Promote Development Education Strategy 2020‘. This report
refers to the importance of language learning in the early grades, considering that it is
a "critical period to learn the grammar of second or third languages" (p.14). However,
the age they allude to is between six and twelve years (the level of elementary
education in Pakistan) elaborates De Siqueira (2012).
Manan, David, & Dumanig, (2016) mention the European context and present
a synthesis of studies on the effects of early childhood education. He concludes that
member states of the European Union should invest in early childhood education as
an effective way to lay the foundations for later learning. The recommendations are
based on the notion that childhood is the most important evolutionary stage of the
human being and refers to the basis for maturation and neuronal development.
Bughio, (2013) points out that in terms of pre-school education, majority of
the children in school do not get proper education to learn English in Pakistan. The
authors refer as examples Cuba, Mexico and Ecuador which have 100% coverage
rates. As a conclusion to the global vision, it can be affirmed that the preschool level
is considered as a crucial stage for human development. This vision allows to
understand that the teaching of languages, although it does not figure in the
fundamental points to deal with the international agenda, by offering quality initial
education is being fulfilled with the education. Shamim, (2011) refers to the
improvement of quality in early childhood, with emphasis on the age of three to five
years recommends considering the initial level as a critical period for the development
of skills, particularly the learning of second languages such as English.
1.1.2 Evaluation of English Teaching in Pakistan
Considering the public school sector in Pakistan, there is lack of a coherent
policy regarding the implementation of language teaching, particularly English, and
an adequate interpretation of these policies has led to the implementation of regional
initiatives, which in some cases differ from the guidelines of national policies. These
experiences, which are mostly examples of good practices, emerge from group
initiatives of teachers and have not had enough support or supervision from regional
and / or national authorities (Mahboob, 2009).
There are also other factors mentioned different research studies that impede
the development of English language skills of children in Pakistan. Gulzar & Qadir,
(2010) conducted a survey and reported that one of the factors of low English
language skills is the low level of teachers' linguistic competence. The survey results
showed that majority of the respondents showed dissatisfaction about the abilities and
linguistic competence of those responsible for teaching English in public elementary

schools. Furthermore, the study concluded that teachers are not suitably trained for
this task.
Furthermore, Farooq, Uzair-Ul-Hassan, & Wahid, (2012) indicated that there
is lack of adequate tools for teacher training in private sector. It was concluded that
there was high level of willingness among teachers to continue developing
professionally, such as willingness to take training courses to teach English in their
classroom. However, majority of the teachers did not receive training and / or
refresher courses. The study concluded that a permanent policy to provide training
would greatly contribute to improving their performance in teaching English in their
schools. Another important hurdle was lack of adequate material and resources for
teachers to develop effective lessons for children.
Another factor identified in literature that impedes effective teaching of
English in Pakistan is the types of English teaching program and its contents.
Mustafa, (2012) that English teaching programs, methods, and technique being used
in private sector are rather obsolete. Modern technologies such as ICTs are absent and
modern teaching curriculum is not integrated into teaching methods. Therefore, it was
concluded that current teaching methods are ineffective for teaching English at
primary level.
1.2 Statement of Problem
Due to the weaknesses in the education system and shortcomings mentioned in
previous section, it can be affirmed that there is a negative impact on English
language skills of children in Pakistan. According to Hassan (2009) and Warsi (2004)
Pakistani students face problems in English reading comprehension which has a
negative impact on the students‘ academic achievement. They have also pointed out
the reasons for lack of literacy development which are inexperienced and inefficient
teachers and use of defective teaching methods and techniques. The main goal is to
have each child reading at his or her own grade level or above it. Reading is important
to help students gain access to many different kinds of knowledge, information, and
ideas. Also, reading has many benefits for students because it can enhance students‘
social skills and open up new worlds for them. The students must see reading as an
enjoyable activity in order to truly benefit from it not only related to school. The
students need to use reading to learn about all subjects; therefore, if they do not have
strong reading skills, they might struggle in their academic lives (Bolos, 2012).
1.3 Objectives of the Study
Objectives of the study were the following:
1. To investigate the effect of read aloud on the reading comprehension skills of students
(predicting, inference, sequencing) of students of grade 2.
2. To find out the effect of read aloud on vocabulary development of students of grade 2.
3. To find out the effect of read aloud on the oral fluency of students of grade 2.
4. To improve students‘ desire to read through effective read aloud.
1.4 Research Questions
1. To what extent does read aloud improve the reading comprehension skills of students
of grade 2? (Prediction, inference and sequencing the text)
2. To what extent does read aloud improve the vocabulary of students‘ of grade 2?
3. Does read aloud improve the oral fluency of students of grade 2?
4. To what extent does read aloud affect the students‘ motivation to read?
1.5 Hypothesis
1. There is no difference in the reading comprehension skills of students after the
intervention.
2. There is no difference in the vocabulary of the students after the intervention.
3. There is no difference in the oral fluency of students after the intervention.
4. There is no difference in the students‘ motivation to read after the intervention.
1.6 Significance of the Study
This study is significant for general literature as it contributes experimental
design based empirical evidence to existing literature. Furthermore, this study has
implications for primary school administrations and teachers. The outcome of the
study are significant to the classroom practice of primary teachers because the
findings offer direct research based input to classroom practice by building teacher
knowledge of how to capitalize on the flexibility of the read aloud instructional
approach in order to enhance reading motivation and literacy skills of primary level
students. Finally, this study has presented significant evidence for education policy
makers to exploit the strengths and potential of read aloud technique at primary level
and enhance learning and language skills of primary school children in Pakistan.
1.7 Theoretical Framework
Effective classrooms are the ones that have optimal communication between
the teacher and the students. This effectiveness bases itself within the tenets of
constructivist strategies, which include both the cognitive or individual constructivism
explained in Piaget's theory, and the social constructivism of Vygotsky's theory. The
core differences between both are the relative focus on language development theory
where thinking precedes language for cognitive constructivism and language precedes
thinking for the theory of social constructivism (Powell & Kalina, 2009).
A theory was proposed by Albert Bandura related to the social learning theory
that describes the observation, modelling and imitation of learning. This theory is
sometimes also known as a bridge between the behaviourist and cognitive learning
theories. Moreover, the learning process of people is a process that includes
observations of the behaviour of other people. The same idea is being explained in the
Bandura theory that behaviour attitude of the people and the outcomes are proved as
the learning for the people (Ellis, 2017). Social learning theory explains the behaviour
of the human with respect to the interaction between cognitive, behavioural and also
the influence of the environmental. Bandura theory works on the 4 principles that are:
attention and focus matter, retention depends on context, reproduction is done on the
demand and the last one is motivation can be intrinsic or extrinsic.
In the field of linguistics, Stephen Krashen has presented a theory that is
related to language acquisition and development. This theory is well known in the
respective field and accepted worldwide it has a large impact in all the areas of the
second language. This theory works on the basis of 5 main hypotheses which are
related to the acquisition learning hypothesis, the monitor hypothesis, the natural
order hypothesis, the input hypothesis and the last one is an effective-filter hypothesis
(Krashen, 1987). The structural study of the language has many advantages where
high schools and colleges can plan to improve their language programs. Formulating
rules and irregularities and being sorted out in this respect as this is not the language
of teaching. In this way, language acquisition and appropriateness of grammar hold a
significant role in building a comprehensive understanding of the underlying
phenomenon.
The focus of Piaget‘s theory has been on cognition and thinking pre-empting
language development. This indicates a certain focus on the development of abstract
concepts and the gradual usage of assimilation and accommodation in order to
develop sound reasoning. This, however, indicates a generalized focus on learning
while not accounting for the influences of the social environment. For Piaget learning
presented a limited case of situational provocation by an experimenter and focused on
some didactic point or external situation (Piaget, 1964). In this light the theoretical
focus of Piaget‘s theory for the present scenario can be utilized in limited focal areas
which include an understanding on how the children within this study develop their
thinking skills. This is essential in order to develop social constructs that in turn form
the basis of comprehension and vocabulary. Piaget‘s theory allows for the creation of
a baseline theoretical understanding on how children develop reasoning. This
resultantly is applicable for the present study as it allows for the gradual growth for
knowledge and intellectual skills.
Interactive read alouds relate to Vygotsky‘s learning theory of social
constructivism, the belief that ―children learn as a result of social interactions with
others‖ (Tracy & Morrow, 2006, p.108). Read aloud embody Vygotsky‘s theory of
social constructivism through the interactive conversations that may take place during
the read aloud. Read aloud also relate to a group of theories that follow an interactive
model of reading. This group of theories explain the reading process as involving the
writer, the text, and the reading, comprehension emerges as the reader actively brings
his or her prior knowledge to the reading of a text and ―interacts‖ with the text (Beard,
1988; Samuels, 1984/2002; Rumelhart, 2004;). The nature of learning as an inherent
social activity indicates that language development requires interactive focus. Read
aloud focuses on this core interactive aspect through developing allowances for
learning in accordance with mediation. The pupil-instructor interaction through the
initial stages is the basis for said mediation. This allows accessibility to develop for
children as its it focus on the availability of a more capable or competent person
thereby indicating a lack of initial competence for the group under study i-e the
children.
In the past few years there have been various successful teaching aplications
of the Vygotskian concept of the zone of proximal development (ZPD) to the area of
literacy development (e.g., Burkhalter, 1995; Combs, 1996; Steward, 1996). These
applications were helpful to the learners in providing support within their ZPD and
delineate different ways to increase their level of achievement beyond what they
could attain on their own or with instruction which is above their capability. Most of
the programmes incorporated assistance of some other more capable person, like
peers or teachers to support the learning of children.
Proponents of Vygotsky‘s theory, such as Daniel Elkonin and Pyotr Galperin,
highlighted in their work that children ZPD can be further enhanced not only by
providing social interaction but also when special instructional techniques are
employed (Elkonin, 1963, 1969, 1974; Galperin, 1969, 1985, 1992).In this study the
special instructional technique applied was read aloud teaching strategy which
provides social interaction between the researcher and the students and the process of
development of understanding through participation in various activities create the
link between read aloud strategy and Vygotsky‘s ‗zone of proximal development‘
(Chaiklin, 2003).
1.8 Operational Definitions
Primary Level Students: Primary level education in Pakistan is from grade 1
to 5 but .For the research students of grade 2 were taken as a sample.

Read Aloud: “reading aloud to children—sometimes also referred to as
shared storybook reading—is a productive means for giving students opportunities to
develop new-meaning vocabulary‖ (Blackowicz & Fisher, 2011, p. 227). In this
research interactive read aloud teaching strategy was used to enhance reading
comprehension skills and vocabulary of the students.
Retelling: Explaining what happened in a story in chronological order using
setting, characters, beginning, problem and resolution in the story (Dunst, Simkus &
Hamby, 2012.) In the current research oral retelling session was conducted after each
read aloud session to gauge how well the students were able to comprehend the story.
Reading Comprehension: Comprehension is the essence of reading and the
active process of constructing meaning from text (Durkin, 1993). Reading
comprehension is a complex interaction among automatic and strategic cognitive
processes that enables the reader to create a mental representation of the text (van den
Broek & Espin, 2012). For the purpose of enhancing the reading comprehension
skills of the students of the study reading comprehension strategies during each read
aloud sessionwere employed.
Vocabulary: Schmitt (2014) defined vocabulary knowledge as the
knowledge of vocabulary components, lexical organisation, receptive and productive
mastery and fluency. In this research enhancing students‘ receptive vocabulary was
emphasized and during read aloud sessions vocabulary words were focused with the
purpose that students should be able to grasp the meaning of the words in context and
comprehend the story well.
Oral Fluency: According to Faerch, Haastrup and Philipson oral fluency is
the ability of speaker to make use its linguistic and pragmatic competence which they
have. During retelling sessions students were assessed for their speaking fluency in
terms of grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation and overall interaction with the
audience in order to see the effect of read aloud on them.
Picture Books: ―Tell stories using both words and pictures‖ (O‘Neal, 2011, p.
214). In the current study picture books were used keeping the objectives of the study
in mind as pictures in the books aid and provide clues to comprehend the story well
and explain the meanings of the unknown words. Picture books were also used to
enhance students‘ critical thinking and visual thinking skills which in return helps to
build reading comprehension and vocabulary.
1.9 Delimitations
 Delimitations refer to the factors that affect the methodological choices of the
researcher and in turn the methodological design which affect the reliability and
validity of the results and conclusions drawn in the study.
 The primary delimitation in this study is the limited access of the researcher to target
population as the study was conducted in one private primary school of Lahore where
as there are many other primary public/private schools in Lahore.
 Furthermore, there is a wide variety of read aloud techniques that can be used as
intervention in the study but the researcher implemented only one technique for
intervention.
1.10 Limitations
 The research was conducted only in one private school in Lahore city therefore results
cannot be generalized to public school students.
 Other limitation of the study is that due to limited resources the study was conducted
in the main Lahore city therefore the results cannot be generalized to the schools
located in outskirts of Lahore city.

CHAPTER 2
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
2.1 Introduction
This chapter is specifically focused on conducting a review of past studies that
are related to the read aloud techniques and its use and impact on ESL learners at
primary level. The chapter begins with discussing the concept of read aloud technique
followed by its relevance in ESL learning and development within the context of
young learners. Furthermore, the chapter also analyses how the concept has been
addressed in literature and its key features such as storytelling, voice, accent, tonality,
etc. Moreover, the chapter continues to presents review of studies that assess how
read aloud technique can contribute towards language development of young children
and how teachers and other adults can play a positive role in promoting and enhancing
English language Skills. The chapter also presents discussion of impact of read aloud
on reading skills, comprehension skills, vocabulary and speaking/oral skills. A
conceptual framework has been developed in this chapter to summarise entire
discussion. The chapter ends with a brief summary of entire review.
The acquisition of language for young children and the learning of reading and
writing for school children are part of the process of knowledge of language that, as
Rose & Martin (2012) argue, is a process of knowledge. Knowledge is not a unitary
process, because there is a variety of knowledge: factual or perceptive, motor skills or
feelings, etc. With their acquisition children begin to have access to a symbolic
system of meanings, to a resource through which experience can be converted into
knowledge. The relationship between language and learning is based on the

interaction between the acquisition and use of language in the construction of
knowledge through speaking and thinking (Rose & Martin, 2012).
The above statements correspond to a perspective in which language structures
emerge from their use. With this use of language, children are also learning through
language, and new modes of language are therefore new forms of knowledge. From
this perspective, language is the basis of learning and mature linguistic competence is
conceived as a structured inventory of significant linguistic constructions. As in any
other process of learning complex cognitive activities, linguistic learners learn from
the verbal material that is offered to them, the input; and with it they construct the
abstract categories and the schemes imitating the concrete things they hear (Calderon
& Slakk, 2018). Therefore, the contribution of the adult who interacts and
communicates with the child is considered not as an external variable but as a very
important internal component in the process of language deconstruction. In what
sense does the adult contribute to the development of language? It is a part of the
process because through the communicative behaviour the adult offers models for the
imitation, corrections, repetitions, reformulations and expansions of the statements of
the children (Avivi, 2018).
These models of the initial dialogic interaction in an informed adult are then
prolonged in reading models through the reading aloud of stories and dedicated poems
of infants and comments on what was read (Johnston, 2016). It has been identified
that this kind of oral and written language classes in knowledgeable adults enables
their language development. This knowledge development facilitates at a general
level as well as at other aspects such as vocabulary learning which ultimately results
in providing assistance in phonological, morphological, syntactic and discursive
development (Yang, 2017).

Reading storybooks aloud is recommended in order to build oral language
skills in the early stages of children worldwide due to the reason of the development
of the vocabulary in the early ages. Extensive reading is widely accepted in the world
and it is highly recommended by the readers in order to increase the vocabulary
acquisition (Newton et al., 2008). Moreover, the selection of storybooks for the
children has also influenced the motivation and attention in the behaviours of the
children. By doing so teachers also try to draw the attention of the students, in order to
create conducive learning environments for the students.
Comprehension is also very important for proficiency in any language. There
are different techniques which are used for the development of comprehension, with
one of the most recommended being reading aloud. Read aloud is one of the
techniques that are famous for improving vocabulary, and the pronunciation of
words. Whenever there is a difficult word comes then students will pronounce it
slowly which later provides assistance in comprehension (Santoso, 2015). In other
words whenever the reader will break the complex words into smaller segments then
ultimately it will become an easier job for reader.
Oral proficiency in any language can be described as a good grasp of the
vocabulary of a language and grammar as well in other words fluency in the language
means that one can have a good grasp on the foreign language just like the grasp on
its native language. It is usually measured by concerning certain aspects. Read aloud
develops the skills of listening attentively in the class and provides a quick assessment
of the oral proficiency of the students in a class. It also facilitates the reader to
develop a flow in which the reader forgets the surrounding in order to engage his self
in the visual environment.

2.2 English as Second Language (ESL) Learners at Primary Level
Spaull, (2015) mentions that the need for a global language is particularly
appreciated by international academia and business communities, and it is here that
the adoption of a single lingua franca is required in lecture halls and classrooms. It is
then, more than a tool, it is a need of the human being to be able to communicate,
since beyond the existing technology a language in which everyone can relate is of
vital importance, being emphatic that its importance lies not only in the
communication process but in the skill and abilities that it gives to those who study it.
Kremin, et al. (2019) mentions, the importance of learning a second language is not
merely limited to the ability to communicate with people who speak different
languages, but also the ability of students to have divergent thoughts, greater
creativity, and higher cognitive development as compared to children who are
monolingual.
This is how English is transformed into the lingua franca, which is necessary
worldwide and is not limited to commercial transactions, but much more so today
when teachers are directly confronted with its teaching, which obviously provides
greater skills and abilities to students. One of the main skills of the English language
is the auditory one. According to Pretorius & Spaull, (2016) the word hearing is
defined as making an effort to hear something: pay attention or listen to what is heard.
It is different from simply listening, which becomes the psychological process of the
ear absorbing waves of hearing sound and transferring them between neural pathways
to different parts of the brain Listening is necessary for hearing, but hearing is much
more than just processing the sound, someone can hear very well, but is not a very
good listener. Auditory comprehension involves a series of complex processes that
range from the perception and processing of a variable acoustic signal to the
construction and application of this integrated mental representation of the described
events. That is to say, understanding requires connections between events and the
existing representation in memory.
Hearing and listening skills are also critical for young ESL to develop English
language skills. According to Gleeson & Davison, (2016) Hearing and listening
comprehension can be defined as an invisible mental process which makes it difficult
to describe. The people, who listen must discriminate between the different sounds,
understand the vocabulary and the grammatical structures. Interpret the emphasis and
intention and retain and interpret everything that is within the immediate context, as a
broader socio-cultural context. Khairuddin, (2017) explains that auditory
comprehension is the most effective way of learning, at least until the sixth grade of
primary education and that around 60% of a student's time is spent listening. On the
other hand it is necessary to take into account the attention span that students have
when listening to an auditory text. In that sense, Stracke, (2016) define the concept of
attention as the ability of the subject to attend to specific stimuli without being
distracted by internal or environmental stimuli.
Furthermore, young ESL learners also need to develop reading
comprehension. Within the skills of the English language is reading which, according
to Oliver & Azkarai, (2017), is defined and characterized as a concept that has two
possible approaches. One definition emphasizes the mental processes involved in
decoding, while another definition defines the values that can be derived from the
process. Despite variations in the definitions of the act of reading, it involves the use
of a code that has to be interpreted for meaning. Reading definitions can be classified
into 2 categories. First there are the [theoreticians] who see reading mainly as a
process of decoding, a decoding of the visual code. In a second glance, the reading for
the meaning is emphasized from the first stages of the instruction. In this vision,
reading as a process of understanding is highlighted.
For the comprehension of specific information of written texts, several aspects
must be taken into account, such as the morphological, syntactic and semantic
grammatical level achieved by the students; and through the union of these aspects of
language and communication, comprehension is achieved. That is why, according to
Stracke, (2016), language and reality are linked dynamically. The comprehension of
the text to be reached by its critical reading implies the perception of relations
between the text and the context. A student of a foreign language who says, 'I can read
the words but I do not understand what they mean'. In this sense, it is not necessarily
read. He or she is merely decoding-translating written symbols into their
corresponding sound. It is through these factors that educational establishments seek
to achieve and advance understanding and obtaining specific information from written
texts.
Writing skills are also important for young ESL learners. In relation to the
writing skills of the English language, in the writing the rhetorical and linguistic form
of the text itself is highlighted. According to de Oliveira & Silva, (2016), written
language is considered more complex than oral language. This complexity is
determined by lexical density, that is, by the number of lexical or content words used
in written language. That is why it is important from the basis of learning a new
language, to be able to lay the foundations of writing, since through this, as in oral
production, children can specify the knowledge acquired from the new language, and
begin a process that not only involves who produces the written text, but also that of
being able to communicate with other individuals. Writing is an important part of the
communication process not only as a means of communication but also as a source of
power, as a social need and as a way to obtain knowledge and solve problems.
The ability to elaborate written texts through specific information is also
considered to be a desirable skill. For the elaboration of a written text, it is considered
that the students must handle an adequate vocabulary, spelling, structure of the text in
general of sentences and simple sentences; that are considered in their level of English
language. That is why according to the study on the relationship between competition
in L2 and written production, conducted by Nair, Krishnasamy, & De Mello, (2017),
it is concluded that the time factor used in learning L2 is a determining factor in the
acquired competence. That is why schools look for students to internalize these
aspects for the preparation of a text, together with his presentation and practice of the
language in written form at an early age.
At this stage of research, it is important to understand factors that affect young
ESL while gaining English language skills. These factors can be broadly categorised
into cognitive and affective factors. Cognitive factors include intelligence, aptitude,
and the use of learning strategies. It has been pointed out, for example, that those who
demonstrate higher than average intelligence tend to learn a second language better,
especially if this learning takes place within the formal context of a classroom.
Although it is difficult to distinguish the aptitude for a language from intelligence in
general, some studies for example, Kim, et al. (2015), show that some specific skills
are correlated with the ease of learning a language. . These are: ability for phonetic
coding, grammatical sensitivity, memory, inductive learning. These skills have proven
to be the best predictors of success in learning a second language.
Some studies-for example, Chan, (2018) have shown that students with an ability
to analyse language tend to be more successful in learning, including those who study
in programs without a grammatical focus. Likewise, successful apprentices show, in
addition to aptitude, a willingness to work hard to achieve their goals. The use of
learning strategies is another of the cognitive factors. Although it has been shown that
the most capable learners tend to use more learning strategies, it is not clear if they are
better learners because they use the strategies, or if they use strategies because they
are good learners. The strategies that have the greatest impact on learning the second
language are metacognitive.
The affective field includes a variety of factors: empathy, self-esteem,
extraversion, inhibition, imitation, anxiety, attitudes, among others. The attitudes
towards the language are of particular importance since, the greater the interest of the
learner in the language and its culture, the easier it will be to learn. The attitude is
very linked to motivation. Nikolov, (2016) understand motivation as the desire to
achieve a goal, the effort made to achieve that goal, and the satisfaction obtained to
achieve the goal. Several studies have shown a significant correlation between the
motivation to learn a language and its subsequent achievement.
A final decisive affective factor is the anxiety about languages, a phenomenon
that has been studied and documented. This negatively impacts performance. Its
counterpart, self-confidence, or willingness to communicate, contributes to achieving
mastery of the second language. This is due to the important role played by the
output- the possibility of putting into practice what has been learned, either in a
formal environment, such as the classroom, or in an informal environment, such as
daily life (Maarof, 2017).
The importance of input, access to the example of spoken and written
language, is widely recognized. However, little has been written about the importance
of output - the structured use of language. Leung, (2016) emphasize that it is not
needed to know the grammar of a language to understand it, but it is necessary for the
creation of messages. Therefore, the output can be even more effective than the input
for achieving language proficiency. It is also necessary to consider the sociocultural
context in learning the second language. Learning is not only within a social
environment, but the raison d'etre of learning is social: one learns a second language
in order to communicate with others.
Contrary to what is commonly believed, the age at which one begins to study
does not seem to be a determining factor in learning a second language. A study by
Gagné & Parks, (2016), showed that age is not as important as the number of hours of
instruction received. Genesee, (2016) mentions a study in which he compared the
performance of Spanish learners who had begun to study English at 8, 11, or 14 years,
or after 18. In each measurement, late learners performed well than who started their
studies at 8 years old.
On the other hand, Alemi, (2016) points out that children of seven years or
less have no greater advantage in learning a second language than children of 11 or
12. There is strong evidence that there is a critical period for acquiring the accent but
only about that. The smaller the child begins his studies, the better his accent will be;
those who delay learning until after adolescence will always have a foreign accent. In
Mexico, and in some other countries as well, there is a strong tendency to want to
implement the study of English from pre-school. It will be important to question this
tendency if the only advantage is to achieve a better accent. As governments consider
implementing English language teaching, studies that seek to investigate the
effectiveness of official programs increase. Below are some recent studies that can
contribute to the present investigation.

Saito & Shintani, (2016) conducted a study among 840 non-native English
students who studied from third to tenth grade in 37 schools in the United States. The
linear hierarchical model for research was used, showing that four variables - oral
language proficiency, metacognitive strategies, the ability to read in the native
language, and the quality of teaching at school - contribute significantly to the
understanding reader in the second language A study conducted in Chile Gonzalez &
Parra, (2018) using bivariate inferential analysis sought to know the differentiated
achievement levels between the graduates of public schools and those of private
schools. National databases were used for this purpose, including information on
more than 65 thousand students. The study showed that achievement levels in English
are very low, both in reading and listening comprehension in both educational
situations, with a slight advantage for private schools. The best use achieved by these
is basically explained by the socioeconomic characteristics of the students. Once this
variable is controlled, the best capacity in communicative competences is found in
public schools.
August & Shanahan, (2017) studied 102 English speakers who participated in
exchange programs in several countries: Mexico, Spain, France, Russia, Egypt and
China to understand the factors that come into play to take advantage of or not stay
abroad to learn the local language. The variables studied were: time abroad,
opportunities to use the language, cultural sensitivity, sex and age of the participants,
personality, and social networks of the participant (the size, dispersion and density of
the networks). They found that the variables that best predict the increase in
competition were cultural sensitivity and social networks.
A Spanish study Kremin, et al. (2019) examined the possible existence of a
specific difficulty to learn a second language. Teachers and specialized tutors were
interviewed to detect underperforming students, and to understand if the difficulty
was only in the field of learning English, or if it could be generalized to other areas.
The study showed that 79% of students who do not pass the subject show generalized
problems. Only 21% have a specific difficulty in learning English as a second
language. On the other hand, in a Colombian study Correa & González, (2016), it was
sought to explain the reason for the gap in the level of English between public and
private schools, and if this has been reduced as a result of the implementation of
government policies aimed at achieving bilingualism in that country. The results of
the national English tests applied in 2008 and in 2013 were compared. No significant
changes were found in terms of performance, but an increase in the motivation to
study the language was found.
2.3 Read Aloud Technique and Young ESL Learners (Children in
Primary School)
Children learn to speak from the language they hear, that is, from the words,
expressions and forms of communication they hear from the adults who raise them,
and particularly those forms that are used to address them directly. In this sense,
adults are part of the human process of language learning. Through the language he
uses, the adult becomes a model that children imitate; but children do not learn only
by listening, they need to participate in communicative situations and also have
frequent opportunities to use (produce) that language (Ba & Huan, 2017). Current
positions on language learning explain that structures (sound, lexical, combination of
words, and formulation of discourses) emerge from its use. Dialogue is the main
context in which language learning occurs (Downs, 2017). Research on the type of
linguistic interactions between adults and young children show that, in this context,
both the quality and quantity of linguistic exchanges are important for learning. These
arguments are related to the role of input and linguistic information available to young
children and are also related to cultural learning, in general (August, et al., 2018).
Within this approach to language learning, studies show that young children
extract, store and process constructions based on the lexicon of the language of the
environment and use these constructions to structure their linguistic representations
(August, 2018). But, in order to know what children extract and process, it is
important to analyse the adult discourse addressed to them: in those analyses their
characteristics of exaggerated intonation, restricted lexical diversity, and simple
sentence structure (Alsamadani, 2017).
Regarding the cultural aspect of the learning process, Smith & Kennedy, (2016)
propose that it is not only about social learning, characterized by learning things by or
from other individuals, but cultural learning, typical of human beings, which it
consists of learning things through other individuals. In this cultural learning of each
other, Young, et al., (2018) includes imitative learning (learning to do what the other
does), instructive learning (learning what the other wants to teach me) and
collaborative learning (learning from sharing). In particular, instructive learning is
what characterizes the situation of reading aloud, which differs from simply speaking.
According to Arnold & Malcolm, (2016), the contribution of instructive learning is
that when they are instructing, adults transmit generic, non-episodic information. For
example, in everyday situations when a chestnut has fallen to the ground, the adult
says "you give me that chestnut"; in an instructional situation the adult explains,
informs, describes that the chestnuts are fruits of the trees that are called "chestnut
trees" that grow in certain temperate zones, etc. That is, they communicate generic
information in training contexts, the type of information found in the books.

In general, reading books shared between adults and children is an activity that
is studied in educational research on school learning, specifically in literacy work.
However, beyond and prior to school learning, in recent years it has been argued that
reading aloud not only helps children in school processes, but also the general
development of the language (Islam & Park, 2016). The empirical evidences that
support this affirmation come from numerous studies on the influence of adult reading
on different aspects of development (Košak-Babuder, et al., 2019).
For example, in a study that compares the corpus of daily oral speech directed
to children with another corpus of reading 20 illustrated books, in terms of syntactic
and lexical constructions. These are two studies that share the same research
perspective on language learning. In the case of everyday language, empirical
evidence is presented in the English language that parents use expressions with "item-
based frames", that is, they use phrases whose syntactic structure is marked by the
order between the words or by the morphology of the words that indicate the roles of
the participants in scenes (Zhou, 2017). For example, they use frames of the type:
"look, it's an X" (like "look, it's a cat", "look, it's dad who calls"). Or constructions
with questions with what, who, where ("who has arrived?", "What has the cat?",
"Where is the cat?"). Also frames with "more + name" (of the type "more water?",
"More milk?"), as well as constructions with imperatives (like "do not run!", "Give
me that I'm wearing!"). Or imperative constructions with modal verbs (like "you
cannot touch that!"). And constructions with high frequency lexical verbs, ("eat what I
give you", "let's see, let's draw a doll" or "let's go to the super") (Omar, 2016).
In the analysis of that daily oral corpus, Košak-Babuder, et al., (2019)
identified that more than half of the input in the sample consisted of item-based
frameworks. Omar, (2016) present similar results with a high degree of lexical
specificity, also in other languages such as German and Russian, as well as English.
The results of the study conducted by Boyer, (2017) on seven ELL learners pointed
out that the number of complete canonical constructions, with subject-predicate with a
lexical verb (unlike a copula verb, for example) is relatively low. These authors saw
that: (i) in general, only about 15% of all expressions had the form of Subject-Word-
Object (most of the expressions were questions, imperatives, copulas and fragments);
(ii) 51% of all maternal expressions started with a phrase based on items, most with
two words and (iii) after the production phase of the holofrase type or the combination
of two words, the children used many of them. These same sentences based on items,
in correlation with the frequency of use of their own mother.
Now, beyond the everyday language of mother expressions, the authors
suggest that other potential sources of linguistic contributions available for young
children can be identified. These studies point to the shared reading of books between
an adult and children as another source of language development, especially in terms
of lexicon, complex grammatical constructions and narrative structures (Alsamadani,
2017). The results of the comparison between the two studies by Arnold & Malcolm,
(2016) demonstrate the prevalence of canonical statements (with order of subject-
verb-object) and complex constructions in the reading of books, constructions that
occur with very low frequency in the adult's daily speech in interaction with the child.
This linguistic content of books for young children has a potential value that
can play an important role in their grammatical development. The greater frequency
of types of canonical and complex construction offers two benefits (August, 2018).
First, according to Roessingh, (2019), exposure to books facilitates the extraction,
storage and subsequent use of the constructions in question. For example, the greater
frequency of complex constructions provides young children with information related

to the arrangement of multiple clauses within their language. Second, the highest
levels of exposure to canonical constructions can contribute to the underlying
knowledge of their language. These canonical constructions with subject, verb and
object have the potential to provide the child with important information related to the
linguistic understanding of who does what to whom within their language. Therefore,
these results suggest that reading shared books can be a contributing factor in the
development of complex constructions for children who are frequently read (Shin,
2015).
Regarding the subsequent school stages, Downs, (2017) believe that reading
aloud brings a lot of knowledge to schoolchildren: they contribute pronunciation and
prosody forms, as well as emphasis and comments, and continue the shared learning.
The research finds a positive effect of reading aloud on many of the learning that
takes place in the school, for example, on the statements with structure of open
questions, on the development of the vocabulary (Downs, 2017), on the dialogues
because they improve and extend the conversational skills, on the understanding, on
the narrative development, on pragmatic skills, how to understand that questions are
clues to start a communication process and, fundamentally, about emerging literacy
(Alsamadani, 2017). In addition, several scholars indicate that image books contribute
decisively to the acquisition of metalinguistic and meta-literary skills (Zhou, 2017).
Adult reading aloud to children can create important opportunities for learning
and developing language, reading and writing. It is a privileged way to enrich the
language to which children are exposed, because unlike the conversational interaction
of everyday life, the language of books contains a diversity of examples of forms and
uses of language to express meanings (Alsamadani, 2017). However, these learnings
depend on the quality and frequency of the reading events. In terms of quality, Islam
& Park, (2016) have considered aspects related to the oralization of texts and aspects
related to the selection of books. The frequency also influences the development of
the language, as it has been shown in the emerging literacy from the use in interaction
with adults (Islam & Park, 2016).
It is frequent that the reading aloud of the adult is related to the small children,
because when the children begin to be autonomous readers the adults (parents and
teachers) stop reading them. Young, et al., (2018) argued that our idea of reading a
book is related to a solitary, individual and autonomous practice of a silent reader.
Reading is treated as a cognitive activity that takes place in a mental setting, such as
dreams, thoughts or memories. However, there may be an oral performance of the
texts, with verbalizations, because silent reading is just a type of reading. Reading
with a voice, the oral performance of a text, continues to be important throughout
school.
Smith & Kennedy, (2016) compares reading aloud to a play, where the
audience participates and enters imaginatively into the fictitious and narrative spaces
of the staging. Although reading audiences have different conditions (the lights are
not dimmed, the audience is aware of their co-presence, people know each other) they
have something in common with theater audiences, with the shared expression of
emotions such as the laughter, the shock or the sadness. This position is consistent
with several studies that were designed to investigate the role of adult performances
during reading, for example, specifically in the case of gestures, some studies show
their role in children's narrative understanding.
On the other hand, it also coincides with the history of reading that shows that
the way of reading aloud in an expressive and acted way has left traces in the graphic
representation of the texts, traces in graphic and typographical marks (August, et al.,
2018). Current books present those marks that guide the adult in the prosodic aspects
of reading: how to indicate the beginning of the narration, how to differentiate
between narration and dialogues, with what emphasis to indicate the citations, the
title, aspects of the content, etc. The indications obviously influence not only the way
of oralizing the text, but also the use of intonation, voices and gestures (August,
2018). It is also possible that the performance indicators of oralized reading, when
they coincide with the visualization of the text, can serve as a basis for the use of
visual resources in children's production. If the child has been exposed to hear read
and look at the text in a multimodal reading, with a visualization of the texts and the
presence of voice, intonation, looks, gestures, etc., surely he will have been able to
follow how that reading coincides with shapes, colour, typography, size of the
graphics and even images in movement and with gestures, tones, and voices of
reading (Downs, 2017).
Thus, Alsamadani, (2017) emphasize expressive and responsive ways of
reading, with visualization of the texts, that intentionally favour the understanding and
participation of children. Regarding the selection of books, the authors proposed to
consider evolutionary aspects and in the case of preschool children opt for books on
descriptive aspects of basic conceptual domains (vocabulary, for example), books
with recurring structures, with truncated end, language games and dialogues
(Alsamadani, 2017); and for children during primary education, opt for books on
descriptive aspects of specific / encyclopedic domains, deception stories books, with
morals, with characters that exhibit emotional aspects, books that require considering
various points of view, with enigmatic aspects, with unexpected or open end. In short,
books that can be read, commented and interpreted recurrently and that stimulate
different types of responses and oral and written productions by children (Ba & Huan,
2017).
2.4 Concept of Read Aloud Technique in Classrooms
The concept and technique of reading the text aloud is the foundation for the
development of literacy. This technique helps the children in providing a real-life
demonstration of fluent and phrased reading. Moreover, reading aloud displays the
advantages of reading along with developing the interest of listener to read books.
Listening to the reading of others helps in enhancing the reading comprehension skills
of children and makes it easy for them to integrate the meaning of the texts with their
existing knowledge. Practising this technique in the classroom aids in improving the
vocabulary of children or listeners since it provides exposure to various new words.
Similarly, it also helps in enhancing the level of understanding of children and helps
them focus within the classroom. Reading aloud in the classroom reduces the
complexity of the ideas and makes the text more comprehensive for a student to
understand. Along with that, this technique helps in improving the language pattern of
a student which is absent in every day speeches a student gets exposed to. Currently,
reading aloud has been relegated to a marginal place in classroom work, or has been
completely eliminated, and more importance has been given to silent reading, on the
one hand, and to dramatization on the other (Worthy et al. 2012).
Regarding the didactic orientations, first of all, it must be clear that reading
aloud is not working the oral language, but the written language, and that does not
enable to speak, but to read. From a communicative perspective, read aloud should be
treated as a micro ability of reading comprehension, prior to the rest of the reception
strategies (Marashi & Rahmati, 2017). The first objective, then, to read aloud in
Secondary will be, therefore, the formation of what has been called phonic mediator,
which is nothing else than the authoritative and versatile inner voice that the silent
reader hears imperceptibly while read (Avivi, 2018). Hearing to read means that the
reader must learn to hear the text he reads to understand it. The following
considerations aspire to be mere didactic orientations of a very general nature that the
teacher can fill with content and concreteness, and put into practice in very different
ways, depending on their context and their work style (Barnes & Oliveira, 2018):
1. Reading aloud must be an intelligent operation, not a mechanical work. It is not
enough to read in any way, but reading should favour the comprehension of the
text: and in the first place, the comprehension of the text by the listener. In the
class exercises, therefore, only the student who reads it out loud will have before
it the written text (Calderon & Slakk, 2018). The other students should only know
it through reading. All work of understanding the text, thus, requires a careful and
effective reading aloud, and the students themselves will be responsible for
regulating that this is so, for their own interest (Calderon & Slakk, 2018).
2. According to Avivi,(2018) in a study conducted on five ESL learners stated that
reading aloud must be a personal exercise, not a group exercise. Reading all at
the same time the same text does not allow to create a personal voice with an
identity of its own, nor does it allow the intelligent interpretation of the text, nor
does it facilitate the understanding of others.
3. Reading aloud, however, is a collective exercise, in the sense that other students
must understand what the student reader reads: the reader-listener collaboration is
an essential part of the exercise (Marashi & Rahmati, 2017).
4. The purpose of reading aloud is to (re) construct the intonation of the text, assign
the appropriate tonal inflections to the sentence accents and group the words into
recognizable and relevant phonics groups, provides them the differences of

meaning each of them, and learns to discard inappropriate readings. Again, it is a
collective exercise (Smith & Kennedy, 2016).
5. The selection of texts must be appropriate to the level of understanding of the
students, obviously, but it must go a point ahead. To begin with is the idea that
the acquisition of the phonic mediator facilitates understanding, so the text that in
a silent reading it may not be understood by the students it should be able to be
read aloud (Johnston, 2016).
6. The texts must be meaningful and / or functional: texts that serve something,
texts that mean something concrete. That is, reading isolated or decontextualized
phrases can make the exercise fail. It is convenient to read complete texts of
suitable length to the nature of the activity that is programed (Shinozuka, Shibata,
& Mizusawa, 2017).
7. The specific work of the punctuation of the text allows to enter the secrets of the
arbitrariness of the written language, and in the differences between the oral and
the written: to learn when a comma is a logical separation and when it is a
separation of phonic groups; learn the correct intonation of the parenthesis, the
period and followed, the semicolon and the two points; rehearse the different
intonations of the same signs of admiration etc. (Murtaza & Zhanuzakova, 2018).
8. In Secondary, what is best to work on reading aloud is the versatility of the
phonic mediator: changing genres, registers and codes: rehearse or train to read
certain different things. Not far from this type of exercises is the dramatization of
theatrical texts (Barnes & Oliveira, 2018). Attention: it is convenient to
dramatize, in fact, all kinds of texts, including, of course, the merely informative
and strictly objective-dramatize in the sense of interpreting, leaving corporal
expression aside (Yang, 2017).

9. Reading activities that are particularly effective are those of changing a text
without changing a single word-with an alternative reading aloud, with another
intonation (such as with another voice or with another style), change the genre of
the text by changing its reading (such as reading a poem as if it were a report, a
report as if it were a narrative, an instruction as if it were a poem, etc.) read
ambiguous texts to disambiguate them in different ways, etc. (Hoyos & David,
2018).
10. Reading aloud worked systematically in the classroom allows sequencing well
the texts being worked, always knowing in detail the level of reading of each
student, put first the understanding of the text, work with different texts and with
different genres , and introduce the literary texts in the classroom with obvious
functionality (Hussain, Javed, & Munshi, 2015).
2.5 Significance of Read Aloud Technique
The importance of read aloud technique can be highlighted not only by its
contribution towards reading comprehension, and vocabulary of young children. But
there is significant research indicating its role in developing social and emotional or
socio-emotional competence of children in schools (Van der Pol, 2012). During the
last fifteen or twenty years, Lawson, (2012) reported a growing interest in research,
especially from the field of psychology and education, to favour an adequate social
and emotional development of children during the preschool and school years. Today
it is quite clear that it is no longer possible to think about school without also thinking
about the emotional education of children, within the framework of an integral
development where feeling is as important as thinking (Lawson, 2012).
With this, a great step has been taken in the social recognition of the affective
processes and their importance in the educational field. However, most of the efforts
in the daily tasks of the classrooms are still oriented towards cognitive processes or
the transmission of information. In this logic, with deep historical roots, the cognitive
displaces the emotional dimension, which is still far from having a central place in
formal educational processes (Cain, Oakhill, & Elbro, 2014). On the one hand, the
enormous evidence in areas such as the development of social skills, the reduction of
behavioural problems or the improvement of the climate in the classroom, invites
researchers to integrate the emotional dimension in formal education. But, at the same
time, there is an urgent need to respond to the academic preparation of children,
strongly influenced by the tensions imposed by existing standardized assessments at
the national and international levels (Brouzos, Misailidi, & Hadjimattheou, 2014).
Various intervention programs have been implemented that could, in general,
be included in what has been called socio-emotional learning (programs to improve
coexistence or prevention of maltreatment among peers would be among the most
widespread examples). However, the rise of this type of intervention brings with it
problems of a different order: some have difficulties for their evaluation or are far
from school budgets, and others quickly become a prolongation of traditional
exclusion processes (Riquelme & Montero, 2013). Hibbin, (2016) believe that there
are daily procedures that can respond to these difficulties. They are actions that
harbour a complexity and a power that, perhaps due to its apparent simplicity, remains
unseen by majority. Reading aloud procedure, such as the reading of children's
literature mediated by dialogue, have potential as a tool for the development of
emotional competences (Hibbin, 2016).
Many children grow up with little (or no) contact with the literary language in
early childhood, a stage in which one of the strongest links of an individual with
literature is forged, as it has been demonstrating the investigation in this field. In this
scenario, what the school can do to facilitate the entry of children into the world of the
story and the literary use of language takes on special importance (Tobia, et al., 2016).
Cardona, et al., (2012) said that reading mediators can do that, in the school and
preschool contexts, reading mediator can encourage love between children and books
and the adult bridges the gap between the two.
Well, when talking about the first approaches to literature, it is necessary to
refer also to the mediation processes of reading. In light of the Vygotskian concept of
mediation, the mediator of reading as an adult who facilitates the child's first
approaches to the book, generating instances of shared reading and exploration of the
texts, in a process in which affectivity prevails and the creation of a cozy and
rewarding reading moment (McBride, 2015). When, the mediator shows his own joy
of reading to sow that desire in the other, in this case, the child and his still reduced
reading experiences. In this process, the reading mediator facilitates the journey
through the words that build the world of fiction, maintaining the connection between
the meaning of those words and the real world in which reading takes place (Bosacki,
Rose-Krasnor, & Coplan, 2014).
One of the mediation strategies most used to motivate children to read is that
of storytelling, which has been understood in the most diverse ways by the multiple
programs of animation to reading emerged in recent decades. An adult who reads
aloud a story for one or more children is a great mediation procedure (Cardona, et al.,
2012). Ding, et al., (2014) posited that one of the most interesting and happy
experiences that a child can have is to listen to stories narrated or read by an adult.
The mediator produces a shared experience, in which the affective component and the
pleasure of reading is fundamental, both in children and in oneself. By being
enthusiastic about the stories he narrates, the adult mediator (be it a teacher or parent)
is already an active reader model for his listeners. And what at first sight may seem
secondary (the attitude of the adult towards the book), is often transformed into the
key to good mediation.
2.5.1 The Literary Corpus
Selecting the titles that will be used for reading sessions have never been an
easy task for the mediator because there is an enormous and uneven editorial
production of children's literature. This, in the first place, is due to the relational and
contextualized nature of the emotional processes, difficult to dissociate from each
other in the daily interaction. Secondly, by the connotative and polysemic character of
literary discourse, whose relation to the poetic function and divergent thinking
distances it from those texts that direct a specific message for the receiver (Hibbin,
2016). McBride, (2015) believe, rather, that in the mediated reading of children's
literature, sets of narrations crossed by a series of emotionally charged interactions are
explored. From this perspective, the development of emotional competence would go
through a broad contact with stories whose plots make these emotional atmospheres
flourish as natural ingredients of history.
2.5.2 The Languages Used by the Reader / Mediator
In this joint exploration of the literary and emotional universe of books, so
important are the stories that are read as the form adopted to do so. Although it could
be thought that reading a book aloud is a simple task, it is not so much when it is done
for a group of children and the aim is to teach emotions, vocabulary, and social and
moral values that nest between its pages (Brouzos, Misailidi, & Hadjimattheou,
2014). This, far from a flat or choppy reading, needs a fluent reading and a mediator
capable of being, also, a vehicle between the book and the young listeners. In the
reading sessions, the mediator operates in the zone of proximal development of the
child reader/auditor, building together with him a series of scaffolds in the language,
facilitating the recognition of emotions, both in the fictional world and in the adult
itself reader (Guhn, et al., 2016).
For this, the narrator must complement his reading of the text with other
components of nonverbal and para verbal language. In this last one, the intonation, the
appropriate tone and rhythm will be decisive to channel in a plausible and attractive
way the plot of the narration. This involves making decisions about the moments in
which the story wins with a pause or with a certain accent, or about the sentences that
are going to accelerate or slow down, according to the communicative intentionality
of one or another passage (Lawson, 2012). Well, as if it were a score, the mediators
are true interpreters of a text that is strengthened and expanded to the extent that how
to give the appropriate intentionality in each reading session (Tobia, et al., 2016).
In short, in the processes of mediated reading converge various languages that,
channelled through the mediation of an adult, favour the affective approach of the
child to the book and, by extension, introduce it into the various emotional states that
the characters experience throughout the history. Literary language, visual narration,
pauses, tone and rhythm of reading, facial expression and mediator movements are all
components of the same scaffolding that helps children to enter the emotional
universes of the text.
2.5.3 Storytelling
Storytelling (reading aloud with a book) as a way of exploring and expanding
the emotional and language development of both children and adults have a long
history. Listening to and telling stories, dialoguing to explore emotions, preparing
mediators to speak and listen while legitimizing the other, and learning from them in
conversation, are fundamental attitudes from which, unfortunately, schools have

distanced, and for which there is a need for reconsideration (Tobia, et al., 2016).
Reading aloud thus helps teachers and parents to contribute towards language
development in terms of vocabulary and reading comprehension while also creating a
strong bond between children and adults, as well as children with each other (Van der
Pol, 2012).
In this context, an interesting line of development of the mediated reading
program is found in the family environment. This implies that before basic schooling
children can have extensive contact with literary discourse through their own parents,
mothers or guardians. Here, the challenge is presented in the training workshops on
reading mediated for those parents and other social actors that favour shared reading
environments with their children or pupils in early childhood (especially up to four or
five years) (Lawson, 2012). Another line of development aims at the school
environment, to give continuity to those first experiences with literary discourse in the
family, or to build them when they have not been given (Hibbin, 2016). Here, the
challenge is to generate the spaces and instances that allow the development of
continuous programs of reading mediated, imbricated in the formative process of the
students. In this framework, both the school library and the classroom are ideal
scenarios: teachers and coordinators can become that mediator who, intentionally, will
build bridges between the world of fiction and the emotional universe of children for
those who read (Riquelme & Montero, 2013).
The results show a very fertile ground for the realization of this type of
readings by school mediators. They show, in the first place, that a meaningful activity
of reading aloud does not need pyrotechnics that are beyond the reach because the
preparation of a good book and a predisposition to dialogue already do a lot (Ding, et
al., 2014). Second, that behind the simplicity of reading a story to a group of children
there is an art that has to do with the ability to attend to the many details that
distinguish a good reading and that make of the mediator a vehicle of the emotional
atmospheres of the story. Finally, that this same simple procedure has great potential,
not only in the literary education of children, but also in their affective education and
their integral development (Krashen, 2013).
Cain, Oakhill, & Elbro, (2014) believe that future experiences along these
lines should explore the possibilities of reading mediated as a long-term program,
rather than as an isolated activity in school programming (similarly, research should
advance in the evaluation of the effect of such programs) (Cain, Oakhill, & Elbro,
2014). The prolongation in time of the reading mediated would allow to address
different dimensions of emotional competences, as well as to observe their influence
on the academic development of children because, if socio-affective education and
academic education are considered as an integrated process, reading aloud can help as
a "Communicating vessels" between one and the other. That is, the advances
produced in the emotional field of the child accrue in a strengthening of their
academic work, as the recent research has proposed. Without a doubt, this requires
time (Riquelme & Montero, 2013).
That is, perhaps, the greatest conviction that this study is based on is the fact
that there is a need to stop thinking about the classroom and the school as the
exclusively ‗academic‘ redoubt, which until now has prevailed in educational
establishments, leaving out of this orbit the development of educational processes
socio-affective, like the one suggested in this document. Therefore there is a need to
include in formal education, through contact with literary art mediated by significant
adults, instances that act in pursuit of an integral formative process that enhances the
adequate social and individual development of our children (Isaki & Harmon, 2015).
2.6 Aspects of Read Aloud Techniques Used in Classrooms
Reading aloud has certain requirements to follow, which allow to maintain the
interest of the recipients, this being the function of the reader. According to Trelease,
(2013) who considers that it is not enough to read aloud, but also have the
competency to read well. It is understood to read well to have a good voice
management, which involves working the phonetic part trying to represent the sounds
with greater accuracy, which are also linked to the situation and writing, as also make
use of various gestures, in which hands, eyes and mouth come into play, in addition to
alternating the look between the listener and the writing while reading, which allows a
greater affinity, however it is important to note that it is essential to adopt a proper
position of the body in order to achieve a good emission (Justice & Sofka, 2013).
2.6.1 The Voice
The voice is the sounds that the teacher emits when speaking, allowing him to
express and communicate feelings and thoughts. This is a faculty of the human being,
for this reason it can be said that to some extent it is the voice that makes socialization
possible, leading to the cultural, political, economic and social environment among
others (Bolanos, et al., 2013). The voice is a wonderful tool that makes it possible to
bring to the outside world an infinity of ideas that each individual possesses in its
interior, besides being one of the fastest means that allows to manifest them, because
the oral language flows more easily than another channel, such as the written medium,
signs, etc. It is clear that everything depends on the complexity and extension of the
message, because a picture says more than a thousand words. In this case a simple
gesture can represent an idea that was possibly more complicated to explain orally
(Chomsky, 2012).
Now, focusing on the reading aloud, adequate command of the voice is
paramount, and much more if it is done in public. Lawson, (2012) make reference to
it, mentioning that the voice must be easily understood, have adequate intensity and
scope. It should come clearly to the ears of the audience. The articulation must be
clear: no syllable should be dark or confused. When reading, it is the text that offers
meanings and the voice is one of the instruments through which these are discovered,
reflecting moods, such as emotions, drama, grief, pain, sadness, disgust, irony,
amazement, joy and other conditions that are part of man. Therefore, to understand it
and to make the receiver achieve it, it is necessary to be careful when reading, so that
it is clearly pronounced and the expressivity can be identified (French, 2012).
The handling and the form of the broadcasts, is reflected in the voice, making
modulation or what is the same a variation, a modification, according to what teachers
want to express, therefore teachers can identify a series of requirements that make it
possible. Following are important aspects of read aloud exercises.
2.6.2 The Tonality
It is the character, the particular mode of expression and style taking into
account the intention of the speaker or what is intended to reflect the theme read,
melodic or slightly harmonious guide that accompanies the oral language, tonality is
part of the sounds and is determined by the frequency allowing them to be classified
in (Hutton, et al., 2015):
 Strong - soft
 Fast - slow
 High - low
The key helps the reader and the listener by differentiating meanings, place the
words in the various phonic groups, and identify the intention of the issuer is to say if
a particular expression is indicated as a quality, affirmation or on the contrary is
loaded with irony. The tone is paramount in reading aloud, as it is said in the text. The
art of public speaking when speaking with monotony of sounds, the effect of ideas
diminishes and the audience ceases to be impressed (Sim & Berthelsen, 2014). The
intensification of the tone helps to awaken the attention and awaken new emotions
and sensations. The variation of the tone is one of the secrets when speaking,
therefore when reading would be more valuable still, if the way of pronouncing the
writing is varied, if the word is given greater emphasis and emphasis when required
(Mason, 2017).
2.6.3 The Accent
This delimits the pronunciation and is marked in one of the syllables of the
words identifying it by the greater force, intensity or by an elevation of the tone with
which it is pronounced, this means that when a word is composed of several syllables,
one stands out ( tonic) over the others (atonas) through the accent (Dollins, 2014).
This becomes a group of phonetic, rhythmic and melodic particularities that
characterize the speech, this also demonstrates the energy, rhythm and intonation with
which the speaker or the reader expresses himself according to his mood and purpose,
giving special importance to certain ideas, words, facts, purposes, etc. (Mart, 2012).
About the intonation Sipe, (2015) points out that it is almost always redundant
with respect to the statement to which it corresponds. It never contradicts or denies,
but corroborates, the meaning or sense of its respective utterance. The accent, like
tonality, serves to differentiate the meaning of some words, in addition, the accent
helps the sender-reader to highlight something before his interlocutor, lengthening
and elevating the tone of the tonic syllable of some word.

2.6.4 Punctuation Marks
They help to understand the value and meaning of words and sentences, they
also demand the variation of the voice and in the same way it facilitates a greater
understanding of what was read. Each of them is a sign of how to read, making short,
extensive, moderate pauses (i.e. those that are between these two) (Sipe, 2015). In
relation to punctuation marks Dollins, (2014) highlight the importance for both
reading and writing and stated that they:
 introduce breaks in speech (but do not rest on each sign, and teachers can rest
where there are no signs),
 to undo ambiguities (but not all can be eliminated by punctuation, nor is this the
only way to do it),
 make clear the syntactic structure of the sentence (but this is done also by other
means),
 to mark the rhythm and melody of the phrase (although not all signs have these
effects),
 to distinguish senses or special uses of certain words ( but for that teachers can
also use typefaces, such as italics),
 to quote the words of another separating them from your own (but that is also
achieved with letter sizes and bleeds),
 to transmit moods or postures to what is says or writes (but not all have a
correlation in the score, nor is it unique),
 to indicate the architecture of the text (but so do the whites, and capital letters)
Mason, (2017) mentions the functions of the punctuation marks, as well as
clarifies that they are not the only ones that can fulfil a certain task, and in spite of
manifesting who could replace them, it seems indispensable that teachers must have
knowledge of how to manage them. They must start from what they already have and
at any moment they have texts whose form is given by the punctuation marks and are
not yet replaced by the other options that it gives. They are little rules that favour the
understanding between the book and the reader, between the reader and the listener
(Hutton, et al., 2015). These signs are indications of what can happen in reading, and
are delimited by punctuation marks, for example they can refer to (Lawson, 2012):
 The closing of an idea.
 Attention calls about what comes next.
 The expression of doubt, fear or uncertainty.
 To imply a word or evil expression, without naming it.
 The possible continuation of a topic.
 Astonishment, surprise.
2.6.5 The Gestures
The gestures are a fundamental part when making a reading aloud, the reader
must not only read but must also reflect and transmit the scenes written by means of
facial expressiveness, be able to manifest with great vividness and animation what is
found, so that the listener can identify the face of amazement, sadness doubt and each
of those feelings and emotions that have been talked about, since mixing them with
tonality would recreate the activity and give more taste (Chomsky, 2012). As Sim &
Berthelsen, (2014) says there is no need to point out that good voice management
should be accompanied by appropriate gestures, without falling into exaggeration.
Even, pauses and silences must be dosed with creative criteria so that they also have
expressiveness. Gestures are of vital importance but, as the author says, it is not
necessary to exaggerate, since this would lead to ridicule, detracting from interest in
reading.
Read aloud taking into account the above aspects would be ideal, this would
keep the attention of listeners, motivate them to provide input, make comments, in
itself to be part of the reading, remember that it is a situation that can please from the
smallest to the adult, there is nothing more demotivating than listening to someone
when he ignores the aspects that should be taken into account when performing a
reading aloud (French, 2012).
2.6.6 Guidelines for Read Aloud Sessions
It may seem a little complicated to apply everything, it's just a matter of
practice, it's about paying attention, keeping in mind what the punctuation marks
indicate, maintaining a dialogue with the text, obeying what it is saying, so It is
necessary to consider a series of important aspects that must be taken into account in
this process, following are some guidelines to put into practice (Bolanos, et al., 2013):
There are some points that can be taken, to practice reading aloud in a more
effective way:
In this technique should not import the speed as in silent reading, much less
the amount, only the pleasure of reading, contact with the text and understanding
matters (Trelease, 2013).
 As it was raised in silent reading there are many fears that surround the reader
when reading aloud, for this reason when it does for others it would be ideal to
forget those present, act relaxed and immerse yourself in reading without
competing with others companions (Isaki & Harmon, 2015).
 When reading is necessary to observe and heed the punctuation marks, they are
indicating that teachers must change the tone of voice, pause, silence, etc. It will
be more fun and enjoyable. · When reading, one should be aware of the body's
posture (Bolanos, et al., 2013).

 Acquire the habit of breathing correctly, i.e. making use of diaphragmatic
breathing (French, 2012).
 Take into account the expression of the eyes and eye contact (Hutton, et al., 2015).
 Vary facial gestures according to needs (Chomsky, 2012).
 Remember that the highs and lows of the voice, pauses and points of emphasis
are, literally, music to the listeners' ears. · Exercise with the tongue and lips that
allow a good pronunciation (Isaki & Harmon, 2015).
The guidelines for a public reading that draws attention depend on the same
voice and text, so Justice & Sofka, (2013) says that teachers should use a slow reading
rhythm for the darker passages of a book and, a fast pace for the faster fragments of
the text or for any other section overflowing with emotion and drama.
2.7 Research Related to Read Aloud Technique as a Tool to Enhance
Student’s Reading
The reading is quite broad, it implies diverse aspects like: type of text, the
selection of text, the surroundings, the reading competence, the techniques to use, the
objectives, the understanding and the sense that can be given to the text. This issue
has been important throughout history, Trelease, (2013) concluded that reading has
varied its significance, objectives, how to perform and some generalities. In ancient
times, orality played an extremely important role, since it allowed speakers to
demonstrate their skills, share their lived experiences and narrate them in a
dramatized way, they were moments when they did not use written material because
they used improvisation (Trelease, 2013). When the manuscripts appeared many did
not take them into account at the time of their presentations, since they started from
memorization as Homer did reciting his verses from city to city, reciting poems at
solemn parties which were taught to children and at the same time These actions
influenced philosophers, writers and education, these characters put on stage themes
of great thinkers of the time (Lai, et al., 2014).
Despite the importance given to orality and reading aloud, it was surprising to
find people who worked on reading differently, that is, in silent reading. This way of
reading generated admiration in its context, since the presence of an absorbed reader
was not noticed, it did not arouse the curiosity of passers-by because it remained
isolated and Attentive only to what was being read (Lennox, 2013).
At that time, a silent reading was used to achieve greater learning, since it was
believed that listening to his own voice generated a distraction and the other aloud to
share with friends, family and society in general, however, in the text a history of
reading states that although it is possible to find previous examples of silent reading,
people had to wait until the tenth century for that way of reading to become habitual
in the West (Alshumaimeri, 2017). This population had the habit of listening and
practice reading aloud, they received this example from their ancestors therefore this
same one was the one that transmitted to the new generations, the orality towards part
of their lives, to the point of seeing it as the only technique to read, due to this For
them, it was very difficult to adopt silent reading, going from the collective to the
individual meant a complex change to assume, which demanded a long time to be
able to get it (Mason, 2017).
Dougherty Stahl, (2012) give other reasons why silent reading was not
normally possible until a few centuries later because there was no known separation
or empty space between words. Only a few monumental inscriptions spoke to the eye,
separating one word from another. On the wax tablets, the papyri and the scrolls, each
line was an uninterrupted succession of letters. There was almost no other way of
reading other than to try sentences out loud and listen to them to determine if they
made sense (Dougherty Stahl, 2012).
To put aside the technique of reading aloud and imposing silent reading not
only influenced the custom that was had but it became a requirement to achieve well
written texts, since it was necessary to read, listen and judge in order to identify
Failures and mistakes made in it, finally silent reading became something new and
with it the advantages of reading more quickly and intelligibility which made this
technique had greater acceptance (Swain, et al., 2017). In relation to the written
presentation of the old contents Bryant & Goswami, (2016) state that the manuscripts
of the High Middle Ages appear with continuous writing as in antiquity when a slave-
reader gave voice to the writing in front of his audience. It indicates that one went
from improvisation to reading, due to the presence of writing, which became a
technique used more frequently in society at that time. To facilitate the reading, the
blank spaces were created and applied and later, as the authors mention in the same
text, another type of aid was used, such as some punctuation marks, the period and the
semicolon. These signs are still vital in visual reading, leading to a better clarity in
their performance, since they indicate the type of pause that should be used at a
certain time (Bryant & Goswami, 2016).
In the Middle Ages more exactly in the twelfth century there is a mediator
between the student and the text, that is, the figure of the intellectual cleric, reader-
writer, teacher-researcher, who after making the readings was responsible for making
summaries, compilations and synthesis that were then exposed to their students in
order to facilitate the understanding of the text read (Hulme, et al., 2012). According
to the cultural practices of the Old Regime, they started from the presence of the
writing which allowed to establish a percentage of literacy thanks to the signing of

documents and lists. There are variations in reading capacity according to the time,
places, sexes, the conditions created by notaries and booksellers, (the most cultured)
who tended to measure the circulation of the book and the traditions of reading, the
representations of these were carried out through literary, pictorial or autobiographical
scenes (Mims, et al., 2012).
The significance of reading has varied over time, in the sixteenth and
seventeenth centuries continued the presence of silent reading to a lesser degree since
it is still practiced only by some educated readers, Damber, (2015) in this regard states
that the reading becomes for literate elites, in the act par excellence of intimate,
secret, private leisure. There are abundant witnesses who describe that pleasure of
retiring from the world, of departing from the affairs of the city, embracing in the
silence of solitude. It can be observed here that how these people enjoyed the joy of
reading, of direct contact with books, solitary and isolated spaces leaving aside their
daily tasks, the urban, worries and sociability, activities that are also important in the
life of any human being, which influence their individual and collective development
(Damber, 2015).
It is known that thetwo reading techniques were still being continued
simultaneously, however in the societies of the old regime they gave more importance
to reading aloud (listening to reading), a practice that they performed frequently, as a
form of intellectual sociability around the text leafed and discussed (Rieben &
Perfetti, 2013). The reading is not a gesture of intimacy, confinement or silence,
otherwise the reading aloud had the purpose of sharing, entertaining and creating
relationships of coexistence. The way of carrying out the reading is undoubtedly what
captivated the attention of the listeners, as it happened with reading texts (Kraemer,
McCabe, & Sinatra, 2012).

According to Allington, (2014) reading is not only an abstract operation of
intellection. It is the beginning of the body, the inscription in a space, the relationship
with oneself and others. That is why the reading in voice high to be a technique of
public nature was used to reach the texts having a double function, to communicate
the written to those people with little literacy and strengthen family and social ties
(Allington, 2014). This type of reading, whether ordered or spontaneous, is one of the
duties and pleasures related and applied in different areas, in the case of the family is
put into practice through biblical texts, for example in Protestant societies the Bible
was read through the intensive reading carried out in community, in order to share and
share the word of God (Johnston, 2016).
The historical studies allow to identify some constants and variations that
appear in the reading practices in different societies or epochs. Reading is an activity
that has gone through several stages and all have been handled from different angles
according to the culture, customs, needs and situations that determine the moment,
each stage implies a change or modification that can be positive or negative, for the
generations (Baker, et al., 2013). In relation to its evolution Morgan, (2013) say that
at the end of the eighteenth century along with traditional intensive reading (religious,
slow, repetitive, collective, serious), an extensive reading appears (profane, fast, eager
for novelties, individual, hedonist) to the point that contemporaries speak of a
revolution in reading that some people are more concerned about than the French
Revolution (Morgan, 2013).
According to this appointment a change in the way of reading was generated,
for a long time it was seen as an activity in which few texts were read but in a very
intense, deep and repeated way, which generated learning, discussions and
relationships. These readings could also be carried out regardless of gender, age and
cultural level, which indicates that everyone could participate in it, without any
discrimination (Justice, et al., 2015). Later there was another way to put into practice
reading, which covered a variety of texts developed in privacy, worked more
individually and free, giving priority to personal interests, the latter could generate
dangers and false promises, due to the use and interpretation that gave each reader, on
the other hand the practice of extensive reading involved reading quickly, overlooking
relevant aspects and causing the lack of understanding of the subject, this may be
related to a higher rate of readings made but with a ‗Not so satisfactory‘ result (Van
den Boer, van Bergen, & de Jong, 2014).
Reviewing the research on reading, Price, Bradley, & Smith, (2012)
recommended to stop focusing on functions as global as intelligence or perception to
focus on more analytical studies on instrumental skills or cognitive processes. Price,
Bradley, & Smith, (2012) reported that the reading takes into account a number of
aspects such as auditory memory, spatio-temporal structure, visual discrimination and
some alterations that affect the reading and writing process that lead to reading
disability (dyslexia, dyscalculia, disorders of voice and speech) (Price, Bradley, &
Smith, 2012). At the beginning of the nineteenth century reading became part of daily
life or at least this was what pretended cult readers of the time, who considered that
this cultural practice had been ignored for a long time. This is how the idea arose that
all the people should read to be informed, which required a training, making it a goal
for them through an accompaniment for new readers (Van den Boer, van Bergen, &
de Jong, 2014).
The idea proposed at the beginning of the appointment has been affected,
because many of the information and activities coming from reading are transferred to
sound and image, through television, which in some cases becomes a prototype of the
lack of culture and passive consumption, thus becoming an enemy of reading, which
means that the role of the teacher in the institutions is not managing to awaken
interest in it, added to the lack of reading practice on the part of adults , is where the
need to inculcate the reading habit, to motivate and generate interest in this process
(Morgan, 2013). On the other hand, it can be observed that the book has been
displaced by "the computer" and with it the habit of reading since some children,
adolescents and a large part of adults occupy their free time in activities related to the
network, the variety of entertainment and information that it offers such as chatting,
watching and listening to videos. These practices distract and make the student lose
interest in reading and even electronic books (Justice, et al., 2015).
There are some disadvantages in terms of excessive use of the computer as is
the fatigue it generates by poor posture, due to the very small spaces, with little
ventilation, lighting, and that the time forces the student to read in a quick and
summarized way, making this activity in an individual reading, technique that was
used in other times by educated readers when the extensive reading mentioned above
arose (Allington, 2014). It can be said that reading could be more pleasant and
convenient if it is done in a paper book than on the screen due to the contact and the
comfort it offers (Baker, et al., 2013).
It is for many people more pleasant to read directly from the book for the ease
of taking it anywhere, adopting the desired position, and not depend on a
technological element that requires the use of electric power or be properly charged.
Also, in case of collective reading, it would be more difficult to do it, because if all
are watching the screen they could not be aware of the requirements of it (Kraemer,
McCabe, & Sinatra, 2012). On the other hand, the communication of some of the new
readers it could be less structured than that of the one who has had more experience in
reading through books and everyday experiences, since they use more superficial
strategies that are not the same as the traditional reader, for example the same
underline is not possible in the lines or write a note or observation next to the
paragraph (Johnston, 2016).
Several researches have been made about the reading in front of the computer
screen and in front of the book, in which some authors defend this last idea, such as
Rieben & Perfetti, (2013) argues that the continuous interface (roll type) of the
computers disorganizes the sense of the physical structure of the user's text and,
consequently, its ability to form a global perspective of it. Reading in front of the
screen prevents that the reader remembers and identifies in a quick and easy way the
location of the main ideas of the text, because the presentation of the same, can
generate confusions (Rieben & Perfetti, 2013).
In ancient times, reading was generally practiced aloud, which created social
ties, increased relations of coexistence, which showed the importance it had in the
meeting of people around a book. Hulme, et al., (2012) thinks that it was read in this
way in order to enjoy, instruct and grant sounds greater value than content, which
could enrich or impoverish the act of reading. In the individual reading the interest of
the person who performs it prevails and it can be a good strategy for those who prefer
to read alone and do not look ridiculous making it a bit strong, in such a way that the
voice can be heard through their external ears (Hulme, et al., 2012). When practicing
it happens the opposite of silent reading, because it is both visual and vocalic-
auditory, this requires the senses of sight and hearing, which have a very important
function since they allow to unravel main ideas, reaffirm concepts and internalize
them more effectively it is the eyes and the mouth that give life to the text, to the
moment and to the situation, becoming these the entrance door to the content
(Damber, 2015).
Swain, et al., (2017) considered the sense of sight as the most acute of human
senses, even pointing out that a text is better remembered when it has been seen than
when it has been heard. Therefore it can be supposed that much can be obtained by
seeing and hearing a text, that is, by reading aloud. Functionality is doubled for those
who do it for themselves.
It is important to note that the researchers gave the first place to the sense of
sight and made the world visual, and thus it can be observed that reality reaches man
through sight and with it structures its field of action-reception. The ear, on the other
hand, is only a companion to the eye and is at your service. Thus, when making use of
reading aloud, these two senses have equal importance and complement one another.
The ear puts the view in a position to understand, since it receives messages and
information obtained through them (Mims, et al., 2012). About the collective read out,
Alshumaimeri, (2017) explain what happens when the receiver does not have direct
contact with the writing. The sight and hearing are means that allow the entry of
information and do not forget that in all reading always remains a phonetic translation
and even when a person reads silently the words are pronounced.
In the collective reading the readers and the listeners gathered from a text
participate, but Duke & Block, (2012) affirmed that they will ask themselves then
what happens when the reading is done aloud collectively? It could be thought that the
receivers will not obtain the same results as the reader, which is negative since the
important thing in this action is to attract the attention of the listener and this is
achieved thanks to the ability of the listener to do it, it is about an excellent
performance, that contributes to the development of the imagination, this would be the
main link after making a good selection of reading, being sure that it is interesting,
stimulating and appropriate for the age both in regard to the subject and the extension,
hence the positive or negative attitude that the receiver assumes will determine the
achievements related to understanding (Duke & Block, 2012).
A well-read reading aloud occurs when the listener listens to the writer, sees
what counts, listens to himself and transmits it to others as he makes the story his
own. He affirmed that one of the simplest ways to try to achieve excellence when
reading aloud is to see, with the mind's eye, the things that are being read (Bryant &
Goswami, 2016). By not having direct contact with the content it makes use of the
internal vision allowing to see a global idea and activate the imagination to recreate
each scene as it was said in the previous paragraph, which is achieved thanks to the
cognitive schemes (Lai, et al., 2014).
2.8 Effect of Read Aloud Technique on Comprehension Skills of
Students
The literature on these potential effects of reading aloud in comprehension or
understanding of students is limited. In their research, Santoro, et al., (2016) have
distributed subjects of fourth grade by three different conditions. In the first, students
received training in reading techniques using reading aloud as a basis for learning.
They read and tried to understand narrative texts reading aloud in certain moments of
the text (Santoro, et al., 2016). The group in the second condition read the same texts,
but the emphasis was placed on activities to promote predictions and verification of
comprehension (Reading Activities-Directed Thought) and the third group was
subjected to a more directive program in the reading of these texts, with the
introduction of new vocabulary, activation of previous knowledge and questions
about the text (Chapleau, et al., 2017).

For the authors, the results of both quantitative and qualitative evaluations
conclude that the first two groups have had better performances. In addition, the
Directed Activities group demonstrated some positive impact in monitoring student
comprehension, instruction in reading aloud has been highly effective in helping
students acquire a wide range of strategies to improve their comprehension of the text
and to face their comprehension difficulties (Chapleau, et al., 2017). The potential of
reading aloud seems to be, according to the authors, in its particularity to make visible
the cognitive processes associated with understanding that are normally hidden from
readers. Stopping, having access to those processes and being able to think about
them, can make a difference when it comes to teaching monitoring skills (Dyson, et
al., 2017).
In addition, Santoro, et al., (2016) suggest the possibility of developing this
field more specifically from variations in the method. An example they offer is to
promote the social construction of thoughts aloud in the classroom, with the aim of
facilitating internalization processes. For this, they invite teachers to create
collaborative situations, in which students produce thoughts aloud in groups,
developing situations of social meaning construction. It seems important to emphasize
that the perspective of these authors is to use reading aloud as a means to guarantee
and facilitate the use of comprehension strategies such as self-questions, making
predictions, verifications, etc. (Santoro, et al., 2016). Although Swain, et al., (2017)
see a clear commitment to the potential of reading aloud as an instrument to improve
understanding, this effect is mediated by the use of strategies, taught during training
sessions. It cannot be affirmed, from these studies, that the read aloud, in a clear and
independent way, has had effects in the improvement of the comprehension of the
students.
Another study within the same field and published the same year is that of
Harris & Butaud, (2016). These authors have developed a strategy teaching program
based on the van Dijk and Kintsch‘s model that was taught to readers by a teacher
who modelled the use of these strategies. The study sought to understand the effects
of both the quality of reading aloud of the teacher who trained the students and the
way in which the students were guided in their thoughts aloud. Students have
improved in five of the seven strategies used. Later, a work emerges that gives
another step in the knowledge of the virtualities of reading aloud in the promotion of
understanding. In the work referred to above (Harris & Butaud, 2016). Ledger &
Merga, (2018) affirm that, to date, the effect that understanding has on the simple fact
of being invited to reflect on their own processes has not been explored. For this
reason, they have proposed to carry out an investigation in which the effects of the
revision of texts are crossed with that of an invitation to readers to think about aloud.
One of the logical foundations present in this research is that understanding is
facilitated whenever the reader has an active role in the search for meaning. No matter
how good the texts are, and no matter how many aids the educational context offers,
only an active participation on the part of the reader can successfully carry out the
task of understanding a text. One of the inspirations of the authors in identifying the
strategic importance that reading aloud can have comes from the area of
metacognition (Alharbi, 2015). Thus, they affirm that the objective of the teaching of
metacognition is to return the students aware of the mental processes involved in
reading and to equip them with the processing strategies that will help them to
become more active readers. Akyol, Çakıroğlu, & Kuruyer, (2017) conducted a study
on three grade five students and as a result it was hypothesized that asking readers to
read aloud at certain points in the text would involve them in a process of actively
searching for the meaning of what they read.
Mason, (2017) focused on sixth graders and developed four experimental
conditions. One of the groups read a text (expositive, taken from a school manual) in
a habitual situation (that is, in silence), another read the same text, but with the slogan
of reading aloud at the end of certain units of the text, the third group silently read a
revised version of the text and the fourth read that revised version with thought aloud.
At the end of the reading, the students were asked to recount what they remembered
from the text and to answer some questions about it
The results have shown, for both dependent variables (summary and answers)
a progressive improvement of the results starting from the control group (silent
reading, original version), going through the group of the condition original text with
read out loud, followed by the group that silently read the modified text, until
reaching the group that received both treatments (reading aloud and revised version)
(McKee & Carr, 2016). However, the only difference with statistical significance has
been between this last group and the control group. In this same work, the authors
have made a qualitative analysis of the subjects' summaries, an analysis that allowed
to construct a typical summary of each condition. Comparing these products, the
researchers suggest that the representation of the text revealed by each typical
summary is improving (Jackson, 2016). Thus, in the summaries of the condition
original text in silence no explanations are present, while, in the typical model of the
condition original text with thought aloud there is an explanation and in the
summaries of the other Two conditions increase the number of explanations (Paige &
Magpuri-Lavell, 2017).
In a further study, referred to in the same article, the authors investigated the
effect of these treatments on students of different levels of comprehension and on the
retention of the material over time (with a second data collection after one week). The
data, in consistence with the previous studies, have shown better results in the
memory spent a week in the students who read the revised text and also that the
students of medium level of comprehension who read the revised version of the text
had performances as good or better than the upper level students who read the original
version (Wang, 2016). This study will not bring here the discussion regarding the
effects of the revision of texts. This study is interested, at this moment, to emphasize
the aspects that they say regarding the intervention associated with reading aloud. The
authors of the study point to the fact that the effect of reading aloud (in general,
weaker than that of the review) has been dependent on the version of the text read,
revealing much more marked in the case of the revised text (Sudiati, Hanapi, & Bugis,
2018).
According to the researchers, it may be that, in order to get the best out of the
intervention with read aloud, students must work with a text that explicitly connects
the information and offers adequate explanations. In addition, they call attention to the
fact that the version of the thought aloud used has been quite "soft", that is, with a
simple suggestion for the reader to think freely (Sudiati, Hanapi, & Bugis, 2018). The
effect could hypothetically be greatly enhanced with more directive interventions.
Another research team did important work using the read-aloud protocols to study the
processing during the reading of a text and simultaneously trying to measure the
impact of that type of task on comprehension. Wang, (2016) have carried out an
investigation in which the following questions have been placed:

1) How do students build 4th and 6th mental representations based on expository
texts relatively to which they have scarce prior information? The authors
expected students to use a variety of strategies, such as paraphrasing, elaborating
through connection inferences and using previous knowledge, as well as
monitoring their understanding (Paige & Magpuri-Lavell, 2017).
2) How are the processing activities during the reading related to what the students
understand and remember? It was expected that those who elaborated on the
presented information, creating connections between sentences and using
previous information to construct self-explanations, as well as those others that
solved their problems of comprehension, would create more coherent
representations and would use better the information of the text (Mason, 2017).
3) Will the use of thinking protocols aloud modify the nature of the processing and
representation of the text? There are two possibilities: the use of this task may
harm the processing or may benefit the same (Akyol, Çakıroğlu, & Kuruyer,
2017).
Relatively to the first question, the investigations carried out allow talking
about a flexible and adaptive processing of the students, reasoning about what they
read and using their previous knowledge, frequently resorting to self-explanations and
supervising the process. His main focus has been on local coherence. Regarding the
question of the relationships between the processing measures and the memory of the
text, the authors have not found direct relationships between the two (Ledger &
Merga, 2018). Some observed cases allow to talk about quite complex relationships
between some types of processing - for example, self-explanations - and the memory
of the text. In one of the cases studied, despite a significant number of explanations
made during the reading aloud, that has not had any reflection in the memory of the
text. Another case presented by the authors allows observing how in some
circumstances the elaborations and explanations made by the reader contribute to the
construction of wrong ideas on the subject (Jackson, 2016).
But the most pertinent results in the context of the present investigation are
those that say about the study of the impact of reading aloud in the processing and
construction of the representation of the text. In this regard, the authors have
compared the results of four groups of students. One of the groups consisted of twelve
roommates and read the texts silently, another (also fourth) read them with thought
aloud. The other two groups were formed by twelve sixth graders each, also reading
in the same two conditions (Swain, et al., 2017). The youngest students (fourth) have
presented worse performances in the memory of the text when their reading was
accompanied by thinking aloud. On the contrary, sixth graders remembered the text
better when they had to think aloud at the end of the sentences. In the opinion of the
authors, this last result can be explained by the fact that thinking aloud makes it more
likely that the student will resort to active processing strategies (Dyson, et al., 2017).
In this, "thinking aloud has much in common with other strategies of active
processing that involve the reader with the text, such as reciprocal teaching, the
elaborative interrogation and the questioning of the author. Each of these techniques
provides readers with a strategy to think about what they have read, the meaning
relationships incorporated into the text and possible connections to what they already
know about the world (McKee & Carr, 2016).
Relatively to the question associated with the fact that fourth graders have
been harmed by their attempt to read aloud, this may be due to the cognitive demands
of the procedure, which can push the capacity of young readers to the limit (Chapleau,
et al., 2017). A study, more recent, regarding the effects of thinking aloud in reading
comprehension is that of Alharbi, (2015), who wanted to know those effects in the
specific field of learning English as a second language. For that, he has divided 32
eighth-grade English students into two groups. The control group has had a teaching
of reading in English considered a standard. The experimental group used, in the same
materials, reading aloud strategies.
Dependent variables have assessed reading comprehension in four distinct
components: literal comprehension, interpretative comprehension, critical and
creative comprehension. In addition, the effectiveness of the use of reading aloud by
the subjects of the control group after training has been evaluated. The results have
shown a significant correlation between the level of effective use of reading aloud by
experimental subjects and reading comprehension in general (Jackson, 2016). In the
differentiated analysis of the correlations between reading aloud and the different
levels of understanding, only those referring to the domains of critical comprehension
and interpretative comprehension have had significant results. Relatively to the
comparisons between the groups, significant results have been found for the training
in read aloud. The control group has had significantly superior results in the literal
comprehension measures and the experimental group has been superior in the critical
comprehension (Harris & Butaud, 2016).
2.9 Effect of Read Aloud on Vocabulary Development of Students
According to a study conducted on four ESL learners of second grade by
Baker, et al. (2016) the lexical-based aspect of language has led cognitive linguistics
to propose grammar as emerging from the lexicon and use in experience, in the way
of complex systems that have been identified, for example, in biology. Similarly, in
the acquisition of language the lexicon is one of the bases of learning. The factors
related to the lexicon are frequency in the input, frequency of copies and diversity of
type of constructions. In this sense, a greater frequency and diversity is found in the
written modality and all its forms of literate language. Now, what is the form of
dissemination of written language for children of 4 and 5 years who are not yet
autonomous readers? The best dissemination procedure is reading aloud, as it was
throughout the cultural history of mankind for centuries for the non-schooled
population (Boyer, 2017).
Reading aloud affects positively on vocabulary development through various
aspects of the interactive process between lexicon and phonology, morphology,
syntax, and discourse and then face the continuity between oral and written modalities
(August, et al., 2018).
Most investigations place the closing of a first phase of the acquisition of the
phonological system around the 4-5 years. Subsequently, a period of improvement
continues that can extend up to 6-7 years, and even with respect to some phonetic
aspects, such as the sonority or place of articulation of the stops, the learners do not
develop skills similar to the adult until adolescence. Research on language acquisition
has shown a direct relationship between lexical development and phonological
development according to Hunt & Feng( 2016) suggested in a study conducted on
eight ESL learners studying in second grade . In this sense, Correa, et al., (2015) were
one of the first to emphasize that a phonic nucleus of lexical items in memory and the
joints that produce them is the basis for phonology in the speaker. That is to say, the
apprentices have to have a "critical mass" of lexicon sufficient to be able to abstract
the segments and the phonological constructions from the words that make up their
lexicon.
In the process of language development researchers observe different
phenomena that reveal the interaction that takes place between phonology and
lexicon. In particular, the investigations compiled in Swanson, et al. (2016) have
shown effects of the lexical frequency, the density of the neighbourhood and the
phonetic probability. On the one hand, lexical knowledge influences phonological
acquisition. Different studies indicate that children who have a strong lexical
background tend to produce a greater variety of sounds, as well as combinations of
sounds, while children with poor lexical knowledge tend to produce a smaller variety
of sounds, as well as limited combinations of these. On the other hand, the lexical
frequency has been observed in relation to the processes of production and perception.
Words with a higher frequency tend to be produced more correctly than those with a
low frequency (Vadasy & Sanders, 2016).
As for the effects related to the neighbourhood type, these are linked to the
organization of the words. The lexicon, both of the adult and of the apprentice, is
organized through connections between words of different types (semantic,
phonological, use, etc.) (Jozwik & Douglas,2017). The structures resulting from the
phonetic similarity are called neighbourhoods. Mason & Krashen,(2018) in a study
conducted on a sample of twenty-one American students‘ vocabulary acquisition rate
in Japanese as a foreign language from listening a story stated that the number of
neighbourhoods in which a particular word participates varies depending on whether
the speaker knows many or few formally similar words, resulting in dense
neighbourhoods and small neighbourhoods.
But the interactive process does not end with the "critical mass" of the lexicon,
there is a relationship between sentence constructions and phonological aspects,
particularly with prosody. Prosodic units are an essential component of syntactic and
discursive constructions. Thus, for example, differences in the sentence modality
(declarative, interrogative or imperative) are expressed in some languages only by a

change in the intonational contour, such as in English or Portuguese or by a
combination of an intonational contour and other linguistic mechanisms, such as
change of order of the constituents, interrogative pronouns, etc. (Neuman & Kaefer,
2018). On the other hand, prosody is also relevant in the resolution of syntactic
ambiguities, such as for the assignment of thematic papers in languages where the
order of the constituents may vary and there is no case marking or it is ambiguous.
Prosodic marking is also essential for locating constituent boundaries. After 4 years
the intonation system becomes more complex and the acquisition of different aspects
related to the understanding and production of intonation continues (August, Artzi, &
Barr, 2016).
The learning process continues to be interactive, between the frequency of use
of the lexicon and semantic development. It has been described that around 2 years
old an explosion of vocabulary occurs: children learn many new words per day, until
they reach a production vocabulary of between 700 and 1000 words at the age of 3
years. Between the ages of 3 and 4 vocabulary continues to increase in words with
lexical content and in functional words, but the quantity is not the only change
(Downs, 2017). By 3 years there is a first reorganization of the vocabulary in relation
to the meanings of the lexical items that are grouped sharing common aspects. The
meanings shared by groups are related to the conceptual domains. That is, the
meanings are interrelated with a modelling of knowledge, linked in turn to the
experience of speakers (encyclopaedic knowledge), as well as to the conventional
forms of the language that children hear (Cole, Dunston, & Butler, 2017).
When children acquire expressions, they acquire the knowledge associated
with them. By naming and commenting on the experience, children are learning
concepts and categorizing that knowledge. The rapid growth of children's vocabulary
increases the relationships of significance and has a parallel development of
categorization. The relationships of meaning of the words concur in the designation of
the same referent, with different characteristics or from different perspectives
(Silverman, et al., 2017). This is the case of the semantic relations between the terms,
relations of hiperonimia, synonymy, antonimia or meronimia. Several authors show
that between 2 and 3 years old children accept that different words designate the same
reference, although in a different way. For example, proper names and basic names
can be used to name a pet, the same image can be called cat and animal, a new word
can refer to a part of the object, to a different aspect, to a new information from a
different perspective , etc. (Cole, Dunston, & Butler, 2017). Therefore, the network
hypothesis is particularly relevant when applied to vocabulary. A word is the core of a
network of homonyms, synonyms, word classes and placements, each of which is, in
turn, the center of another small network (Silverman, et al., 2017).
From 4 and 5 years and with schooling and learning of the writing there is
another explosion of vocabulary, which has between 20 thousand and 50 thousand
words in production, the understanding being even greater. The reading of texts helps
to expand the network of relationships between words, relationships not only
syntagmatic but also paradigmatic (Mason & Krashen, 2018). When a child learns a
new vocabulary item, a small network is added with links to other nodes, which
include pronunciation, meaning, etc. A word (or any other concept) that only has a
pair of links is barely integrated and easily forgotten by children, but a rich collection
of links guarantee a long and useful retention of the word (Downs, 2017).
The lexicon also interacts with the morphological development, in this case
the frequency factors are related to the frequency of more or less fixed specimens.
The words that make up the lexicon have different degrees of fixation. This is mainly
due to the frequency of use of each word or frequency of the sample. Words with a
high degree of fixation are easier to access, serve as a basis for morphological
relationships and have an autonomy that makes them more resistant to change, lose
their semantic and syntactic transparency and create a strong representation
(Swanson, et al. 2016). Words are related to other connections between identical or
similar phonological and semantic features. For example, in Spanish, in French and in
other romances the verbs are distributed through several classes of conjugations,
being that the greater number of types belongs to the first conjugation. The other
conjugations have to have few verbs that are typically high in sample frequency. The
exemplary frequency, and not the type, is learned from memory if there is a sufficient
amount of input (Neuman & Kaefer, 2018).
If the lexicon interacts with morphological development, it also does so with
morphosyntax. One of the implications of the fact that the use of language is lexically
determined; is that certain words tend to be used in certain placements or
constructions. If all the verbal periphrastic constructions are considered, the verb-
based constructions with preposition (being interested in, thinking about), the total of
prefabricated constructions are very high. These conventional placements are repeated
in the discourse Correa, et al., (2015) stated in a study conducted on four Latino pre-
schoolers. Jozwik & Douglas, (2017) found that they constitute about 55% of the
productions, both in the spoken and written modality. The speakers recognize the
prefabricated constructions as family, which indicates that these sequences of words
are stored in memory, despite being largely predictable in form and meaning.
The lexicon is also fundamental for the textual functions of coherence and
cohesion. The lexicon has several functions in discourse: to specify the reference and
to orient all relationships between the referential elements of the discourse: anaphoric,
specification or description relationships. For example, the relationships between
names, noun phrases, personal and possessive pronouns that refer to the person, or the
relations of designation of defined or indefinite articles, or the semantic relationships
of the lexicon of hyperonymy, antonymy, or synonymy (August, et al., 2018). It is
these elements that bear the weight of reference in discourse: it is through words,
morphological marks, the order of words, the relations between them, in addition to
prosody, that the speaker can identify what is being talked about (Vadasy & Sanders,
2016).
In face-to-face interaction, the reference is learned with words that have been
called "basic vocabulary", that is, words that designate specific entities and relational
words, such as verbs or prepositions. On the other hand, "non-basic vocabulary" and
words with anaphoric functions do not have extralinguistic support, nor do they
designate directly observable entities (Boyer, 2017). They are constructed in the
discursive use, when one learns to use common or proper names, noun phrases, names
and determinants, pronouns or null reference depending on the context. These are
semantic and coherent relationships that will then adopt textual functions, as well as
the connectors and expressions that fix and structure the text (Hunt & Feng, 2016).
In conclusion, what is the interaction between the children's knowledge of the
spoken language and the learning of the written language? Many words and
constructions are used in both modalities, oral and written, although with differences
because speech occurs in real time, while in the written mode there is a careful review
and editing (Cole, Dunston, & Butler, 2017). For example, Baker, et al. (2016)
analyze the frequency and complexity of words in different contexts and point out that
older students are exposed to new words mainly in written texts: in books that contain
50% more words than television or conversation among educated adults. If the
lexicon and the constructions around it are so important in the development of
language, it can be inferred that oral language learning occurs in contexts of reading
aloud, of interaction with books and readers, that is to say, literate contexts, including
the forms written and with them their frequency, fixation, contexts and forms of
language structuring.
2.10 Effect of Read Aloud on Speaking Skills of Students
Reading aloud has been considered, too often, as another mechanical exercise
among school tasks related to language, stripping it often of its main meaning: the
understanding and transmission of ideas, sensations and emotions. The Reading aloud
should consist of giving full meaning to the written signs. Without understanding
there is no reading act and without such understanding it is not possible to read
correctly aloud. The assessment of the aspects of pronunciation and intonation does
not mean diverting attention from the understanding of the text that is the primary
objective of reading and the conditioner of a felt, lived and interpreted realization of
reading aloud. The child will not be able to do it well if he has not understood what he
is reading before as it would be a mere putting out loud, but not a communicative
reading between the reader and the listener (Warner, 2016).
As in oral communication, the understanding between speaker and listener is
not possible without a decoding by both, here it is the same, but the circuit is
extended: the reader interprets the text and, in turn, the listener deciphers the message
that orally receives from the reader. In this way, reading favours the assessment of the
written text and its understanding, which must be prepared in advance, creating a
propitious climate through the motivation of the listeners, which will be achieved by
informing them about what they are going to hear. Also the vocalization and the
correct realization of the pauses help the comprehension. Similarly, intonation and
modulation not only have aesthetic importance, sometimes they are essential for the
message to be understood correctly (Muslem & Abbas, 2017).
Considering reading aloud and its impacts on aspects and values that are
proper, it is important to note that the correct oral transmission of a text can only be
done when it has already been understood. Since the reader has to provide a series of
interpretative elements that are not deductible from the mere sounding, elements such
as the phonetic resolution according to the context of polyvalent letters, the intonation
of sentences, the prosodic pauses, etc. It is equally easy to verify how in a reading
aloud the reader looks away from the paper as he says the text and how a sudden
interruption never occurs in the middle of a unity of meaning, but the reader always
ends up issuing the last word he had understood (Rivers, 2018).
Thus, a student concerned about correctly oralizing what he reads cannot, at
the same time, be aware of the comprehension of that text. Hence, it is essential that
the preparation of any text that is going to be read aloud is the result, because if a
student does not understand what he reads, even if he respects the signs and pauses, it
will hardly give him an adequate and accessible intonation. On the other hand,
reading aloud, children strive to vocalize and intone, which will improve their oral
expression. For this reading comprehension is important the oral ability of the learner,
language and vocabulary, whose development teachers can promote by making
continuous readings aloud to their students and offering them the possibility of
analysing and discussing what is read to them. Therefore, teachers will ensure that
students prepare in advance the comprehensible aspects of the text that they will later
read expressively, since when they "read aloud to others, less attention is paid to
understanding (Krieber, et al., 2017).

An expert reader will never read aloud a text for which he or she does not have
an understanding, that is, a text that she or he has not read previously, or for which
he/she does not have knowledge effective reading requires understanding the text, as
with rapid reading, which is a product, and not a requirement of understanding (Snow,
Sun, & Li, 2017).
In oral communication, and also in reading aloud, students need models not
for their imitation mechanically and unconsciously, but to serve as a guide in the
process of their learning. Sometimes students pretend that they, alone, perhaps
waiting for everything from the miracle of infused science, improve their
communication skills. As mentioned earlier, it is convenient, in my opinion, for the
teacher to read aloud to his students and become the model that opens the way. This
exercise, perhaps too neglected now in our classrooms, serves as a reference
(intonation, diction, but without affectation or artificiality) for the subsequent reading
of the students (Sharma, 2018).
A teacher can use reading aloud and communicate its experience to the
students, will provoke in them the interest and will constitute a motivation since they
will be influenced and will be impregnated with this experience that is transmitted in
this way is better than with theoretical explanations, speeches and advice. It will be
difficult to transfer the taste for this type of reading if the teacher does not have it.
Mason, (2017) recommended that teachers should read aloud a lot in class, tongue
twisters, songs, songs, word games, poetry, stories, are basic to form this type of
expressive reading.
According to Sajid & Kassim, (2019) teachers play a critical role in
influencing students' attitudes toward reading and speaking. Students adopt a positive
attitude toward these two processes, they are models that children observe and learn
from. When teachers read books aloud to the whole class, they are modeling the
interest in some of the best moments of class are those in which the experience of
discovering is shared, for example, how sad a story ends or how funny are the
vicissitudes of the protagonist of another. The message implicit in these experiences
shared with the listening to the reading of the story is that "the teacher also thinks that
the book is interesting.
Ray, (2017) assume that it is necessary to teach a series of strategies that can
contribute to reading comprehension and speaking skills through progressive teaching
along three phases: a) modeling, b) student participation and c) silent reading. In
modeling, the teacher serves as a model to his students through his own reading: he
reads aloud, he stops systematically to verbalize and comment on the processes that
allow him to understand the text, etc.
In this aspect, as in others in the field of education, and in the words of
LervAag, Hulme, & Melby‐Lervåg, (2018), the reader model offered by the teacher,
and the activities he proposes for the teaching and learning of reading are not a
luxury, but a need. Since, it is simply to do with reading what is done with other
content of teaching: show how an expert handles them, design situations in which the
apprentice can approach progressively to that management and help him so that,
starting from where he is, he can go a little further, in the sense of the autonomous
domain.
Parents can also be a reference or model since they exert an important
influence on their children's point of view on language and on reading and writing in
particular. Parents who read and value the books, who read them to their children and
who take them to the library can effectively transfer their satisfaction and interest in
reading. In addition to this general idea, these authors suggest, a few lines later in the
same work, the parents specific activities for expressive reading such as reading each
other out loud and advise to stimulate the appreciation of a wide variety of authors
and types of literature reading poetry, plays and selected short stories aloud, start
reading and sharing short selections or a chapter at night. Children can read the father,
mother or other family members. They can also do it by looking in the mirror to
improve their speaking skills (Hanington, 2017).
2.11 Chapter Summary
The discussion above clearly indicates that read aloud technique is widely
acknowledged teaching strategy for learners of foreign languages in general and for
young learners of English as a secondary language. The benefits of read aloud
techniques are diverse and multifaceted and are not limited to learners of secondary
languages but also provide same benefits for learning and development of mother
language also. The concept of read aloud technique can be briefly defined as having
an adult, teacher in school settings, who is able to read text and literature in loud
voice, in front of students, to help them develop English language skills. Within the
context of young learners in primary school, storytelling is the most commonly
researched method of read aloud technique. It is considered to be the oldest method of
teaching language to children. Storytelling is often conducted with a book so that the
learners are able to see the words and read them. The discussion also shows that main
aspects of read aloud technique that must be considered during any such exercise
include voice, tone, accent, punctuation, and gestures of the adult or story teller. There
is a wide range of guidelines that can be used by teachers to develop read aloud
lessons for young learners. The review of literature shows that read aloud has a
significant positive impact on reading and comprehension skills of students. The read
aloud technique enables young learners to hear and understand words and their
relevant meanings and use. Furthermore, the read aloud also helps teachers to increase
understanding of words and sentences as well as phrases to young learners who lack
vocabulary. The read aloud technique can also be conducted by learners themselves.
There is significant research evidence suggesting that performance and
learning attainment of students using read aloud technique is higher than their silent
reading counterparts. Furthermore, the research also shows that read aloud also helps
students to increase their vocabulary. Storytelling is particularly used to provide
comprehensive understanding of words to young learners, along with their proper
accent, variation and use. It has been reported that read aloud helps in developing
lexicon because it positively on vocabulary development through various aspects of
the interactive process between lexicon and phonology, morphology, syntax, and
discourse and then face the continuity between oral and written modalities. Read-
aloud helps in phonological development which in turn increases lexicon
development. Read aloud creates links in the perception of young learners which help
them to relate and relocate words with certain situations.
These links also helps in recalling words by creating links between words and
images. Furthermore, there is a relationship between sentence constructions and
phonological aspects, particularly with prosody. Finally, the review above indicates
that read aloud also helps in enhancing oral skills of young learners. The oral or
speaking skills depend upon the communication and interaction of young learners
with their environment and particularly with adults. Teacher can play a critical role in
enhancing ESL development of young children in primary schools by adopting a wide
range of read aloud methods and strategies.

CHAPTER 3
METHODOLOGY
This chapter explains the research design, the sample and sampling technique,
research setting and data collection materials in detail. In this chapter data collection
procedure is also discussed in detail along with data analysis procedure. This chapter
also explains the focus of the study which is to gauge the impact of read aloud
teaching strategy on primary level ESL learners reading comprehension, vocabulary,
motivation towards reading and oral fluency.
3.1 Paradigm
The aspect of constructivism focuses on the core ability of individuals to
construct their own understanding and knowledge of the world. This is achieved
through experiencing things and reflections on those experiences. Constructivism in
the present case is achieved through the usage of techniques that are focused on
development of individual thought and creation of ideas that are more complex in
structure. Dual aspects that need to be considered are the development of the
complexity of the students‘ knowledge and the creation of a shared, reflexive kind of
understanding of the subject matter and the task at hand (Larochelle & Bednarz,
1998). This in combination with the instructor‘s assertions towards continuous and
evolving self-assessment and encouragement prompts the students‘ development on
their knowledge basis. The teacher‘s role in constructing information and generation
of an active participation within the classroom alludes to the core benefits that active
roles of the teacher and their expert knowledge bring to the settings as well as
prompting the students to question their existing knowledge in useful ways that allow
them to understand concepts better.

3.2 Pre-test Post-test Quasi- Experimental Design
The subjects in the study belonged to a private school in Lahore, Pakistan
studying in primary level. The study followed pre-test post-test quasi experimental
design (Campbell & Stanley, 1963) in which the researcher used two intact groups out
of which one was randomly assigned as experimental group and one was control
group for the purpose of analysing the effectiveness of read aloud teaching technique
on similar intellectual level students. The researcher conducted assessment of both
groups in the beginning of the study on the basis of their lexile scores (Scholastic
Literacy Pro is a research based reading comprehension test which is taken online and
reading proficiency level assessment of kindergarten, primary, secondary and junior
college level students is done. Its measuring unit is lexile which measures the reading
proficiency and fluency in reading. It helps to inform the classroom teachers to
implement better teaching practices to help students improve their reading
comprehension during the course of their education). A lexile measure is a valuable
tool for teachers, parents and students to know how proficient readers the students are,
higher the score is higher their reading level is which helps to set achievement goals
and monitor progress level. The aim was to determine the level of reading
comprehension of students in both the groups.
A pre-test evaluation was conducted for both groups to measure their skills by
giving the vocabulary and motivation towards reading assessment as pre-test and then
post-test of vocabulary, comprehension worksheets, motivation towards reading
assessment, speaking fluency test and oral story retelling. After the pre-test
evaluation, the intervention was implemented on the experimental group only, after
which the post-test evaluation was conducted for both groups. The researcher then
analysed and compared the results of pre-test and post-test of experimental group with
control groups‘ pre-test and post-test. The purpose was to assess and evaluate the
potential impact of read aloud technique based intervention on the skills of
experimental group.
Storytelling for the experimental group was done using read aloud technique,
the read aloud technique selected for this research was interactive read aloud.
(Interactive read-aloud' specifically defined in the current study draws on the notion
of shared authority (Smolkin & Donovan, 2003) and inclusion of learner's active
participation (Wiseman, 2011). It refers to the context where the reader and listener
are co-contributors to story discussion and word meanings, and the listener is allowed
and encouraged to actively and spontaneously get involved throughout the reading
session.
The method for the control group was traditional teaching method which is
when a teacher guides students to understand through memorization, rote learning and
recitation techniques without paying attention towards developing reading
comprehension skills like critical thinking and problem solving skills (Sunal et al
1994). This method of teaching is commonly used in schools of Pakistan especially in
public schools where teacher translates the text, grammar and vocabulary is rote
learnt. In private schools a lot of emphasis is given on English language and medium
of instruction is also mainly English; the teacher simply reads the text from the story
book either herself or asks the students to read it. She then explains it in English and
Urdu Language as well which is the national/native language of the students and then
provides the meanings of the vocabulary words to enhance vocabulary. Students play
a passive role and teacher plays the active role and guides the students what to do
next. Most of the interaction in the class during the lesson is initiated by the teacher,
students seldom initiate the interaction. Student to student interaction is very less.
Vocabulary building is emphasized simply by making students rote learn the
meanings of the vocabulary words. Grammar rules are reinforced where as other
language skills like speaking and writing are hardly catered. Correct pronunciation of
the words is not much emphasized in the classroom. In other words, the teaching
strategy used with the control group students was a combination of Grammar-
Translation method and Direct Method of teaching which both are traditional teaching
methods, no modern teaching strategies for vocabulary building, reading
comprehension skills and speaking skills were used while teaching the graded picture
story books by the teacher. Teacher who taught the control group was an experienced
primary level teacher who had been teaching for the past eleven years at this level.
3.3 Population
The target population for this study is the primary school children in Pakistan;
however, the researcher does not have the means and resources to access entire target
population. For the sake of this study a quasi-experimental design has been chosen. In
this experiment, the researcher has recruited two groups from a school located in
Lahore city of Pakistan where the students were of same level (primary). Since the
research underpins primary level therefore, the population of this research was taken
to be primary level classes. The researcher opted for similar classes to avoid any
discrepancy in the analysis due to change in the level of students.

3.4 Sample of the Study
The sampling technique applied in the study was the basic non- probability or
convenience sampling technique. It is considered as one of the commonly applied
techniques in educational setting as it is time saving as compared to other techniques
and specially in school setting where students already exist in groups and cannot be
randomly allocated to experimental and control group (McMillan,1996). The
researcher had limited resources and time therefore could not approach the entire
population. In this study convenience sampling was done due to the reason that the
nature of the study required two sections of primary level classes of one private
school in Lahore. The private school where study was conducted is situated in the
heart of Lahore city and has a purpose built building. School offers a vast curriculum
integrated with extra-curricular activities. The students in the school were existing in
intact groups and could not be randomly assigned to experimental and control group
so two intact groups of students having similar intellectual level, age which was
ranging between 7 to 8 and students in both the groups had attended the school for
the same number of years before being in grade 2 which was four years were
randomly chosen and were assigned as experimental group and control group as being
a private school attendance was full during the course of the study as special attention
was given on students for not being absent from school by the school administration.
Table 3.1 shows sample of the study in each group.
Table 3.1
Sample of the Study
Groups Girls
Experimental Group 15
Control Group 15
3.5 Instruments of the Study
3.5.1 Pre-test and Post- test
The purpose of the pre-test was to assess the core reading capability of
students and their ability to apply knowledge and lessons learned during lectures and
storytelling sessions in terms of their vocabulary knowledge, reading comprehension
level, motivation to read and oral fluency.
The aim of the post-test was to identify the fundamental associations of how
their motivation, oral fluency and vocabulary are enhanced through the various
methods applied within read aloud programs. It was made sure that the post-test
accounted for the relative grouping based on pre-testing results. Furthermore, the
researcher also focused on the effectiveness of the program and assessed how
students‘ comprehension and vocabulary improved during the experiment (August, et
al., 2018). The duration of the experiment was one academic year starting from
August till the end of the academic year in the month of May.
3.5.2 Students’ Self Perceived Motivation towards Reading
The researcher used one students‘ self-perceived motivation towards reading
questionnaire. It was used to gather empirical data about how students perceive their
reading abilities. The questionnaire was adapted from the research conducted by
Heathington (1975) with the title ‗The Development of Scales to Measure Attitudes
towards Reading‘ score from 1 to 5 was given to each response and then total score
was calculated for each student. 5 marks were given for a very positive response, 4
marks were given for a positive response, 3 marks were given for a neutral response,
and 2 marks were given for a negative response and 1 mark for very negative
response.
3.5.3 Comprehension and Vocabulary Worksheets
Furthermore, the researcher also gathered data using comprehension
worksheets. The worksheets were given at the end of each book and focused on
assessing critical thinking, reading skills, speaking skills, spellings and writing which
is preparation for Cambridge young learners‘ exam. Vocabulary worksheets based on
matching the word to its meaning were used to assess receptive vocabulary
acquisition by the participants. Receptive vocabulary includes familiar words
understood when they occur in reading material or heard in conversation (Morgan
&Oberdeck, 1930).
3.5.4 Speaking Fluency Form
Also, the researcher used speaking fluency form adopted from (TFU Foreign
Language Assessment Rubric) to measure the speaking fluency of students. The
purpose of this form was to assess the speaking ability of students in terms of
vocabulary, grammar, overall fluency, and interaction with audience .To assess the
impact of read aloud strategy on speaking fluency of the experimental group after the
intervention. Each skill in the assessment form was marked between (0-4), resulting in
an overall score between (0- 20).
3.5.5 Fiction Story Retelling Form
In addition, a fiction story retelling form was used. This form focused on
gathering data about the ability of students to tell story and how they sequenced
events, how they presented settings and characters. In addition, this form also focused
on analysing problems and their resolutions as well as level of prompting. The
researcher used the Fiction Scoring Form from the Reading A-Z website
(http://www.readinga-z.com) and asked students to retell the main story. Appendix B
is an example of the fiction retelling form. The retelling rubric consisted of six key
elements that were scored on a three point system. Three points were given for a
completely detailed retell, two points were given for a partial retell, one point was
given for a fragmentary or sketchy retell, and zero points were given for an inaccurate
retell. The researcher provided up to five to six prompts to help the student with the
retell. The students were also scored for amount of prompting they needed. The
students were given one point for high prompting, two points for medium prompting,
and three points for no prompting. The researcher added the total number of points
earned for all elements. The students were levelled as either skilled, developing, or
needs work. In order for the student to be skilled, the total must range between 15-21
points, developing is 8-14 points, and needs work fell within 0-7 points.
3.6 Instruments Validity and Reliability
 For the reliability and validity of the instruments used in the study the
researcher conducted a pilot study prior to the research for two weeks to
insure that all the tools which were used during the course of study were
reliable and valid and the researcher and the students did not face any issue
like the reading motivation questionnaire which was used as pre-test and
post-test to assess students‘ motivation towards reading which was adapted
from Heathington (1975) ) research with the title ‗The Development of Scales
to Measure Attitudes towards Reading was clear and the question were easily
readable by the students and they were able to understand the questions clearly
and were able to fill it without facing any problem.
 The vocabulary worksheets which were made by the researcher using
researcher selected vocabulary words and the comprehension worksheets
which were used after read aloud sessions are given at the back of each story
book, which are specially designed for ESL learners and are used by some
schools were validated by two expert English Language teachers of the same
level and one English language coordinator of another school, school principal
and subject specialist from two other universities. Then were administered to
the students as were approved by them for being suitable to be used for this
age group.
 Speaking Fluency assessment form which was used was adopted form (TFU
Foreign Language Assessment Rubric) which is specifically designed for the
EFL/ESL students was also verified by the expert linguists before use for
reliability and validity in the same manner as mentioned above.
 The fiction story retelling form which was adopted from
(http://www.readinga-z.com) and was used by other researchers in their
studies also mentioned previously therefore makes it a valid tool to measure
the retelling ability of the students after the intervention.

3.7 Variables
3.7.1 Independent Variable
As per the aim of this study, the independent variable is the Read Aloud
method of instruction that is conducted with primary students. Therefore, it includes
overall instructions undertaken by the teacher, as well as the resources and content
being utilized, to enhance English language skills of the students.

3.7.2 Dependent Variable
In case of the dependent variable, it is the impact of the read aloud on
students‘ comprehension, vocabulary development, oral fluency and motivation
towards reading.
3.8 Research Procedure for the Intervention
In order to deliver the intervention, the researcher requested the school
administration to allocate a special time during the term for the research process. The
subjects were encouraged to get involved in read aloud sessions and conduct group
discussions.
Interactive read aloud technique was used as an instrument in the study.
During interactive read aloud students were provided with contextual activities to
enhance their vocabulary and learn the meanings of unknown words. Vocabulary
enhancement also contributes in improving reading comprehension skills and oral
language skills language (Hickman, Pollard-Durodola, and Vaughn (2004). In this
study as mentioned in the research design, experimental group was taught with the
read aloud strategy and control group with the traditional method. The pre –test and
post-test data was collected in the form of vocabulary tests, comprehension
worksheets, oral retellings and motivation towards reading and was then compared for
both the groups‘ i-e experimental group and control group.
The researcher also used tonal variations in the voice while reading aloud the
story in order to emphasize on emotions. The aim was to develop connection between
words and emotions so that students can retain the meaning and intensity of words
with the emotions that are being displayed in the story through words and variations
in voice tone (Muslem & Abbas, 2017).

The aim of read aloud strategy is to improve the understanding for each stage
and also enable the researcher to elaborate partial and total impacts of read aloud
based intervention exercises conducted during the research process (Hemming, et al.,
2011). The total study period was one academic year of school. Total nine read aloud
sessions were carried out in the course of the academic year. A pre-test and post- test
was held for each session. Every read aloud session was conducted over eight periods
of 40 minutes each, spread over two weeks. Sometimes two periods were combined if
the activity required more time.
Furthermore, the researcher identified weekly goals that were assigned in
accordance with each target to make general assessment and evaluation of progress of
research project. Through division into procedural stages, the researcher created a
functional timeline which was segregated into measurable components. Overall it can
be inferred that by division of project into stages, the researcher was able to better
account the development and progress of subjects and the changes in their skills as
well as accomplishment of pre-determined goals and targets. These stages were
followed throughout the intervention in each of the nine sessions respectively. The
experimental group was introduced to the story through read aloud strategy and
control group was taught in a traditional way.

Strategies Applied During Intervention for Each Session
Table 3.2
Strategies of Intervention
Read aloud Pre- Procedural Stages of Read Aloud Session for 2 Weeks Post-
sessions 1- 9 test test
Vocabulary Prediction Inference Critical Motivation
introduction Questions Questions thinking Questions
and Book skills
talk
RA1       
RA2       
RA3       
RA4       
RA5       
RA6       
RA7       
RA8       
RA9       
 Pre- Reading activities were done with the students. Book talk/Picture talk was done,
vocabulary words were discussed and meanings were given, title and front cover of
the book was discussed and prediction questions related to the book were done in
detail for the better understanding of the story book and to enhance predicting skills.
 While Reading The teacher read the story with fluency, expression, correct stress and
intonation and variation in tone to attract students and maintain their interest and to
give them a sample of fluent oral language to enhance their oral language. Teacher
made sure that students were able to see the pictures as the pictures acted as an aid for
the students to understand the story better and also paused and explained the
vocabulary words. During read aloud the teacher also asked the students questions
relating text-to –text, text –to –self and text –to –world to motivate students to read
and also to see their level of understanding. Questioning was also done to involve the
students in the text and to make the session interactive.
 After Read Aloud Session: After read aloud session vocabulary revisits were also
done for further reinforcement of the vocabulary words and students also read the
book for reinforcement. Vocabulary and comprehension related exercises; oral
fluency assessment along with oral retelling of the story was done as post- test.
Vocabulary post -test were same as the pre-test given to the students in both the
groups control and experimental.
3.9 Read Aloud Procedural Stages for Each 2 Weeks Session
Total nine Read Aloud sessions were conducted with the experimental group
over a course of the academic year. A detailed breakdown of these stages is given
below.
Day 1 /Week1
Students in both the groups i.e. control and experimental were given the
reading motivation form to complete as pre-test evaluation before the start of first
read aloud session.
Then the students were given a vocabulary pre-test of teacher selected
vocabulary words from the selected story.
Book talk was done by the teacher to introduce the selected vocabulary words
by discussing and showing the vocabulary words pictures and then wrote the words
on the board. Title and front cover of the book were discussed by asking to predict
what the story is about, what they think is going to happen in the story for better
understanding of the book.

Picture talk for pre-viewing the story was also done in order to enhance
critical thinking, prediction and inference skills.
The teacher then introduced the story to both the groups, in which the
experimental group was introduced through a read aloud strategy and the control
group through traditional storytelling. The pre reading stage of book talk and picture
talk was initiated and the story was narrated with fluency and expression. Teacher
paused to build background knowledge and comprehension throughout the story.
Teacher also encouraged the students to ask questions where they didn‘t understand.
After the read aloud session was completed teacher asked the follow up questions for
comprehension and to keep the students involved in the story.
Then the students were asked to open their own story book and then had the
students listen and follow along as she read the story. Once again the researcher
encouraged students to stop and think about the story and ask any questions they had.
The researcher paused and asked comprehension questions to help build meaning of
the story. The researcher also paused on the vocabulary words and discussed the
meanings of the words in context for better understanding.
Day2/Week 1
Vocabulary re-visit was done by showing them the picture of each teacher
selected vocabulary word and then students were asked what the word was, they were
also asked to use the word in a sentence or give definition of the word after discussing
with their partner. Some pictures from the story book were also discussed for
reinforcement.
The teacher asked questions related to the story which helped students to
deepen their understanding about the characters‘ feelings, actions about the setting
and the problem and solution in the story to enhance critical thinking skills. Students
were encouraged to ask questions and give their views to show understanding and
level of interest. To elicit answers from the story teacher asked questions like
 Who was bad in the story?
 Who was clever?
 Why did the witch give Hansel and Gretel lots of food?
Day 3/Week 2
Teacher broke the class into two teams and played a story review game.
Teacher asked one student from each team to come in front of the class and asked the
comprehension questions based on inference and critical thinking. This activity
enhanced their oral language and motivation towards reading.
Day4/Week2
Students did teacher selected vocabulary worksheet and comprehension
worksheets related to the story book as post-test.
Day5/Week2
After the recap of the story and teacher selected vocabulary words teacher
conducted the story retelling session which was assessed through Fiction story
retelling form taken from (Reading A-Z website (http://www.readinga-z.com) to
know the comprehension level and to see which vocabulary words were used and how
well the students recalled the story according to the sequence of events during
retelling along with that also assessed them on their oral fluency as post-test.
After the last read aloud session students were given the reading motivation
form as post- test.

Monthly Schedule of Nine Picture Story Books and Vocabulary Words
Table 3.3
Name of Story and Vocabulary Words of Each Book Covered in Each Month
Month Picture Story Book Vocabulary Words

September Puss in Boots Partridge carriage ogre mill
Idea lord master
October Rapunzel Prince witch lettuce tower
Thorn palace
November Snow White and Seven dwarf huntsman ribbons few
Dwarfs hurt
December The Jungle Book Kite panther python strong safe
January Jack and the Beanstalk Beanstalk magic harp wake up
Throw giant
February Hansel and Gretel Cage witch aunt oven elves
March The Pony School News Hug terrible funny tiara
Twilight
April The Elves and the Downstairs surprised elves
Shoemaker shoemaker leather
May The Red Knight Armour joust lance neck break
3.10 Data Analysis
The gathered data was being analysed by using inferential and descriptive
statistics. For the purpose of comparing the performance of the students before and
after the said intervention, the pre and post tests and its outcomes were assessed and
analysed by incorporating paired sample t-test. Hence, data was generated on excel
sheet where mean, standard deviation, gain scores and effect size was calculated by
Hedges‘ method and represented by Hedges‘ g. .

Research Questions, Data Sources and Analysis
Table 3.4
Data Sources and Analysis Procedure
Questions Data sources Analysis
What is the impact of read Teacher created vocabulary Paired Sample T- test, Gain
aloud using picture books pre-test and post-test Score and Effect Size
on the vocabulary of
primary level students‘ in
order to understand
stories?
Does the reading aloud
strategy increase students‘ Students Self Perceived Paired sample T- test, Gain Score
desire to read? Motivation towards and Effect Size
Does read aloud improve Reading Questionnaire
students‘ fluency in Speaking fluency Mean Standard Deviation Effect
speaking and building their assessment rubric Size
confidence?
To what extent does read
aloud strategy help Reading comprehension Numerically
Pakistani students in worksheets
improving their reading Mean Standard Deviation Effect
Fiction story retelling form Size
comprehension at primary
level?
3.11 Reliability and Validity
Reliability refers to degree to which the methods and techniques applied in a
study are replicable by other researchers, while validity refers to the degree of
similarity in results and conclusions produced by the methods, provided that they are
repeated by the other researchers. In case of this study, it can be assumed that there is
high level of reliability as the methods and techniques applied in designing and
conducting the research process have been explained in detail. Data collection
methods, sampling techniques, and data analysis techniques are fully described so that
other researchers can replicate them without any significant hurdle. However, the
validity of the study is limited. This is based on the rationale that the intervention used
in this study and the results produced by the intervention are highly dependent upon
the sample members (i.e. students) and the teachers involved. Therefore it is highly
likely that the degree of success of the intervention will vary if students and teachers
are changed. If other researchers conduct the same study with different sample, the
impact of the read aloud based teaching intervention and the outcomes produced by it
are most likely to vary. However, it can be fairly assumed that the overall general
results and conclusions will remain the same. It is assumed that the intervention will
produce positive impact on reading, comprehension, and vocabulary of students in
primary school even if the students and teachers involved are changed. Therefore, the
validity of the results and conclusions produced in this study is assumed to be
reasonably high.
3.12 Ethical Considerations
It is important to note that this study involved young children which are
considered as a vulnerable segment of the population. In social research community,
special considerations are developed and implemented to protect vulnerable groups
particularly children from all sorts of mental, emotional, and physical harm.
Furthermore, the researcher also gained consent from school administration as well as
from parents of subjects prior to sampling process. In addition, the researcher also
used APA referencing style to prevent plagiarism and to provide proper credit to all
the works that have been used in developing this study. In addition, the name of the
school, and details of students are kept anonymous and confidential which is a critical
aspect in social research ethical principles.

CHAPTER 4
RESULTS
4.1 Introduction
The results of the study which is based on the development of read aloud
focused model to enhance reading comprehension skills and vocabulary of primary
level students are incorporated in this chapter. The results of this study are in
accordance with the objectives of the study which are discussed in the prior parts of
this study. Moreover, these results answer the research questions that were provided
in the first chapter of this study. This chapter includes data analysis results of
experimental group and control group that are obtained before and after the
intervention. These results play a significant role in achieving the aim of this study as
they answer all the questions that were developed in order to obtain the purpose of
this study.
 The comprehension test analysis has been discussed in this chapter in terms of
percentage. The results of comprehension test analysis helps in order to
identify the role of comprehension in the enhancement of literacy skills and
vocabulary among the primary level students.
 The fictional story re-telling analysis is also included in this chapter which
helps in order to identify the impact of fictional story re-telling on the
enhancement of reading comprehension skills and vocabulary of primary level
students. It is necessary in order to identify the role of fictional story re-telling
because it can enhance the reading comprehension skills and vocabulary of
primary level students. For this purpose, the results that are related to fictional
story re-telling are discussed in detail and included in this chapter.

Comparison between experimental group and control group is given on post-
test in terms of effect size and mean difference.
 This chapter also includes the vocabulary test analysis which was conducted
on students before and after the intervention and then were analysed
statistically. This was done in order to identify the impact of read aloud on
experimental group in the learning of vocabulary. For this purpose
experimental group and control group were compared on the pre-test and post-
test scores and on the gain scores by using paired sample t-test. Effect size was
also calculated and reported with 95% confidence interval.
 Furthermore, the speaking fluency analysis has also been discussed in this
chapter. This speaking fluency analysis identifies its role on the enhancement
of oral fluency and vocabulary of the primary level students. The results of
speaking fluency analysis are provided later in this chapter which includes
comprehensive discussion of the findings. Speaking fluency post- test results
of experimental group and control group were compared and effect size was
calculated.
 This chapter includes analysis and comparison of experimental group and
control group pre-test and post-test of reading motivation questionnaire which
identify the reading behaviour of the primary level students before and after
the application of the read aloud teaching strategy. Effect size was calculated
for both the groups and reported with 95% confidence interval. This helps in
order to identify what makes the students motivated and encouraged to read
the books for enhancing their comprehension skills and vocabulary.

4.2 Effect of Intervention on Reading Comprehension
The students from the control group and experimental group were given
comprehension worksheets based on each of the story book as post-test. Experimental
group was taught with read aloud strategy and control group in a traditional way and
later students in both the groups were made to read on their own. The comprehension
worksheets that were provided to the children were targeting their critical thinking,
inference and prediction skills along with spellings, meanings of the words in context
and specific text based questions. Story wise analysis is given in each table.
Table 4.1
Puss in Boot Story Comprehension Results of EG and CG
Story 1: Puss in Boots Word Meaning in Context
Group 0-20 % 21-40 % 41-60 % 61-80 % 81-100 %
Experimental Group N=15 (6.7%) (20%) (6.7%) (40%) (26.7%)
Control Group (40.0%) (33.3%) (13.3%) (6.7%) (6.7%)
N=15
Text based questions
Experimental Group N=15 (13.3%) (33.3%) (33.3%) (13.3%) (6.7%)
Control Group (40.0%) (33.3%) (20%) (0%) (6.7%)
N=15
Critical thinking questions
Experimental Group N=15 (0%) (0%) (6.7%) (53.3%) (40%)
Control Group (53.3%) (13.3%) (20%) (0%) (13.3%)
N=15
Inferential questions from the text
Experimental Group N=15 (6.7%) (20%) (26.7%) (0%) (46.7%)
Control Group (73.3%) (6.7%) (13.3%) (0%) (6.7%)
N=15
Prediction questions
Experimental Group N=15 (6.7%) (20%) (6.7%) (26.7%) (40%)
Control Group (80%) (6.7%) (0%) (6.7%) (6.7%)
N=15
Table 4.1 shows the comprehension results of the story Puss in Boots in which
majority of the experimental group students had performed 61% to 80% in word
meaning in context while majority of the students in control group percentages were
0% to 20%. Similarly, in text based question and answers majority of the
experimental group students percentages were 41% to 60%. While in control group
students‘ percentages were between 0% - 20%. In critical thinking section majority of
the experimental group student and control group percentage were 61%-80% and 0%
to20 respectively. In drawing inference from the text section majority of the
experimental group students‘ percentages were between 41%-60% and majority of the
control group students‘ percentages were between 0%-20%. In prediction section
majority of the experimental group students‘ percentages were between 61%-80%
while control group students‘ percentages were between 0%-20%.

Table 4.2
Rapunzel Story Comprehension Results of EG and CG
Story 2: Rapunzel Word Meaning in context
0-20% 21-40 % 41-60 % 61-80 % 81-100 %

Group
Experimental Group N=15 (6.7%) (13.3%) (13.3%) (33.3%) (33.3%)
Control Group (20%) (46.7%) (6.7%) (6.7%) (20%)
N=15
Experimental Group N=15 (0%) (20%) (26.7%) (40%) (6.7%)
Control Group (6.7%) (33.3%) (33.3%) (20%) (6.7%)
N=15
Experimental Group N=15 (0%) (0%) (6.7%) (46.7%) (46.7%)
Control Group (40.0%) (33.3%) (13.3%) (0%) (13.3%)
N=15
Experimental Group N=15 (6.7%) (20%) (20%) (6.7%) (46.7%)
Control Group (73.3%) (13.3%) (6.7%) (0%) (6.7%)
N=15
Experimental Group N=15 (6.7%) (13.3%) (0%) (33.3%) (46.7%)
Control Group (66.6%) (6.7%) (0%) (6.7%) (20%)
N=15
Table 4.2 shows results of Rapunzel story in which majority of the
experimental group students had performed between 80% to 100% .Word meanings in
context section 46.7% of the control group students lie between 21% to 40%.
Similarly, in text based question and answers majority of the experimental group
students performed 61% to 80% while control group students performed
between41%to 60%. In critical thinking section majority of the experimental group
students and control group students percentages were between 81%-100% and 0%-
20%. In inferring from the text section majority of the experimental group students
percentages were 81%-100% and in control group majority of the students scored
between 0%-20%. In prediction section majority of the experimental group students
scored between 81%-100 % while control group students scored between 0%-20%.
Table 4.3
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Story Comprehension Results of EG and CG
Story 3: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Word Meaning in
context
Group 0-20 % 21-40% 41-60% 61-80% 81-100%

Experimental Group (6.7%) (13.3%) (20%) (40%) (20%)
N=15
Control Group N=15 (33.3%) (46.7%) (13.3%) (0%) (6.7%)
Experimental Group (13.3%) (33.3%) (33.3%) (13.3%) (6.7%)
N=15
Control Group N=15 (40.0%) (33.3%) (20%) (0%) (6.7%)
Experimental Group (0%) (0%) (6.7%) (46.7%) (46.7%)
N=15
Control Group N=15 (33.3%) (33.3%) (26.7%) (0%) (6.7%)
Experimental Group (13.3%) (20%) (20%) (0%) (46.7%)
N=15
Control Group N=15 (53.3%) (13.3%) (20%) (0%) (13.3%)
Experimental Group (20%) (13.3%) (0%) (26.7%) (40%)
N=15
Control Group N=15 (66.6%) (6.7%) (6.7%) (6.7%) (13.3%)
Table 4.3 shows story Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs comprehension
results in which majority of the experimental group students had performed between
61% to 80 % in word meaning in context section while control group students scored
between 21% to 40%. Similarly, in answers to text based questions majority of the
experimental group students performed 41% to 60% while control group students
scored between 0% to 20%. In critical thinking section majority of the experimental
group students and control group students percentages were between 81%-100% and
0%-20%respectively. In inference from the context section majority of the
experimental group students‘ percentages were between 81%-100% and in control
group majority of the students scored between 0%-20%. In prediction section majority
of the experimental group percentages were between 81%-100% while control group
students percentages were between 0%-20%.

Table 4.4
The Jungle Book Story Comprehension Results of EG and CG
Story 4: The Jungle Book Word Meaning in Context
Group 0-20 % 21-40% 41-60 % 61-80 % 81-100 %
Experimental Group N=15 (13.3%) (26.7%) (26.7%) (0%) (33.3%)
Control Group N=15 (40%) (33.3%) (13.3%) (6.7%) (6.7%)
Experimental Group N=15 (26.7%) (26.7%) (26.7%) (0%) (20%)
Control Group N=15 (26.7%) (53.3%) (6.7%) (0%) (13.3%)
Experimental Group N=15 (20%) (33.3%) (13.3%) (0%) (33.3%)
Control Group N=15 (46.7%) (26.7%) (13.3%) (0%) (13.3%)
Experimental Group N=15 (26.7%) (26.7%) (33.3%) (0%) (13.3%)
Control Group N=15 (46.7%) (40%) (6.7%) (0%) (6.7%)
Experimental Group N=15 (20%) (26.7%) (20%) (0%) (33.3%)
Control Group N=15 (46.7%) (26.7%) (20%) (0%) (6.7%)
Table 4.4 shows The Jungle Book story comprehension worksheet results in
which majority of the experimental group students had performed between 81% -
100% in the word meaning in context section while control group students lie
between 21%- 40%. Similarly, in answers to text based questions majority of the
experimental group students performed between 41% - 60% while control group
students performed between 21% - 40%. In critical thinking questions section
majority of the experimental group students and control group students percentages
were between 81% -100% and 0%-20%respectively. In drawing inference from the
text section majority of the experimental group students percentages were between
41%-60% and majority of the control group students ‗percentages were between 0%-
20%. In prediction questions section majority of the experimental group students‘
percentages were between 81%-100% while control group students percentages were
between 0%-20%.
Table 4.5
Jack and the Beanstalk Story Comprehension Results of EG and CG
Story 5: Jack and the Beanstalk Word Meaning in Context
Group 0-20 % 21-40 % 41-60 % 61-80 % 81-100 %
Experimental Group
(6.7%) (20%) (20%) (0%) (53.3%)
N=15
Control Group N=15 (40%) (33.3%) (13.3%) (6.7%) (6.7%)
Experimental Group
(20%) (20%) (20%) (0%) (40%)
N=15
Control Group
(46.7%) (26.7%) (13.3%) (0%) (13.3%)
N=15
Experimental Group
(13.3%) (20%) (13.3%) (0%) (53.3%)
N=15
Control Group
(53.3%) (33.3%) (6.7%) (0%) (6.7%)
N=15
Experimental Group
(26.7%) (20%) (26.7%) (0%) (26.7%)
N=15
Control Group
(46.7%) (40%) (6.7%) (0%) (6.7%)
N=15
Experimental Group
(6.7%) (20%) (20%) (0%) (53.3%)
N=15
Control Group
(46.7%) (13.3%) (26.7%) (0%) (13.3%)
N=15
Table 4.5 shows story Jack and the Beanstalk comprehension worksheet
results in which the majority of the experimental group students had performed
between 81%-100 % in the word meaning in context section while control group
students were between 0% - 20%. Similarly, in text specific question and answers
majority of the experimental group students performed between 81% - 100% while
control group students performed between 0% - 20%. In critical thinking section
majority of experimental group students and control group students ‗percentages were
81%-100% and 0%-20%. In drawing inference from the text section majority of the
experimental group students‘ percentages were between 81%-100% and in control
group majority of the students ‗percentages were between 0%-20%. In prediction
section majority of the experimental group students‘ percentages were between 81%-
100% while control group students‘ percentages were between 0%-20%.

Table 4 6
Hansel and Gretel Story Comprehension Results of EG and CG
Story 6: Hansel and Gretel Word Meaning in Context
Group 0-20% 21-40 % 41-60% 61-80 % 81-100%
Experimental Group
(0%) (6.7%) (40%) (0%) (53.3%)
N=15
Control Group
(20%) (26.7%) (33.3%) (6.7%) (13.3%)
N=15
Experimental Group
(6.7%) (13.3%) (13.3%) (46.7%) (20%)
N=15
Control Group
(20%) (26.7%) (40%) (0%) (13.3%)
N=15
Experimental Group
(6.7%) (13.3%) (20%) (0%) (60%)
N=15
Control Group
(53.3%) (20%) (13.3%) (0%) (13.3%)
N=15
Experimental Group
(26.7%) (20%) (13.3%) (0%) (40%)
N=15
Control Group N=15 (60%) (6.7%) (13.3%) (0%) (20%)
Experimental Group
(6.7%) (13.3%) (13.3%) (0%) (66.7%)
N=15
Control Group
(40%) (20%) (20%) (0%) (20%)
N=15
Table 4.6 shows story Hansel and Gretel comprehension results in which
majority of the experimental group students had performed between 81% to 100% in
word meaning in context while control group students performed between 41% to 60%.
Similarly, in text specific question and answers majority of the experimental group
students performed between 61% to 80% while control group students performed
between 41% to 60% . In critical thinking section majority of the experimental group
students and control group students percentages were between 81%-100% and 0%-20%
respectively. In drawing inference from the text section majority of the experimental
group students‘ percentages were between 81%-100% and in control group majority of
the students‘ percentages were between 0%-20%. In prediction section majority of the
experimental group students percentages were between 81%-100% while in control
group students‘ percentages were between 0%-20% .

Table 4.7
The Pony School News Story Comprehension Results of EG and CG
Story 7: The Pony School News Word Meaning in Context
Group 0-20% 21-40% 41-60% 61-80 % 81-100%
Experimental Group
(0%) (6.7%) (40%) (0%) (53.3%)
N=15
Control Group
(33.3%) (20%) (13.3%) (6.7%) (13.3%)
N=15
Experimental Group
(6.7%) (13.3%) (6.7%) (60%) (13.30%)
N=15
Control Group
(40%) (20%) (13.3%) (13.3%) (13.3%)
N=15
Experimental Group
(6.7%) (13.3%) (20%) (13.3%) (46.7%)
N=15
Control Group
(60%) (13.3%) (13.3%) (0%) (13.3%)
N=15
Experimental Group
(26.7%) (20%) (13.3%) (13.3%) (26.7%)
N=15
Control Group
(53.3%) (20%) (13.3%) (0%) (13.3%)
N=15
Experimental Group
(6.7%) (13.3%) (13.3%) (13.3%) (53.3%)
N=15
Control Group
(53.3%) (20%) (13.3%) (0%) (13.3%)
N=15
Table 4.7 shows story The Pony School News comprehension results in which
majority of the experimental group students had performed between 81% to 100% in
word meaning in context while control group students performed between 5% to 20%.
between 0% to 20%. In critical thinking section majority of the experimental group
students and control group students percentages were between 81%-100% and 0%-
20% respectively. In drawing inference from the text section majority of the
experimental group students‘ percentages were between 81%-100% and majority of
the control group students performed between 0%-20% . In prediction section
majority of the experimental group students‘ percentage were between 81%-100%
while control group students‘ percentages were between 0%-20% .

Table 4.8
Elves and the Shoemaker Story Comprehension Results of EG and CG
Story 8: Elves and the Shoemaker Word Meaning in Context
Group 0-20% 21-40 % 41-60% 61-80 % 81-100 %
Experimental Group
(0%) (0%) (26.7%) (6.7%) (66.7%)
N=15
Control Group
(26.7%) (13.3%) (26.7%) (13.3%) (20%)
N=15
Experimental Group
(6.7%) (6.7%) (6.7%) (26.7%) (53.3%)
N=15
Control Group
(33.3%) (13.3%) (20%) (13.3%) (20%)
N=15
Experimental Group
(6.7%) (13.3%) (0%) 0(0%) 12(80%)
N=15
Control Group
(46.7%) (13.3%) (20%) (6.7%) (13.3%)
N=15
Experimental Group
(13.3%) (0%) (6.7%) (0%) (80%)
N=15
Control Group
(60%) (20%) (0%) (6.7%) (13.3%)
N=15
Experimental Group
(0%) (13.3%) (6.7%) (0%) (80%)
N=15
Control Group
(46.7%) (26.7%) (13.3%) (6.7%) (6.7%)
N=15
Table: 8 shows story Elves and the Shoemaker comprehension results in
which majority of the experimental group students had performed between 81% to
100% in word meaning in context section while control group students scored
between 0% to 20% . Similarly, in text specific question and answers majority of the
experimental group students performed between 81% to 100 % while control group
students performed between 0% to 20% . In critical thinking section majority of the
experimental group students‘ and control group students‘ percentages were between
81%-100% and 0%-20% respectively . In drawing inference from the text section
majority of the experimental group students percentages were between 81%-100%
and majority of the control group students‘ percentages were between 0%-20%. In
prediction majority of the experimental group students‘ percentages were between
81%-100% while control group students‘ percentages were between were 0%-20%.
Table 4.9
The Red Knight Story Comprehension Results of EG and CG
Story 9: Red Knight Word Meaning in Context
Group 0-20 % 21-40% 41-60% 61-80% 81-100 %
Experimental Group
(0%) (0%) (26.7%) (20%) (53.3%)
N=15
Control Group
(20%) (20%) (26.7%) (13.3%) (20%)
N=15
Experimental Group
(6.7%) (6.7%) (6.7%) (40%) (40%)
N=15
Control Group
(13.3%) (46.7%) (13.3%) (13.3%) (13.3%)
N=15
Experimental Group
(6.7%) (13.3%) (13.3%) (20%) (46.7%)
N=15
Control Group
(33.3%) (26.7%) (20%) (6.7%) (13.3%)
N=15
Experimental Group
(13.3%) (0%) (20%) (0%) (66.7%)
N=15
Control Group
(40%) (40%) (0%) (6.7%) (13.3%)
N=15
Experimental Group
(0%) (13.3%) (26.7%) (0%) (60%)
N=15
Control Group
(40%) (33.3%) (13.3%) (6.7%) (6.7%)
N=15
Table: 9 shows story the Red Knight comprehension results in which majority
of the experimental group students had performed between 81% to 100% in word
meaning in context while control group students performed between 41% to 60% .
between 21% to 40% . In critical thinking section majority of the experimental group
students‘ and control group students‘ percentages were 81%-100% and 0%-20%
respectively. In drawing inference from the text section majority of the experimental
group students percentages were between 81%-100% and majority of the control
group students were between 21%-40%. In prediction section majority of the
experimental group students‘ percentages were between 81%-100% while control
group students‘ percentages were between 0%-20% .

4.3 Effect of Intervention on Story Re-Telling and Comprehension
Fiction is considered to be one of the effective techniques that provoke the
minds of students‘ to think beyond and out of the box. In this regard, fiction helps the
minds to stimulate the limbic centre of the brain to alter the way of thinking. The form
on which students have been assessed has been obtained from Lauren Ratliff (2015)
after taking due permission. According to the research of Ratliff (2015), fiction story
re-telling improves with the passage of time as the skills were assessed week by week.
Therefore, the tutors in their classes use fiction as a supportive material to help the
students comprehend the concepts of the world in a better manner. It further helps
them analyse the real life situations from different perspectives and dimensions to
explore new outlook to the solution of a specific problem. Pertaining to these aspects,
the researcher of the study attempted to improve the skills of the student related to
store re-telling in the case of fictional stories. The technique that has been employed
to enhance these skills is read aloud in this study. The research of Ratliff (2015) also
used the same technique which proved to be significant in this aspect of fiction story
re-telling, however, the process was gradual. The researcher utilised the technique in
the class on the primary level students. Moreover, the researcher used different story
books along with pictures to enhance the memory and retention power of the students
on the experimental group. The scale that the researcher has undertaken ranges from 0
to 4 where a total score between 0 to 6 asserts that the student needs work, the total
score between 7 to 11 asserts that the student is developing his or her skills while
scores above 12 indicates that the student has developed the skills completely.
Concerning the aspects mentioned, the results of the post tests are shown story wise in
tabular form.
Table 4.10
Retelling Scores of Five Stories and Calculation of Effect size, Mean and Standard Deviation
Total
Stories Groups Beginning Setting Character Problem Sequence Resolution
Score
Experimental
N 15 15 15 15 15 15 15
M 2.133 2.2 2.067 2.067 1.867 1.933 12.267
SD 0.834 0.862 0.884 0.961 0.834 0.961 2.086
Control
Puss in
N 15 15 15 15 15 15 15
Boots
M 1.067 1.133 1.133 1.133 1.067 1.133 6.667
SD 1.1 0.99 1.06 1.125 0.799 1.06 2.582
Me-Mc 1.067 1.067 0.933 0.933 0.8 0.8 5.6
T 2.993 3.147 2.619 2.442 2.683 2.165 6.534
p-value 0.006 0.004 0.014 0.021 0.012 0.039 0.000
ES 1.09 1.15 0.95 0.89 0.97 0.79 2.38
Experimental
N 15 15 15 15 15 15 15
M 1.667 2.2 2 2 1.733 1.8 11.4
SD 0.976 0.862 0.845 0.926 0.799 0.941 1.882
Control
N 15 15 15 15 15 15 15
Rapunzel
M 1.067 1 0.933 0.933 0.933 0.733 5.6
SD 0.884 1.069 1.1 1.1 0.458 0.799 1.92
Me-Mc 0.6 1.2 1.067 1.067 0.8 1.067 5.8
T 1.765 3.384 2.978 2.874 3.365 3.347 8.355
p-value 0.088 0.002 0.006 0.008 0.002 0.002 0
ES 0.65 1.24 1.09 1.05 1.24 1.23 3.06
Experimental
N 15 15 15 15 15 15 15
M 2.067 2.267 1.933 2.067 1.933 2.267 12.533
SD 0.799 0.799 0.799 0.961 0.884 0.799 2.264
Snow Control
White and N 15 15 15 15 15 15 15
the Seven M 1.2 1.133 1 1.067 1.067 0.867 6.333
Dwarfs SD 0.862 1.06 1.134 1.1 0.458 0.834 2.127
Me-Mc 0.867 1.133 0.933 1 0.867 1.4 6.2
T 2.856 3.307 2.606 2.652 3.373 4.696 7.731
p-value 0.008 0.003 0.015 0.013 0.002 0 0
ES 1.04 1.2 0.95 0.96 1.24 1.72 2.63
Experimental
The Jungle
Book N 15 15 15 15 15 15 15
M 2 2.0667 1.8 2 1.8667 2 11.7333
SD 0.75593 0.7988 0.7746 1 0.83381 0.84515 2.18654

Control
N 15 15 15 15 15 15 15
M 1.3333 1.2667 1 1.2 1.2 1 7
SD 0.8165 1.0328 1.13389 1.0823 0.56061 0.84515 2.20389
Me-Mc 0.667 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.667 1 4.733
T 2.32 2.373 2.256 2.103 2.57 3.24 5.905
p-value 0.028 0.025 0.032 0.045 0.016 0.003 0
ES 0.701 0.739 0.718 0.635 0.722 0.966 1.763
Experimental
N 15 15 15 15 15 15 15
M 2.267 2.267 1.8 2.067 2 2.133 12.533
SD 0.799 0.799 0.775 1.033 0.926 0.99 2.416
Jack and Control
the N 15 15 15 15 15 15 15
Beanstalk M 1.6 1.467 1.2 1.267 1.333 1.2 8.067
SD 0.828 1.06 1.207 1.163 0.724 0.941 3.15
Me-Mc 0.667 0.8 0.6 0.8 0.667 0.933 4.467
T 2.244 2.334 1.62 1.992 2.197 2.646 4.357
p-value 0.033 0.027 0.116 0.056 0.036 0.013 0
ES 0.673 0.730 0.520 0.606 0.630 0.782 1.359
Table 4.10 shows retelling scores of five stories after the intervention of both
the groups. Post-test scores of experimental group in story Puss in Boots were
significantly higher than those of control group (p=<0.000) and effect size on gain
score of experimental group was also significant as compared to control group
Hedges‘ g=2.38. In second story Rapunzel post-test scores of experimental group
were significantly higher than those of control group (p=<0.000) and effect size on
gain score on story elements considered for scoring rubric Hedges‘= 3.06
In the third story Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs scores of experimental
group were higher than control group with statistically significant (p=<0.000). The
difference between experimental and control group mean scores was (M=1.4).
Moreover, in the story Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs the effect size on the
elements of the story which were taken into consideration while scoring the retelling
Hedges‘ g= 2.63 was also significant as compared to the control group.
In the fourth story The Jungle Book experimental group results were
significantly higher (p=<0.000) and the overall effect size on gain scores on the
elements of the story which were taken into consideration while scoring the retelling
which were beginning, setting, character, problem, sequence, resolution Hedges‘
g=1.76 was also significantly higher for experimental group.
In the fifth story Jack and the Beanstalk the retelling scores of experimental
group were statistically significant (p=<0.000) and (M=8.067, SD=3.15). The effect
size on gain scores on overall story retelling Hedges‘ g = 1.35 scores.

Table 4.11
Story Retelling Scores of Four Stories and Calculation of Effect Size, Mean and
Standard Deviation
Stories Groups Beginning Setting Character Problem Sequence Resolution Total score
Experimental
N 15 15 15 15 15 15 15
M 2.267 2.467 1.867 2.133 2.133 2.4 13.267
SD 0.799 0.743 0.834 1.06 0.834 0.632 2.374
Control
Hansel N 15 15 15 15 15 15 15
and M 1.467 1.467 1 1.133 1.2 1.2 7.467
Gretel SD 0.915 1.06 1.134 1.187 0.775 0.941 2.232
Me-Mc 0.8 1 0.867 1 0.933 1.2 5.8
T 2.55 2.991 2.385 2.433 3.176 4.099 6.893
p-value 0.017 0.006 0.024 0.022 0.004 0 0
ES 0.778 0.948 0.749 0.740 0.935 1.308 2.035
Experimental
N 15 15 15 15 15 15 15
M 2.2 2.467 2 2.267 2.2 2.467 13.6
SD 0.941 0.743 0.845 1.033 0.862 0.64 2.23
Control
The Pony N 15 15 15 15 15 15 15
School M 1.733 1.667 0.933 1.067 1.067 1.2 7.667
News SD 0.884 1.047 0.961 1.033 0.594 0.941 2.024
Me-Mc 0.467 0.8 1.067 1.2 1.133 1.267 5.933
T 1.4 2.414 3.228 3.182 4.194 4.311 7.632
p-value 0.172 0.023 0.003 0.004 0 0 0
ES 0.413 0.763 0.984 0.948 1.182 1.372 2.239
Experimental
N 15 15 15 15 15 15 15
M 2.133 2.333 2 2.267 2.2 2.467 13.4
SD 0.743 0.724 0.845 1.033 0.862 0.64 2.293
Elves and Control
the N 15 15 15 15 15 15 15
Shoemak M 1.467 1.333 0.8 0.867 1 1 6.467
er SD 1.06 1.113 1.014 0.915 0.655 0.845 2.588
Me-Mc 0.667 1 1.2 1.4 1.2 1.467 6.933
T 1.994 2.918 3.52 3.929 4.294 5.358 7.767
p-value 0.056 0.007 0.001 0.001 0 0 0
ES 0.632 0.935 1.083 1.149 1.226 1.675 2.363
Experimental
N 15 15 15 15 15 15 15
M 2.267 2.4 1.8 2 2 2.267 12.733
SD 0.704 0.737 0.941 1.134 1 0.884 3.327
Control
N 15 15 15 15 15 15 15
The Red M 0.87 1.4 0.8 0.933 1.067 1 6.067
Knight SD 0.915 1.056 1.014 0.884 0.704 0.756 2.492
Me-Mc 1.4 1 1 1.067 0.933 1.267 6.667
T 4.696 3.009 2.799 2.874 2.956 4.219 6.212
p-value 0 0.005 0.009 0.008 0.006 0 0
ES 1.464 0.953 0.845 0.824 0.835 1.226 1.771
The above table 4.11 shows the retelling scores of sixth, seventh, eighth and
ninth story after the intervention. The post test results reveal that experimental group
scores were significantly higher than those of control group (p=<0.000). The effect
size on gain scores on the elements of the story which were taken into consideration
Hedges‘ g= 2.03 was higher than control group.
In the seventh story The Pony School News the retelling scores after
intervention were statistically significant (p=<0.000). The effect size on gain scores
on the elements of the story which were taken into consideration while scoring the
retelling hedges‘ g = 2.23 scores.
In the eight story The Elves and the Shoemaker experimental group
performance was statistically significant (p=<0.000) and (M=6.46,SD=2.58). The
effect size on gain scores on elements of story taken into consideration hedges‘ g=
2.36 was also higher for experimental group.
In the ninth story also which is The Red Knight experimental group scores
were statistically significant (p=<0.000). The effect size on gain scores on the
elements of the story which were taken into consideration while scoring Hedges‘
g=1.77. It is evident from the above scores of experimental group which were
significantly higher than control group in all the nine story retellings that read aloud
teaching strategy is effective in ESL context as compared to traditional method of
teaching.
Table 4.12
In Depth Comparison between EG and CG in Story Retelling Percentage Wise
Stories Groups Needs work Developing Skilled
Experimental
(0%) (93.30%) (6.70%)
Puss in Boots group
Control group (60%) (40%) (0%)
Experimental
(0%) (100%) (0%)
Rapunzel group
Control group 1(86.70%) (13.3%) (0%)
Experimental
Snow White and 0 (0%) (80%) (20%)
group
the Seven Dwarfs
Control group (80%) (20%) (0%)
Experimental
(6.7%) (80%) (13.3%)
The Jungle Book group
Control group (73.3%) (26.7%) (0%)
Experimental
Jack and the (6.7%) (80%) (13.3%)
group
Beanstalk
Control group (60%) (33.3%) (6.7%)
Experimental
(0%) (80%) (20%)
Hansel and Gretel group
Control group (66.7%) (33.3%) (0%)
Experimental
The Pony School group (0%) (80%) (20%)
News
Control group (53.3%) (46.7%) (0%)
Experimental
Elves and the (0%) (73.3%) (26.7%)
group
Shoemaker
Control group (60%) (26.6%) (13.3%)
Experimental
(6.7%) (66.7%) (26.7%)
The Red Knight group
Control group (66.7%) (20.0%) (13.3%)
Table no.4.12 shows comparison between experimental and control group
story wise in percentage which shows how many students need improvement or are
on developing stage or are skilled in retelling and comprehended the story well in a
tabular form. In the story Puss in Boots majority of the students in experimental group
93% were in developing stage and in control group majority of the students 60% need
to work.
In the story Rapunzel, 100% students in the experimental group were in
developing stage and in control group 86.70% students need to work and 13.3%
students were in developing stage.

In Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs majority of the students 80% in
experimental group were in developing stage and in control group 80% of the students
need to work and 20% students were in developing stage.
In the story the Jungle Book in the experimental group 6.7% students need to
work while 80% students were in developing stage and 13.3% students were skilled
while in control group 73.3% need to work and 26.7% students were in developing
stage.
In Jack and the Beanstalk story in the experimental group 6.7% students need
to work, 80% students were in developing stage and 13.3% students were skilled
while in control group 60% students need to work, 33.3% students were in developing
stage and 6.7% students were skilled.
In Hansel and Gretel story in the experimental group 80% students were in
developing stage and 20% students were skilled while in control group 66.7%
students need to work and 33.3% were in developing stage.
In The Pony School News story in the experimental group majority of students
80% were in developing stage and 20% students were skilled while in control group
53.3% students need to work while 46.7% students were in developing stage. In The
Elves and the Shoemaker story in the experimental group73.3% students were in
developing stage and 26.7% were skilled while in control group 60% students need to
work and 26.6% students were in developing stage and 13.3% students were skilled.
In the Red Knight story in the experimental group 6.7% students need to work,
66.7% students were in developing stage and 26.7% students were skilled while in
control group 66.7% students need to work and 20.0% students were in developing
stage and 13.3% were skilled.

4.4 Effect of Intervention on Vocabulary
The clarity and understanding of different words is the main issue among the
primary level students as they are crucial part of the conversation. For this purpose, it
is difficult in order to deny the importance of vocabulary in the real world in order to
increase the understanding and clarity in the message. However, the vocabulary
understanding is incomplete without listening carefully. This is because if the student
does not listen properly, there are increased chances that he/she might get the word
wrong. Therefore, for this purpose, the researcher used read aloud teaching strategy to
enhance students ‗concentration span and raise their level of interest.
On the basis of vocabulary worksheets, students in the control group and
experimental group have been assessed. The impact was analysed on the basis of the
scores before and after the intervention. Before the intervention, the results of control
group and experimental group students were somehow similar to each other and there
was no or minimal difference in the scores of both the groups. The results that were
obtained after the intervention were totally different. The results of control group
more or less remained same and there was not a significant change in pre-test and
post-test scores as were taught with the traditional method of teaching. On the other
hand, the results of experimental group had a significant increase in the scores that
were obtained after the intervention as they were taught with read aloud teaching
method.
Table 4.13
EG and CG Gain Scores, Mean and Standard Deviation of Four Stories in

Vocabulary Pre-test and Post-test
Puss in Boots Rapunzel Snow White The Jungle Book
Group Pre- Post- Gain Pre- Post- Gain- Pre- Post- Gain Pre- Post- Gain
test Test Scores test test Scores test test Scores test test Scores
Experimenta
l
N 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15
M 3.66 5.93 2.27 4.2 5.3333 1.13 4.26 5.6 1.33 3.2667 4.8667 1.60
7
SD 1.63 0.961 1.94 0.77 0.6172 0.74 0.45 0.5071 0.72 0.7037 0.3519 0.73
77
Control
N 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15
M 3.13 4 0.87 3.66 3.866 0.21 3.73 4.4667 0.74 2.86 3.4667 0.61
SD 1.50 1.64 1.68 0.975 0.639 0.86 1.16 0.7432 1.27 1.505 1.0601 1.35
2
Me-Mc 0.57 1.066 1.4 0.54 1.466 0.93 0.53 1.1333 0.60 0.406 1.4 0.99
7
T 0.93 2.17 2.108 1.658 6.389 3.17 1.65 4.879 3.17 0.932 4.854 2.515
3
p-value 0.36 0.039 0.04 0.109 0 0.004 0.11 0 0.125 0.359 0 0.018
ES 0.771 1.155 0.578 0.915
95% CI [0.03, [0.33, [-0.17, 1.37] [0.18,
2.76] 1.53] 1.81]
The table 4.13 shows the results of vocabulary pre-test and post-test of
experimental group and control group of four stories. In the first story Puss in Boots,
the pre-test mean scores of experimental group were (M= 3.67, SD=1.63) and control
group mean scores were (M= 3.13, SD=1.505). The mean difference is not
statistically significant (p= 0.360). However, in the post-test of experimental group
mean score was (M=5.933, SD=0.96) and mean score of control group was (M=
4.866, SD=1.64). The difference is statistically significant (p= 0.039). The mean
difference between pre-test of experimental group and control group was (M=0.573)
and mean difference between post-test of experimental group and control group was
(M=1.0660. Gain scores of experimental group on Puss in Boots story were also
significantly higher than those of control group (p= 0.04). Effect size on gain scores
on story Puss in the Boots with 95% confidence interval was 0.77[0.03, 2.76].
In the second story Rapunzel in the pre-test of experimental group mean score
(M= 4.2, SD=0.45) while control group pre-test mean score (M= 3.66, SD=0.975).
The difference is not significant (p= 0.109). However, in the post-test mean score of
experimental group (M= 5.33, SD=0.61) and post-test mean score of control group
(M= 3.86, SD=0.639). The difference is statistically significant (p= 0.000). The
results showed that there is clear difference in experimental group and control post
test score after intervention. The mean difference between pre-test of experimental
group and control group (M= 0.54) while post-test (M= 1.466). Gain scores of
experimental group on story Rapunzel were also significantly higher than those of
control group (p= 0.004). Effect size on gain scores on story Rapunzel with 95%
confidence interval was 1.15[0.33, 1.53].
In third story Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, in the pre-test experimental
group mean score was (M= 4.267, SD=0.45) control group mean score was (M=3.73,
SD=1.16). The difference is statistically not significant (p= 0.110). The difference in
mean between experimental group and control group pre-test scores was (M=0.537).
Whereas, in post-test of experimental group mean scores were (M= 5.6, SD=0.50) and
control group were (M=4.46,SD=0.74) . The difference is statistically significant
(p=<0.000). The experimental group mean score was higher in post-test on the story
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The difference in experimental group and control
group mean scores in post-test was (M= 1.13). Gain scores of experimental group on
Snow White story were not significantly higher than those of control group (p=
0.125). Effect size on gain scores on story Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs with
95% confidence interval was 0.57[-0.17, 1.37].
In the fourth story the Jungle Book pre-test mean scores of experimental were
(M= 3.267,SD=0.70) and control group mean scores were (M= 2.86,SD=1.50) with
statistically significant (p= 0.359). Similarly, the mean difference in pre-test of
experimental and control group was (M=0.406). Moreover, in the post-test

experimental group mean score was (M= 4.867, SD=0.351) and control group mean
scores were (M=3.467, SD=1.06) with statistically significant (p=<0.000). The mean
difference between experimental and control group was (M=1.4). Gain scores of
experimental group on Jungle Book story were also significantly higher than those of
control group (p= 0.01). Effect size on gain scores on the story the Jungle Book with
95% confidence interval was 0.91[0.18, 1.81].

Table 4.14
EG and CG Gain Scores, Mean and Standard Deviation of Three Stories in
Jack and the Beanstalk Hansel and Gretel The Pony School News
Pre- Post- Gain Pre- Post- Gain Pre- Post- Gain
Groups
test test Scores test test Scores test test Scores
Experim
ental
N 15 15 15 15 15 15
M 3.8667 5.6667 1.80 3.4667 4.733 1.27 3.7333 4.7333 1.00
0.7988 0.5936
SD 0.9155 0.488 0.86 0.5164 0.5936 0.59 0.75
1 2
Control
N 15 15 15 15 15 15
M 3.2 4.9333 1.73 3 3.467 0.47 3.53 3.7333 0.20
0.7988
SD 1.65 0.8837 1.38 1.55 1.0601 1.55 1.3 1.37
1
Me-Mc 0.667 0.7334 0.07 0.466 1.266 0.80 0.203 1 0.80
T 1.364 2.814 0.158 1.1 4.038 1.86 0.507 3.892 1.977
p-value 0.183 0.009 0.87 0.28 0 0.042 0.616 0.001 0.048
ES 0.58 0.682 0.721
[-0.79, [-0.07, [-0.02,
95% CI
0.93] 1.67] 1.62]
The above table 4.14 shows that in the fifth story Jack and the Beanstalk in the
pre-test experimental group mean scores were (M=3.867, SD=0.91) and control group
mean scores were (M= 3.20, SD=1.65) . The mean difference between pre-test of
experimental and control group was not statistically significant (p= 0.183). Whereas,
the post-test mean scores of experimental group in Jack and the Beanstalk were (M=
5.667, SD=0.488) and post-test mean scores of control group were (M=
4.93,SD=0.88) with statistically significant (p= 0.009). The post-test mean difference
between experimental and control group was (M= 0.7334). Gain scores of
experimental group on the story Jack and the Beanstalk were not statistically
significant than those of control group (p= 0.87). Effect size on gain scores on story
Jack and Beanstalk with 95% confidence interval was 0.58[-0.79, 0.93].
The sixth story which was Hansel and Gretel in the pre-test experimental
group mean scores were (M= 3.4667) and control group mean scores were (M=3.00)
with statistically not significant (p= 0.280).The difference in pre-test scores of
experimental and control group were(M= 0.466 ). In the post-test the experimental
mean scores were(M= 4.733 ) and control group were(M= 3.46) with statistically
significant( p= 0.000). The mean difference between post-test of experimental group
and control group was (M=1.266). Gain scores of experimental group on Hansel and
Gretel story were statistically significant than those of control group (p-value, 0.04).
Effect size on gain scores on story Hansel and Gretel with 95% confidence interval
was 0.68[-0.07, 1.67].
In the seventh story the Pony school News pre-test mean scores of
experimental group were (M=3.733) control group mean scores were (M=3.53) (p=
0.616). The mean difference between pre-test of experimental and control group was
not significant (p= 0.616). The post-test mean scores of experimental group were
(M=4.733) and control group mean scores (M= 3.733).The scores of experimental
group were statistically significant (p= 0.001). Gain scores of experimental group on
the story the Pony School News were statistically significant than those of control
group (p= 0.04). Effect size on gain scores on the story The Pony School News with
95% confidence interval was 0.71[-0.02, 1.62].

Table 4.15
EG and CG Gain Scores, Mean and Standard Deviation of Two Stories in

The Elves and the Shoemaker The Red Knight
Group Pre-test Post-test Gain Scores Pre-test Post-test Gain Scores
Experimental
N 15 15 15 15
M 4.2 4.867 0.67 3.7333 4.8667 1.13
SD 0.67612 0.3519 0.61 0.88372 0.35187 0.83
Control
N 15 15 15 15
M 3.73 3.867 0.14 3.2 3.8667 0.67
SD 1.43 0.8338 1.05 1.52 0.83381 1.08
Me-Mc 0.47 1 0.53 0.533 1 0.47
T 1.13 4.279 1.38 1.174 4.279 1.007
p-value 0.265 0 0.01 0.25 0 0.03
ES 0.50 0.370
95% CI [-0.25, 1.32] [-0.48, 1.41]
The above table 4.15 shows results of the story The Elves and the Shoemaker. In
pre-test experimental group mean scores were (M=4.2,SD=0.67) and control group were
(M=3.73,SD=1.43 with no statistically significant (p= 0.265). In the post-test
experimental group mean scores were (M=4.867,SD=0.35) and control group were
(M=3.86,SD=0.833). The mean difference was statistically significant (p=<0.000). Gain
scores of experimental group on the story The Elves and the Shoemaker were statistically
significant than those of control group (p= 0.01). Effect size on gain scores of the story
The Elves and the Shoemaker with 95% confidence interval was 0.50[-0.25, 1.32].
In the ninth story, the Red Knight in the pre-test experimental group mean scores
were (M=3.733, 0.88372) and control group were (M=3.20,SD=1.52) with no statistical
significant (p= 0.250). Whereas in the post-test experimental group mean scores were
(M= 4.86,SD=0.35) and control group were (M=3.86,SD=0.833) with statistically
significant (p= 0.000). Gain scores of experimental group on the story the Red knight
were statistically significant than those of control group (p= 0.03). Effect size on gain
scores on the story Red knight with 95% confidence interval was 0.37[-0.48, 1.41].
Table 4.16
Vocabulary Mean, Standard Deviation and T- Test Scores for overall Nine Stories of
EG and CG
Experimental Group Control Group
Paired Sample T-test Paired Sample T-test
P- P-
Group N=30 M SD t value M SD T value
Pre 3.667 1.633 - 3.133 1.50
0.000 -1.93 .074
Puss in the Boots Post 5.933 0.961 4.515 4.067 1.16
Pre 4.200 0.775 - 3.66 0.97
0.000 -0.43 .670
Rapunzel Post 5.333 0.617 5.906 3.80 1.08
Pre 4.267 0.458 - 3.73 1.16 -
0.000 .869
Snow White Post 5.600 0.507 7.135 3.80 0.94 0.168
Pre 3.267 0.704 - 2.86 1.50
0.000 -1.71 .108
The Jungle Book Post 4.867 0.352 8.411 3.46 1.060
Pre 3.867 0.915 3.20 1.65
-8.08 0.000 -2.10 .054
Jack and Bean stalk Post 5.667 0.488 4.00 1.19
Pre 3.467 0.516 3.00 1.55
-8.26 0.000 -1.16 .264
Hansel and Gretel Post 4.733 0.594 3.46 1.06
Pre 3.733 0.799 - 3.53 1.30
0.000 -0.56 .582
The Pony School News Post 4.733 0.594 5.123 3.73 0.79
Pre 4.200 0.676 - 3.73 0.37
0.001 -0.38 .709
The Elves Post 4.867 0.352 4.183 3.86 0.83
Pre 3.733 0.884 - 3.20 1.52
0.000 -1.62 .126
The Red Knight Post 4.867 0.352 5.264 3.86 0.83
The above table 4.16 shows paired sample t- test of nine stories. In the first
story Puss in the Boots experimental group showed significant increase in the scores
in the post-test as compared to the pre-test; t=-4.51, p=<0.000. Moreover, the control
group pre-test and post-test mean scores in the Puss in the Boots were (M=3.133,
SD=1.50) and (M=4.067, SD=1.16) with no significant increase in the scores in post
-test; t=-1.93, p= 0.074. There is clear difference between pre-test and post-test mean
scores of vocabulary of experimental which shows that there was a positive effect of
read aloud on experimental group.
The second story was Rapunzel, the experimental group pre-test and post-test
mean scores were (M= 4.20, SD 0.775) and (M=5.33, SD=0.617) with statistically
significant increase in post–test scores=-5.906, p=<0.000. The control group pre and
post-test scores were (M= 3.66, SD=0.97) and (M= 3.80, SD=1.08) with no
significant increase in the performance in post-test=t -0.43,p= 0.670.
In the third story Snow White experimental group pre and post-test mean
scores were (M=4.267,SD=0.458) and (M=5.60,SD=0.507) with significant increase
in post-test scores; t=-7.135, p=<0.000. While the control group pre and post mean
scores were (M= 3.73,SD=1.16) and (M=3.80,SD=0.94) and there was no statistically
significant increase in post-test scores; t=-0.43,p= 0.869.
The fourth story the Jungle Book experimental group pre and post-test mean
scores were (M= 3.267,SD=0.704) and (M=4.867,SD0.352) with statistically
significant increase in scores after intervention in post- test; t=-8.411,p=<0.000.
Similarly, the control group pre and post-test mean scores were (M=2.86, SD=1.50)
and (M= 3.46,SD=1.06) and there was no a significant increase in post-test scores;
t=-1.71,p= 0.108.
The fifth story which was Jack and the Beanstalk experimental pre and post-
test mean scores were (M=3.867,SD=0.915) and (M=5.677,SD=0.488) with
statistically significant increase in post –test; t=-8.08,p=<0.000. The control group pre
and post-test mean scores were(M= 3.20,SD=1.65) and(M= 4.00,SD=1.19) and there
was no significant increase in post-test scores; t=-2.10,p= 0.054.
In the sixth story Hansel and Gretel also experimental scores increased in
post- test and there was a significant increase in scores; t=-8.26,p=<0.000. The control
group pre and post-test mean scores were (M= 3.00, SD=1.55) and (M=3.46,
SD=1.06) and there was no significant increase in post- test scores; t= 1.16, p= 0.264.
In the seventh story The Pony School experimental group pre and post-test
mean scores were (M=3.733,SD=0.799) and (M=4.733,SD=0.594) with statistically

significant increase in post-test scores; t=, -5.123,p=<0.000. The control group pre
and post-test scores were (M=3.53,SD=1.30) and (M=3.733,SD=0.79) and there was
not a significant increase in scores; t=-0.56, p= 0.582.
The eighth story was Elves and the Shoemaker and the experimental group pre
and post-test mean scores were (M= 4.20,SD=0.67) and (M=4.87SD=0.35). There
was a significant increase in post-test scores; t=-4.183,p=<0.000. Furthermore, the
control group pre and post-test mean scores were (M=3.73,SD= 0.37) and(M=
3.867,SD0.83) and there was no significant increase in scores was observed; t = -
0.38,p= 0.709.
The ninth story was the Red Knight the experimental pre and post-test mean
scores were (M=3.733, SD=0.884) and (M=4.867,SD=0.35) with statistically
significant increase in the scores; t=-5.264, p=<0.000. The group pre and post-test
mean scores were (M=3.20,SD=1.52) and (M=3.867,SD=0.83) and there was no
significant increase in scores observed; t=-1.62, p= 0.126.

4.5 Effect of Intervention on Speaking Fluency
Speaking ability is one of the key concerns in the primary level students and
an integral part of conversation. Therefore, it is inevitable to deny its significance in
the real-world to enhance the communication and convey the message properly. In
this aspect, the researcher assessed the students speaking fluency.
It has been assessed on the basis of speaking fluency forms where control and
experimental groups have been assessed after the application of the read aloud
technique to the experimental group. The researcher of the study further utilised
pictorial materials in form of story books based on pictures and other relevant
materials to examine whether the performance improved or remained intact
subsequent to the use of read-aloud technique. Pertaining to these aspects, the results
regarding post-test score of both control and experimental groups have been
presented as follows on the basis of ranking scale ranging from 0 to 4 where 0 was
referred to as not able to perform and 4 refers to as exceptional performance:

Table 4.17
Speaking Fluency Mean, Standard Deviation and effect size calculation of EG and CG in five
Stories
Overall
Stories Groups Vocabulary Grammar Pronunciation Interaction
fluency
Experimental
N 15 15 15 15 15
M 3.667 3.533 3.4 3.533 3.533
SD 0.617 0.516 0.632 0.516 0.64
Control
Puss in N 15 15 15 15 15
boots M 0.867 1.667 1.133 1.467 1.267
SD 0.834 0.617 0.743 0.834 0.704
Me-Mc 2.8 1.867 2.267 2.067 2.267
T 10.453 8.984 8.996 8.161 9.229
p-value 0 0 0 0 0
ES 3.281 2.763 2.758 2.638 2.796
Experimental
N 15 15 15 15 15
M 3.667 3.733 3.533 3.533 3.6
SD 0.488 0.458 0.516 0.516 0.507
Control
N 15 15 15 15 15
Rapunzel
M 1.4 1.2 1.933 1.333 1.533
SD 0.632 0.775 0.594 0.617 0.743
Me-Mc 2.267 2.533 1.6 2.2 2.067
T 10.99 10.905 7.876 10.588 8.896
p-value 0 0 0 0 0
ES 3.426 3.547 2.405 3.256 2.831
Experimental
N 15 15 15 15 15
M 3.6 3.667 3.6 3.733 3.467
SD 0.507 0.488 0.507 0.458 0.516
Control
Snow N 15 15 15 15 15
White M 1.667 1.4 1.867 1 1.533
SD 0.9 0.91 0.64 0.535 0.64
Me-Mc 1.933 2.267 1.733 2.733 1.933
T 7.25 8.5 8.222 15.043 9.106
p-value 0 0 0 0 0
ES 2.376 2.807 2.550 4.601 2.816
Experimental
The N 15 15 15 15 15
Jungle
M 3.467 3.6 3.467 3.733 3.533
Book
SD 0.516 0.507 0.516 0.458 0.516
Control
N 15 15 15 15 15
M 1.8 1.6 1.933 1.133 1.733
SD 0.941 0.91 0.704 0.516 0.704
Me-Mc 1.667 2 1.533 2.6 1.8
T 6.013 7.434 6.803 14.592 7.987
p-value 0 0 0 0 0
ES 1.980 2.441 2.138 4.440 2.511
Experimental
N 15 15 15 15 15
M 3.2 3.6 3.4667 3.5333 3.5333
SD 0.67612 0.50709 0.5164 0.63994 0.5164
Control
Jack and
N 15 15 15 15 15
Bean
M 1.6 2.3333 2.0667 1.2 1.8667
Stalk
SD 0.82808 0.9759 0.70373 0.56061 0.74322
Me-Mc 1.6 1.267 1.4 2.333 1.667
T 5.797 4.461 6.212 10.622 7.132
p-value 0 0 0 0 0
ES 1.789 1.480 1.952 3.099 2.263
The table 4.17 shows results of speaking fluency assessment of five stories. In
the first story Puss in Boots experimental group performed significantly better as
compared to control group in which most of the students were not able to perform
well (p=<0.000).Effect size after intervention on overall speaking fluency Hedges‘ g=
2.79.
In second story Rapunzel results showed that experimental group performance
was better as compared to the control group and they had adequate skills(p=<0.000).
Effect size after intervention on overall speaking fluency Hedges‘ g= 2.83.
In the third story Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs the scores of
experimental group were significantly higher than the results of control group
(p=<0.000). Effect size after intervention on overall fluency of experimental group
Hedges‘ g= 2.81.
In the fourth story the Jungle Book overall results of experimental group were
statistically significant (p=<0.000). Effect size after intervention on overall fluency
Hedges‘ g= 2.51.
In the fifth story Jack and the Beanstalk also the results of experimental group
were significantly higher as compared to control group (p=<0.000). Effect size after
intervention on overall fluency Hedges‘ g=2.26.

Table 4.18
Speaking Fluency Mean, Standard Deviation and Effect Size Calculation of EG and
CG in Four Stories
Overall
Experimental Vocabulary Grammar Pronunciation Interaction
fluency
N 15 15 15 15 15
M 3.467 3.4 3.267 3.333 3.333
SD 0.516 0.632 0.594 0.617 0.488
Control
Hansel
N 15 15 15 15 15
and Gretel
M 1.8 2.067 2.133 1.667 2.067
SD 0.941 0.961 0.743 0.817 0.799
Me-Mc 1.667 1.333 1.133 1.667 1.267
T 6.013 4.488 4.615 6.307 5.241
p-value 0 0 0 0 0
ES 1.980 1.436 1.429 1.972 1.697
Experimental
N 15 15 15 15 15
M 3.4 3.333 3.133 3.133 2.6
The SD 0.737 0.617 0.64 0.64 0.91

Pony Control
School N 15 15 15 15 15
News M 1.8 2.267 2.067 1.667 1.733
SD 1.014 0.704 0.799 0.817 0.799
Me-Mc 1.6 1.067 1.067 1.467 0.867
T 4.943 4.413 4.036 5.476 2.772
p-value 0 0 0 0 0.01
ES 1.556 1.346 1.250 1.702 0.809
Experimental
N 15 15 15 15 15
M 3.467 3.2 2.933 3 2.467
SD 0.516 0.561 0.799 0.845 0.99
The Control
Elves and
N 15 15 15 15 15
the
Shoemaker M 2 2.2 2.067 1.667 1.667
SD 1.134 0.676 0.799 0.817 0.9
Me-Mc 1.467 1 0.867 1.333 0.8
T 4.559 4.41 2.971 4.394 2.316
p-value 0 0 0.006 0 0.028
ES 1.538 1.357 0.886 1.302 0.680
Experimental
N 15 15 15 15 15
M 3.333 3.2 2.933 3.133 2.933
SD 0.817 0.561 0.799 0.915 1.1
The Control
Red N 15 15 15 15 15
Knight M 2.067 2.2 1.933 2.067 1.8
SD 1.033 0.862 0.799 0.961 0.862
Me-Mc 1.267 1 1 1.067 1.133
T 3.726 3.767 3.428 3.112 3.141
p-value 0.001 0.001 0.002 0.004 0.004
ES 1.156 1.207 1.022 0.936 0.901
The above table 4.18 shows speaking fluency assessment results of four stories
after the intervention. In the sixth story Hansel and Gretel experimental group results
were significant in comparison to control group (p=<0.000). Effect size after
intervention on overall fluency Hedges‘ g= 1.69
In the seventh story The Pony School News experimental group results were
statistically significant as they were taught through read aloud and control group with
traditional method (p=<0.000). Effect size on overall fluency Hedges‘ g= 0.80.
In the eighth story The Elves and the Shoemaker experimental group
performed better in comparison with control group (p=<0.000). The effect size on
overall fluency after intervention Hedges‘ g= 0.68.
In the ninth story the Red Knight experimental group again showed better
result and it was observed students were more fluent and were able to convey the
meaning in a better way as compared to control group (p= 0.001). Effect size after
intervention on overall fluency a Hedges‘ g= 0.90.

4.6 Analysis of Reading Motivation
In order to assess the reading motivation of the students generally, the
researcher let the students fill a questionnaire which was related to their sentiments.
The questionnaire was adapted from the research conducted by Heathington (1975)
with the title ‗The Development of Scales to Measure Attitudes towards Reading‘.
Therefore, the primary level students who were undertaken for this research as sample
comprised of two intact groups which were assigned as experimental group and
control group were given the questionnaire to be filled as pre-test and post-test. The
questionnaire comprised of 5 points scale ranging from 1 to 5. The value of 1
represented very sad, 2: sad, 3: neither sad nor happy, 4: happy and 5: very happy.
The questionnaire incorporates 20 statements reflecting reading motivation of
the students. The students were assessed to retort on the feeling pertaining to reading,
going to library, reading instead of playing, reading aloud in the class and similar
other aspects representing the motivation to read irrespective of the place and
environment. The results concerning reading motivation has been represented as
follows with respect to three categories which are how do they feel while reading at
home? How do they feel while reading at school? How do they feel while reading
generally?
Table 4.19
Gain Scores and Effect Size Calculation of EG and CG on Reading Motivation
How do you feel while How do you feel while How do you feel while
Categories
reading at home? reading generally? reading in school?
Pre- Post- Gain Pre- Post Gain Pre- Post- Gain

Group
test test Scores test test Scores test test Scores
Experimental
N 15 15 15 15 15 15
M 14.4 18.13 3.73 21.87 28.8 6.93 26.87
20.8 6.0667
2.7568
SD 2.7203 2.42 4.06 3.02 3.840 4.99 2.29 3.17
1
Control
N 15 15 15 15 15 15
M 13.66 14.4 0.74 19.93 23.59 3.66 19 21.61 2.61
SD 1.44 3.83 3.82 2.34 3.005 2.82 2.61 3.56 6.76
Me-Mc 0.74 3.73 2.99 1.936 3.6 3.26 1.8 3.2 4
T 0.922 3.192 2.08 1.95 2.86 2.2 1.83 2.927 2.07
p-value 0.365 0.003 0.04 0.06 0.008 0.036 0.07 0.007 0.047
ES 0.75 0.8 0.65
[0.04, [0.23, [0.04,
95% CI
5.95] 6.29] 7.95]
The above table 4.19 shows results of motivation towards reading
questionnaire which was based on 20 questions which were divided into three
categories and asked from the students in the experimental group and control group
before and after the intervention as pre-test and post-test. In the first category of
questions which was about that How do you feel while reading at home? In the pre-
test performance of both the groups experimental group (M=14.4, SD=2.72) and
control group (M=13.66, SD=1.44) were similar (p=0.365). On the other hand, in the
post-test condition results of control group were similar and experimental group were
significantly different. The mean difference between experimental and control group
pre-test was 0.74 and the mean difference in post-test of experimental and control
group was 3.73 which also shows that read aloud proved to be a better teaching
strategy as compared to the traditional one.

Gain scores of experimental group on how do you feel while reading at home
were also significantly higher than those of control group (p= 0.04). Effect size on
gain score on first category of questions with 95% confidence interval was 0.75[0.04,
5.95].
In the second category of questions which were regarding their feelings that
How do they feel while reading generally? In the pre-test performance of both the
groups was similar experimental group (M=21.866, SD= 3.0205) and control group
(M=19.93, SD=2.34). The mean difference is not statistically significantly (p= 0.060).
In the post-test the respondents were happier in experimental group (M= 28.8,
SD=3.83) rather than control group (M= 25.2, SD=3.00) after they had story read
aloud sessions as the difference between experimental and control group performance
were statistically significant (p= 0.008). Gain scores of experimental group on how do
you feel while reading generally were also significantly higher than those of control
group (p= 0.036). Effect size on gain score on second category of questions with 95%
confidence interval was 0.8[0.23, 6.29].
As for the third category of questions is concerned which was about how do
they feel while reading in school in the pre-test both the groups performed similarly
experimental group (M= 20.8, SD=2.75) and control group (M= 19.00, SD=2.61).
The findings of pre-test show that there is not a significant difference between the
experimental group and control group in terms of happiness while they are reading in
school. Furthermore, in the post-test performance of experimental group improved
(M=26.86, SD=2.29) as compared to control group (M=23.66, SD=3.55).The
difference is statistically significant with (p= 0.007). Gain scores of experimental
group on How do you feel while reading at school? were also significantly higher than
those of control group (p= 0.047). Effect size on gain score on third category of
questions with 95% confidence interval was 0.65[0.04, 7.95].
Table 4.20
Mean, Standard Deviations, and T- Test Scores on Reading Motivation of EG and CG
Experimental Group Control Group
Paired Sample T-test Paired Sample T-test
Group N=30 M SD T P-value M SD t P-value
How do Pre 14.4000 2.72029 13.66 1.44
you feel
while
reading at 18.1333 2.41622 14.4000 3.83
home? Post -3.56 0.003 -0.74 0.470
How do Pre 21.8667 3.02056 19.93 2.34
you feel
while
reading 28.8000 3.83964 19.40 2.35
generally? Post -5.37 <0.000 0.552 0.589
How do Pre 20.8000 2.75681 19.00 2.61
you feel
while
reading in 26.8667 2.29492 19.13 6.67
school? Post -7.4 <0.000 -0.07 0.943
The table 4.20 shows results of paired sample-t test which depicts that in first
category of questions which were about How do you feel while reading at home?
there was a significant difference between pre-test and post- test of experimental
group ; t= -3.56,p= 0.003. On the other hand, there was not a significant difference in
pre-test and post-test of control group; t= -0.74,p= 0.470.
In the second category of questions which were about How do you feel while
reading generally? the experimental group students showed significant level of
increase in their interest level in post –test than in the pre-test; t= -
5.37,p=<0.000.Which shows the effectiveness of the read aloud technique. Whereas,
the control group pre-test score was (M= 19.93, SD=2.34) and post-test mean score
was (M= 19.40, SD=2.35) but the difference in the interest level was not significant; t
= 0.552,p=0.589.
In third category of questions which were about how do you feel while reading
in school the experimental group pre-test mean scores were (M= 20.80,SD=2.75) and
post-test mean scores were (M= 26.86,SD=2.29) there was a significant level of
increase in interest in the post test ;t=-0.07, p=<0.000. Moreover, the control group
pre-test scores were (M= 19.00, SD=2.61) and post-test mean scores were (M= 19.13,
SD=6.67) with no statistically significant increase in the level of interest; t=-0.07,p=
0.943. The difference shows that the experimental group students were happier than
control group students in terms of reading in school after the intervention.
4.7 Chapter Summary
In this chapter, the analysis of students‘ reading motivation analysis is
included. In this analysis, the children were asked about whether they are motivated to
read the books or what makes them motivated in order to read the books. The results
from the analysis of reading motivation questionnaire showed that the responses
obtained from the children indicated that children are more motivated to read when
they are around others. Especially when in the class room or reading groups are
formed the children immediately feel motivated and interested in reading. Moreover,
it has also been gathered from the data that when the children are reading the story to
others, they tend to feel good about it.
The fictional story re-telling analysis identified that fiction is considered to be
one of the most effective techniques that provoke the minds of students in order to
think beyond and out of the box. In this analysis, the researcher used nine picture
story books in order to enhance the memory and retention power of the students on
the experimental group. Based on the results of fictional story re-telling analysis, it
can be inferred that the technique of read-aloud is effective for the improvement in the
comprehension skills related to fictional story retelling.

On the other hand, the vocabulary test analysis was discussed which showed
that the understanding and clarity of different words is the main issue among the
primary level students as they are crucial part of the conversation. The results of
vocabulary test revealed that prior to the implementation of the technique, the scores
of both experimental group and control groups were more or less same. However,
following the implementation of the read-aloud technique, the researcher found that
the scores of the experimental group significantly increased which inferred that the
technique used by the researcher is effective for enhancing vocabulary of primary
level students.
The comprehension test analysis identified that after reading aloud picture
storybooks mentioned along with additional teacher‘s selected vocabulary, improved
the comprehension of the experimental group. It has also been identified that the
technique of read-aloud assisted as an effective tool for the primary level students as
they improved their speaking skills in the case of second language which is English.
CHAPTER 5
SUMMARY FINDINGS DISCUSSION CONCLUSION
AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1Summary
Amidst the globalisation wave, it is observed that the learning methodologies
have continuously evolved while bilingualism is a necessity rather than an option
among the children of the current generation. Bilingualism most commonly comprises
of children‘s mother tongue combined with any other foreign language but preferably
English Language in our context which is spoken globally. However, in order to learn
two languages at an early age challenges the students to acquire linguistic and
communicative competence. Analysing these difficulties, the method for teaching
incorporated by faculties and education ministries were to primarily focus on the
development of linguistic and communication abilities of the students till the age of
12 (Ali, 2018). Once their command on language has been significantly developed
that they are intrigued to learn more about the concepts, then their learning practices
will shift towards practical knowledge with firm control over their communication
capabilities.
This study incorporated two sets of sample from a private school of Lahore
studying in primary level. Quasi-experimental design was adopted for the study and
two intact groups of students were randomly allocated as experimental group and
control group, Data was collected by conducting pre-test and post –test using
comprehension worksheets, vocabulary test, speaking fluency assessment form,
Fiction story retelling form and students self-perceived reading motivation
questionnaire. Later data was statistically analysed by applying paired sample t-test in
order to reflect upon the findings of the study efficiently. The controlled set was not
exposed to any changes in their learning environment; while the other experimental
group was introduced read aloud methodology in order to develop their linguistic
skills including their vocabulary and communication abilities. In order to address the
aims and objectives of this research, this chapter discusses the literature and empirical
findings answering the research questions while satisfying the aims and objectives of
this research. In order to effectively determine the impact of read aloud strategy, the
strategy is continually compared to the controlled environment who are only equipped
with traditional practices.
In order to effectively assess the read aloud practice, its impact on vocabulary,
speaking fluency, comprehension skills and desire to read is distinctively analysed in
this study. However the desire to read among the children is discussed in this chapter
with the relevance of the impact to incorporate the read aloud methods. Since the
motivation to read among children is the deciding factor in their learning curve in
accordance to the study put forward by Wigfield, Gladstone and Turci (2016), this
chapter extensively discusses the impact of read aloud methodologies in determining
the level of motivation among students to read.
Read aloud strategies further reflects upon the child‘s ability to speak as they
are enlightened with the pronunciation of the word which enables them to speak with
confidence because they are guided beforehand on how to speak a particular word.
This enables them to reciprocate with the help of read aloud method. In order to
further analyse the benefits of read aloud method, its implication on the student‘s
ability to comprehend is also discussed in this chapter. This discussion is in line with
direct comparison from the findings of the literature and empirical results whereas
similar results from other researchers are also discussed in this chapter.
5.2 Impact of Read Aloud on Reading Comprehension
 The reading comprehension skills of the primary school students was assessed
using the worksheets that were provided to each participant of the study given
at the end of the story books which they were given to read. The worksheets
which were provided to the students in the control group and the experimental
group were targeting the critical thinking, predicting, and inferring skills of the
students. The students in the experimental group were given post-test after the
application of the read aloud teaching method and control group was given
after the conventional teaching method and the worksheets were scored with
the help of a pre-determined rubric.
 In order to assess the difference in an efficient manner, it is important to first
study about the difference in the scores of the students; the analysis of the test
scores of the students after the presentation of read-aloud method has shown
that in the average scores of the experimental group and the control group
which was taught in a traditional way there was a significant difference
 The post-test analysis of the results revealed that the reading aloud
intervention improved the scores of the children in primary schools across all
the determinants which shows that the experimental group students performed
significantly better on the tests after reading aloud technique was applied.
Therefore, it can be stated that the increase in the test scores indicates that the
read aloud method is an important tool for the primary level students to bring
improvement in their reading comprehension ability in case of English as a
second language for the students.
 The findings observed in the current study are coherent with the results put
forward by the study of Mason (2017) which was focused on identifying the
impact reading aloud on the reading comprehension skills of the children of
primary schools. The findings of the study stated that the reading aloud
positively influences the reading comprehension skills of the students of
primary schools using English as a second language. Similarly, the outcomes
of the current study also support the findings of the study of Dyson et al.
(2017) that also propose significant positive impact of reading aloud on
improving the critical understanding and comprehension skills of the students
and asserts that this technique provides readers with a strategy to think about
what they have read, the meaning relationships incorporated into the text and
possible connections to what they already know about the world.
 Apart from these studies, the research of Alharbi (2015) has shown that the
eighth-grade students who have English as a second language can improve
their comprehension skills by reading aloud as the study has found that
reading comprehension as a positive correlation with reading aloud. In
addition to this, the current study also supports the findings of the study
carried out by Jackson (2016) which has mentioned that the reading
comprehension of the primary school children is positively affected by the
reading aloud intervention. However, from the findings of the study by Harris
& Butaud (2016), it can be observed that there was not much difference
between control group and experimental group literal comprehension but in
critical comprehension, experimental group performed better. This indicates
that reading aloud may not have an influence on literal comprehension.
Nevertheless, it can be concluded that the reading aloud positively influences
the reading comprehension of the primary level students.

 Fiction is considered to be one of the effective techniques that provoke the
minds of students to think beyond and out of the box. Fiction story re-telling
improves with the passage of time as the skills were assessed week by week.
Moreover, it helps them analyse real-life situations from different perspectives
and dimensions to explore a new outlook to the solution of a specific problem.
Therefore, the tutors in their classes use fiction as supportive material to help
the students comprehend the concepts of the world in a better manner. In this
research, the researcher used different storybooks as well along with pictures
to enhance the memory and retention power of the students on the
experimental group. The findings of this research evaluated that story re-
telling enhances the reading comprehension skills of the students. For
example, in the story Puss in the boots, the findings show that the total score
of the students in which the experiment was done is higher than the score of
those students who have not experimented. Moreover, findings of other
experiments are found to be somewhat similar. This represents that the
findings of the research support the literature of the study.
5.3 The Impact of Read Aloud Practice on Student’s Vocabulary
The read aloud strategy as discussed in the literature is defined as the activity
to engage the students to learn while utilising their sharp listening abilities which in
accordance to Mason (2017) significantly surpasses their reading skills. The primary
school students are aged 5-13, on average, their exposure to linguistics is limited.
Therefore, their reading ability is challengeable. Even if the individuals are forced to
reciprocate on their reading abilities, it is found in this study that the students lose
their interest in developing their skills in relevance to the second language. In case of
Pakistan, the country‘s transition towards incorporating education in English has been
challengeable yet beneficial due to the read aloud practices. In order to facilitate the
country‘s productivity amidst the wave of globalisation, it is essential for the students
to learn language which is majorly spoken all over the world. Picture books are being
widely used in the country due to its effectiveness in teaching students at a primary
level. Graphic representation of the concepts delivered in the class will be discussed
further in this section in order to discuss the findings of this study.
Read aloud practices not only reflect upon exposing the children to the
linguistic of the second language in schools in Pakistan but also significantly
stimulates their exposure to vocabulary. As discussed in the literature, the
pronunciation of the words is solely dependent on the phonic conversation between
the tutors and the students. Similarly, in a study presented by Hutton et al (2015), it is
analysed that the visual representation is not only an essential part of learning among
primary school students but also create a lasting memory in order to build the
concepts in targeted student‘s mind. The extensity of English language and the
complexity of the vocabulary require the speakers to start learning at an early age in
order to efficiently address the requirements of the language (Cook, 2016). South
Asia‘s educational sector is predominantly based on English medium schools, where
the sole mode of communication, verbal or written, is English. However, at an early
age students are exposed to pictorial description of the words that they are continually
exposed to.
In line with the findings of this study, it is analysed that primary schools focus
more upon the development of linguistic skills. Therefore, the dependence towards
the technology in order to reflect upon phonic representation of the words is primarily
relied upon. The visual memory of the students is investigated by Sarica and Usluel
(2016), where the extensity with which the students understand using different colours
is analysed and compared with regular learning techniques. The finding of that paper
match in line with the findings of this study, where the students learning through
visualisation better off compared to the regular learning techniques, particularly in
case of linguistic skills development. Furthermore, in order to reflect upon the stories
used to develop the skills of students, it is analysed in this literature that the pictorial
study sessions are greeted with enhanced discussion among the students of primary
schools.
Read aloud practices using pictures not only reflects on the linguistic skill
building of the students but also significantly impacts their ability to grasp the concept
being taught to them. As discussed in the literature and findings of this study, it is
analysed that the pictorial information exposure to the students enables them to reflect
upon the concept which increases their in-depth understanding while culminating their
critical thinking skills necessary for their future growth. The stories communicated
with pictorial information also let the students understand the expressions associated
with the words. While increasing their thinking skills capabilities, it is assessed by
Wang (2016) that the presentation of pictorial information not only facilitates
student‘s ability to comprehend expression, but also significantly increases their
interest to the read aloud practices where they can be aided with an initial perception
about the topic being taught.
Results of the study conducted by Sudiati et al (2018) on twenty-three
Indonesian students of grade eight and the results of this study simultaneously prove
that the stories communicated to the students are better understood with the
implication of illustration support where the read aloud practices are proved essential
in order to generate an initial perception in a student‘s mind which decides the
direction towards the right concept being delivered throughout the learning session.
Furthermore, in accordance to the findings of this literature, it is analysed that the
pictorial information store a graphic memory of the words learnt in class which are
essential for their remembrance of the concept being delivered to them. It is analysed
that a challenge among the students is to learn the idioms which are hard to grasp due
to multi-dimensional meanings associated with it. Since multi-dimensional meanings
are difficult to communicate to the students of primary schools, it is deemed as
helpful that the tutors use pictorial representation of the idioms in order to develop the
understandings of students in order to marginalise their learning in terms of linguistic
skills development.
5.4 Impact of Read Aloud on the Oral Fluency of the Primary Level
Students
The speaking fluency of the students was assessed using the speaking fluency
form where control group and experimental group were assessed after the application
of the read aloud technique for the experimental group and conventional teaching
method for control group. In addition to this, the researcher also used the pictorial
materials in form of story books based on pictures to examine whether the
performance improved or remained intact subsequent to the use of read-aloud
technique. The primary level students were scored on the scale ranging from 0 to 4.
The results of the students in the control group and experimental group after the read-
aloud technique application can be seen in Table 4.17 and 4.18.
However, the post-test scores of the experimental group on which the read
aloud technique was applied displayed significant improvement. The test measured
the speaking fluency based on the factors of vocabulary, grammar, overall fluency and
interaction. The results in all the above discussed determinants of fluency in this case
indicated that the experimental group students performed much better than the control
group. Specifically, each category has seen significant changes in a positive manner
which means using the technique helped the students to increase their vocabulary,
grammar, overall fluency and interaction which are cumulatively indicating the
speaking fluency of the students in the primary section of the schools. Therefore, it
can be asserted that the significant difference in average scores of experimental and
control group suggests that the read aloud technique is significantly important tool for
the primary level students to bring improvement in their speaking ability in case of
English as a second language for the students.
These findings of the current study are in support of the study carried out by
Downs (2017) on fourteen students out of which twelve were ESL learners and two
were native speakers has described that the technique of reading aloud has a positive
effect on the learning of the students that takes place at the primary level. The
conversational skills of the students are also developed as a result of the reading aloud
as it increases their understanding of the second language and promotes better
learning. Similarly, the work of Rivers (2018) has concluded that reading aloud
enables the students at primary level to improve and extend the conversational skills,
on the understanding, on the narrative development, on pragmatic skills, how to
understand that questions are clues to start a communication process specifically in
the case of learning a second language. The technique of reading aloud to the students
can create important opportunities for learning and developing language speaking,
reading and writing skills. This is an enriched approach towards the learning of a
language to which the children are exposed, because the language of books holds a
diversity words and examples used in a variety of different scenarios and they can be
approached at different frequencies which is not the case with normal everyday
conversations (Muslem & Abbas, 2017).

In addition to this, the findings of the current study have mentioned that
speaking fluency in the primary level students can be developed with the reading
aloud technique which has been proven to improve the vocabulary, interaction,
grammar and overall fluency of the students at primary level. This is in coherence
with the study of Warner (2016) that has compared the reading aloud method with the
play, where the audience participates and enters imaginatively into the fictitious and
narrative spaces of the staging.
Even though, the audience listening to the reading are in different conditions
as compared to the audience in the play, but they are somewhat in the same state of
mind as they exhibit the same expressions of emotions such as the laughter, the shock
or the sadness. Therefore, it can be asserted that reading aloud has significant impact
on the audience learning in the same way as a play impacts it audience. Finally, the
findings of Ba & Huan (2017) can also be supported by the outcomes achieved in this
study as it asserts that the reading aloud enables the audience to develop their own
images in the minds that promotes greater learning of language because students get
to learn in accordance with different situations. Hence, it can be concluded that the
reading aloud influences the fluency of the primary level students.
5.5 Reading Aloud Strategy and Increase in Students’ Desire to Read
In line with the argument raised by Nisbet and Shucksmith (2017) where the
comparison is made between the read aloud practices by the teachers and
conventional teaching methodologies; the results clearly replicate the findings of this
research. The read aloud practices are found effective against the conventional
teaching methods. Discussing the review of vast literature incorporated in this study,
it is analysed that the read aloud practices vitalises the learning abilities of the
students in order to develop their conceptual learning abilities which are not
effectively cultivated using conventional reading methods. The reason of student‘s
questionable conceptual grasp using the conventional reading methods is due to their
limited exposure to linguistic and reading skills. Similarly, an argument is developed
by Hermann et al. (2015) as it states that the students who are forced to grasp
concepts from conventional reading styles lose their interest from reading which
disrupts the overall learning curves of the students.
Empirically this research defends the read aloud practices due to the positive
impact on the results of the experimental group after the analysis on the development
of vocabulary, grammar, fluency and interaction. The controlled environment of this
study helped to reduce the external variables to a greater extent which cause
deviation in the learning of different students. The ability to grasp concepts among
different students varies as studied by Castro et al. (2015). Whereas controlling the
environment enabled this study to marginalise the impact of variation of intelligence
among students and achieve effective results. It is analysed that the learners aged from
5-13 have a greater learning skills which helps them in learning effectively through
read aloud practices where they can focus more upon the concept being delivered
rather than their reading skills.
With reference to the literature review of this study, it is analysed that the read
aloud practices helps the students by making them more motivated and raise their
level of thirst for knowledge. The concepts being delivered to them are, however,
incomplete without their indulgence and participation in class. In order for them to
learn effectively, the teachers must encourage the students to re-read what they were
taught in class. The extra knowledge gained through reading clearly reflects upon the
student‘s desire to read more and achieve their objectives. Furthermore, the necessity
behind read aloud strategy is to develop the students‘ ability to comprehend the
expression of the words and its meaning as given by the author. The problem behind
reading a story alone is the student‘s inability to comprehend the author‘s hidden
meaning in the text or read between the lines, whereas when strategies concerning
read aloud is incorporated, the students learn from the reader‘s expression on what the
author was trying to say. This intrigues them to read more in order to extend their
knowledge while working on it as a recreation.
Comparing the results of the controlled sample with the experimental group,
the scores suggest that the significant difference is observed of the reading motivation
of the experimental group due to the read aloud practices they were exposed to by
efficient tutors and storytellers. Similarly, this result has also been achieved by
Breunig (2017) empirically strengthening the results of this study. Experimental
group was further investigated if they were willing to read more to learn further about
the concept taught. In a study presented by Falloon (2019), it is analysed that the
students who are exposed to experiential learning, extract more concept. Therefore, it
is observed that educational institutes are increasingly incorporating technology to
teach students, the sole implication behind the technological measures in learning is to
benefit the primary school students in order to effectively motivate them to
continuously learn.
Furthermore, it is analysed empirically in this study that with time, the desire
to read among the controlled sample stayed constant instead of improving or started
to reduce to some extent .This is also verified from the results of paired sample t-test
that there was a significant difference in the pre-test and post –test scores of
experimental group with(p=0.0030) and on the contrary in the pre-test and post-test
scores of control group there was no significant difference with(p=0.470) In a study
conducted by Tahir (2017), it is analysed that the monotonous teaching methods

slows down the growth rate of the student‘s learning curve to an extent where they
lose the desire to further learn. It is recommended in the study that the damage done
to student‘s learning is treatable by replacing the teaching method with creative and
interactive teaching methodologies. The empirical results of this study are found in
line with the aforementioned researcher and strengthen their argument. The modern
method of education adopted in Pakistan clearly reciprocates the behaviour of the
younger generation with the level of intellect they possess at such a young age.
The learning efficiency through read aloud methodology equips students with
command over vocabulary. Analysing the experimental group, it is observed that their
reading ability is significantly increased due to their command over vocabulary where
they are challenged to read the words and grasp what the author means. Whereas, the
control group students were observed to be laid back in their vocabulary skills due to
their limited exposure read aloud learning strategies. This reflected upon their desire
to read more due to the extra effort they had to put in to learn from the studies they
were assigned and benefit from the stories in a way that experimental group was
benefited from. On the other hand, it is observed that the experimental group student‘s
ability to communicate their opinions was also significantly more than the students of
the controlled sample.
5.6 Findings and Suggestions
Reflecting on the current study, the researcher carried out this research with
the objective of finding out the effects of the reading aloud teaching method on the
reading comprehension skills and the speaking skills of the primary school children in
the case of English as a second language. This was done by the researcher to increase
the desire of the students to read. For this purpose, the researcher of the current
research carried out a review of the current thinking present in the literature to
develop the groundings for the research. The literature review developed a concept of
reading aloud from the perspective of different authors. The effects of the reading
aloud on the reading comprehension, vocabulary, reading motivation and speaking
fluency were also addressed in the light of the existing studies.
The literature established that reading aloud is a traditional school activity that
is carried out with auditory artefact of a literary text (Hussain, Javed, & Munshi,
2015). Furthermore, the researcher found out from the literature that the reading aloud
has a positive impact on the reading comprehension skills of the students as it was
analysed that instruction in reading aloud has been highly effective in helping students
acquire a wide range of strategies to improve their comprehension of the text and to
face their comprehension difficulties (Santoro, et al., 2016; Chapleau, et al., 2017).
Moreover, the researcher found that reading aloud affects positively on vocabulary
development through various aspects of the interactive process between lexicon and
phonology, morphology, syntax, and discourse and then face the continuity between
oral and written modalities, which shows that vocabulary of the primary school
students is also positively affected by reading aloud (Boyer, 2017; Hunt & Feng,
2016; August, et al., 2018). Finally, the researcher also discovered in the literature
that speaking skills of the primary students are positively influenced by the reading
aloud technique as it is significant in enhancing the conversational skills of the
students (Snow, Sun, & Li, 2017; Krieber, et al., 2017; Hanington, 2017).
Based on this, the researcher developed a framework which asserted that the
reading aloud in the classroom of the primary school children affects the
comprehension, vocabulary, reading motivation and speaking skills which lead
towards the ESL development of the children in primary schools. After this, the
researcher selected the research methodology for the purpose of achieving the
objectives of the current research. The researcher selected two groups of the primary
school children for the study and labelled one group as control group and the second
group as experimental group. The researcher observed these groups pre-test and post-
test to compare the results before and after the application of reading aloud method.
The researcher selected non probability or convenience sampling (McMillan, 1996) to
select the primary school children for the study and the instruments used were the
evaluation forms and work sheets for the collection of the data from these students.
The duration of the intervention was one academic year.
Following the selection of the appropriate research methodology, the
researcher carried out the analysis on the collected data to answer the research
questions and to achieve the research objectives. The researcher carried out the
analysis in four parts i.e. analysis of reading motivation, analysis of reading
comprehension, analysis of vocabulary and the analysis of oral fluency. The analysis
of the reading motivation showed that the students tend to have greater motivation to
read when they are with other people like in the classroom and even on their own also
as it was observed that students of experimental group borrowed more such like books
from the school library as compared to the control group and they took more interest
in library activities which the library teacher conducts after they read stories in
library. For analysis of comprehension, speaking skills in terms of oral fluency and
vocabulary, the researcher took the scores of the children in control group and
experimental group as pre-test and post-test and only experimental group was
exposed to the intervention. The researcher found that the test scores of the students in
both the groups were not much different in pre-test as there was a negligible average
difference in the test scores.

However, after experimental group students were exposed to the reading aloud
intervention, the researcher found that the test scores of the experimental group
students exposed to the intervention improved significantly in comparison with the
results of the control group in post-test. Through this, the researcher interpreted that
the reading aloud technique has a significant positive impact on the reading
comprehension, vocabulary and the speaking fluency of the primary school students
using English as a second language . It was also observed during the course of the
study by the researcher that the students in the experimental group showed a lot of
enthusiasm towards the read aloud session and they used to look forward towards the
next read aloud session and always were eager to know which was the next story from
them to be read aloud. While on the other hand students in the control group did not
show and enthusiasm for them it was just a routine matter and a mechanical activity
that they have to read the story and do the related activities The researcher also
discovered that the findings that are obtained in the current research supports the
findings of the researches which already exists in the literature (Boyer, 2017;
Chapleau, et al., 2017; Warner, 2016). Therefore, the researcher has recommended the
use of reading aloud technique in bringing improvement in the reading
comprehension, vocabulary and speaking fluency and desire to read in the primary
school students.
In relevance to discussion of the findings of this research, it is analysed that
the read aloud strategy is primarily responsible to develop the student‘s interest
particularly when they are training to dual linguistic. In case of Pakistan, the
predominance of the English medium schools has intrigued the bilingual method to be
incorporated by many schools. However, if the schools do not focus upon the English
language, the assessment made by Aqeel, Jami and Ahmed (2015) states that the
households continuously nurture their child to speak English in order to adjust himself
to the dynamic needs of the society. The dominance of English language has been of
immense importance during the globalisation wave where the spoken language is
primarily English. Therefore, incorporation of interactive teaching methods in order to
facilitate students‘ regarding their English language skills is absolutely essential.
The comparison of control group and experimental group equipped this
research with the ability to effectively assess the benefits and impact of read aloud
strategy on students‘ vocabulary, reading comprehension, communication abilities
and desire to read. It is found in this research that the read aloud strategy overall aids
the students to learn effectively, particularly in case of learning English as a second
language in Pakistan.
5.7 Limitations
This study has led to define the importance and significance of read aloud
teaching strategy and how it leads to contribute towards the learning of primary level
children. The study has further significantly contributed towards assessing how
children with read aloud learning may be able to develop skills that are different from
the other students who do not undergo the same teaching approach. It has been
observed how English has gained high significance over the years and how important
it has become for students to learn the language and become proficient in it at early
stages of their life. While the study has been highly useful and beneficial for the study
area, few of the limitations regarding the study have been discussed as follows.
 One of the major limitations of the study was regarding the limited sample
size. The study was carried out in a private school where a limited sample was
being worked upon. Primary level students were taken for the research and
these students were divided into two groups where the research further got
implemented. The limitation of resources restricted the researcher from
limiting the sample size to a certain school in the city. With a larger sample
size and observations taken, the results may have varied and the significance
of the study could have increased further. It has been understood that with a
larger sample size, the significance of results augment considerably and so
researchers always focus on having large data sets to authenticate their results.
With the study catering to a single school and limited set of students, the scope
and value of the research has become limited to a certain extent. On the other
hand, time constraint was another limitation that has been faced by the
researcher. Having a limited time to conduct the study, the researcher was
unable to further explore the study area and reach out to more sources for data
gathering and analysis.
 Carrying out research activities could be regarded as a time taking and lengthy
process. Having said this, researchers often face the limitation of time
constraint as the study has to be carried out within a specific time frame. This
turned out to be one of the other major limitations of this study as fewer
sources could be approached and a limited sample size could be worked upon.
With more time to conduct the study, varied results and its dynamics could
have explored and a different stance towards the study may have established.
Moreover, the study has been carried out in a private school with children
from primary classes. In order to assess the importance and impact of read
aloud learning, students who are studying in different school contexts could
have also been used for the research purpose. Considering the fact that student
of only private schools have been taken into observation, the results may have
varied in schools with different settings. This has also acted as a limitation of
the study as it has restricted the study dynamics to a certain extent.
 One other limitation could be regarded as the geographic limitation, in which
it has been observed that the case of students from Pakistan has been observed
with regards to the importance and impact of read aloud learning. Considering
the impact on vocabulary development and comprehension, students from
different geographic locations may depict a different behaviour and result. The
fact that the case of Pakistan has been taken into consideration with regards to
read aloud learning, it must be understood that the external environment may
contribute to affect the students as well. Having said this, students living in
different societies and environment may depict different results and this could
add value to the study area. Lastly, the strategy of teaching has been assessed
in terms of English language only, which leads to define that read aloud
teaching method may have varied results if taught for different subjects other
than English. Despite all the limitations of the study, it is of great value for
the teaching of English language specially in the context of Pakistan due to its
duration which was one academic year.
 The decision of the researcher being the teacher of experimental group
encouraged consistency of the delivery of the treatment. The review of the
literature revealed other studies where researchers are involved, especially in
the data collection process (Muncy,2011). Since the researcher is aware of the
read aloud teaching strategy and the key elements such as voice stress and
intonation, use of body language and gestures, and discussing the illustrations,
which are important read-aloud protocols, it seemed appropriate that she
carried out the read aloud sessions with the experimental group herself. As any
other teacher would not have been able to follow the read aloud protocols and
the fear that data collected from experimental group would not reflect
appropriate results the researcher opted to be the interventionist. The decision
to be the reader herself during the read-aloud sessions may have created a
limitation. In many studies, the regular classroom teachers, assistant teachers
and others read the books and completed the treatment. However, the choice to
have the researcher conduct the read-aloud sessions increased reliability and
validity issues though it was a possible limitation.
5.8 Conclusion
It has been understood that teaching methods play a highly imperative role in
the learning of students. If teachers are effective and adapt to adequate techniques,
they may lead to significantly add value to the learning process of students along with
their retained knowledge. Over the years, teachers have used varied methods and
techniques for teaching students in different classes and ages. While some of these
methods have resulted in being effective and deduced proper results, others have not
really been useful. One of the most critical things in this is the ability to change and
amend the methods of teaching if it is observed that the required objective and
requirements are not being fulfilled. Considering all of these techniques and
approaches, one of them has been regarded as read aloud teaching method in which
focus is giving on reading out the content of courses to students with an intention to
augment the outcomes and efficiency associated with it. Moreover, further focus has
been put on English language for primary level students and their efficiency in
comprehension and vocabulary development.
It has been understood that English is considered a vital and imperative
language to learn for students in the primary classes. The fact that its importance and
use has been increasing over time teachers have also been putting more attention and
focus on strategies associated with learning of the language. The fact that less focus
has been put on education on the whole in Pakistan, it is considered even more critical
to adapt to techniques that may result in better and improved outcomes. It has been
observed that through read aloud teaching technique, teachers are able to clearly and
concretely communicate the content to their students which allows them to retain the
information in a better way. Many of the students have been observed of having
difficulties in reading and understanding, and so through read aloud technique, the
issues related to this aspect mitigates significantly and teachers are able to cater to a
wider set of students at the same time. Various benefits have been observed of being
associated with reading aloud and one of these have been understood as catering to
the needs and requirements of a larger set of students and improving their learning
efficiency through adequately communicating the content that is to be transferred.
Considering that English has been gaining more significance with time, the
need to learn it and inculcate in the student courses has become imperative. Moreover,
not only the students have to go through the course of English as a subject in their
syllabus but more effective and efficient techniques must be developed in order to
make sure that optimum results are received. Students in Pakistan who do not have
English as their first language need to put high attention and efforts in learning
English. This language learning may not only be beneficial in the early years of
education but turn out to be useful throughout the span of their life. English is being
used at different stages of an individual‘s life and its requirement may be needed at
varied instances. With globalisation taking place and the integration of cultures,
learning the language could be considered as a necessity. On the other hand, it has
been observed that individuals who are unable to learn the language in an effective
manner often lack behind in their professional life. In order to overcome any sort of
related adversities, learning the language could be considered very important. The fact
that learning English is become more and more critical, teachers need to be more
effective in the adoption of techniques and measures used to teach the language.
Learning English as a second language is highly useful in the primary stages
of education as the child is able to better grasp and understand the language and its
intricacies. As the child grows old and comes into secondary schools, teaching them
the language may become comparatively difficult. Having said this, working on
effective techniques and measures for teaching language in the right stage of life
could be considered very useful. Young ESL learners have a higher potential to learn
and adapt to the teachings and so it is important that students are given the right set of
knowledge and information at the right time also. Beyond and prior to school
learning, in recent years it has been argued that reading aloud not only helps children
in school processes, but also the general development of the language. This
development of the language if worked upon at the right time may lead to become
highly useful for the same individuals and the command over the language would also
become equally stronger. It has further been understood that if the child has been
exposed to hear, read and look at the text in a multimodal reading, with a visualization
of the texts and the presence of voice, looks, gestures, etc., surely he/she will be able
to follow how that reading coincides with shapes, colour, typography, size of the
graphics and even images in movement and with gestures, tones, and voices of
reading.
With regards to the significance of read aloud technique, it could also be
concluded that it plays an imperative part in developing social and emotional
competence of children in schools. In this regard, it has been evident that it is not
possible to not inculcate the aspect of emotional education when it comes to
discussing the aspect and learning of school. Along with this, the behavioural aspects
of individuals has also been regarded highly imperative when it comes to the
education and upbringing of children at school. While the emotional, social and
behavioural development is regarded as imperative aspects to be considered at school,
the academic learning and performance also has to be given immense significance.
Considering the academic preparation of students, the teachers have shown a wide
range of techniques and methods through which the aim to enhance the teaching and
learning experiences. With students in different settings responding to the techniques
in a different manner, it has further been stated that teachers need to rightly assess
which methods are of high use in the particular educational environment.
Several individuals in different school settings do not receive any kind of
literary education in the primary years of education and these results to various
drawbacks for such individuals in the long-run. The languages used by teachers to
educate the children play a critical role in their development. The effectiveness of
teachers lead to contribute in the overall development and upbringing of children as it
depicts in how well the content will be communicated to the students. If the
developed content is good but the teacher is inefficient, he/she may not be able to
deduce effective outcomes out of the whole procedure of teaching and learning.
Moreover, storytelling has been understood as one of the major contributors in
augmenting the learning process of individuals as it provides the opportunity to retain
the interest of students in the maximum way and allow them to learn what is being
transferred. Through the process of storytelling, it becomes easier for teachers to
involve the students in learning process and allow them to carefully listen. With such
high attention, the students are given the chance to not only memorise the content of
what is being told but the language in itself is being improved through the process.
A number of advantages and benefits have been observed associated to read
aloud techniques used in classrooms. The fact that teachers are communicating with
the students and reading the content, they tend to make the corrections and read aloud
in the most adequate manner. The voice for instance leads to play a critical role in the
learning process of the student. It has further been stated that the voice must be easily
understood and should have the right scope and intensity. It must reach clearly to the
students and through this manner the students may be able to effectively learn what is
being taught to them. The tonality on the other hand is equally essential in
establishing an impact. The tonality of the message being conveyed assists in the
differentiation of meanings and allows the listeners to understand the context in which
the word is being spoken. This eventually leads to contribute in the development of
children, making it easier for them to identify words in a better way and associate
them with the taught content. In the same manner, the accent plays its role and assists
in adequate pronunciation of words. On the whole, it could be understood that read
aloud teaching technique significantly assists in efficient learning of students in
primary years of education.
5.9 Recommendations
The study has been of high significance and use in terms of assessing the
importance of read aloud learning in primary level ESL learners. It has been assessed
how this particular teaching strategy may be of significant use for children who wish
to learn English. Considering that the research has been carried out in the geographic
location of Pakistan where the need of improving teaching methods and quality is
very high, this particular study has led to add significant value in the matter. With
regards to the study and its findings, few of the following recommendations have been
made:
 Teachers must focus on the instructional strategies and pay close attention to
each student individually for making sure that it is rightly assessed regarding
which student is performing at what level. While read aloud learning strategy
has been considered of high importance and significance to the learners, it is
further imperative to assess how each of the student is performing and to what
extent is the learning taking place. Through this way, the teachers would be
able to understand the progress of their students with regards to the particular
teaching strategy and any required amends may be able to take place in
accordance.
 The read-aloud technique is an effective measure to improve the learning of
students, therefore, it is recommended to the schools to implement this
technique as part of their curriculum. However, only adding it to curriculum
will not be enough as the teachers should be trained accordingly and should
have the necessary skillset to create a balance between learning and teaching
so that the technique can be implemented efficiently and effectively.
 It has been observed that limited books have been used for assessing the
impact of read aloud teaching technique in a particular group of students
belonging from a school. In order to further make sure that the results would
be the same and the effectiveness of read aloud would not reduce more text
books may be used for assessing the learning of students. Rather books with
different genre may be used to explore the impact of this particular teaching
strategy. With a wider variety of text books used, it would become more
evident in assessing if the technique is useful for students on a larger scale or

if these learning turned out to be effective due to the book and its context. In
other words, books with varied context could be used to analyse the learning
and efficiency of primary ESL learners.
 For carrying out this study, the case of Pakistan has been taken which has
depicted the result in accordance. With regards to future studies, the study
must be carried out considering the learning of students through read aloud
teaching in different geographic locations. This would allow the researcher to
identify how the result of teaching strategy may or may not differ in varied
settings and environment and whether the results could be generalised. Once a
bigger sample is taken and different school settings are assessed in terms of
teaching methods, the significance of the independent variable may further
augment. While the study will be of high use to varied practitioners and
academicians, the wider dynamics of the research will add more value to the
area of study taken into consideration.
 Considering the element of read aloud teaching strategy, further research
could be carried out in assessing the impact of it on different subjects and their
learning other than English. In this particular research, the impact of read
aloud learning has been assessed only in terms of English as a subject, which
to an extent limits the study dynamics. While it has been understood and
observed that read aloud teaching strategy is highly useful and beneficial for
enhanced student learning in terms of English language, it must further be
assessed how the results may vary and differ for other subjects. Student
learning and teaching methods has been a very important area of study and
several researchers have depicted their findings over the last many years.
While all these results have been highly significant in their own context, there
is still a need to carry out such studies to explore different dynamics of
teaching and student learning. Read aloud has been regarded highly significant
in their field of teaching but there still remains a significant need of exploring
the related dynamics.
 For future research, different types of read-aloud technique can be used and
tested to examine what is the most significant and effective technique for
primary level students. Moreover, the future researchers can also conduct
study of comparison between urban and rural students to identify what effect it
has on different types of localities and students.

REFERENCES
Ahmad, S., & Rao, C. (2013). Applying communicative approach in teaching english
as a foreign language: a case study of Pakistan.
Akyol, H., Çakıroğlu, A., & Kuruyer, H. G. (2017). A study on the development of
reading skills of the students having difficulty in reading: Enrichment reading
program. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 6(2),
199-212.
Alemi, M. (2016). General impacts of integrating advanced and modern technologies
on teaching English as a foreign language. International Journal on
Integrating Technology in Education, 5(1), 13-26.
Alharbi, M. A. (2015). Reading strategies, learning styles and reading comprehension:
A correlation study. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 6(6), 1257-
1268.
Ali, S., 2018. The Education Crisis.
Allington, R. L. (2014). How Reading Volume Affects Both Reading Fluency and
Reading Achievement. International Electronic Journal of Elementary
Education, 7(1), 13-26.
Alsamadani, H. A. (2017). The Effect of Talking Story Books on Saudi Young EFL
Learners' Reading Comprehension. English Language Teaching, 10(5), 204-
213.
Alshumaimeri, Y. (2017). The effects of reading method on the comprehension
performance of Saudi EFL students. International Electronic Journal of
Elementary Education, 4(1), 185-195.
Aqeel, M., Jami, H. and Ahmed, A., 2017. Translation, adaptation, and cross-
language validation of student: thinking about my homework scale

(STP). International Journal of Human Rights in Healthcare, 10(5), pp.296-
309.
Arnold, W., & Malcolm, F. (2016). Reading and young learners.
August, D. (2018). Educating English Language Learners: A Review of the Latest
Research. American Educator, 42(3), 4.
August, D., & Shanahan, T. (2017). Developing literacy in second-language learners:
Report of the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and
Youth. Routledge.
August, D., Artzi, L., & Barr, C. (2016). Helping ELLs meet standards in English
language arts and science: An intervention focused on academic
vocabulary. Reading & Writing Quarterly, 32(4), 373-396.
August, D., Artzi, L., Barr, C., & Francis, D. (2018). The moderating influence of
instructional intensity and word type on the acquisition of academic
vocabulary in young English language learners. Reading and Writing, 31(4),
965-989.
Avivi, M. (2018). Using Big Book to Teach Kinds of Amimal. Universitas
Muhammadiyah Sidoarjo.
Ba, T. T. B., & Huan, N. B. (2017). Reading strategy instruction to Vietnamese young
language learners: Teachers‘ practices and perceptions. Tạp chí Khoa học
Trường Đại học Cần Thơ, 7, 138-147.
Baker, D. L., Mogna, V., Rodriguez, S., Farmer, D., & Yovanoff, P. (2016). Building
the Oral Language of Young Hispanic Children Through Interactive Read
Alouds and Vocabulary Games at Preschool and at Home. Journal of
International Special Needs Education, 19(2), 81-94.

Baker, S. K., Santoro, L. E., Chard, D. J., Fien, H., Park, Y., & Otterstedt, J. (2013).
An evaluation of an explicit read aloud intervention taught in whole-classroom
formats in first grade. The Elementary School Journal, 113(3), 331-358.
Barnes, E. M., & Oliveira, A. W. (2018). Teaching Scientific Metaphors Through
Informational Text Read‐Alouds. The Reading Teacher, 71(4), 463-472.
Bin Tahir, S.Z., 2017. Multilingual teaching and learning at Pesantren Schools in
Indonesia. Asian EFL Journal, 89, pp.74-94.
Bolanos, D., Cole, R. A., Ward, W. H., Tindal, G. A., Schwanenflugel, P. J., & Kuhn,
M. R. (2013). Automatic assessment of expressive oral reading. Speech
Communication, 55(2), 221-236.
Bosacki, S., Rose-Krasnor, L., & Coplan, R. J. (2014). Children's talking and listening
within the classroom: teachers' insights. Early Child Development and Care,
184(2), 247-265.
Boyer, K. (2017). The Relationship Between Vocabulary and Reading
Comprehension in Third Grade Students Who Are English Language Learners
and Reading Below Grade Level.
Breunig, M., 2017. Experientially learning and teaching in a student-directed
classroom. Journal of Experiential Education, 40(3), pp.213-230.
Brouzos, A., Misailidi, P., & Hadjimattheou, A. (2014). Associations between
emotional intelligence, socio-emotional adjustment, and academic
achievement in childhood: The influence of age. Canadian Journal of School
Psychology, 29(2), 83-99.
Bryant, P., & Goswami, U. (2016). Phonological skills and learning to read.
Routledge.
Bughio, F. A. (2013). Improving English language teaching in large classes at
university level in Pakistan (Doctoral dissertation, University of Sussex).
Cain, K., Oakhill, J., & Elbro, C. (2014). Understanding and teaching reading
comprehension: A handbook. Routledge.
Calderon, M. E., & Slakk, S. (2018). Teaching Reading to English Learners, Grades
6-12: A Framework for Improving Achievement in the Content Areas. Corwin
Press.
Campbell,D.T.,&Stanley,J.(1963).Experimental and quasi-experimental designs for
research.Chicago,IL:Rand-McNally.
Cardona, J. F., Manes, F., Escobar, J., López, J., & Ibáñez, A. (2012). Potential
consequences of abandonment in preschool-age: Neuropsychological findings
in institutionalized children. Behavioural neurology, 25(4), 291-301.
Castilla, A. P., Restrepo, M. A., & Perez-Leroux, A. T. (2009). Individual differences
and language interdependence: A study of sequential bilingual development in
Spanish–English preschool children. International Journal of Bilingual
Education and Bilingualism, 12(5), 565-580.
Castro, D. C., Páez, M. M., Dickinson, D. K., & Frede, E. (2011). Promoting
language and literacy in young dual language learners: Research, practice, and
policy. Child Development Perspectives, 5(1), 15-21.
Castro, M., Expósito-Casas, E., López-Martín, E., Lizasoain, L., Navarro-Asencio, E.
and Gaviria, J.L., 2015. Parental involvement on student academic
achievement: A meta-analysis. Educational research review, 14, pp.33-46.
Chan, M. (2018). Processing instruction in helping map forms and meaning in second
language acquisition of English simple past. The Journal of Educational
Research, 111(6), 720-732.

Chapleau, M., Wilson, M. A., Potvin, K., Harvey‐Langton, A., Montembeault, M., &
Brambati, S. M. (2017). Word reading aloud skills: their positive redefinition
through ageing. Journal of Research in Reading, 40(3), 297-312.
Chomsky, C. (2012). Books on videodisc: Computers, video, and reading aloud to
children. In Cognition, education, and multimedia (pp. 45-62). Routledge.
Cole, M. W., Dunston, P. J., & Butler, T. (2017). Engaging English language learners
through interactive read-alouds: a literature review. English Teaching:
Practice & Critique, 16(1), 97-109.
Coleman, H. (2010). Teaching and learning in Pakistan: The role of language in
education. Islamabad: The British Council, 148-157.
Cook, V., 2016. Second language learning and language teaching. Routledge.
Correa, D., & González, A. (2016). English in public primary schools in Colombia:
Achievements and challenges brought about by national language education
policies. education policy analysis archives, 24, 83.
Correa, V. I., Lo, Y. Y., Godfrey-Hurrell, K., Swart, K., & Baker, D. L. (2015).
Effects of adapted dialogic reading on oral language and vocabulary
knowledge of Latino preschoolers at risk for English language
delays. Multiple Voices for Ethnically Diverse Exceptional Learners, 15(2), 3-
21.
Damber, U. (2015). Read-alouds in preschool–A matter of discipline?. Journal of
Early Childhood Literacy, 15(2), 256-280.
de Oliveira, L. C., & Silva, T. (2016). Second language writing in elementary
classrooms: An overview of issues. In Second Language Writing in
Elementary Classrooms (pp. 1-10). Palgrave Macmillan, London.

De Siqueira, A. C. (2012). The 2020 World Bank education strategy: Nothing new, or
the same old gospel. In The World Bank and Education (pp. 67-81). Brill
Sense.
Ding, X., Liu, J., Coplan, R. J., Chen, X., Li, D., & Sang, B. (2014). Self-reported
shyness in Chinese children: Validation of the Children‘s Shyness
Questionnaire and exploration of its links with adjustment and the role of
coping. Personality and Individual Differences, 68, 183-188.
Dollins, C. (2014). Expanding the power of read-alouds. Young children, 69(3), 8-13.
Dougherty Stahl, K. A. (2012). Complex text or frustration‐level text: Using shared
reading to bridge the difference. The Reading Teacher, 66(1), 47-51.
Downs, M. L. (2017). " Effects of Front-loading Vocabulary for English as a Second
Language Learners.
Duke, N. K., & Block, M. K. (2012). Improving reading in the primary grades. The
Future of Children, 22(2), 55-72.
Dyson, H., Best, W., Solity, J., & Hulme, C. (2017). Training mispronunciation
correction and word meanings improves children‘s ability to learn to read
words. Scientific Studies of Reading, 21(5), 392-407.
Ellis, J.D., 2017. Journal of Applied Communications, 2017, vol. 101, no. 2 Full
Issue. Journal of Applied Communications, 101(2), p.9.
Falloon, G., 2019. Using simulations to teach young students science concepts: An
Experiential Learning theoretical analysis. Computers & Education.
Farooq, M. S., Uzair-Ul-Hassan, M., & Wahid, S. (2012). Opinion of Second
Language Learners about Writing Difficulties in English Language. South
Asian Studies (1026-678X), 27(1).

Fatemipour, H., & Hashemi, M. (2016). The effect of cooperative strategies versus
concept visualization on reading comprehension ability of intermediate EFL
learners. Theory and practice in language studies, 6(4), 686-692.
French, R. (2012). Learning the grammatics of quoted speech: Benefits for
punctuation and expressive reading. Australian Journal of Language and
Literacy, The, 35(2), 206.
Gagné, N., & Parks, S. (2016). Cooperative learning tasks in a Grade 6 intensive
English as a second language class: turn-taking and degree of
participation. The Language Learning Journal, 44(2), 169-180.
García, E. E., & Frede, E. C. (2010). Young English Language Learners: Current
Research and Emerging Directions for Practice and Policy. Early Childhood
Education Series. Teachers College Press. 1234 Amsterdam Avenue, New
York, NY 10027.
Genesee, F. (2010). Dual language development in preschool children. Young English
language learners: Current research and emerging directions for practice and
policy, 59-79.
Genesee, F. (2016). Rethinking early childhood education for English language
learners: the role of language. Early childhood education in English for
speakers of other languages, 21-42.
Giroir, S., Grimaldo, L. R., Vaughn, S., & Roberts, G. (2015). Interactive read‐alouds
for English learners in the elementary grades. The Reading Teacher, 68(8),
639-648.
Gleeson, M., & Davison, C. (2016). A conflict between experience and professional
learning: Subject teachers‘ beliefs about teaching English language
learners. Relc Journal, 47(1), 43-57.

Golder, S., Loke, Y. K., & Bland, M. (2011). Meta-analyses of adverse effects data
derived from randomised controlled trials as compared to observational
studies: methodological overview. PLoS medicine, 8(5), e1001026.
Gonzalez, K. M., & Parra, M. H. (2018, March). Project VEC Virtual English Corner:
An online website for Chilean elementary students and parents to support their
EFL learning process. In Society for Information Technology & Teacher
Education International Conference (pp. 1231-1236). Association for the
Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE).
Goodrich, J. M., Lonigan, C. J., & Farver, J. M. (2013). Do early literacy skills in
children's first language promote development of skills in their second
language? An experimental evaluation of transfer. Journal of Educational
Psychology, 105(2), 414.
Guhn, M., Gadermann, A. M., Almas, A., Schonert-Reichl, K. A., & Hertzman, C.
(2016). Associations of teacher-rated social, emotional, and cognitive
development in kindergarten to self-reported wellbeing, peer relations, and
academic test scores in middle childhood. Early Childhood Research
Quarterly, 35, 76-84.
Gulzar, M. A., & Qadir, S. A. (2010). Issues of Language (s) Choice and Use: A
Pakistani Perspective. Pakistan Journal of Social Sciences (PJSS), 30(2).
Hammer, C. S., Jia, G., & Uchikoshi, Y. (2011). Language and literacy development
of dual language learners growing up in the United States: A call for
research. Child development perspectives, 5(1), 4-9.
Hanington, L. M. (2017). Reading Aloud as a Technique for Developing Teachers‘
Awareness of English Phonology3. Asian-Focused ELT Research and
Practice: Voices from the Far Edge, 50.

Harris, S., & Butaud, G. L. (2016). Strategies for supporting elementary students of
poverty in reading. In Social justice instruction (pp. 171-183). Springer,
Cham.
Heathington, B. S. (1975). The Development of Scales to Measure Attitudes Towards
Reading.
Hemming, K., Girling, A. J., Sitch, A. J., Marsh, J., & Lilford, R. J. (2011). Sample
size calculations for cluster randomised controlled trials with a fixed number
of clusters. BMC medical research methodology, 11(1), 102.
Hermann, K.M., Kocisky, T., Grefenstette, E., Espeholt, L., Kay, W., Suleyman, M.
and Blunsom, P., 2015. Teaching machines to read and comprehend.
In Advances in neural information processing systems (pp. 1693-1701).‘
Hibbin, R. (2016). The psychosocial benefits of oral storytelling in school: developing
identity and empathy through narrative. Pastoral Care in Education, 34(4),
218-231.
Hoyos, D. D., & David, N. (2018). Understanding Reading Purpose. The TESOL
Encyclopedia of English Language Teaching, 1-6.
Hulme, C., Goetz, K., Brigstocke, S., Nash, H. M., Lervåg, A., & Snowling, M. J.
(2012). The growth of reading skills in children with Down syndrome.
Developmental Science, 15(3), 320-329.
Hunt, M., & Feng, J. (2016). Improving Vocabulary of English Language Learners
through Direct Vocabulary Instruction. Online Submission.
Hussain, I., Javed, M., & Munshi, P. (2015). English as Second Language: Students'
Awareness of Learning Strategies Used in Reading Comprehension. Journal
on English Language Teaching, 5(1), 11-18.

Hutton, J. S., Horowitz-Kraus, T., Mendelsohn, A. L., DeWitt, T., Holland, S. K., &
C-Mind Authorship Consortium. (2015). Home reading environment and brain
activation in preschool children listening to stories. Pediatrics, 136(3), 466-
478.
Hutton, J.S., Horowitz-Kraus, T., Mendelsohn, A.L., DeWitt, T., Holland, S.K. and C-
Mind Authorship Consortium, 2015. Home reading environment and brain
activation in preschool children listening to stories. Pediatrics, 136(3), pp.466-
478.
Isaki, E., & Harmon, M. T. (2015). Children and adults reading interactively: The
social benefits of an exploratory intergenerational program. Communication
Disorders Quarterly, 36(2), 90-101.
Islam, C., & Park, M. H. (2016). Strategies to enhance kindergarten children‘s reading
comprehension. International Journal of Language & Linguistics, 3(2), 39-43.
Jackson, V. (2016). Applying the think-aloud strategy to improve reading
comprehension of science content. Current Issues in Education, 19(2).
Johnston, V. (2016). Successful read-alouds in today's classroom. Kappa Delta Pi
Record, 52(1), 39-42.
Jozwik, S. L., & Douglas, K. H. (2017). Effects of Multicomponent Academic
Vocabulary Instruction for English Learners With Learning
Difficulties. Learning Disability Quarterly, 40(4), 237-250.
Justice, L. M., & Sofka, A. E. (2013). Engaging children with print: Building early
literacy skills through quality read-alouds. Guilford Publications.
Justice, L. M., Logan, J. A., Kaderavek, J. N., & Dynia, J. M. (2015). Print-focused
read-alouds in early childhood special education programs. Exceptional
Children, 81(3), 292-311.

Khairuddin, Z. (2017). The Influence of MUET Score and First Language towards
English as a Second (ESL) Learners‘ Self-Confidence. International Journal
of Applied Linguistics and English Literature, 6(3), 150-157.
Khan, H. I. (2011). Testing creative writing in Pakistan: Tensions and potential in
classroom practice. Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 1(15), 111-119.
Kibler, A. K., Walqui, A., & Bunch, G. C. (2015). Transformational opportunities:
Language and literacy instruction for English language learners in the
Common Core era in the United States. Tesol Journal, 6(1), 9-35.
Kim, D. H., Wang, C., Ahn, H. S., & Bong, M. (2015). English language learners'
self-efficacy profiles and relationship with self-regulated learning
strategies. Learning and Individual Differences, 38, 136-142.
Kory, J., & Breazeal, C. (2014, August). Storytelling with robots: Learning
companions for preschool children's language development. In The 23rd IEEE
International Symposium on Robot and Human Interactive
Communication(pp. 643-648). IEEE.
Košak-Babuder, M., Kormos, J., Ratajczak, M., & Pižorn, K. (2019). The effect of
read-aloud assistance on the text comprehension of dyslexic and non-dyslexic
English language learners. Language Testing, 36(1), 51-75.
Kraemer, L., McCabe, P., & Sinatra, R. (2012). The effects of read-alouds of
expository text on first graders' listening comprehension and book choice.
Literacy Research and Instruction, 51(2), 165-178.
Krashen, S. (2013). Reading and Vocabulary Acquisition: Supporting Evidence and
Some Objections. Iranian Journal of Language Teaching Research, 1(1), 27-
43.
Krashen, Stephen D. Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition.
Prentice-Hall International, 1987
Kremin, L. V., Arredondo, M. M., Hsu, L. S. J., Satterfield, T., & Kovelman, I.
(2019). The effects of Spanish heritage language literacy on English reading
for Spanish–English bilingual children in the US. International journal of
bilingual education and bilingualism, 22(2), 192-206.
Krieber, M., Bartl-Pokorny, K. D., Pokorny, F. B., Zhang, D., Landerl, K., Körner, C.,
... & Marschik, P. B. (2017). Eye movements during silent and oral reading in
a regular orthography: Basic characteristics and correlations with childhood
cognitive abilities and adolescent reading skills. PloS one, 12(2), e0170986.
Lai, S. A., George Benjamin, R., Schwanenflugel, P. J., & Kuhn, M. R. (2014). The
longitudinal relationship between reading fluency and reading comprehension
skills in second-grade children. Reading & Writing Quarterly, 30(2), 116-138.
Lawson, K. (2012). The real power of parental reading aloud: Exploring the affective
and attentional dimensions. Australian Journal of Education, 56(3), 257-272.
Ledger, S., & Merga, M. K. (2018). Reading Aloud: Children's Attitudes toward
being Read to at Home and at School. Australian Journal of Teacher
Education, 43(3), 124-139.
Lennox, S. (2013). Interactive read-alouds—An avenue for enhancing children‘s
language for thinking and understanding: A review of recent research. Early
Childhood Education Journal, 41(5), 381-389.
LervAag, A., Hulme, C., & Melby‐Lervåg, M. (2018). Unpicking the developmental
relationship between oral language skills and reading comprehension: It's
simple, but complex. Child development, 89(5), 1821-1838.

Leung, C. (2016). English as an additional language–a genealogy of language-in-
education policies and reflections on research trajectories. Language and
Education, 30(2), 158-174.
Maarof, N. (2017). Code switching among Malaysian primary school teachers in
teaching english as a second language. Man in India, 97(13), 31-39.
Mahboob, A. (2009). English as an Islamic language: A case study of Pakistani
English. World Englishes, 28(2), 175-189.
Manan, S. A., David, M. K., & Dumanig, F. P. (2016). English language teaching in
Pakistan: Language policies, delusions and solutions. In English language
education policy in Asia(pp. 219-244). Springer, Cham.
Marashi, H., & Rahmati, P. (2017). The effect of teaching reading strategies on EFL
learners‘ reading anxiety. International Journal of Research in English
Education, 2(2), 43-52.
Mart, C. T. (2012). Encouraging Young Learners to Learn English through Stories.
English Language Teaching, 5(5), 101-106.
Mason, B., & Krashen, S. (2018). American students‘ vocabulary acquisition rate in
Japanese as a foreign language from listening to a story. Turkish Online
Journal of English Language Teaching, 3(1), 6-9.
Mason, J. M. (2017). Reading stories to preliterate children: A proposed connection to
reading. In Reading acquisition (pp. 215-241). Routledge.
Mason, J.M., 2017. Reading stories to preliterate children: A proposed connection to
reading. In Reading acquisition (pp. 215-241). Routledge.
McBride, C. (2015). Children's literacy development: A cross-cultural perspective on
learning to read and write. Routledge.

McKee, L., & Carr, G. (2016). Supporting Beginning Readers in Reading to Learn: A
Comprehension Strategy. The Reading Teacher, 70(3), 359-363.
McLaughlin, B. (2013). Second language acquisition in childhood: Volume 2:
School-age Children. Psychology Press.
Mims, P. J., Hudson, M. E., & Browder, D. M. (2012). Using read-alouds of grade-
level biographies and systematic prompting to promote comprehension for
students with moderate and severe developmental disabilities. Focus on
Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 27(2), 67-80.
Mohammed, O. A. A. (2018). Impact of Reading Aloud on EFL Learners in
Improving Reading and Pronunciation (Doctoral dissertation, Sudan
University of Science and Technology).
Morgan, H. (2013). Multimodal children‘s e-books help young learners in reading.
Early Childhood Education Journal, 41(6), 477-483.
Muhammad, K. I. (2017). The Alternative Strategies For Teaching Reading Skill For
EFL Students. Komposisi: Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa, Sastra, dan Seni, 18(1),
107.
Muncy, Marla Renee. (2011). "The Effects of Word Instruction During Classroom
Read-Alouds on the Acquisition of Vocabulary". (Doctoral dissertation,
Eastern Kentucky University).
Murtaza, A., & Zhanuzakova, G. (2018). NEW METHODS OF TEACHING
FOREIGN LANGUAGE. ЕКІНШІ СЕКЦИЯ (қатысушылардың
мақалалары), 262.
Muslem, A., & Abbas, M. (2017). The Effectiveness of Immersive Multimedia
Learning with Peer Support on English Speaking and Reading
Aloud. International Journal of Instruction, 10(1), 203-218.

Muslem, A., & Abbas, M. (2017). The Effectiveness of Immersive Multimedia
Learning with Peer Support on English Speaking and Reading
Aloud. International Journal of Instruction, 10(1), 203-218.
Mustafa, Z. (2012). Pakistan ruined by language myth. The Guardian, 10.
Nair, R., Krishnasamy, R., & De Mello, G. (2017). Rethinking the teaching of
pronunciation in the ESL classroom. The English Teacher, 14.
Nawab, A. (2012). Is it the way to teach language the way we teach language?
English language teaching in rural Pakistan. Academic research
international, 2(2), 696.
Neuman, S. B., & Kaefer, T. (2018). Developing low-income children‘s vocabulary
and content knowledge through a shared book reading
program. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 52, 15-24.
Nikolov, M. (Ed.). (2016). Assessing young learners of English: Global and local
perspectives. Berlin: Springer.
Nisbet, J. and Shucksmith, J., 2017. Learning strategies. Routledge.
Nurani, S., & Rosyada, A. (2015). Improving English Pronunciation of Adult ESL
Learners through Reading Aloud Assessments. Lingua Cultura, 9(2), 107-112.
Oliver, R., & Azkarai, A. (2017). Review of child second language acquisition (SLA):
Examining theories and research. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 37,
62-76.
Omar, A. (2016). READ-ALOUD TECHNIQUE TO ENHANCE PRE-SCHOOL
CHILDREN‘S VOCABULARY IN A RURAL SCHOOL IN
MALAYSIA. International Journal of Early Childhood Education and
Care, 5, 17-27.
Paige, D. D., & Magpuri-Lavell, T. (2017). Reading fluency in the middle and
secondary grades. International Electronic Journal of Elementary
Education, 7(1), 83-96.
Pendergast, M., May, L., Bingham, G., & Kurumada, K. S. (2015). Acquiring
responsive practices: Preservice teachers learn to conduct interactive read-
alouds. Action in Teacher Education, 37(1), 65-81.
Pretorius, E. J., & Spaull, N. (2016). Exploring relationships between oral reading
fluency and reading comprehension amongst English second language readers
in South Africa. Reading and Writing, 29(7), 1449-1471.
Price, L. H., Bradley, B. A., & Smith, J. M. (2012). A comparison of preschool
teachers‘ talk during storybook and information book read-alouds. Early
Childhood Research Quarterly, 27(3), 426-440.
Ray, S. (2017). Unit-17 Teaching-Learning Speaking Skills.
Rehman, A., Bilal, H., Sheikh, A., Bibi, N., & Nawaz, A. (2014). The role of
motivation in learning English language for Pakistani learners. International
Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 4(1), 254-258.
Rieben, L., & Perfetti, C. A. (2013). Learning to read: Basic research and its
implications. Routledge.
Riquelme, E., & Montero, I. (2013). Improving emotional competence through
mediated reading: Short term effects of a children's literature program. Mind,
Culture, and Activity, 20(3), 226-239.
Rivers, W. M. (2018). Teaching Foreign Language Skills Rev Ed. University of
Chicago Press.
Roessingh, H. (2019). Read‐alouds in the upper elementary classroom: Developing
academic vocabulary. TESOL Journal, e00445.

Rose, D., & Martin, J. R. (2012). Learning to write, reading to learn: Genre,
knowledge and pedagogy in the Sydney School. Sheffield: Equinox.
Saito, K., & Shintani, N. (2016). Do native speakers of North American and
Singapore English differentially perceive comprehensibility in second
language speech?. TESOL Quarterly, 50(2), 421-446.
Sajid, M. K. M., & Kassim, H. (2019). COMPARISON OF READING ALOUD
STRATEGIES VERSUS SILENT READING STRATEGIES USED ON
PAKISTANI UNIVERSITY STUDENTS‘READING COMPARISON FOR
READING PROFICIENCY & LITERAL READING SKILLS. European
Journal of Education Studies.
Santoro, L. E., Baker, S. K., Fien, H., Smith, J. L. M., & Chard, D. J. (2016). Using
read-alouds to help struggling readers access and comprehend complex,
informational text. Teaching Exceptional Children, 48(6), 282-292.
Sarıca, H.Ç. and Usluel, Y.K., 2016. The effect of digital storytelling on visual
memory and writing skills. Computers & Education, 94, pp.298-309.
Shamim, F. (2011). English as the language for development in Pakistan: Issues,
challenges and possible solutions. Dreams and realities: Developing countries
and the English language, 291-310.
Sharma, V. K. (2018). How do productive skills of Saudi students affect EFL learning
and teaching. Journal of American Science, 14(5).
Shin, J. K. (2015). Literacy instruction for young EFL learners: A balanced
approach. National Geographic Learning.
Shinozuka, K., Shibata, S., & Mizusawa, Y. (2017). Effectiveness of Read-Aloud
Instruction on Motivation and Learning Strategy among Japanese College EFL
Students. English Language Teaching, 10(4), 1-14.

Silverman, D. (Ed.). (2016). Qualitative research. Sage.
Silverman, R. D., Martin-Beltran, M., Peercy, M. M., Hartranft, A. M., McNeish, D.
M., Artzi, L., & Nunn, S. (2017). Effects of a cross-age peer learning program
on the vocabulary and comprehension of English learners and non-English
learners in elementary school. The Elementary School Journal, 117(3), 485-
512.
Sim, S., & Berthelsen, D. (2014). Shared book reading by parents with young
children: evidence-based practice. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood,
39(1), 50.
Sipe, L. R. (2015). Young children‘s visual meaning making in response to
picturebooks. Handbook of research on teaching literacy through the
communicative and visual arts, 2, 381-391.
Smith, A., & Kennedy, M. (2016). The Read-Aloud in the Secondary English
Language Arts Classroom and its Effect on Students‘ Reading Attitudes: A
Synthesis of Existing Research.
Snow, D., Sun, O., & Li, X. (2017). Learning to Speak in an Exam-Focused World: A
Study of Independent Language Learning in China. In Innovation in Language
Learning and Teaching (pp. 39-62). Palgrave Macmillan, London.
Son, S. H., & Morrison, F. J. (2010). The nature and impact of changes in home
learning environment on development of language and academic skills in
preschool children. Developmental psychology, 46(5), 1103.
Spaull, N. (2015). Examining oral reading fluency among rural Grade 5 English
Second Language (ESL) learners in South Africa: An analysis of NEEDU
2013. South African Journal of Childhood Education, 5(2), 44-77.

Stracke, E. (2016). Language learning strategies of Indonesian primary school
students: In relation to self-efficacy beliefs. System, 60, 1-10.
Sudiati, S., Hanapi, H. and Bugis, R., 2018. The Effectiveness of Think Aloud
Strategy in Students‘ Reading Achievement. Jurnal Retemena, 5(1), pp.44-56.
Sudiati, S., Hanapi, H., & Bugis, R. (2018). The Effectiveness of Think Aloud
Strategy in Students‘ Reading Achievement. Jurnal Retemena, 5(1), 44-56.
Swain, K. D., Leader-Janssen, E. M., & Conley, P. (2017). Effects of repeated reading
and listening passage preview on oral reading fluency. Reading Improvement,
54(3), 105-112.
Swanson, E., Wanzek, J., McCulley, L., Stillman-Spisak, S., Vaughn, S., Simmons,
D., ... & Hairrell, A. (2016). Literacy and text reading in middle and high
school social studies and English language arts classrooms. Reading &
Writing Quarterly, 32(3), 199-222.
Szyszka, M. (2016). English pronunciation teaching at different educational levels:
Insights into teachers‘ perceptions and actions. Research in Language, 14(2),
165-180.c
Taylor, S. J., Bogdan, R., & DeVault, M. (2015). Introduction to qualitative research
methods: A guidebook and resource. John Wiley & Sons.
Tobia, V., Bonifacci, P., Ottaviani, C., Borsato, T., & Marzocchi, G. M. (2016).
Reading under the skin: physiological activation during reading in children
with dyslexia and typical readers. Annals of dyslexia, 66(2), 171-186.
Trelease, J. (2013). The read-aloud handbook. Penguin.
Treweek, S., Lockhart, P., Pitkethly, M., Cook, J. A., Kjeldstrøm, M., Johansen, M.,
... & Jones, R. (2013). Methods to improve recruitment to randomised

controlled trials: Cochrane systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ
open, 3(2), e002360.
Vadasy, P. F., & Sanders, E. A. (2016). Attention to orthographic and phonological
word forms in vocabulary instruction for kindergarten English
learners. Reading Psychology, 37(6), 833-866.
Van den Boer, M., van Bergen, E., & de Jong, P. F. (2014). Underlying skills of oral
and silent reading. Journal of experimental child psychology, 128, 138-151.
Van der Pol, C. (2012). Reading picturebooks as literature: Four-to-six-year-old
children and the development of literary competence. Children's Literature in
Education, 43(1), 93-106.
Vaughn, S., Martinez, L. R., Wanzek, J., Roberts, G., Swanson, E., & Fall, A. M.
(2017). Improving content knowledge and comprehension for English
language learners: Findings from a randomized control trial. Journal of
Educational Psychology, 109(1), 22.
Wang, Y. H. (2016). Reading Strategy Use and Comprehension Performance of More
Successful and Less Successful Readers: A Think-Aloud Study. Educational
Sciences: Theory and Practice, 16(5), 1789-1813.
Wang, Y.H., 2016. Reading Strategy Use and Comprehension Performance of More
Successful and Less Successful Readers: A Think-Aloud Study. Educational
Sciences: Theory and Practice, 16(5), pp.1789-1813.
Warner, I. W. (2016). English Language Speaking/Oral Communication Lessons:
Inhibiting Factors and Practical Solutions. Journal of KIBI International
University Humanities and Social Sciences, (26), 145-162.

Wigfield, A., Gladstone, J.R. and Turci, L., 2016. Beyond cognition: Reading
motivation and reading comprehension. Child development
perspectives, 10(3), pp.190-195.
Wolsey, T. D., & Lapp, D. (2018). Teaching/Developing Vocabulary Using Think‐
Aloud and Read‐Aloud Strategies. The TESOL Encyclopedia of English
Language Teaching, 1-9.
Worthy, J., Chamberlain, K., Peterson, K., Sharp, C., & Shih, P. Y. (2012). The
importance of read-aloud and dialogue in an era of narrowed curriculum: An
examination of literature discussions in a second-grade classroom. Literacy
Research and Instruction, 51(4), 308-322.
Yang, Z. (2017). The Enlightenment on English Listening Teaching by Cognitive
Process of Metaphor.
Young, C., Pearce, D., Gomez, J., Christensen, R., Pletcher, B., & Fleming, K.
(2018). Read Two Impress and the Neurological Impress Method: Effects on
elementary students‘ reading fluency, comprehension, and attitude. The
Journal of Educational Research, 111(6), 657-665.
Zhou, Q. (2017). Reading stories to EFL children: the strategies for supporting
English language acquisition.

APPENDICES
Appendix A
Reading Motivation Questionnaire
Students Self Perceived Motivation towards Reading Questionnaire
How do you feel . . .
1. When you go to the library?
2. When you read instead of playing outside?
3. When you read a book in free time?
4. When you are in reading group?
5. When you read instead of watching TV?
6. When you read to someone at home?
7. About the stories in your reading book?
8. When you read out loud in class?
9. When you read with a friend after school?
10. When you read stories in books?
11. When you read in a quiet place?
12. When you read a story at bedtime?
13. When it's time for reading circle (group)?
14. When you read on a trip
15. When you have lots of books at home?
16. When you read outside when it's warm?
17. When you read at your desk at school?
18. When you find a book at the library?
19. When you read in your room at home?
20. When you read instead of colouring?

21.
Appendix B
Fictional Story Retelling Form

Appendix C
Vocabulary Pre- Tests
Hansel and Gretel
Match the following words with its given meaning
Cage sister of one‘s father or mother
Witch with magical power
Aunt a way or track for walking
Oven a structure of bars or wires to keep animals
Elves a woman thought to have power magic
Path used to heat food
Jack and the beanstalk
Beanstalk very huge
Magic an art of throwing something
Harp to rise from sleep
Wake up musical instrument
Throw super natural power
Giant stem of bean plant

Vocabulary Post-Test
Hansel and Gretel
Cage sister of one‘s father or mother
Witch with magical power
Aunt a way or track for walking
Oven a structure of bars or wires to keep animals
Elves a woman thought to have power magic
Path used to heat food
Jack and the Beanstalk
Beanstalk very huge
Magic an art of throwing something
Harp to rise from sleep
Wake up musical instrument
Throw supernatural power
Giant stem of bean plant

Appendix D
Speaking Fluency Form

Appendix E
Lesson Plans
Lesson Plan 1(Hansel and Gretel Level 3) Lady Bird Series for ESL Learners
Time: 40 minutes
Period: 1period
Class level: Grade 2
Material: Picture story book, flashcards of vocabulary words
Objectives:
 Students will be able to use the vocabulary words appropriately in their own sentences
 Students will be able to discuss ideas, events and information in the text.
 Students will be able to find and remember the most important points in the text.
 Enhance students‘ critical thinking skills
 Increase students‘ desire to read
Pre-Reading/Pre-view (5-7 minutes)
Book talk: Vocabulary words will be introduced beforehand which will help the
students to better understand and comprehend the story.
Title and front cover will be discussed. While discussion students will be asked
 What they think the story is about?

 Which characters are going to be there?
 Where do they think the story takes place?
 What can they see on the front cover of the book?
 Is it a fiction or non-fiction?
 Is it a fairy tale?
 What kind of a house is it?
 Do you like the house?
 What is it made of?
 What is the colour of the house?
 Who lives in the house?

 How many characters do you think would be there in the story?
 Do you think the two characters on the front cover are related?
 What do you think are they rich or poor?
 What is the age of the children?
 Why do you think they are poor?
 Do they look happy or sad?
 Do you think Hansel and Gretel live there?
Picture talk: For previewing picture talk will be done to activate their thinking skills
to predict what the story is about.
Vocabulary Words: aunt, witch, angry, cage, candies, heard, left, cut, pushed,
showed, used, waited, bread, path, stone, wood, walked, oven, money
During Reading: (20-25 minutes)
 Teacher will read the lesson with fluency, Expression, correct stress and intonation
and variation in tone to attract students and maintain their interest.
 Teacher will make sure all the students are able to see the pictures as the picture will
aid the students to better understand the story.
 While reading teacher will ask questions to encourage students to focus on the
characters behaviour and actions like:
 Why did Hansel put the stones on the path?

 Could Hansel get out of the cage?
 Where possible children will be asked to predict what might happen next?
For example:
 Could Gretel help Hansel?

 How could she help him?
 Students will also be encouraged to answer the questions in complete sentences to
enhance their speaking skills.
After Reading :( 5 minutes)
Students will be asked questions to encourage them to think more deeply about the
characters for example
 Who was bad in the story?

 Who was clever?
 Why did the witch give Hansel lots of food?

ZARMINA DAUD Education 2021 Lcwu LHR

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

ZARMINA DAUD Education 2021 Lcwu LHR

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

DEVELOPMENT OF READ ALOUD FOCUSED MODEL TO

ENHANCE READING COMPREHENSION SKILLS AND

DEPARTMENT OF RESEARCH AND EVALUATION

A THESIS SUBMITTED TO LAHORE COLLEGE FOR WOMEN

DEPARTMENT OF RESEARCH AND EVALUATION

I would like to dedicate this research to my husband and

I would like to thank and express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor

completion of this research. Her knowledge, patience and motivation helped me to

support and assistance throughout my research and the efforts of my university,

department and associated members.

I am also grateful to the school administration and teachers who facilitated me

technique on development of reading comprehension skills and vocabulary. Benefits

skills, vocabulary, speaking fluency and reading motivation of students in the

significant difference in pre-test scores of experimental and control group. However, a

classroom practise by building teacher knowledge on how to capitalize on the

flexibility of the read aloud instructional approach in order to enhance reading

motivation and literacy skills of primary level students.

Keywords: Read-Aloud, Oral Fluency, Speaking Skills, Reading Motivation, Reading

CHAPTER Title Page No

1.1 Study Background 1

1.1.1 Educational System in Pakistan and English in Pre-School 3

1.1.2 Evaluation of English Teaching in Pakistan 4

1.2 Statement of Problem 5

1.3 Objectives of the Study 6

1.4 Research Questions 6

1.6 Significance of the Study 7

1.7 Theoretical Framework 7

1.8 Operational Definitions 10

Chapter 2: Review of Literature 13

2.2 English as Second Language (ESL) Learners at Primary Level 16

2.4 Concept of Read Aloud Technique in Classroom 30

2.5 Significance of Read Aloud Technique 33

2.5.1 The literary corpus 36

2.5.2 The languages used by the reader / mediator 36

2.6.1 The voice 40

2.6.2 The Tonality 41

2.6.3 The Accent 42

2.6.4 Punctuation Marks 43

2.6.5 The Gestures 44

2.6.6 Guidelines for Read Aloud Sessions 45

2.7 Research Related to Read Aloud Technique as a Tool to

Enhance Student‘s Reading 46

2.8 Effect of Read Aloud Technique on Comprehension Skills

2.9 Effect of Read Aloud on Vocabulary Development of Students 62

2.10 Effect of Read Aloud on Speaking Skills of Students 69

2.11 Chapter Summary 73

3.2 Pre-test Post-test Quasi- Experimental Design 76

3.4 Sample of the Study 80

3.5 Instruments of the Study 81

3.6 Instruments Validity and Reliability 83

3.8 Research Procedure for the Intervention 86

3.9 Read Aloud Procedural Stages for each 2 Weeks Session 89

3.10 Data Analysis 92

3.12 Ethical Considerations 94

4.2 Reading Comprehension Test Analysis 97

4.3 Story Re-Telling and Comprehension Analysis 107

4.4 Vocabulary Test Analysis 115

4.5 Speaking Fluency Test analysis 125

4.6 Analysis of Reading Motivation 131

4.7 Chapter Summary 135

Chapter 5: Summary, Findings, Discussion, Conclusion and

5.1 Summary 137