The effect of using picture cues technique on reading comprehension performance of Iraqi EFL learners

الملخص EN

Reading comprehension (henceforth RC) is considered one of the major goals in the language teaching programme because of its relevance to develop foreign language learners in their future life.

English language learners in Iraq have an inadequate level of reading comprehension due to a number of factors such as the strategies and techniques they follow in their reading comprehension and the types of methods that the teachers use in teaching RC.

Picture cues technique is one of the recent trends that plays an important role in teaching –learning process since it provides the learners with enjoyment and fun in the situation of language learning.

The present study aims at investigating the effect of picture cues technique on enhancing EFL learners in reading comprehension.

To fulfil the aim of the study, a null hypothesis is postulated stating that there is no statistically significant difference between the mean scores obtained by the students of the experimental group who are taught reading comprehension according to picture cues technique and that of the control group who are taught reading comprehension according to the prescribed method(as recommended in Teachers' guide) in RC.

Two sections were randomly selected from AL-Murtatha intermediate school for boys.

Students were assigned to the experimental and control groups, (36)students for experimental group and (36) students for control group after excluding five students from both groups, because they were repeaters in this grade.

The results indicated that the scores of experimental group outperformed the control group scores.

Those results reflected the effect of using picture cues technique in enhancing the RC.