What is missing in the EFL reading classroom?

Abstract EN

Thirty-nine male and thirty-seven female students attend¬ing the reading class (EDFL 222) were asked to complete a ques¬tionnaire developed in such a way as to clarify the teachers* activities and the students* activities in and outside the classroom in order to shed light, from the students' perspective, on the missing activities the students deem important to develop their reading skills.

The findings indicate that female students are more active than male students in and outside the classroom in terms of the number of the students who participate in reading-specific activities as well as the frequency of their participation in these activities.

However, both male and female students proved to lack some of the variables under investigation.

For example they do not prepare the text in advance, do not try to guess the meaning of the unfamiliar words, and do not connect the new ideas of the text to their already stored information.

They also need the teacher to explain the text, the structure and the new words to them.

In a word, they lack autonomy.